Indonesia

What words?

Such devastation, death, despair. My heart hurts. The pain and suffering in the world seems too hard to bear. What can we, what should we do? No, what can I, what should I do?

There’s no simple answer of course. That seems to be the way of things. 

The things that come to mind, those things I can do, seem so inadequate, trite almost. Yet I will continue to act when and where I can and trust that it all matters. Trust that every kind word and smile and act and gesture does indeed make a difference. Trust that every loving thought and each heartfelt prayer counts. Because, if not, then I too must give way to despair. And that I refuse to do.

So here, humbly, I will list a few things on my heart’s “to do” list:

Love those I’ve been given to love. No matter what.

Listen, intentionally, with my heart.

Stay present (to me this means, hang in there without trying to fix).

Share my authentic self with others. It’s beyond time to drop the pretense and find connection in our common human struggles.

Be kind. I know we hear this a lot these days (rightly so, in my opinion), but I think kindness is perhaps needed now more than ever. And all kindness counts, no matter how seemingly insignificant. Trust that.

Withhold judgment. A challenge, I know. But this simple intention has been life changing for me. 

Of course this isn’t an extensive list, I’m sure you could add your own “to do’s”. So I invite you to do just that in the Comments section. I truly would love to hear from you!

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