Where might we sow the seeds of relationships to sprout and surprise us with listening ears, sheaves of shared sorrows, and the salve of outstretched hands? The trajectory of Spirit, like radiant sunshine, thrusts ever outward, resplendent and reaching for communion, wholeness, generous inclusion. Where might we sow the seeds of relationships to sprout and surprise us with listening ears, sheaves of shared sorrows, and the salve of outstretched hands? The trajectory of Spirit, like radiant sunshine, thrusts ever outward, resplendent and reaching for communion, wholeness, generous inclusion. But we cannot envision what we do not see and we will not heed what we do not hear, until we hone the healing arts of love. For we cannot splice spirituality from humanity’s deepest cravings and darkest inclinations.
As you embrace your day contemplating care, may you feel, in your bones, hurts and hungers you can never fully comprehend. Even as you taste sweet unanimity, may you recoil at the bitterness of discrimination and isolation. Liberated to lovingly listen, may your eyes widen to every unfreedom: slavery, poverty, addiction, exploitation. May your yearning for peace of heart illumine in stark contrast the failures of war and daily desecrations of violence. Longing to belong, may your hospital home welcome fellow pilgrims guised as foreign: migrants, exiles without refuge or shelter. May great-fullness season your soul and inoculate you with warmth and humility, leaving room around your table for the possibility of healing.
—from the book Wandering and Welcome: Meditations for Finding Peace
by Joseph Grant
