Everybody is where they are

We are all walking personal sets of beliefs and thoughts that inform us on why we do, what we do and how we do it
There is a quote by Father William McNamara about a life of contemplation that he calls “a long loving look at the real”
A long loving look 
I like that
It seems to me that a lot of us haven’t had the time
I certainly didn’t, until I did
Illness has a way of forcing you to look at your life
All of your life
The parts that make you proud 
The moments that make you cringe
All of it
I have lived a full life 
I didn’t examine much because I was busy 
Busy with work, of course 
But, busy with being busy too
Because that’s what I thought it meant to be successful 
I’ve had a long time now to examine my life 
I’ve thought about who I was and who I am now
I honestly like both versions for different reasons
The integrated me that I’m working on now
Sees it all as necessary 
Even the years in a wheelchair 
It all informs, the me of today who realizes that, it all matters
We are all connected and created for love
That who we see, when we see each other is a version of ourselves seeing the divine 
That every little thing can be a teacher
Every step I take is a miracle 
Every meal I cook I am so grateful for the ability because before I lost the use of my hands 
I never appreciated them
I never looked down and thought, wow these are incredible 
Now I do, everyday 
“The gate of heaven is everywhere.” said Thomas Merton
I believe that to be true for all of us
We are walking inside the divine, all the time
Let’s give each other a little more grace 
Let’s realize that we are all where we are and it’s ok 
A long loving look, at all of it