The Paceline

Lamentations seems like a big, sad word to me. It’s not my favorite book of the Bible. To lament means to mourn, to express one’s deep grief, or just to express regret or disappointment over something considered unsatisfactory, unreasonable, or unfair.

We have a lot to lament these days. Pandemic around the world. Racial unrest (an understatement) in our nation. Economic ruin for businesses small and large. Loss of opportunity for new job seekers. Distanced personal relationships. Absence of hugs from granddaughters.

When will things get better? There is so much uncertainty. Even those who believe things will get better wonder when. The times, they are a-changin. Cue the harmonica.

Bob Dylan wrote the iconic hymn to change in 1964. He warned that everything changes. King Solomon told us there’s a time for everything under the heavens 3,000 years ago. He didn’t say when that time was.

So we’re left to wait and wonder. Or to act. To pack groceries for the hungry. To reach out to old friends. To check on lonely friends. To grow closer to dear friends.

But we still wonder – how long? When will life change back to the way it was – or, more likely, to the way it will be? History is full of examples of people who waited without knowing what or when the end will be.

Some faced life sentences in prison until they were exonerated. Some spent 40 days in the wilderness. Some wandered 40 years through barren lands. Some endured 400 years of oppression. Some waited only four hours for an answer – but it seemed an eternity.

The common denominator for those who made it to the “other side” of the wait: they learned to hold on.

And like a string that is stronger when wound around another string, people together are stronger. Two people can hold on better than one.

Audrey Hepburn summed it up: “The best thing to hold onto in life is each other.”

Thank you, Sherry. I’m glad I can hold onto you.