Embracing Uncertainty

Ah, if only we knew that Florida would be spared, Michael could've stayed down in Ave Maria even longer...but since I am selfish, I'm glad he came home a day early. We had the whole weekend together and now the rest of the week as well. I'm not getting much work done because we take too many chatty tea breaks and cook nice meals and watch Tropical Tidbits and a movie every single night--sound like a good hurrication, no? These pretty pink skies will give way to gray before too long.

Hurricanes are highly distracting even if they're a thousand miles away I truly feel for the poor people of the Bahamas getting pounded and not just for a few hours but over a whole day and more. Who knew something like this would happen? We didn't expect it with Florence either. But Dorian feels like it's going to take a similar trajectory as Matthew. As in the past, we will button up the porch and stay indoors. I've printed out several things I need to work on in case we lose power. But there's always music and books.

Speaking of books, I have to rave over one that Max recommended: When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi. It's a story of one man's dying and it is so beautifully written I cried. Requiescat in pace, Paul. I hope we meet in heaven one day. I'm also in the middle of these two books: Night Diary by Veera Hirandandi (set during Partition) and The Second Mountain by David Brooks. My biggest complaint about Brooks is that he doesn't commit to anything, even while writing. It always surprises me when brilliant people don't take that leap of faith. And since we've all read the book in our family, we refer to people we know as first or second mountain people. Hehe. 

Anyway, what does any of this have to do with embracing uncertainty? Everything and nothing. It's something I've been thinking about because I realized that one of the greatest gifts of our faith has been the ability to throw ourselves fully into any venture even if we do not know the outcome. It's about placing your trust in Christ, and doing the right thing, as much as you can know something's right. I'm always asking the Holy Spirit to guide my hours, my days, and to help me walk the right path. And I ask the same for our children, who are so far from us now. But I do not worry. Christ is with them and Mary keeps pointing the way to her Son. There is so much joy in embracing uncertainty. I've now come up with a litmus test for discernment: is it drawing me nearer to our blessed Lord or farther away? It's that simple.    
      
Our lives can change in a blink of an eye. All we can do is prepare for the worst, hope for the best, and know that not even a sparrow falls without our Lord's knowledge. He is with us. I am praying for all in the path of Dorian to remain safe.  

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/03/hurricane-dorian-satellite-photos-show-bahamas-underwater.html