To Love Better and Bigger
It takes time to recover. At least, I grew up with the perhaps old-fashioned wisdom that you don't want to do too much too soon. You have to take the recovery time seriously and rest a lot and stay quiet and eat well and get your strength back. And besides quite a few basketball games (congrats to the LaPlata Bulldogs - they've made it all the way to State, the Final Four!) I've been doing just that. At least in spirit.
And I thought you might like to see some of the goodness I get to take in while I recover. This is the kind of encouragement I get to think about while I'm quiet and regaining strength. Strength of spirit, especially. This letter came with the gift in this photograph. And it just says so much about who I want to be.
I wanted to give you a little token... an atta' girl, if you will, for being no less than a warrior and inspiration. I don't know that you have felt much like a warrior the last few months but rest assured, you are. I often wonder why bad things happen to good people. What resonates in my heart is that a lot of people live on autopilot...apathetic and detached from our fellow man. I know people, sad people for whom months and years go by without really feeling...you know? Blind to beauty, simple blessings and ways that God is present in our lives every day. I think this is the opposite of what God wants for our heart. There is a quote that says something like, "apathy is a glove into which evil slips its hand." You just happen to have a warrior spirit strong enough to endure what it takes to wake folks up. I think more people need to feel and care for more things than themselves or their own inner circle. When bad things happen to good people it's like a big ol' spiritual finger snap! Hellooooo! Are you in there?! It makes people feel whether they want to or not...makes em' uncomfortable, inspires them to pray, to appreciate, to love better and bigger and with more verve! Inspires them to reawaken to passion, for people and causes and babies and puppies and the song of birds in the morning... to try a little harder to live each day and enjoy the simple things. And whether she knows it or not, sometimes it takes a warrior to get her gear on and go into battle for us all.
~ Tina Berry
I hope you know I didn't share this because I ever felt like a warrior. I shared it because if there's one thing I want to be in life, it's awake. And if there's one way I want to live, it's with passion. I really loved this reminder that I believe those things, and I thought you might love it too.