Circle of Trust

I shared with the PAX that while I like to have something ready for COT, I had not put anything together for this morning.  Usually, I am able to compartmentalize the troubling affairs of the world, whether it is the outcome of elections, reactions to pandemics, international events, etc.

The Fall of Kabul, however, has deeply affected me.  I am not a veteran (although I have family who served), so I cannot say I have a personal connection to the people, country, or the permutations of governmental policies that have been implemented over the last score of years.  Notwithstanding, I find myself proudly disconsolate over the events unfolding, in real time, over both the imminent travails the individuals affected are presently confronting as we well the greater, broader, and far-reaching geopolitical ramifications.  My consternation and sadness of the events have been ubiquitously present  in the forefront of my mind.

Amidst the mental and emotional gymnastics, yesterday, in the late afternoon, my son burst into my home office with a broad and pleading smile on his face.  Noah Syndergaard would be pitching a one-inning rehab start for the Brooklyn Cyclones – the Mets high-A affiliate located in Coney Island, a mile walk from our apartment.

All my other concerns, of the world-at-large as well as my professional responsibilities, faded away in an instant.  I wrapped up the day early and off we went.

As I started my COT, it him me that somehow, all of my theretofore ever-present consternations about the plight of Afghanistan no longer felt like the world bearing down on my shoulders.  Why?  It wasn’t just the morning workout.  I actually woke up with some peace.  The problem is still palpable, serious, and of imminent concern, to those stuck in the vacuum of the Administration’s decision, but I felt it less keenly.

As I was literally speaking this morning, I realized that is was about priorities and affecting who and what I can affect and compartmentalizing (putting in boxes, to so speak) other concerns.  This is not to say I am any less concerned than I was yesterday; rather, the energy that the Lord has given me should not be wasted worrying over that which I cannot change and I should channel it into that which I can positively affect, whether it is a specific cause or in edifying a little 11-year old boy, by spending quality father-son time together.

So, to the PAX, focus on that which you can positively influence and while you should absolutely keep yourself apprised of the unfolding events across the nation and around the world, don’t allow those events that you cannot change to vitiate your ability to impact those that you can.

We closed with a prayer for Mr. Hankey’s neighbor Rick’s mother-in-law and a note of thanks for Pedro’s father-in-law’s recovery from COVID, as well as a blessing for the men of Virutosity.