Look Up

Today I am grateful for the quiet I am currently surrounded by and for oatmeal and fruit as a simple breakfast.

This morning, I am especially sending kind and gentle thoughts and energy to my sister Mary Jo. She has a PET scan today that will give some indications as to the effectiveness of the drug combination she has been on as the first treatment regimen to counter the metastatic breast cancer in her body. I am anxious for her and what the scan will reveal. I am not in her shoes, but she's in my heart today and every day.

Look up. Two short words that can have a variety of meanings, many goals. Let's consider a few.

Look up at the awe-inspiring sky. Whether it be daylight and the endless blue on a clear day, or nighttime and the way the moon and light clouds create a masterpiece. As Brother David Steindl-Rast reminds us: "Look at the sky. We so rarely look at the sky."  It is humbling to see our place in the world with the sky as our backdrop.

Look up from your phone, computer, or other device that has your attention. Look up at the person who is speaking to you, give him or her your full attention. Look into their eyes, at their facial expression, hear their voice. There is more to communication than the words being said. And please, when driving, look up at the road and the others sharing it with you.

Look up a word. I try to do that when I come across one I don't know or have forgotten. I even like using a good old-fashioned dictionary to look up words sometimes. I love words. Their variety and nuances and how a certain one is just the right one. I plan to continue growing my vocabulary, just like growing gratitude.

Look up and outside oneself. As a young child, I got the idea that God, or Great Spirit, or whatever name you may have, is up in the sky, that heaven is up. My view is broader today. I think this higher source of power and being is all around and also within each of us. It starts by looking up and looking out beyond my own thoughts and feelings. More is always revealed when I am able to do that.

Have a good day! Pause to look up once in awhile.


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