On Instagram on Wednesday I posted this picture and some words that came to me that morning about the last few days since November 13th. From Paris to Beirut to Egypt to Baghdad, hearts all around the world were broken on 11/13/2015 there is no doubt. It was a day that instantly felt as heavy and monumental as 9/11 did in 2001. I don’t normally talk about these things here, but after writing my Instagram, I felt it only right to share a few more words and thoughts that had continued to circle in my head even after I let my thoughts flow on Instagram.
As for many of you, these events have weighed heavy on us. Our hearts feel torn, confused, and broken. The stories that cycle in the news bring about even more emotions, and the fact that they are as accessible at just the click of a button is this beautiful balance between a blessing and a curse. Each story either heightens the fear, opens a new thought, or with a little luck brings us hope. There is a stream of stories coming through my iPhone’s news app that seem to further the wake of fear, which has left me at a loss of words and answers.
Reading many of the news stories over the last seven days, I realized there is something critical in this time we must remember; hope needs to be our focus. In times like this it can feel that in some way humanity has become lost and maybe in someway it has, but the world is a wild place we have an opportunity to live in. This means we also have choices on how we can perceive and live in the world and the cycling news stories, though good at informing, don’t need to be consuming our day-to-day. There is so much pain and disorder that more than ever we must find beauty and hope amongst it all. Whether that be stories of communities joining together, opening our arms to those we are unsure of, or even just focusing on the beauty happening right before us in our own lives. I am not suggesting to turn away from it all. We must remain aware of our world and the issues at hand, but we cannot allow it to stop us from remembering to live a full and beautiful life.
In this time I don’t know how much I can do even personally or even with the blog. These moments in history can leave us feeling useless and hopeless, but I know the greatest thing I can do is to continue to remain hopeful, look for the beauty in this world, and celebrate it. Live well. Live honestly. Live with intention. I won’t debate the answers to the problems or try to pretend as if I have the answer, because I don’t, but instead I will hope and live with a focus on peace, love, and acceptance. My hope is to live for the beauty of what is in the world as equally as I can feel the hurt and pain. I will stay informed and won’t turn my eyes from the pain, but I won’t lose hope that somehow there is a way to find peace and for the greatest good for the most people to be done.
As someone who deeply feels the wake of these times, I realize hope is the way I can self-preserve. We must remember even in all this pain that there is still good, there is still hope, there is still peace, and most importantly we are still alive. I always want to have this blog be a source of beauty and life. It has always been about being intentional about living well, and in times like this that can seem possibly trivial, but I realized that during times like this we need beauty and hope more than ever.
So, I hope today you find hope even amongst the stories, the scares, the debates, and the realities of where we are at as a world right now. Remember there is still so much to be thankful for and we must not stop living fully. We must choose hope. We must choose to live. We must choose to celebrate life here in the moments right in front of us. This is the season of doing just that so I hope you can find joy and hope over this coming week with those you love. Sure it may be with a heavier heart, but don’t lose hope.
Have a wonderful weekend my friends!
