This is from Anne Lamott's book "Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith"--I find it extremely appropriate considering the pain and suffering of so many around me. Some I watch suffer from a distance, some all too close; all too personal.

It's magic to see Spirit, largely because it's so rare. Mostly you see the masks and the holograms that the culture presents as real. You see how you're doing in the world's eyes, or your family's, or--worst of all--yours, or in the eyes of people who are doing better than you--much better than you--or worse. But you are not your bank account, or your ambition. You're not the cold clay lump you leave behind when you die. You're not your collection of walking personality disorders. You are Spirit, you are love, and even though it is hard to believe sometimes, you are free. You're here to love, and to be loved, freely. If you find out next week that you are terminally ill on this bus--what will matter are memories of beauty, that people loved you, and that you loved them.

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God is making all things new. God will make all things new.