I fell asleep to a sigh in my soul around the words “sometimes, it’s a fight to open the gift”. In these days of quarantine silence, and separation the anticipation of the day ahead can be more fearful than joyful. I have never felt more keenly the awareness of the battle for the mind raging around me as in these days. What will I think upon? Where will my thoughts lead my heart? What will I conceive in my soul from the womb of my ears? The choice to live, and that fully and abundantly is war. It is a knock out drag down kind of battle against the voices in the air. The air of my own breath, others vehement breathings. Covid 19…is just another name for a fight against the principality of the air. I must make the choice to breathe the air that fills my lungs with courage. It is interesting to me to be suffering from the symptom of no taste or smell….this is absolutely horrendous to me. It offends me. I have come to realize so much of what I savor in this life comes from the smells and tastes around me. They anchor me, comfort me, satisfy me, challenge me-who am I without this? I look at the gift of the day in front of me…and I don’t want to open it. Then I hear it….”taste and see that the Lord is good”. Spirit knows, we are moved by our palate both physically and spiritually. The gift of my day sparkles a bit more as I contemplate the challenge whispered before me of exercising spiritual taste and smell. What DOES the goodness of the Lord taste like? What is the fragrance of Grace? What explosion of flavor occurs when you mix justice and mercy? What is the color of a soul infused with love? Now, where did I put that apron?