When a friend was going through something hard, I meant to call him to be a good friend.

I had his number in my hand.

I put the phone down and told myself I'd call tomorrow.

Tomorrow came and went. A week or two passed and then it felt like it was too late.

I never made the call.

Most of us have made those small choices, like a silence when we could have spoken, closing a door instead of walking through it. This weight leads to suffering through years of carrying it steadily, the way you carry something you've stopped noticing but never actually put down.

And we are carrying a lot right now--the news, the bills, the relationships that have frayed. Most of us are holding more than we let on to anyone, including ourselves. We tell ourselves we'll deal with it when the time is right, when we have the words, when things settle down a little.

But we both know things don't settle down. We just get better at carrying.

Holy Week is a special time in our religion and especially meaningful for people who are tired of managing, tired of waiting for the right time, tired of pretending the weight isn't there. Whatever you've been postponing, whether it’s a conversation, an apology, an honest reckoning with yourself, you were never meant to figure it out alone.

I invite you to join us this week/- and every week. The door is open and you are welcome.

Easter is coming. You don't have it all your burdens resolved by then. You just have to be willing to put it down.

God Bless.
FF