Hi Friends,

Marilyn and I came across a really handy little phrase a few years back: “life image death.”  The idea is that we all have an image or images of what the future will be like.  Dreams, if you like.  Sometimes an event occurs or circumstances change, and you realize that a particular life image will not come to be.  The key insight is that we experience that “not coming to be” as a real loss, a real occasion for grief.  It isn’t just disappointment, but grief.

Well, that helps me think about some of what is happening around us.  As the long term reality of this pandemic settles in, it brings some “life image death.” Think of the ones who had just sunk most of their resources and all of their dreams into a new restaurant.  COVID 19 hits and gone are the dreams and life images.  That’s not just a business loss, that’s real grief!

I’m thinking we all are going through some of that, to some degree, in our own ways and lives.  What a good time to listen, and be open and be kind; not just to each other, but to ourselves as well.

What a good time to be a healing, comforting presence.  We can do that!

Blessings, my friends,

David

Scripture for Sunday: Genesis 32:22-31

Jacob Wrestling at the Jabbok