Despite the heat this morning, I forced myself to at least try to jog, or walk, in order to have my special time with HaShem, of course while listening to spiritually uplifting music. As I passed the abandoned original lobsterman’s tiny home up the street where the most recent descendant had passed on a couple years ago, I was struck by the lush vegetation in the unkempt yard. Pushing through heavy layers of thatch were beautiful wildflowers, some on tall stalks, others teeny glimpses of life struggling to push through the thick ground cover, and succeeding. Here were these beautiful new creations pushing through the decayed grasses to create a splendorous display of nature’s beauty at its finest.

Fighting to live. Fighting against death. That’s what all those beautiful reminders of life were saying against a backdrop of a long neglected yard and house falling into disrepair, peeling paint, broken stairs, a place once filled with love and life now decaying, dying. Life against death. Light against dark.

I had just gotten off the phone after a lengthy chat with my loved one whose husband was just diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. As alluded to last week, she and he are living in a place of life, of hope, of fight. She actually used the expression they’ve entered a dogfight. And it is.

In some ways each of us has to fight to live each day. For some of us living is easier than it is for others, as well as at times living is easier than at other times just due to circumstances. But as we fight, or to soften it a bit, work hard to live well, we find that our lives are so much more enriched. We find as we choose sometimes the harder path, but the path toward growth, our Abba encourages us with His closeness, shows us His awareness of our efforts. We feel His presence as He often rewards us for trying.

I could have awoken this morning and slept in. And had I done so, my cardio and spiritual health would have drifted more toward dying than living on that continuum, but I would have technically been living. Just no real progress toward the light. Surely I didn’t feel like exercising outdoors, especially with the high heat index and my nagging night cough lingering from the camp crud affecting my sleep. But I’ve been so off of my exercise routine this summer with travel, my resting heart rate had noticeably gone up, so I had made a goal to get back on track. I forced myself out the door. I fought to live. To live, not just exist.

And when I did, HaShem revealed the lesson in the rundown house, a place I pass multiple times daily with no special thoughts about it until today. He stopped me and showed me the beauty, gave me the insight about the rundown house and connected it to the phone call, to my decision to jog/walk, and to cap it off gave me an incredible bird experience. Had I stayed in bed, I would have been living, but fighting to get myself out the door brought Him to me so powerfully in these insights and experiences, and I’m sure helped a bit with my physical health as well.

Oh yes, the bird experience. . .

We have lots of eagles up here. I see them routinely from my bedroom window flying back and forth by the lobster pound from their local nest looking for food. But on this morning’s jog/walk one swooped right over my head, like five feet away. And several minutes later, he swooped over my head on the different path I was then on. It was not a frightening experience, but rather, one of awe. To cap it off, as I was rounding the corner home the magnificent creature was perched on a phone line under which I was about to pass. The eagle and I had a photo op session that lasted for 20 minutes, open wings, closed wings, head to the left, to the right. He was totally comfortable with my presence just below him. He only flew away when another admirer arrived who was standing nowhere near as close to him as I was. But the stunning winged messenger and I had had some amazing special time together. So many thoughts. So much God. So much gratitude for my being at that moment at that time to receive that blessing. Not to mention the fly bys!

We are blessed to wake up each morning and breathe. HaShem restores our breath/spirit to us each day. What we choose to do with the rest of the day is up to us. If we’re ill, will we fight for good health? If we’re feeling sad, will we fight to feel better emotionally? Look to what is causing our pain or just wallow in it, accept it as who we are? If our jobs are making us unhappy, do we take action to make the situation better? If our relationship with another is feeling draining, do we work to see what’s wrong and bring it back on track? If we’re so tired we can’t do one more thing but someone needs help, do we help her? If we see actions drawing a person or people toward bad decisions, do we do anything about it? Do we try to make our lives places of light and hope? Do we fight for life? Do we fight for love? For He is showering His love on us perpetually just waiting for us to tap into its magnitude.

Every day brings multiple opportunities to fight to live, to fight to love. I hope you dig in hard this week, and every week, to co-create a life filled with more goodness, and love, than you can imagine. I know if you do, you will not be disappointed!

Shabbat shalom.
Diane