It was a beautiful afternoon in northern Colorado. I took a short drive into Poudre Canyon to enjoy the scenery. It was 55 degrees in town, but the temperature dropped into the mid-40's quite quickly as I entered the canyon. Much of the water in the river was frozen but that did not stop the anglers from dropping a line in the open spots.
I stopped at a small recreation area where only a few cars were parked. I could see people off in the distance exploring the area so I thought I had the immediate area to myself. Suddenly, I hear a voice. I look around and see absolutely no one anywhere around. Then I hear it again. I looked up, way up. I saw the climber near the top of the cliff and followed the rigging to the bottom to see another person. Okay, I feel better. I am not simply hearing voices in my head.
I watched the climber make a quick and smooth descent. I marveled at the skill and ease with which he came down. I wish I would have been present to see the climb.
As I looked at the climber at the top of the cliff, it made me yearn for the joy and freedom that he must have felt when he accomplished the task at hand. How was the view from there? Was he tired from the climb or did he have a sense of exhilaration?
I will admit that I am weary. I am tired of the virus and the many mandates. I am tired of the inconsistencies in the approach to the virus. I am tired of the hypocrisy from our government leaders as they issue mandates for others to follow while ignoring those edicts themselves. Rules seem to only apply to some people.
I am worn out by watching good people suffer. Small business owners are being crushed under the weight of government oppression. How can it be okay for the big box stores to remain open while forcing small business to shutter their establishments? I can only imagine the depths of despair a person feels after dedicating years and years into building a business only to see it wither away and die because the government forced it to close.
People in nursing homes are being crushed by loneliness. All too often they are dying alone. Families will never get that time back.
People are facing hospitalizations all alone. Depriving people of emotional and spiritual support during a time of crisis is simply inhumane. The mental health complications resulting from the continued lock-down of society will haunt us for years to come. Nine months have passed since we heard, "Two weeks to flatten the curve."
I am tired of the election. If even a fraction of the voting and ballot irregularities are true that are being presented as evidence, it should disturb citizens regardless of party affiliation. We are in genuine danger of losing our republic if we can't trust the election process. Half of the population will disagree with the final outcome of this election whether it is a Democrat or Republican winner. Being unhappy with an outcome is one thing. Being uncertain about the legitimacy of the outcome is something completely different.
We are getting ready to enter into the Second Week of Advent. What will Christmas look like this year? I saw that one bishop gave permission for his priests to offer four Masses on Christmas Eve and four Masses on Christmas Day. This is being done to give as many people as possible the chance to attend Mass even though crowd restrictions are still place. Once again, this has been going on for nine months now. Have we simply resigned ourselves to the fact that freedom of religion no longer exists in our country?
We have personal mountains to climb. We also have societal mountains that we climb. The problems that confront us can wear us down. Today, I want to encourage you to stay strong. "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)
I stopped at a small recreation area where only a few cars were parked. I could see people off in the distance exploring the area so I thought I had the immediate area to myself. Suddenly, I hear a voice. I look around and see absolutely no one anywhere around. Then I hear it again. I looked up, way up. I saw the climber near the top of the cliff and followed the rigging to the bottom to see another person. Okay, I feel better. I am not simply hearing voices in my head.
I watched the climber make a quick and smooth descent. I marveled at the skill and ease with which he came down. I wish I would have been present to see the climb.
As I looked at the climber at the top of the cliff, it made me yearn for the joy and freedom that he must have felt when he accomplished the task at hand. How was the view from there? Was he tired from the climb or did he have a sense of exhilaration?
I will admit that I am weary. I am tired of the virus and the many mandates. I am tired of the inconsistencies in the approach to the virus. I am tired of the hypocrisy from our government leaders as they issue mandates for others to follow while ignoring those edicts themselves. Rules seem to only apply to some people.
I am worn out by watching good people suffer. Small business owners are being crushed under the weight of government oppression. How can it be okay for the big box stores to remain open while forcing small business to shutter their establishments? I can only imagine the depths of despair a person feels after dedicating years and years into building a business only to see it wither away and die because the government forced it to close.
People in nursing homes are being crushed by loneliness. All too often they are dying alone. Families will never get that time back.
People are facing hospitalizations all alone. Depriving people of emotional and spiritual support during a time of crisis is simply inhumane. The mental health complications resulting from the continued lock-down of society will haunt us for years to come. Nine months have passed since we heard, "Two weeks to flatten the curve."
I am tired of the election. If even a fraction of the voting and ballot irregularities are true that are being presented as evidence, it should disturb citizens regardless of party affiliation. We are in genuine danger of losing our republic if we can't trust the election process. Half of the population will disagree with the final outcome of this election whether it is a Democrat or Republican winner. Being unhappy with an outcome is one thing. Being uncertain about the legitimacy of the outcome is something completely different.
We are getting ready to enter into the Second Week of Advent. What will Christmas look like this year? I saw that one bishop gave permission for his priests to offer four Masses on Christmas Eve and four Masses on Christmas Day. This is being done to give as many people as possible the chance to attend Mass even though crowd restrictions are still place. Once again, this has been going on for nine months now. Have we simply resigned ourselves to the fact that freedom of religion no longer exists in our country?
We have personal mountains to climb. We also have societal mountains that we climb. The problems that confront us can wear us down. Today, I want to encourage you to stay strong. "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)
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