In the 90's with four little kids and one on the way, my mom attended a congregation. She met a friend there who shared a phrase my mom would later adopt; "I'm a willow, I can bend." I've heard this adage many times growing up and as I've grown personally, I too have adopted it as a mantra. Jordan and I drove home to Washington for the holiday this year. As our tires pounded the asphalt on various freeways and interstates, I took pictures to commemorate the journey. At one point, we came across a beautifully serene scene, with what looked to be a fresh snow. Blue skies saddled up to the tops of tall evergreens and clear roads left a straight shot to anywhere. At full speed ahead, time passed quickly. A short while later, however, we approached a mountain pass and though things seemed clear at first, the scene around us rapidly changed until our car was surrounded with fog, and visibility was minimal at best. In this moment, I felt the fear of not knowing and the danger of moving so quickly, hyper aware of the potential disaster. So, I slowed down and paid more attention. After a time of worry the fog began to break, my knuckles turned from white to pink on the steering wheel, and I sat with poorer posture in the drivers seat. Sometimes life is the same way. We speed down the freeway, everything clear as far as the eye can see. It becomes common so we take it for granted. We have a direction. We have a purpose. And we have the fuel to travel full speed ahead. But what about when life isn't that way? What about when things don't go according to plan and we find ourselves surrounded by fog, sometimes of our own making? I noticed as my tires continued to gain mileage, climbing higher into the mountains, the same fear I was feeling sometimes accompanies me through unknowns in life. With each passing mile, as I took it slow and handled the situation one foot at a time, things began to clear until... The things that were around me when I took the first photo were still there: snow covered trees, blue sky, and clear roads. I just couldn't see them. I allowed fear to govern my experience when my expectations about what the journey should be, was not my circumstance.
I didn't expect the fog on the drive. Similarly, we don't always anticipate the fog that comes in our lives and manifests in many different ways. It can feel challenging to accept reality over what our expectations are. But when we keep our focus on that ultimate goal and take things one foot at a time, the fog clears. With gratitude, we can look forward and see the beauty of our present surroundings. There can never be pain without comfort, sorrow without joy. How often do we overcomplicate living? What if it really comes down to looking around and saying, as that woman did in that congregation 25 years ago, "I'm a willow, I can bend?"
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who we areSpread the Good: Three sisters embracing the human experience, ups and downs included, inviting others to join the celebration.
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