Trifecta

I recently read a qutote, which I believe came from Dante's Comedy...it goes something like this: "In Your Will, O Lord, is my peace." It has become my mantra of late. With all the craziness of a two week escrow during Holy Week (of all weeks), I would have expected things to be chaotic and unrestful. But, it is in the recognition that it is His Will that we were able to sell the house for a fair price, or even at all in this sluggish market, and so, I am exceedingly peaceful.

The other powerful force guiding and grounding me is prayer. Constant prayer. The kind of prayer that has me in a continual conversation with my ultimate Beloved. I've been seeking the Lord while He may be found, calling to him while He is still near, thanking Him for His tender mercy, and pleading for answers to that age old question, "What exactly would you have me do with my life, dear Lord?" Not that He's been totally specific with the "what," mind you, but at least I now know the "where."

Rounding out that perfect trifecta which gives me solitude in a nebulous and noisy life is the ability to take afternoon naps. You may scoff but I would suggest that one should not underestimate the fortitude that comes from curling up in rays of sunshine streaming through a window and catching some most needed zzzz's. The short episode of sleep does much to lift the fog and make everything which seemed insurmountable, actually quite achievable.

Peace, prayer and naps...my version of the best antedote to a hectic life.

Hope is...

A man clinging to his rooftop being rescued after his house was swept nine miles out to sea.

A father clinging to his newborn son, grateful that he and his young family were able to heed the tsunami warning and get to higher ground.

The polite resignation of the Japanse people that though the center has run out of supplies, more is on the way.

A brother who has hit rock bottom, formerly finding solace in the bottom of a bottle, now healing in a rehab center, finding comfort in prayer and sobriety.

Less than stellar job offers and tightening finances which point to another plan, not of our making but of His.

Positive feedback of a potential sale...though they love the house but not the colors of the walls, they say it's only paint, after all.

Jesus on the cross and the empty tomb.

Awesomely terrifying...

Amazing, stupefying, hair-raising, devastating, horrifying.

Water wreaking havoc of epic proportions. Moving plates liquefying what was assumed to be solid.

Worst fears realized for many people, even deeply affecting some who live thousands of miles away from ground zero.

Forces of nature serving reminders that we are small and physically powerless against the sheer brutality this earth can unleash.

Images bored into my humbled head that will never, NEVER be forgotten.

Water saves, water kills.

I am on my knees...

Just a reminder...

I've got a cold...for most people, that does not pose a threat.  For those afflicted by auto-immune arthritis, like myself who are on immuno-suppresant drugs, a cold can quickly develop into something much, much worse.  When I get sick, I have to rely on people, rest, fluids and more drugs to make sure I fully recover.  It leads me to believe that a cold is more than a virus, it's a symbol...

I think it's God's reminder for me to be humble.