HUPOMONE= Active Endurance. (Patience is an ancient Greek word)

“It’s a funny time to get sick 😕,” my brother told me. Indeed, I said. COVID-19 was neither confirmed nor denied in my case however, I for sure can confirm I came down with at least, a strong case of Influenza, which I had never had before. Being sick these past couple of weeks has truly zoomed in on the fact that the human life is both vulnerable and fragile. One day we are living our best life, our normal life, and the next day we are in complete pain from head to toes, literally hoping things will get better.

Despite how sick I’ve felt, I do have to admit that I am grateful for this time. I did have a slight moment, when for a few seconds I thought, “damn, I might have the virus and I could potentially die. Gosh! people have died from the very same flu I’m experiencing right now.” But, I refocused my thoughts and reminded myself about the phrase “Maktub” - it is written. What will be, will be, so I will do what I can do— get better, rest to heal and be better. 

What should be and could be won’t be until God allows it to be.

I am a firm believer that God allows things to happen with a purpose. This world and its inhabitants are emotionally and physically tired. We know that each day brings with it, its own emotional and physical labor, and it takes a toll on not only the heart but also, the mind and the body. Stress weakens our immune system leaving us vulnerable to illnesses such as these. Vicarious trauma is a reality and it most definitely triggers stress and disperses cortisol all throughout the body. And so, it becomes necessary to slow down.

And the world is definitely shutting down…with each passing day we are witnessing how the world is being forced to slow down as a result of a virus that doesn’t discriminate against ethnicity, gender, age or geography. The world needs a break from the pollution, the toxicity of neoliberalism and its greed contributing to global degrade. We are seeing how broken our system truly is, which I believe will help us develop new and more empowering ways to tackle the areas that are either non-existent and/or deteriorated in efforts to help the aggregate whole. Nature needs to learn how to breath again, and our bodies, minds and souls need to clear up as well, to breath more wholly.

And now, in the midst of these trying times, in these times of loss, I pray that you are all also able to see the silver lining; that you are all also able to capture the solace of these times and in that solitude find peace and gratitude in your hearts. That you be empowered and invigorated to love genuinely, more deeply and more slowly to truly enjoy its abundance as well as its scarcity. True loyal love is unique, I pray you find that in everything that you do and with those you surround yourself with. 

So in these times, when something we do have is time, and we sit in this “journey of waiting” to see what is next and how we will move forward when all is said and done with COVID-19; I hope that in this state of what for many may seem “barren,” that you remember the many fruits and gifts you have inside you and that they come alive inside you. That you BRAVE on against the comfort of avoidance and take head on all things “undone” and done, in order to be ready for what’s to come. What you do every day matters over time, and decisions change everything. 

Blessed are those who make an effort and not an excuse. A “simple positive action repeated over time vs. a simple error in judgement, repeated over time” have a compounding affect (The Slight Edge).

As I’ve watched church online these past couple of weeks, the topics of unshakeable faith and and spiritual maturity have confronted me with growth. Our faith reflects what we believe in and who and what we depend on. I hope your faith is unshakeable in times as turbulent as these and that your faith believes that God will restore what has been taken and that you are reminded of how he’s done it all before in your life.

                                                           And as for me, my reliance is on God. 

As I return to normal feelings of being, as my body recovers from an illness that so rampantly took its home in my body without warning, and as it perfectly purges itself from illness with time, I also thought it pertinent to purge old things from my mind. All which is good for moving forward—learning and taking the blessings and lessons of old times past, becoming better and being so grateful for what is now. You know, every new year, I welcome it with great expectancy! I’m excited to apply the lessons and blessings I learned from the previous year, to experience and take on the beautiful prospects, opportunities and experiences before me with more wisdom and grace. Although, 2020 has greeted the world with great loss, from Kobe’s death to Corona Virus and other things in between, these losses have most definitely brought us together in solidarity with one another. We have seen and witnessed people showing up for one another and sharing in each other’s pain. We have also had to grieve unmet plans, and it is important to remember that only because plans don’t come to pass when we thought they would or planned they would, it doesn’t mean your vision is incorrect, perhaps your plans need to change, and often in that shift of circumstances and perspective, the vision is refined. So I pray you remain in patience, doing what only you have control over and carrying this burden having the faith and hope that your vision will come to pass at the most perfect time.

We all need to get away from earth a bit to then return and keep going. Distance from things helps.

I never imagined the grief I would feel for his loss and, I think what hurts most is the loss for what Kobe would have continued to do & the positive impact he would have continued to have on the world alive.

I watched one of my all time favorite movies last week, “Beaches” (1988). My mom says it’s a movie for “viejitas” and she doesn’t understand how I can like it so much haha. But, for me, it’s one of those films that doesn’t get old and each time I watch it, it still evokes those same feelings of love but also, of loss. It’s a film that also highlights loyal love and how it’s a love that not only remains but, gets stronger with time and transcends loss. 

I pray you show yourself loyal love as you navigate your way spiritually, mentally and physically in moving forward during these times. I pray that we continue to grow up in mind, spirit and body, putting aside all toxicity and childish things so that we may fulfill the calling and purpose of our lives. May you choose hope over fear; faith before worry and that you offer strength even when there is fear, to your fellow brothers and sisters. 

To Kobe, Gigi, everyone who passed away on that day, and all those that have come after them and will come, thank you for your imprint on people’s lives. Your legacy will continue to live on through everyone you impacted. 

       

💜, Jenny 

"In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength." Isaiah 30:15.