Faith Stories: A Meditation on the Times
Praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord, O my soul.
I will praise the Lord all my life;
I will sing praise to my God
as long as I live.       Â
Psalm 146:1-2
We stand in a moment of history unprecedented. We live in a time of dramatic uncertainty. We are denied our customary busy-ness. We know not when the frenetic normalcy of our daily life will resume.
For me, waking up to this new reality each day, contemplating the tsunami of illness and death that has overtaken our planet, I find that my awareness of the gifts of this life has been profoundly awakened. How precious are our family members, our dear friends, our compassionate faith community! How welcomed are the smiles of neighbors and the calls of friends across the country just checking in. What gratitude and awe we hold for our medical workers and first responders and all those who stay on the job to make it possible for the rest of us to survive.
I find that now, more than ever, nature has befriended me in ways that bring me solace and comfort and hope. I allow myself to lean fully into the little things of God’s creation that surround me and feel myself literally soaked with gratitude and praise for our wonderful maker. The bright springtime sun helped me spot a tiny hummingbird’s nest in a river birch tree along the driveway. A miraculous gift! So many other little gifts:
           -the chattering of the fish crows in the treetops, a conversation in which I sometimes  feel invited to participate
-the armies of frogs battling with their comical voices for preeminence in the dusk
-the rattling call of a ‘Big Cranky’ otherwise known as a Great Blue Heron as he awkwardly lands on the pond
           -the twinkling stars, the beautiful moon, the wonderful constellations in the clear night sky
-the muffled silence of a foggy dawn
-squirrels and birds, unaware of the challenges of mankind, procuring all manner of sticks, leaves, moss and spider webs to happily build their nests of spring
-the unexpected refreshing breeze softening the heat of a Louisiana afternoon
-the sweet stillness of morning when prayers for healing and comfort seem to rise to heaven like feathers on a breeze
Now is a time to be still. A time to be still and know. A time for gratitude.
Blessings to all.
Betty Schroeder