Spirit

Day 87. Spirit.

Ever have one of those days where something happens that you just can't explain? Something that smacks you in the heart, takes your breath away? Yeah, one of those days. You always hear that "God never gives us more than we can handle, this is just a test." Okay, my spirit gets tested more than I wish. But probably exactly as much as He plans.

Fear not, nor be dismayed at the appearance that is darkness, at the disguise that is evil, at the empty cloak that is death, for you have picked these for your challenges. They are stones on which you choose to whet the keen edge of your spirit. Richard Bach: One.

Much of what I write about is just connections. Connecting the events of my life to things Richard Bach says and hoping you find a connection to your life. I'd love nothing better than for my past (and my future) to interconnect with yours and save you some pain and heartache. Lord knows we get enough of that, any less is a blessing. My spirit should probably be way more broken than it is, but I don't have it in me to quit. I'm a fighter, and I didn't get this far to give up now. And I'm trying to be a teacher and help you understand how to fight.

Spirits are delicate things. You have to wrap them up sometimes, so they don't get damaged when people start kicking at you, and screaming at you, and throwing things at you. Don't kid yourself, your spirit runs and hides under the coffee table just like mine. It's not weakness to admit it, it's weak to deny it. Our humanity is tested every day, and we don't have a clue that we picked the battles. We all fight monsters, we all fear loneliness, we all are desperate for answers. If only we could tell ourselves to calm down.  We have the answers, we just aren't sure sometimes what the questions are.

I've always been a believer in connections being more than chance. I think we are led down many paths in our life, most of them our own choosing. Randomness doesn't give us the complete trust we feel in others, the magnetic pull we get from certain people that are there for us. And not just when it counts, there for us when we're just being silly. I'm blessed to have realized that we draw those people into our lives:: thankfully I read Illusions for the first time over 30 years ago, so I'm always on the lookout for like-minded spirits.

And behind it lies not blind chance but a principle that works to help us understand, a thousand "coincidences" and friends come to show us the way when the problem seems too hard to solve alone. Problems for overcoming. Freedom for proving. And, as long as we believe in our dream, nothing by chance. Richard Bach: Nothing By Chance.

Lesson Eighty Seven: Do you connect with people in ways that seem improbable if not impossible? Are there times when things happen that you know can't be coincidence, but someone touching you from the past? Think about how your life is connected with all the others before and after the one you're living now. Realize that the spirits of everyone you've ever loved and ever will love are with you each step of the way.

(And yes, Kathie. I was talking about you yesterday, thanks for noticing and hitting me with an Angel this morning.)

643 to go...