I often speak of those who find ways to be happy even in difficult circumstances. I don’t want anyone to misunderstand my thinking. There are indeed times when the only reasonable response to a particular situation is profound sadness. It would seem highly inappropriate to laugh in the face of the terrorism in Belgium. We carry on with our routines when we hear of such things but that heaviness lurking in our hearts is quite normal. As humans we oscillate between good feelings and bad. Hopefully our lives are such that we don’t encounter too many tragedies at once.
This has been a tough week. My emotions have been taxed, stretched to a breaking point. I was already praying for a friend who was awaiting word regarding some medical tests that might bring her unwelcome news. I had learned that an old friend had been hospitalized. Then, of course, there were the deaths in Belgium, senseless and frightening murders. This was also the anniversary of the day when one of my former students died in a terrible car wreck only months before she would have been married. I have followed her mother’s journey through grief. I have watched as this brave woman found ways to inspire those who know her with her faith and courage. Sadly, though, I have realized that her pain lingers in spite of her best efforts. My feelings of empathy for her have been quite strong during the last few days because I understand that dates on the calendar may be triggers for thoughts that are heavy and unbearable. Continue reading “Only Human”
This is a sacred time of year. For Christians it is Holy Week, an occasion to remember the life, suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He walked among us as a human being but many of us believe that He was truly the Son of God. He attempted to teach us how to live with one another. His message was simple but so difficult to follow. He only asked us to love our neighbors just as we love ourselves. He showed us how to do this by example. He modeled the behavior that He wanted us to also have. In the end even this good man who had done no harm to anyone was sentenced to death, executed like a criminal. In a last act of extreme compassion He forgave the thief who was penitent and the people who were responsible for killing Him. He commended His spirit into the hands of God, His Father. He died for all of us, not just some. We sometimes forget that He was so inclusive. 
When my brother, Michael, was only a small boy he often carried a book by Werner von Braun under his arm. He would flip through the pages and gaze at the illustrations long before he was able to read. It was a volume from my father’s library and it envisioned what space travel might be like if man were ever to venture to the moon. It was only natural that after Michael graduated from Rice University he would be drawn to NASA and the work that was taking place there. He turned down other opportunities that might have ultimately been as exciting in order to fulfill a lifelong dream of working with the men and women who wanted to conquer the frontiers far beyond our planet. He accepted a job as a NASA contractor and has never looked back.
On March 20, 2013 the United Nations celebrated the first ever International Day of Happiness, decreeing that every human on earth has the right to pursue happiness. Sadly there is no possible way to insure that all people actually have a shot at feeling joyful, even if for only a day, but it is a noble cause. Perhaps a bit more publicity for the event might have been in order. It was promoted so quietly that I actually missed it altogether, as I suspect many did. I luckily had a most pleasant day but I wonder how many souls were too busy attempting to survive in a sometimes quite threatening world to be able to pause for twenty four hours to enjoy life the way that the UN intended?
All It Takes Is A Little Love 