Ebb, Flow, Struggle, Grow

It may be difficult to perceive. The struggles that seem to have risen in the constant negativity of the news often compound our angst. Yet the more focus is absorbed by the negative, the less time we have to transform it into anything positive.

Sitting in my car, waiting for the arrival of our 15 yr old Black Lab mix from a vet check up and diagnosis, I noticed the tree next to which I was parked. It didn’t seem to be a young tree, but its leaves were billowy green in some spots, while in others, there were no leaves and even the branches were brittle, dried, and failing. Out of an undiscovered portion of sky, a fossil-gray bird landed on one of the barren branches. It eyed me and hopped into the maze of dying branches and leaves remaining. It may have been a Catbird or Mockingbird, either of which has a distinctive call in Nature.

We all wait…in this struggle. Whether it be to determine if a failing tree will fight neglect and lack of stewardship to live, if a beloved pet has difficulties in her final years, or how we will accept and be present in compassion, comfort, and strength to accompany difficult transformations. While one individual most likely cannot change an inevitable path, the role each of us plays in being present, compassionate, kind, and acting from a place of Love makes us Creation’s “instruments of peace.”