Finding

Just living is not enough... one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.

~Hans Christian Anderson

I find it strange to have lived in a city for so many years now. Being from a small town in Northwest Arkansas, time passed slowly, nights were quiet and peaceful... you could hear your own hearbeat. Here, the city has the heartbeat. The Max swooshes by, TriMet pulls out in front of cars causing Portland drivers to scowl, cyclists weave in and out of side areas waving their hands occasionally to signal a random turn.

The city waits for no one and time passes quickly. Too quickly. The local news station blares news of another teenager missing in the city, parents and relatives paralyzed with fear and worry. In the city, another day of gray skies and rain.

I wait anxiously for the rain to stop. I am patient in waiting for the roses to begin their blooming season. I too wait, and worry about the young girl that is missing and a student of one of our partners in education.

Today, I am reminding myself to simplify my mind and actions. Finding a few moments of sun today, knowing that I can breath the air and am a free person, and looking for that one flower that has bloomed so that I may revel in its solitary beauty...these are the things I remind myself of today. I pray for the young girl to be found, safely, and soon.

What things do you find peace in?