Life Jackets of Love

My spiritual director asked: how do you stay afloat as all the waves of life continue to come rolling in? (perhaps better said as “crashing in!")

It start with breath… literally breathing in Spirit

And my morning prayer practice, having coffee with the Divine Beloved

where I have the time and space to

explore

release

make connections

be buoyed for the day

filled with grace and vision

a nugget of hope

a message

well… a life jacket

Then the day unfolds…

These days, I have a lighter schedule

as if I’m really on medical leave -

which allows me the time and space

to rest with my feet up and

to move more slowly -

expending energy on the little things that I used to do so easily…

and take for granted.

As my body heals,

I'm able to create –

in writing, in knitting and in other ways

each of which is a life saver

The opportunities to collaborate with others are life savers

professionally and personally

being able to co-create

to join together in prayer

in wonderful circles of love that

move and combine

My family, friends and community members are life savers as well

as they call and zoom

stop by for a visit with a wonderful meal

email and text with blessings and words of encouragement

offer prayers and send good vibes in their own ways

listen to my moans (which some days seem endless)

hold me as I cry and laugh with me so I don’t cry

push me in the wheelchair

take off my walking-cast boots

grab the item on the other side of the room

All of which brighten my day

make my life easier

make my life feasible

There are angels who assist and provide precious memories that sustain me….

The divine angels who protected me from more damage in this fall

The human angels…

Rob who sat next to me on the plane, offering me a neck pillow to elevate my feet and stories to elevate my spirits

Anthony who helped with emergency oil service so our home could be heated properly

The staff and doctor at the orthopedic’s office

The list goes on and on…

The truth is…

That over the past three decades,

I’ve been letting people in

and learning to be vulnerable

and getting better at asking for help

and developing vibrant circles of love

and cultivating an awakened spirit

with eyes to see

and ears to hear

and a heart to love

and a spirit to know….

Today, I know

in the depths of my being

in every bone in my body

that as difficult as life can be

there are so many life preservers

being thrown to me

and the Divine Beloved is my life jacket itself

For today

all is well

And for this moment

all is well

And that’s a beautiful thing!

Wishing you a beautiful day and weekend

God bless our country and presidents

May you cultivate and be blessed by vibrant circles of love