Last week, California officially "re-opened" with 70% of the population over age 12 now at least vaccinated with at least one shot. On July 1, New Mexico also plans re-opening with 60% of those over 16, fully vaccinated and 70% of adults with at least 1 shot. Take a moment for amazement and gratitude that human clarity, focus and I believe prayer has made these numbers possible. (The development of vaccines and programs of mass inoculations, this quickly is indeed amazing.) Yes, there are other states doing well and yet others which are not. Still it is incredible, even miraculous, that we have achieved this.
In the push to bring the rest of the country to these turning points and to aid the global catastrophic spread of Covid and new variants, we are again flooded with news reports and scientific and political opinions. Even though, we face these and other ongoing global issues, let today bring a reminder of what we have managed to accomplish, individually, as well as collectively. Take a little time today to quieten all the outer voices for inner listening and guidance. There is a pressure coming from the culture to return to activity, to push for further ground, and to even ignore the time of the Pandemic. Give yourself time outside the field of that pressure, to be grateful, to remember the events of your Pandemic time as it passes and to consider positive possibilities for your life and your community. There are choices facing each of us. Gratitude and the inner directive point our way. Listen. (Susan Nettleton)
Psalm 93, from Steve Mitchell's translation: A Book of Psalms (1993)
God acts within every moment
and creates the world with each breath.
He speaks from the center of the universe,
in the silence beyond all thought.
Mightier than the crash of a thunderstorm,
mightier than the roar of the sea,
is God's voice silently speaking
in the depths of the listening heart.