Sitting in silence,
I breathed soothingly in and out,
An invisible, yet life giving element
- Air.
Where does it belong?
It expands my lungs.
It gifts my blood with oxygen.
It escapes my lungs.
It returns to the wide expanse of the universe.
Where does it belong?
It blows down mammoth structures.
It cools sweating skin.
It freezes still and flowing waters.
It glides and massages ocean going vessels.
Where does it belong?
It lifts natural and artificial birds.
It sways coconut trees.
It buoys up flying insects.
It creates destructive hurricanes.
Where does it belong?
Harold Kushner once wrote about a family whose house was burnt down and they niched on a sidewalk with their belongings. A well-meaning woman passed along and commented, “How! You poor souls you have lost your home.” In response, a young boy of the family retorted, “We have a home. We just don’t have a house to put it in.”
Belonging is relationship. Like air, it has no physical fixed abode. Home is where it is – where it blows.
Celebrating my 30th priestly anniversary, I feel like the air I breathe in and out. Yesterday, I was there. Today, I am here. Tomorrow. . . I don’t know not what tomorrow will bring.
What I do know is that yesterday, today, and tomorrow, I belong.
I belong to relationships – friends, families . . .
We don’t live in a house, but we have a home – we belong.
“True belonging is the spiritual practice of believing in and belonging to yourself so deeply that you can share your most authentic self with the world and find sacredness in both being a part of something and standing alone in the wilderness” (Brené Brown, November 16, 2017).
Beloved Reflections 
Congratulations on your priestly anniversary. Thanks for another great post.
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