On a bleak rainy day, well into our third month of coping with the Covid-19 pandemic, I am thinking of you. Wherever these words finds you, whatever challenges surround you, I honor your courage in this moment.
Because this moment takes courage. Not heroism, which is how we've come to think of it, but courage, which at its root comes from the Latin word for heart. "Take heart," we might say to a struggling friend in need of encouragement -- a gentle, generous invitation to reach within, to draw strength from whatever is there that keeps on beating, stubborn and persistent.
You may want to take a minute to tune in to your own heart, perhaps placing your hands there and closing your eyes for a couple of deep breaths, asking: What is it at my center that keeps on beating, stubborn and persistent? What matters to me, what keeps me going in hard times? What is true and unshakable in my being? THAT is your courage; that is what it means to "Take heart."
This moment calls for heart. Especially if you are feeling anxious or hopeless, not courageous! As the pandemic wears on and the country’s mood shifts from heightened compassion to heightened self-interest, you may be feeling despair and anger. As society begins to reopen with no clear safe path for rebuilding, you may be feeling worried and conflicted -- enticed yet troubled by new options. You may be feeling disoriented as still-new norms shift once again. You may be feeling exhausted by your ongoing efforts to cope with loss and a very changed world. You may be feeling daunted as you encounter the long-term reality of living with ongoing uncertainty, asking: How long will this last?
"Take heart," you may need to tell yourself. As tenderly as you would speak to a dear friend: "Take heart."
Take heart. Because my work as a grief counselor allows me to witness over and over the strength of the human spirit, I know something of the courage that is your heart. Take a moment to know what constitutes your courage, your heart, including your loves and your losses. I encourage you to reflect on and affirm these core strengths and truths, and to write them down for those times when you need courage.
Take heart, my friend -- and may what is there guide you, bolster you, comfort and sustain you through the long days ahead.
Photo Credit: Cathal Mac an Bheatha on Unsplash