A Sunday Morning Thought to Start the Week Off Right
Hurricane Sandy devastated our metro area (New York). Our family was among the most fortunate: no one injured, little damage, minimal loss of power. One of those killed was an acquaintance of one of our sons. Friends suffered severe property damage and several still remain without power.
Last night we turned the clocks back an hour. The extra hour adds 60 blessed minutes to recover from the events of the past week. The week didn't test my faith, but it reinforced the importance of prayer and trust in God. Heck, Our Lord even provides an extra hour of rest!
As for work, it was challenging, in that clients, colleagues, professional associates, etc. were all in states of inaccessibility, distraction, or various states of mind and body that prevented most normal interaction. Frustrating, but by no means a major problem. The world will continue to turn round - although access to gasoline to run our cars would certainly help a lot of us.
This was a major disaster for so many people, even those of us who suffered the least. At minimum, the mere fact that nature could take such a toll in a place rarely subject to extreme natural disasters shakes you up. I won't even go into how for the two weeks before the hurricane, we had extraordinary personal and business challenges. On a personal level, our family was subjected to criminal activity (a home break-in, something that never happened to us before). As for business, I have been totally changing and upgrading my businesses technology. (That effort continues, with all the frustrations attendant on such endeavors. Who knew a hurricane would come in the midst of this major project - one that on its own disrupted my business and personal life far beyond what I had imagined.)
And now a new week begins. Some of the challenges and stress of the past three weeks will spill over. New challenges will arise. I can only thank Our Blessed Mother for her continued consolation through any hardship, temptation or suffering I encountered over the last three weeks. I thank Our Blessed Lord for his Grace.
Finally, I was reminded of a wonderful image I heard at a Catholic talk once. Think of yourself as riding a bicycle built for two, you in the back, Our Lord in the front. Your job is to peddle. Our Lord steers. This image works special wonders when times are especially stressful and you're not always sure how to react to what's being thrown at you, unsure what to do first, or wondering whether what you did was the right choice. Instead of getting bogged down, instead of questioning yourself too much, just keep peddling. And keep trusting that He will steer the bicycle exactly where He wants you to go.
Prayers, please, for all those who continue to suffer as a result of Sandy.
Last night we turned the clocks back an hour. The extra hour adds 60 blessed minutes to recover from the events of the past week. The week didn't test my faith, but it reinforced the importance of prayer and trust in God. Heck, Our Lord even provides an extra hour of rest!
As for work, it was challenging, in that clients, colleagues, professional associates, etc. were all in states of inaccessibility, distraction, or various states of mind and body that prevented most normal interaction. Frustrating, but by no means a major problem. The world will continue to turn round - although access to gasoline to run our cars would certainly help a lot of us.
This was a major disaster for so many people, even those of us who suffered the least. At minimum, the mere fact that nature could take such a toll in a place rarely subject to extreme natural disasters shakes you up. I won't even go into how for the two weeks before the hurricane, we had extraordinary personal and business challenges. On a personal level, our family was subjected to criminal activity (a home break-in, something that never happened to us before). As for business, I have been totally changing and upgrading my businesses technology. (That effort continues, with all the frustrations attendant on such endeavors. Who knew a hurricane would come in the midst of this major project - one that on its own disrupted my business and personal life far beyond what I had imagined.)
And now a new week begins. Some of the challenges and stress of the past three weeks will spill over. New challenges will arise. I can only thank Our Blessed Mother for her continued consolation through any hardship, temptation or suffering I encountered over the last three weeks. I thank Our Blessed Lord for his Grace.
Finally, I was reminded of a wonderful image I heard at a Catholic talk once. Think of yourself as riding a bicycle built for two, you in the back, Our Lord in the front. Your job is to peddle. Our Lord steers. This image works special wonders when times are especially stressful and you're not always sure how to react to what's being thrown at you, unsure what to do first, or wondering whether what you did was the right choice. Instead of getting bogged down, instead of questioning yourself too much, just keep peddling. And keep trusting that He will steer the bicycle exactly where He wants you to go.
Prayers, please, for all those who continue to suffer as a result of Sandy.
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