As I drove to my office to find a quiet time to write, I looked to the hills in the distance and saw a double rainbow against the horizon.  It seemed the Universe was sending a message to us all:  Behind the darkest cloud, there is always a rainbow.  That message inspired me to write about our hidden potential for peace amidst chaos, the awareness that there is indeed calm after the storm.

Faith in tomorrow can become difficult if today presents too many challenges. To help us find faith, let’s review our history to become aware of the constant presence of faith in the future.  Changing times recently in our world, and particularly in our nation, seem to have infected the consciousness in our personal lives causing more fear than faith, more sadness than joy, and more suspicion than confidence in our future.  We are witness to constant uproar and can find it difficult to notice the still consistency of our breath, the steady beat of our hearts, and the awareness of how far we have come personally as we continue to survive and thrive.  When the emphasis in our 24x7 news is on chaos and destruction, we are tempted to pay more attention to what’s falling apart. Instead, we should focus on the firm foundations we have built over the years in our work, our relationships with families and friends, and our belief in a higher power expressed as a powerful energy that is always working for good.

I have noticed that several of my clients lately have become overwhelmed dealing with a succession of crises personally and professionally. To help them get back on track, I encourage them to break the problem down into smaller units that can be managed one at a time.  Each isolated problem then can be analyzed for probable solutions and one thing selected to work on first.  My message has been for the client to step back and look at the situation. If you can notice the pattern of it coming apart, you probably can also see how it can be pieced back together again.

For example, Mrs. B’s husband died suddenly two years ago.  He owned his own business and she was not involved in what he was doing financially.  With assistance from a financial counselor, she sold her home and bought a smaller mobile home with the help of her adult children.  Once she had worked through the financial challenges and navigated some of the pain of her grief, she then decided to get more involved with her new neighbors and her church.  She found that opening herself to give also made her more open to receiving.  She made new friends and volunteered at the homeless shelter nearby.  Her depression lifted as she was again able to serve and help others grow.  She felt like a nurturing parent again even though her own children were now grown and had children of their own because she found new families who really needed and appreciated her.  She would not have the financial resources she’d become accustomed to, but she had found new ways to give and receive love and emotional support.  She still has her moments of sadness but realizes that it is about her past; she takes time to honor those memories but is committed to moving on.  She belongs to a grief group at her church that helps with honoring the past. Our regular meetings also help her to move forward where we emphasize that NOW IS THE ONLY TIME THERE EVER IS TO LIVE IN.  THE PAST IS DONE.  THE FUTURE HAS NOT COME.  WHEN IT DOES COME, IT WILL BE NOW.

Living in the moment means facing what is scary about our lives right now, breaking it down into small manageable steps and looking beyond this moment and expecting a positive change.  When we look, life has many colors like the rainbow that represent all of life’s energies to help us weather the storm.  At any moment, we can practice gratitude as Jennifer Wilson suggests in her recent blog, Gratitude Will Shift Your Attitude, by giving thanks for the big and small things, such as your health, your family and friends, your work, and recognizing that even beyond the darkest cloud, there is a rainbow.

Please share with us some of your own experiences of how you find the “light behind the darkness.”

With Warm Regards,

Sylvia