"So many of us want to keep our children safe, curious, healthy, and remain small as we witness the accumulated suffering, sickness, people feeling displaced emotionally and physically, the injustice of racial oppression, broken families, the escalating greed and misuse of power, violence, intimidation, and use of dominance. Experiencing these historic times of change and uncertainty...we pray for a safe community and world that will be stablized and humane for future generations.
My optimism and faith have stretch marks. I'm stretching and growing in new ways to adapt to change, my personal growth/relationships/52 year marriage, strengthen my faith, being efficient and effective with my ministry/teaching/speaking, and leadership, while coping with situations in which I have no control. Being with my GRANDson Codey fills my heart in ways I never knew. He is watching me. I cannot afford to be filled with doom, gloom, fear, self-pity, ruminating worry/doubt, and hate. I pray daily for the serenity to move forward with a life I didn’t choose. And thankful for the grace to live with many losses I didn't think I could live without. I will continue to add faith, courage, music, beauty, acts of kindness, love, knowledge, loving connections, and humor into my tool box. Life is not always about a power point presentation with a 7-step formula for a success and happiness, cute cliches, or self-help "just be resilient" messages. Unexplained and unpredictable suffering happens and we have to flow with it, navigate it, and somehow still get up and meet the demands of the day, family, and job...sometimes minute by minute.
My goal is to teach myself and willing seekers how to hold the terrible and the beautiful... the scary and the sacred...the wins and losses...feeling exhausted and feeling grateful...joy and pain with both hands.
I don't believe the myth that the good life is only one of happiness, success, perfection, or a life that looks beautiful on Instagram/Facebook, but isn’t real. You have not failed or you are not a bad person, or forsaken by God because you are in a season of suffering or your "success card" hasn't been punched in all the right places. There should be no shame in not being married, not having children, not having a degree, being divorced, not being a millionaire, not being a best-selling author, not having a perfect family, not having a perfect job, or not having the body image that society calls beautiful, a single parent, or suffering from a long term illness, depression, addiction, grief, disappointments, or financial setbacks. You are NOT a loser. Suffering is universal. ShiFt happens. It's OK ... to NOT always feel OK. You can't sweep up all your mess into manageable pieces. This is why I continue to offer each week my virtual sessions on Sundays called "The Diamond INNERversity".
You may not have all the answers (none of us do)... but I pray you find the strength, peace, faith, courage, curiousity to learn, loving connections, healing, resources you need, wisdom, hope, and self-motivation to get up each day fully armored to protect your sanity, health, family, purpose, light, and joy."
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