Before we begin,
let us center ourselves.
Listen inward.
And as we do,
take a deep breath in …
and let it go.
We gather this Easter morning …
and yes, we rise.
For me, rising is this:
Being present —
truly present.
And yet …
there are moments of fear.
Moments when everything in us
wants to fix, control,
or turn away.
And still …
we stay.
When it isn’t easy …
the prayer becomes honest.
It is what it is.
Not as giving up …
but as returning
to what is here.
And in that presence,
something shifts.
Not the circumstances —
but how we see.
Because when we are truly
present,
we can feel it:
the light …
the flow …
moving between us …
through us.
When we are open,
it moves freely.
When we resist …
it feels choppy.
And we remember —
it was never absent.
For me,
this is resurrection.
Not escaping life,
but staying awake within it.
Knowing something deeper
is already here …
moving,
breathing
through every moment …
this is where hope lives.
So this Easter,
I leave you with this:
Where in your life
are you being invited
not to fix …
not to force …
but simply
to stay present …
and listen within —
especially when things feel
uncertain?
In closing,
I offer this:
Life is rising within me.
I welcome what is here.
In the presence within,
I rise.
And so it.