A Bend in the River

Today I am grateful for the camera on my phone and the pictures it takes and saves, easy for me to access and share at any time. I am also grateful for some quiet meditation time this morning.

I captured these two pictures a few days ago, out on an early morning bike ride. I stopped at a bend in the river, pondering the way they meander and make many turns. As do our lives, sometimes of our own volition and sometimes by circumstances beyond our control.

This river is the Vermillion, a local river that feeds into the mighty Mississippi a couple miles downstream from this spot. This spring there has been limited flooding, so the river is more peaceful and calm. I listened to it and the birds that morning, comforted by both.

The pandemic we are living in, however, has flooded our lives with disruption and uncertainty. Some days equate to struggling to keep our heads above water, to not be pulled under by the strong current of fear and worry.

Pausing at a bend in the river, taking in the moment at hand, nothing more, allows some sense of stability. A sense that if we continue to paddle along when required and float aimlessly when we need a rest, we will arrive at new locations in our heads and hearts. Those are locations of strength and they will guide us through.