It is Well...

There seems to be a lot of stress and negativity permeating our lives today. Our government's the epitome of intrusive, chaotic dysfunction; our troops grow weary of war in distant lands; the nation is divided into factions of finger-pointing across an ever-widening gap of disparate values and beliefs; a dying environment crumbles all around us from man-wrought apathy, and the economy remains a precarious wasteland fraught with uncertainty.

The only phone calls I seem to get are from debt collectors - never from the hundreds of jobs I've applied for or the publisher with that fat book deal...

...But it is well with my soul. Why?

Because the sun still rose this morning, the hummingbirds still stopped by for a visit, my daughter's health continues to vastly improve and my wife woke with a warm smile upon her face - just for me.

It is well with my soul.

There's food in the cupboard, a roof over my head, and good friends just a keystroke away with a laugh and a smile. The van hasn't died completely, I didn't have to serve jury duty this week, and a lot of people - even a few I DON'T know :0) - seem to really be enjoying the story I've worked years to bring about in print.

That, too - is well with my soul.

I can't change what's happening in D.C.,  but I can vote wiser in the future and hold my leaders more accountable.

I can't issue an order to bring all the troops home - or mediate a peace with an enemy that doesn't seem to want any - but I can pray and support the ones who serve.

I can't wave a magic wand or weave a potion to cure the world's environmental woes - but I can make small changes to decrease my own footprint on this place, and build upon that day after day.

I can't make that employer hire me or wish my novel on to the best sellers lists - but I can keep scribbling, and keep trying, and keep treading water indefinitely - moment to moment if need be, as long as I'm still breathing.

It IS well with MY soul.

I can smile.

I can love.

 I can make someones day a little brighter than it could have been - and I don't have to do it by staunchly advocating my beliefs or cramming my values down others throats.

It is well with my soul, because my outlook on this life and how I choose to walk it is the only thing I have absolute control over. And I choose to do so with a thankful and grateful grin.

Peace to you and yours, friends. 

Live, Laugh... and Love.