Many of us are in our 6th week of quarantine and learning a lot about how we handle crisis. It’s been plenty long for what’s beautiful and broken within us to manifest in the realities of everyday life.

In one moment, we are getting more creative and finding deeper connections with our loved ones than ever. In the next moment, we lose our temper, say stuff we regret and withdraw into self pity.
Please know; you’re not alone in the struggle.

While these are strange times, they are also opportunities for us to confront our own brokenness and transform it into something beautiful. We often say that working for global peace means very little if we aren’t equipped to work for peace in our own hearts and homes. Peace isn’t simply an esoteric ideal or international treaty, it’s walking the long, often unglamorous path toward restoration in our own stories.

Father Richard Rohr says, “If we do not transform our pain, we will most assuredly transmit it—usually to those closest to us: our family, our neighbors, our co-workers, and, invariably, the most vulnerable, our children.”

This statement is especially true in this COVID19 moment.

What is a simple practice you can begin to integrate into your life when you feel extra irritable with your virtual co-workers? Or are about to lose your patience with your ever-present kids AGAIN? Or find yourself taking out your frustration on your spouse or roommate in ways that have nothing to do with them?

Breath. Pause. Reflect.

What is the source of my reaction? How might this be an opportunity to learn something about my own pain and healing?

Find a trusted friend, spiritual director or counselor to walk this personal journey toward peace with you. It may be one of the greatest gifts of this season.