Gratitude Persists

 I am tired and sick of war. Its glory is all moonshine. It is only those who have neither fired a shot nor heard the shrieks and groans of the wounded who cry aloud for vengeance, for desolation. War is hell.   William Tecumseh Sherman

I am weary from the news, but I feel like I must pay attention. I don’t take on the misery; I hold the hurting in the sacred space they need, while living my life as well as possible. I owe that to the lost, who have no life to live anymore. I choose not to desire vengeance (usually), but to pray for Peace. 

Meanwhile, in living my life, I choose to find the immediate good, the things in my present which fill me with a positive attitude. I see this as honoring the fallen, to continue to live well and find happiness where I can.

Today I am grateful for my own safety. I am grateful for food and shelter. I’m grateful that I don’t need to cringe or hide when I hear a jet overhead. I’m lifted by the sounds of laughter and busyness beneath my balcony as neighbors get together to sell off some of their abundance. We are so very blessed!

Today, I will remember this as I slide into my comfortable routines, while acknowledging that everything can change in the moment of a heartbeat.

Selah