Where the Beloved Lives

Today I am grateful for the comforting sounds of my husband and our dog breathing peacefully in their sleep. Finding peace is always important, and especially so now.

Going back to find a pre-pandemic post from this date, what I discovered was this draft that I started on April 6, 2019. I often throw a quote or thought into a draft, sometimes returning to it in the coming days, sometimes not. I have dozens of drafts awaiting their chance.

All that I had put in the draft was this quote:

"Thankfulness brings you to the place where the Beloved lives." 

(Rumi)

Beloved. What a nice moniker for Universe, Great Spirit, Higher Power, God, Allah. A year ago none of us had any idea that a pandemic would come sweeping across the globe and uproot our sense of normalcy. None of us knew that within a few short weeks everything we took for granted in terms of freedom and daily life would suddenly look and feel so very different.

The upheaval is about so much more than fear of an illness that is taking many lives each and every day. It is a real test to our resilience, our perseverance, our very humanity.

Finding gratitude amid all the difficult emotions is no small task on some days. But it is always a worthy task, an uplifting task. 

Thankfulness in my heart helps lead to some useful direction in my mind and in my actions. Without it, I may simply wander around aimlessly and worry my days away. Today, I will look for the Beloved in the faces of my fellow humans, even if most of them will be visible only on screens. 

Today I will look for the Beloved and find hope to proceed.