Holding Close

I’ve been around for a while and I have never seen anything like this in my lifetime. There are and have been so many disturbing and distressing things that have altered life as we know it. Global Warming, Wars, 9/11. But this.

Still, I refuse to believe this is the “new normal” as people are fond of saying. So as we transverse this mess and attempt to do so with some sort of grace, I’m looking for what is good.

We are faced with what is the most important to us. News flash. It’s not missing a hair appointment or having our nails done. It’s not that report that was due. It’s not those petty misunderstandings or inter-office politics. Those things will resume. Sooner rather than later. In the meantime, what?

Health. First and foremost, as it never has been before. Sure, we want to stay in shape and eat right. But now, we want to live. We want our loved ones to live. We can hold close our loved ones if we are lucky enough to be with them. Texts, emails, phone calls, if we are not. Fresher air without all the exhaust fumes. Guess what? I took a walk with my dog today and the trees and bushes and shrubs are putting on a show as if there is nothing out of the ordinary going on at all. It made me smile. I got to finish a book I wanted to read and start another one. I started to meditate again.

So treasure being present. If you have children, teach them to be present by your actions. Pick your battles. Your children are here and although I hate this for them and their future, they will learn by how you navigate this.

Expect the best. You are smart enough to handle the worst if it comes. I one hundred per cent believe we will get through this. For some it will be a sea change. For others, it won’t. I may be a Pollyanna. So what. Better than a doomsayer.

Help where you can. Breathe and hold close the beauty of every single day.

ORDINARY GRACE- MARCH 2020 BOOK SELECTION

Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger was a surprise. It was a surprise not only because of the writing, which was terrific, or the story, which was deceptively simple, but because I had never read anything by Krueger before. It’s always a pleasure to discover a new (to me) author.

The story takes place in small town, New Bremen, Minnesota. The narrator is a middle aged man looking back on the summer of 1961 when he was thirteen and living there. During that summer, several deaths and the mysteries surrounding them changed the life of everyone in the town, some personally, some peripherally. The narrator was a pastor’s son, living what some would characterize as an idyllic life. He was the middle of three children, an older sister and younger brother. It was a seemingly simpler time.

One of the most interesting facets of the story was the dynamic of the small town. It is a microcosm of anywhere, any size town, USA. There are the same passions, prejudices, kindnesses, unfairness and drama that you find everywhere in any time period. Human beings, doing what they do. Sometimes good. Sometimes bad. Sometimes with tragic consequences.

The story also examines the dynamic within several families and how each person navigates their circumstances and how that shapes how they navigate their communities and their lives.

Winner of several awards including The Edgar Award for best novel, this is a beautiful story.

Highly recommend.