Just To Be

Just to be is a blessing. Just to live is holy.
~ Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel

Those words are posted on the side of Laura's blog Shine the Divine.

I didn't realize the full meaning those words had for me until last Thursday. I spent the morning rushing around getting snow tires changed over, dropping off items that had accumulated in my car, getting gas, and making mental lists of all the things I still hadn't done.

I was driving home when I noticed the dark clouds moving across the sky. The trees on the side of the highway were swaying in the wind. I thought Just to be is holy. The words came unbidden. I knew that wasn't the sum total of the saying, but it was the essence of what I was feeling at the moment between being busy and starting in again on more I had to do.

Just to be is holy. The thought startled me. I took a deep breath.

That evening my husband and I were going to the train station to pick up our oldest son, P. He was going to be on the east coast, from California, to take care of some business, and he was coming home for a long week-end. We were surprised and thrilled when he called to tell us about this unexpected trip.

My next reaction was to think about the things I wanted to get done before he arrived.

Just to be is holy. Slow down. Stay present. Enjoy the time together.

It was a wonderful week-end. Our daughter was able to join us for dinner twice. We drove to Boston on Saturday to spend time with our youngest son and watch his team participate in the Steel Bridge Competition.

Tomorrow P will take the train back to Boston. He has an early morning flight from Logan airport on Wednesday.

In the meantime I will enjoy the time we have together.

I will not forget that Just to be is a blessing and Just to live is holy.