“Wish’t I wouldn’t think how it is home, Ma said. It ain’t our home no more. Wish’t I’d forget it.” Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
I’m currently reading The Grapes of Wrath and this line caught me. The family in the story arrives at the first nice place after a grueling trip West. After seeing death and despair, losing family members, tasting hunger and experiencing chaos and disaster. They arrive at a camp where people are kind, generous, and welcoming. There are toilets that flush and showers with warm water, and it all seems surreal after what they’ve been through. And yet, as Ma takes it all in, all she can think of is the familiarity of the home she left behind.
Isn’t this what we do? It’s definitely what I do. I often can’t see what’s right in front of me because I’m too busy wishing for what I had and mourning what was lost.
What if I opened my eyes to the newness and goodness of what today will bring? What if I hold the previous versions of myself with kindness because they brought me to this place for such a time as this? What if I looked at today- this very moment, as the place and season that I will someday long for, and immerse myself in the goodness and grace that this season is.
May we all take in today with fresh eyes and presence, not wishing for something that is no longer, but lingering in the gift that this day brings.