"Hold on for 5 seconds," my sister forewarns when she plans to hold on for a long hug.
I'm not good at settling into long holdings, but I like them.
Holdings can be so very reassuring. I'm thinking of a sudden strong grasp of the banister as my feet slide out from under me. Once every part of me regains balance and equilibrium and my breathing returns to a normal rhythm, each finger still wraps the bannister in sheer thankfulness.
Other times, I've held tight to what wasn't so obvious. I've held my breath without realizing it until I released a long slow exhale. I've also held dreams at a distance.
I see the pandemic and the events of the world holding us in ways that are not so reassuring. Maybe, we don't even recognize that we're holding on to fear, blame, expectations, resentment, anger, regret....
Baring witness to our own capacity to hold on to these things that we really don't want to settle into helps to loosen their grasp, and allows us, when we're ready, to unlock the padlocks that secure them to us.
Maybe then, we can breathe more deeply toward connection with one another and hold on to love, joy, peace, stillness, patience, forgiveness, remembrance, hope....
I'm trying to be more mindful of what I hold on to.
Draw near to God, and He will hold you. (James 4:8)
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