Thoughts meander like a restless wind inside a letter box ...

I woke up too early. Now it's not so early, but it was when the tranquil bliss of sleep slipped away from me two hours ago. I can't put my mind to rest. There are so many people whom I love who are hurting right now. That's uncomfortable to accept, but it is what it is. I will not tell myself that I can make everything better, or that it needs to be better. Life is difficult and terrifying and that cannot be avoided. I wish that we as humans did not feel the need to be ashamed of our pain, our inadequacies. They don't need to be qualified or excused for; we are imperfect and constantly in struggle with the world around us. It's wonderful to focus on the good, to rejoice in the beautiful, but don't just ignore the terrible, the heart-wrenching. It deserves to be recognized as well, and I have the most respect for people who can do so without losing sight of the moments of joy in life. This morning, I'm thinking that there isn't really a point to it all, at least not one that we can understand. The nature of God, the meaning of life, is inscrutable and can only be perceived in glimpses. We cannot deny the suffering that rages within us and around us, but we can seek the good, seek the divine, seek peace, and thus organize our lives around those brilliant flashes of senseless happiness, serenity, and love. There are so many questions that I will never be able to answer but I can trust in the little that I know without doubt: there is a God, a divine being, my encounters with Him are fleeting but they are the times when my soul is most reconciled, and I should spend my life seeking those instants and doing my best to help others to do the same. Everything else is vague and might be discovered along the way, but might remain hazy mysteries, and that is okay.

Now I need to go to Italy. Have a wonderful week.