Brightness in hard times #30BrighterDays

This morning I found this little soul on our back deck under the bird feeder; a shock of brightness even in death.

I thought about all the loss and suffering around me right now– all the tragic status updates, obituaries, and GoFundMes. Today they reside at arm’s length, happening to friends, friends-of-friends, or community members I don’t even know.

Empathy comes naturally for most of us–and sometimes, for me, in a consuming way. My compassion can get hijacked into personalizing grief that really isn’t mine. Loss terrifies me, and sometimes it’s hard to put the breaks on the “What If” train.

Mindfulness helps. Turning back to now, to today– to what is actually happening around me in my real life today vs. what is actually happening in the life of the person experiencing the loss– helps me get outside of myself. After I put myself and my fears aside, I can shift into service toward those steeped in crisis, illness, or loss.

Now, today, I can organize the meal train, cook and deliver dinner, send help (grocery/gas card, money, massage, cleaning service) share resources, connect grieving families, send a note, hold both pain and hope, share hugs and tears, listen and love. These are the gifts of now and today, knowing full well my own very real losses inch closer to my door, someday maybe even tomorrow.

But not today.

Today I layed the cardinal in the shade of our lilac bush. I remembered to turn toward and savor the joy and love surrounding me. Then I might pass it along to those who need it most.