Aliveness

April 26, 2026

April is coming to a close and I wish I could hold onto it. This is one of the sweetest months of the year as spring sets in, planting begins, and the weather is generally mild and comfortable. Planting brings a sense hope, anticipation, and joy. This year I’m trying to grow cherry tomatoes and parsley in a rectangular pot on the patio. We’ll see if I can keep them alive through the intense Texas summer.

Aliveness seems especially important right now. We’re living through a time in which many aspects of life and living are being threatened, undermined, and torn apart. The world is filled with deception and division, and it’s hard to know what is real and true. So many voices, so many stories, so many questions….

Where are we going? What are we doing? Why is this happening? When will this dark time be over? Will everything be destroyed? What will hold? How do I navigate this?

So I pray and write and read and listen. I love the people in my life, the birds in my yard, the trees and earth and sky, and music. I love the brave souls who are creating, speaking out, and using their gifts to bring life and beauty and truth to the forefront. They are demonstrating aliveness.

God is Love is All is Presence. In all and through all. Just look around and see it - aliveness and resilience in all creation. We choose where to place our attention and where to spend our time, energy, and money - our valuable resources. This determines the quality of our lives and impacts the lives of others. Each of us can use our gifts and resources to take meaningful action each day… where we are, as we are, with what we have. Together we create a better world where all can live fully and freely.

We can resist authoritarianism by holding onto our aliveness, by staying vigilant, engaged, and joyful. We can do more than just survive this time; we can thrive if we maintain our aliveness. To do this, we find what brings us energy, joy, and vitality. We rest, play, laugh, sing, dance, and create. We connect with people, with nature, with spirit. We let love lead, expand, and flourish. We affirm: Vitality is my reality.

A sense of aliveness is contagious; it infects those around us. It cannot be stolen or suppressed, but we can lose it on our own without awareness and intention. There is a risk of growing numb and giving in to exhaustion and cynicism. I continue to learn that aliveness is found when we are fully present in the here and now. This affirmation came in a guided meditation this week:

I am grounded in the present moment, finding strength and stability in the here and now.

When life feels shaky and uncertain, perhaps this can give us a sense of solid ground and undergirding. I find comfort in this scripture:

The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. -Deuteronomy 33:27

We are held, loved, and free. If we can find and focus on that which energizes or enlivens us and fills us with joy, we will know our aliveness, our vitality, and our presence. This is our treasure and our gift to share. This is how we get through this and lift those around us.

No matter what may be going on around me, I know that what is within me will carry me through any experience. I am continually guided. I see myself as faith-filled, resilient, and resourceful. -Rev. Bronte Colbert

I see myself as vibrant, courageous, and free.

Joyfully,

ej Elisa J. Juarez