Echoes of mercy

On Friday night, as I was getting into my car with the pizza I'd just ordered, I caught myself from shutting the door too quickly. In the air, I heard local church bells chime eight o'clock, followed by the first few notes of what I immediately identified as "Blessed Assurance." 
 
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love. 
 
In a year that's held a lot of really hard news, it's been challenging to see the mercies. As a therapist and pastor,  I'm navigating the fire crisis that will impact many lives for years to come. As a person, I'm filled with the same exhaustion and anxieties as everyone else. We are all in this together.
 
So, as I got in my car on Friday, humming along to a hymn I've been singing my entire life, I thought about the echoes of mercy I've heard in my week, the whispers of love I'd forgotten or ignored. The kind emails from colleagues and friends. The daily drives for prayer that continue to be a solace. Freshly blooming flowers. Hopes and dreams for the front yard. Sunshine at 7:00 p.m. Deep breaths. Psalm 36. Supporting small businesses with my dollars. Whispering "all will be well" to myself in moments of what felt like too much. 
 
I don't know what the future holds. I never did. But even in a week like this one, so noisy I almost missed it, there they were: Echoes of mercy. Whispers of love. 

Grace and peace,

Anita Sorenson
Pastor for Spiritual Formation