The Catholic Writers Guild

Falling Upwards to the Present Moment

“…but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31

 

Two weeks ago, one of my nephews was laid off after fifteen years. My heart ached for him, my niece, and their four young children. When I told him I was praying for them, he thanked me, smiling all would be well. His faith reminded me of a time in my career when I faced a similar situation.

I never thought it would happen to me, until the day our team learned three of the five project managers would be displaced. A tightly knit group of high performers, we were driven to excellence by the thought of making a difference.

God spared me in several ways; first by providing a fun respite, second by affording me a compassionate leader, and third but definitely not last, gracing me with insight about living in the present moment.

A serendipitous getaway shielded me from the initial jolt. Our team was to meet for the verdict and on my way to work that morning, my daughter-in-law offered me a last-minute vacant spot in her mother’s cruise cabin. Of course, the possibility was off my radar. I had meetings and presentations to complete Thursday and Friday. When she suggested I call in sick, I politely told her it was not possible.

At work, after my first conference call, second thoughts overtook me and somewhere in the 5 minutes before my next meeting, I dashed into my boss’s office and told her about the random offer. She exclaimed, “If it were me, I’d rearrange my schedule and go!”

I dashed to my next meeting but by 10 am, I had a plan. I instructed my son, “Add me to the guest list and don’t leave without me.” By 10:30, my manager approved two vacation days and I cleared my calendar as willing friends covered critical meetings. By noon, I was home throwing together bare bones essentials, and by 2pm, my son, daughter-in-law, grandchildren and “Mimi”, their other grandmother, hustled through check-in on our way to a four-day island cruise.

“…Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” Psalm 30:5

 

On that short vacation, God reminded me of the joy of living in the present moment. Playing “Connect Four” with my grandsons, I thought of nothing else but them; reveling in their boyish chatter and laughter. Enjoying “Mimi” playing bingo for the first time in her life, and winning, kept any thoughts of work-life in the distant past. In his mercy and love, God knew what I needed to get me past the fear of falling down by embracing life in the present and rising upward through Him.

O Lord, you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away. Psalm 139:1-2

 

Falling Upwards

Does the dandelion tuft

Mourn its wrenching from the globe

Home no longer with the rest

Curse cruel gales

Or

Ride the crest?

.

Do falling leaves to mulch or mold

Cry fallen hopes in season’s cold

Give up their role in nature’s quest

Or

Change to bedding for a nest?

.

Does a severed branch downed by wind

Give up its soul, its life rescind

When circumstance would name it “broke”

Or

Does it rise anew as smoke?

.

In the wrenching and the falling

In the severing and the breaking

In the dying

Is awakening.

 

© Paula Veloso Babadi 2023