The Better Part

Martha and Mary

The better part of any life begins not with striving but with surrender—when we stop running and start listening.

The prevailing mood of apprehension about the past, present, and future has seeped so deeply into our culture that it colors much of our conversation and media. And it is this constant anxiety about health, safety, and political discord that can rob life of joy and drain our energy. The medical profession tells us it contributes to many forms of illness. But it also takes a deeper toll: it erodes our sense of connection, meaning, and purpose.

For many of us, this disconnection isn’t just social. It’s spiritual. It shows up as worry. A quiet dread. A soul-weariness. And during the COVID pandemic, that isolation deepened. Some never returned to their familiar routines. Others lost someone, and with them, the circle of connection that once made life feel whole.

But there are glimmers of hope.

Simple acts of kindness carry profound healing power.…