The Resurrection.
For years now, I’ve been saying that my story is one of resurrection. I have lived days, months, years in darkness and one day the stone was rolled from the tomb and my life was flooded with light and hope.
Something I love about the liturgical calendar is that the cyclical nature helps us reflect on how God acts and moves in our lives. Today is Holy Thursday and I remembered having written something about Holy Week two years ago after a break up. I searched for it and read it, tears filling my eyes. Somehow in my sadness, I was able to see that the story didn’t end there.
I have had a blog post drafted since the week I got engaged about the process of meeting the man I’m going to marry. I remembered finding so much hope when Christina shared about her trials and difficulties of dating and ultimately meeting her now husband, Christian. I wanted to give other gals who are (im)patiently waiting to meet their spouse, hope, too.
I hadn’t felt called to share that story yet. And then while reading my two year old post, through the tears, I audibly laughed. Easter isn’t about this event that happened once, an event that happened over 2,000 years ago, an event that none of were present for. Easter is happening all around us, today, in our current lives! And we can see it and experience it if we are present in the here and now. We are a resurrection people, after all.
I will quote myself from March 25, 2016:
“I am a part of humanity, I am not exempt from the suffering. But I also know that light enters the darkness and overcomes it. I know that on the other side of sadness is joy. I know that the suffering is not for naught. I know that Easter comes.”
It took me almost a year to heal my broken heart from that relationship that ended two years ago. It wasn’t an easy one. I felt unloveable and unable to love another well enough. But things changed, hope returned, I got to serve my community through my business here at Be A Heart. I did so many things I love, I traveled, I had spiritual direction and weekly therapy. Yet, two weeks before I met Paul in May 2017, I sobbed to my therapist that I would never.ever.ever. meet anybody. ever.
And then one day, at my friend’s housewarming party, there he was sitting alone at a table. I believe that both Paul and I were seeking God’s presence in our lives and in that seeking we found each other. He is my every day Easter. God surely did lead me to the joy, the hope, the light of the resurrection and continues to do it in all areas of my life. Let this year’s Triduum be a reminder that suffering doesn’t last forever and only ever leads us to more love and light than we had before.
We must continue to live in the hope of the Resurrection.
