Full of It

Today I am grateful for the predictable morning sounds of our house and the living beings in it. They bring comfort and warmth. 

Helen Keller faced so many challenges in her life after losing her abilities to see and hear before the age of two. I can't imagine not having those two amazing avenues to take in the world around me and participate in it. 

She also had tremendous resilience, grace, and teachers. She was a great teacher, leaving us so much wisdom in the life she lived and the words she wrote. Here are some: 

"Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it."  

The past year has brought much suffering to our world and to each of us. It's not a contest. Some bear heavier burdens and grieve deeper losses, but we all are carrying the weight and sorrow of the COVID-19 pandemic.

And yet each day we get up, get out of bed, begin our day. We smile and greet one another. Even with masks on, the smile shows in our eyes. We go to work, to the store, to the mailbox. We take our garbage to the curb. Shovel our driveways. We put food on the table for our families. We teach students in new and bold ways. 

We shall overcome?  There is much uncertainty still ahead, but we are already overcoming. Day by day.

Moment by moment. In the overcoming is the energy that will sustain us. Onward!