As I write this, I am sitting out on my covered patio listening to the thunder roll, watching the rain fall, and breathing deeply the rejuvenating smell of a summer storm. The same drops of falling water have made the journey from sky to ground and back again thousands upon thousands of times as part of the ongoing water cycle. Rain falls to water the earth, cascades down mountainsides, rushes in mighty rivers, and flows gently in meandering streams. Then the heat of the bright sun evaporates those water drops, returning them to the sky to gather as clouds and prepare for the journey again.
Drops of water are just like choices. Small in their own right, but with the collective power to both nourish a flower and carve a canyon. This month we reflect on the nourishing and creative power of our choices as we explore the tenet, “We are free to choose, and willingly accept responsibility for our choices.”
Lisa reminds us of the cyclical journey over time and uses a favorite Christmas story to guide our reflection of the power of choice in the past, present, and future. Shelli captures the movement of the water drops leaving the clouds, with the reflections of a mother releasing adult children to their new stage of growth. Those descending drops may not have control of where they fall, just as we don’t have control over many of the circumstances of our lives. However, Katrina shares how anxiety can be transformed to acceptance and peace through the choices we make regarding how we respond and the path we take. The water drops combine into streams and rivers as Norma uses a personal example to illustrate the influence of choosing both to associate with good friends and to be a good friend. Emily describes a stage akin to evaporation as she outlines a process of intentionally choosing to move from darkness to light in our thoughts, feelings, and actions. We end with a reminder from the past of “Notes to Self” from Michelle about many aspects of how we define ourselves by our decisions as we cycle through choice and consequence in our lives.
May you find drops of nourishment for your soul in each article this month.
