These are awful times
Innocent people are being killed in the streets
In hundreds and thousands
Theses are historic times
Their cry for freedom can be heard across the country and across the world
These are uncertain times
Where are we heading and how?
These are awesome times
Seeing the whole country rise and demand their rights
These are hopeful times
Because we have passed the point of no return
January 24, 2026
An uncertain year lies ahead
When will we have the vaccines?
Who will get them first?
When will there be enough immunity?
When can we start visiting our friends?
When can musicians sing in front of crowds?
When will the news not be about COVID?
When will the children visit their grandparents?
When can we get together with our friends?
How long will we need to wear our masks?
How long do we need to stay two feet apart?
How long before some people can go back to work?
How long before a sense of normal?
No one has the exact answers to these questions
We have to get comfortable with the uncertainty
We have to do our best to keep our communities safe
Short term pleasure will cause long term pain
We have to act based on the guidelines in place
By cheating, we are cheating no one but ourselves
We have to look beyond what pleases us
We have to realize others’ health depends on us
We live in a ‘me’ society
It’s time to change it to a ‘we’ society
November 27th, 2020
In the journey of life
I used to seek instructions!
Maps!
Guides!
Sign posts!
Even letters from God!
To show me the way
Map the route out for me
Take uncertainty away
and change gray to black or white
I was afraid to take a
step forward
Lest I stepped the wrong way
I used to crave certainty
As if it was something
I would find
If I looked hard enough
Prayed long enough
Or contemplated long enough
But I’ve learned
Certainty does not exist
Cannot exist
That I won’t have all the answers
Before I make a decision
I won’t know what tomorrow brings for sure
And that’s OK!
I now feel that
There is nothing called a
Perfect path or the only right way
Steps can be traced back
Or side roads will appear
I feel that there will always
Be a place to land
Even if I step into the void
And just because
I don’t see the landing place
It doesn’t mean that
It does not exist!
Lida Berghuis
February 15th, 2013
*Mark Nepo
lida's musings 