So, what does it mean to embrace this idea that, “we’re all in this together”? May I suggest it is indeed the way God created us to live with one another. But not only with our fellow human beings, but with God, nature, the world….the universe. And when we experience this connectedness, we have connected with life’s “sweet spot.” Sweet spot; you know, that place where things just seem to work out better than when we miss it. Well, it’s true. Have you ever played tennis? There’s a sweet spot on every tennis racket. And when you hit the ball in the sweet spot, the ball goes exactly where you want it to go and does exactly what you want it to do. It’s true in baseball, it’s true in golf….it’s true in life. And when we live in that sweet spot, life just seems to go better than when we don’t realize our connectedness with one another. Look at our unconnected world today and all of the hatred and pain that exists. It’s mostly because we don’t realize we’re all in this together. Heck, we even build walls to keep others out and with it is an absence of love and compassion for others. We tend to become far more self-centered. And the truth is, the joy and meaning to this life we live is not about me, me, me. That only makes us want more, more, more. No, we find great joy and even the meaning to our lives when we focus on helping and improving everyone, everything other than self. Oh, we need to nurture oneself which ultimately enables us to help others.

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Once we start to see and practice this connectedness with one another, we start to have more compassion for all others, and we start to have more compassion for all that is around us; the birds in the air, the deer in the forest, the cows in the field, the sparkling creek, the sun in the day and the moon and stars at night. It is a wonderful life; won’t you join us in that sweet spot?

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+Fr. Ed Jansen