Caretaker of my soul
Be gentle with me
For I am tender and tired
Battered with the bruises
Of life and loss and love.
My pastor, Sarah L. Kerkes, wrote these words in a collection of published poems, Terra Incognita. They resonated with me today especially as I caught myself sighing over and over throughout the day. Long, deep sighs.
At first I attributed this to just plain being busy. It happens whenever we relocate from Minnesota to Arizona for the winter months. Leaving our condo is a matter of turning the key and walking out the door. But arriving in Arizona means much to do. The summer desert dust has settled into all the nooks and crannies of our park model, coating all surfaces, windows and sills. Unpacking, restocking cupboards, cleaning and getting reestablished consumes many hours.
But that wasn't the reason for my sighs.
We heard about coronavirus fatigue. Dr. Anthony Fauci coined the phrase in his CBS 60 Minute interview last Sunday, saying people are noticeably fatigued by the lockdowns, layoffs, shortages, descension into poverty. isolation, lack of socialization, and on and on.
Well, okay, I fall into that category just a very wee bit, knowing full well I am blessed abundantly by only suffering a little bit from lack of socialization. An introvert, this is very little, I might add.
But it's not solely coronavirus fatigue. It's political campaign fatigue, unrelenting news of racism and white supremacy fatigue, arguments over a Supreme Court nominee fatigue, approaching a 75th birthday fatigue, once again being too far away from my grandchildren fatigue, the recent loss of my brother-in-law fatigue, and my hair graying fatigue.
And I know we all feel a bit of fatigue these days, for some of the reasons listed above and some not listed that are personal to you. I suspect there are many deep sighs out there.
The poem implores God, caretaker of our souls, to grant us gentleness of spirit. It is gentleness we need right now, a quieting of voices, a hushing of shouts. Gentleness along with understanding to end hatred and violence, and the turning against each other.
My friend recently gifted me with this lovely stitching made by her hands. I note that she is on the most opposite end of the political spectrum from me. We have had a few spirited discussions, but all with respect. I cherish her and as I look at her gift to me, my heart quiets.
When we dwell on love, don't you think our sighs contain less angst? Don't they seem to be made sweeter somehow?
So peace be with you, my friend. Go gently and sigh sweetly.
Thank you for listening to my random thoughts. And if you would like to join as a "follower" I would be thrilled.
