As you walk through this life, may you recognize God in your midst. In the shadows, and classrooms, and bedrooms, and office spaces, and social spaces, and in all spaces, may you feel the presence of the Spirit there, in, with, and through you, lifting your chin, filling your cup, giving you rest, and claiming you as a child of God fully as completely as your whole wonderfully beautiful self.

I will say it again, for me, the church is the starting place for recognizing that we are not alone. God has given us to each other. God is with us. Whether we make that divine connection within the four walls of a building or Christ shows himself to us through a connection with another person, the Church is there to remind us we belong and not that we belong to a building with four walls, but to a people of God – we belong to God.

There are moments I can pretend and contain it, and there are moments it lashes out in a harsh word or avoidance. I recognize it, but I can’t stop it. I see it. It is a huge booming voice pressing down on my head, my shoulders.