A Wide Embrace and "Doing a Roger"

Today I am grateful for rest and the fresh perspective of a new day.

These words from Br. David Steindl-Rast feel like a salve to a broken and suffering world:

"Our approach to gratefulness has to be big enough to embrace all the difficulties of the world."

Innocent people dying on a bike path in New York City. Hurricanes and wildfires becoming more severe and frequent, with climate change a contributing factor. Racial and religious tensions. More teens suffering from higher levels of anxiety. And so much more. 

Yet, the simple act of living gratefully brings first a respect for ourselves and the present moment. Which then makes it more likely for us to show that respect and presence to others we meet in our day. Simple love, tolerance, and acceptance go a long way in breaking down the isolation and pain that lead people to do hateful things and to neglect caring for the good that is already here for us. 

The wide embrace our world needs starts with me pausing in gratitude for the opportunities I will have today to be a contributor and not a contaminator.

I am thinking also about my sister Danita and her husband Roger. Roger died two years today from early-onset Lewy body dementia. In his illness and since his death, I have watched my sister widen her embrace. She has helped others in many ways, and she has moved forward through a grief that could have been crippling. 

As Roger's disease narrowed his world and his capabilities, it widened the understanding of life's true wonders and gifts for Danita and the others around Roger.  And that wider embrace has made a difference, has eased suffering. Thank you Danita for your strength and courage. 

In Roger's memory, consider "Doing a Roger". Embrace today.