A River of Hope

Cold air gathers in my lungs. It feels like it is too much to handle, and yet not enough. My feet are sore from running for so long, and my hands ache and burn from the frigid air. I look out at the water and see the white crests of the waves crashing into one another. Fitting. It seems nature can relate to people pretty well.

It happens to everyone. At least one would think it does. Juggling work, school, family, friends, and life. This goes on until there are so many different people and responsibilities in the air that you drop all of them at once. Oh right, and there is also this tricky, yet ever vital component known as self-care. That is the gear that drives the machine. And yet, in my experience, it is the one I always forget. I suppose it makes sense, then, why everything falls, when there is not even a healthy juggler to keep it all flying up in the air.

What does all of this have to do with God? Here is a thought. As the Jesuits often remind us, God is in all things, and as a result God comes to us through our daily lives. It is usually only looking back on the day that one can see Him, but rest assured, He is there. For instance, this past week has been a coursing river of events and emotions, not only for me but also for many within the BC community. JoJo David, a dear friend, minister, companion, mentor, passed away this Tuesday. It struck a chord of dissonance with many in the BC community, especially those closest to him in Campus Ministry. JoJo was a man who moved mountains and souls with his music and gift of joy. His presence emanated calm and goodness. With his loss, a gap seemed to form.

And yet, as I talk with others, and reflect on my own time with JoJo, I cannot help but feel a sense of gratitude for having been able to know his light. Remembering him does bring sadness, but joy is closely woven in. One cannot help but smile while thinking of JoJo singing and joking around. Within the dissonance there seems to always be harmony.

As a dear friend once told me, losing someone is never easy. While their physical form is gone from us, their spirit and presence remain close.

God is sometimes depicted as an author. This fits well with the belief that God does everything for a reason. He interacts with us in subtle yet powerful ways. The day after JoJo passed on, one of my best friend’s sisters had a baby girl.

“Where there is life, there is hope.” At this moment, reading this line, we have life within us, God within us, and thus hope within us.

The air is still cool, but the wind has died down and the waves are settling. I’m catching my breath and even though my feet are sore, they feel good. They feel tested, and stronger for it. Family, friends, work, school, life are back up in the air for one to juggle. But at the center of it all is a life, one’s own life. And in that truth there is always hope, and always God.