As I drove into work today, the sky was particularly brilliant, breathtaking, mysterious, and ominous, and I wondered what it meant.
Over the past couple of years, as we've given new angels to
Heaven, mornings after have invariably led to amazing sunrises. It was as if
those who were waiting for our loved one beyond the veil were expressing their
gratitude to us - for loving them while they were here, and for giving them
back.
I've heard that sunrises symbolize
the retreating darkness and prevailing light. That's a nice thought. Of
course, that's not what it really is. It's just us, spinning around and around
and around. The sun is consistent, stable, unwavering, trustworthy, brilliant.
It's us, our lives, our world ~ and our worlds ~ that won’t stand still.
Why don't we stop spinning? Why don't we shift on our axis? What
categorically horrific thing would happen to civilization as we know it if we
did?
I challenge us to think that we can. In fact, we must.
We must stop spinning around in circles, in a never-ending cycle. We must shift on our axis. We must look for
new opportunities of growth, new challenges to our thinking and our belief and
our mindset.
We must symbolize retreating darkness and
prevailing light.
Stop the negative thoughts as they being to form.
Take a breath and consider what we say. (As I used to tell my kids, use your head
before you use your mouth.)
Wait 10 seconds to evaluate our next action.
Volunteer.
Give.
Recycle.
Teach.
Lead.
Love.
We must believe that, if we stop spinning, if we shift on our
axis, if we grow, and learn, and change, a categorically wonderful thing will
happen to civilization as we know it.
Today I pray that we will be a sunrise.