JULY 6
When we start at the center of ourselves, we discover some-
thing worthwhile extending toward the periphery of the
circle. We find again some of the joy in the now, some of the
peace in the here, some of the love in me and thee which go
to make up the kingdom of heaven on earth.
—G. F. SEAROur thoughts are so much with the one who is gone. We
brood about the person, remember times together, think
about the meaning of death. Suppose, for a time, we lay all
that aside and return to living in our own skin—breathing
deeply, trying to get a sense of our own center.
Not only does this return us to ourselves, it helps us see
more clearly the context in which we live. Yes, there are
chunks of our lives that are lonely, bereaved. But if we look
out on life from our own center, we see there are other as-
pects on which our sorrow doesn’t impinge as heavily. The
air we breathe isn’t filtered through our sadness. The chil-
dren playing in the field exude an authentic joy that can be
catching.
This takes self-discipline. The temptation is always to be
sucked back into grief, but it may help us to “try on” a view
of the world in which grief is one part, but not all.
I have some control over how much I let sadness rule my life.