Virtual Witness

Each morning I wake up and start my day with a cup of coffee (or two!) and some reading done on the computer. I have some news feeds that I look over and I look to Pinterest for inspiration but mostly the information comes from people's blogs. There are art blogs of course but I also enjoy inspirational writing and writing that centers around things that I want to learn about. All of the commentary though has this in common: it offers a chance to hear someone else's voice even though I don't know that person. It's interaction on both a macro and micro level. Macro in the sense that the writing connects me to a larger and more general world but also micro in the sense that it is the story of just one person. All of the writing though offers a chance for reflection of some sort.

This morning I read a piece in The Jesuit Post. Some of the writing is rather good, in my opinion, and the content of all of the articles never fails to be interesting for me. Sometimes though, the subjects are very hard and maybe not a good idea for the first thing in the morning. It feels like I don't want to "absorb" the feelings or problems. But then again, maybe these stories are just what I need to start my day. Take a look at this one here. If you think your day is going to be difficult, think again. I don't offer up this story as a way to count your blessings or to be thankful that this person in the article is not you. I am simply suggesting that one way to feel the presence of God (something larger than yourself) is to look outside yourself and consider another person's story, without judgment or conclusion. Just hear it and be a "virtual" witness to it even if you will never meet the person or take any action. Just know.
Libby