AJ the Irish Lass' Ramblings

Photo by Andy Kuzma on Pexels.com

Writer June Maffin recently shared a post to her blog about finding the holy. I think it qualifies as “required reading” for anyone struggling with a difficult time, especially in the light of what many in the US have been facing in recent weeks.

June’s post has resonated with me in a very real way in the light of the mass shooting that occurred in my current city of residence, Odessa, on Saturday. No matter where you live, I don’t think any of us expect this to happen in our cities or in our towns.

I think many of us have kind of trained ourselves to think of “holy” things as belonging  only inside the walls of a church or other house of worship. However, we sell ourselves short when we do this.

We can see the holy (or perhaps the good if you prefer to phrase it that way) even when the worst happens in many places:

• In the outpouring of support from around the world
• In people here stepping up to see what they can do to help
• In the speed at which people decided to check in with each other out of concern
• In the speed at which people raised funds to help with medical and funeral expenses
• In the touching tributes, such as a piper’s rendition of “Amazing Grace” in front of one of the fire stations

In the midst of all the trauma and chaos of this world, we can strive to find the things that are holy or good. Maybe it’s an amusing pet, an encouraging word from a loved one, a beautiful spot in our daily commute that we take for granted.

Did you see the little dog dressed up as Paddington recently? The Facebook post where I originally found the picture included a caption about how the world seems to be a slightly better place than it was yesterday after seeing this.

Perhaps we need to keep these little things in mind. These things that can make the world seem better and good matter.