Finding Peace in the Chaos

“How do we make room in our hearts for the peace of God in our troubled world?” – Fr. Stephen Gaertner, O.Praem

This quote has been laying on my desk, written on a random piece of paper, since last May when I heard it during a homily at church. Other papers have been piled on top of it, not on purpose, but in the work and creative life that I live. There are things that need to be done and there are things I want to do.

But each time I see it when I clean off those papers, I would think about it, what an important reminder it is in the challenging way our world is today. And yet each time I wouldn’t make a move to post it or include it in a blog; I would just put it in a new pile of ideas, quotes, and things I need to do.

Until now.

It feels as if the waves of challenges have been crashing down harder in recent weeks and months. I’ll be honest, I don’t know the time frame because, while I used to believe it was important to know current events and read three newspapers a day, I have stopped reading any newspapers and only do a glance at headlines now. I did this because I realized it wasn’t helpful for me in my life. Time already feels short enough and I would rather spend that creating and finding inspiration rather than in anger for what I can’t control.

While I was running this morning, I was thinking about how I have managed to go forward even when life has been difficult. Competitive running since I was twelve taught me a lot, but so did the traumas I encountered in my life– losing my sister to suicide when I was 21 and the brain injury/bipolar diagnosis my first husband suffered in my early thirties.

I am grateful that somewhere inside me I have found the strength to go forward and that I use that same strength now to keep that forward movement. But Fr. Stephen’s quote is a reminder when I find myself going astray whether in my thoughts or looking at headlines. There is no room for that worry or that anger. It’s all about finding peace and sharing the joy of what I create to the world. It’s my small way of helping others find peace. And inspiration.