Spirit of caring for ourselves, and for others, for connecting with one another, and of loving one another, I offer this simple prayer:

Our lives combine days of brilliant Titian blue skies, with times where clouds and sun are interwoven, and with more than enough days where we see both darkness—and storms.

When people ask me how I am doing, I seem to need to respond by separating how I am personally, as distinct from the shape that the larger world is in.

I speak of how my life is going, and then I reference some of the outside, darker forces that surrounds us. Do I think that if I just say how I am that people will imagine that I don’t understand what’s going on around me? That I’m ignorant of the hate & intolerance — of people losing their health insurance,  losing their jobs, being arrested for no reason other than for the color of their skin?

No — I think that I answer in two distinct parts because if I don’t mention the trauma of the wider world, It feels like I’m not giving voice to what’s true, and by extension, I’m not contributing enough to try to change those ugly truths.

I wonder: What is the right amount of speech? What is the right amount of action? And how do we keep our balance in these times? Sometimes I get lost in that spider’s web.

Spirit, help us find ways to do our part in addressing the needs of the world around us — and help us find ways to keep our balance.

May we hold on to what feeds our souls, what gives us peace, what lends us meaning, whether it’s:

• Noticing the sweep of a weeping willow
• Sitting with a friend who is dealing with loss
• Making a slow cup of tea in the morning
• Or feeling wonder for the simple and beautiful that at times surrounds us unnoticed

May we keep our balance in an age of such uncertainty. May we find ways to speak out, and also find places of quiet and repair.

There are undoubtedly many bumpy roads ahead. But we have each other; we have each other.

Together, may we walk evenly on this uneven ground.

AMEN

—Tom B.