Somedays the news is just too much. I feel my chest contract, my heart hurt and I want to turn away from all the pain that being human can bring. Somedays the stories I bear witness to feel so painful. I know it has always been so; that to be human is to know pain and joy...but some just seem to be given TOO much pain to bear. And then I see this quote from the Talmud, and I breathe a little easier. Ancient wisdom guides us, once again. Our problems are not new. Just stay the course, the ancient ones tell us. Show up and be present!
"Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world's grief. Do justly, now. Love mercy, now. Walk humbly, now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it."
The Talmud
