Look Out! Look Up! (07/17/2025)

Yesterday, as I sat on the porch in the early morning hours, thinking of a friend who is struggling and praying for him, I happened to look out into the neighboring landscape and then I looked up at the sky and suddenly I remembered a friend’s advice to me that changed so much. He told me with love, “Look out! Look up!”

I was living in Austin, Minnesota. Kenneth was living in Iowa. He had taken a job with Louis Rich, and I stayed behind in Austin with the children to sell our home and arrange for the move to Iowa. On top of the stress of yet another move, our daughter, Kendra, was struggling with the complications of rheumatic fever and the onset of rheumatoid arthritis. Her joints would often flare up in the middle of the night. I would try to ease her pain and hold her tight, but I knew that didn’t erase her pain.

One day, my dear neighbor, a retired priest, saw me in the yard and spoke to me, checking on my well-being. He could tell I was struggling with something, so he pushed beyond the usual response to “how are you?” which is “fine.” He actually told me I wasn’t that convincing. And so, I leveled with him about all that was on my mind and in my heart. He patted my hand that was resting on the fence and told me, “Look out! Look Up!”

I was amazed at his words. What did they have to do with my situation. I told him as much. He smiled at me and told me that often in his life as he was caring for others it would fill his mind and heart and he’d almost feel as if he couldn’t breathe. He said he would begin to feel as if he was all alone in this struggle. And he shared that at times, he would even build walls trying to keep the pain and suffering out.

Then he changed his tone, and shared that he learned to look out, beyond the immediate pain and see others around who care, and he’d realize that in his struggle he’d closed himself off as if only he could take care of the situation. And he learned to look up, seeing that there is so much more to this world and it is all within the loving vision of our LORD. He told me that when he did that, he found cause for hope and that he realized that hope was often what he was lacking in those moments of struggle.

I must tell you, he was so right. I tried looking out and I found that my neighbors were there and cared and helped me. I found that when I looked out, I saw resources I’d not considered, and help and companionship materialized.

 I tried looking up and recognized my loving LORD who tended to my fears and struggles and whom I knew loved my daughter as I did. I found that my strength and my love increased as I brought my needs to my loving LORD.

And I found that hope did reappear and grow. And daily, during those months, I would look out and look up.

It’s a habit that went forward with me from that time to the present. At work, especially in the parish, the diocese or the seminary, I would tell the office staff I was going to step outside. And I’d take a few moments to look out and to look up. And usually, I’d spy something that changed things or someone who surprised me or helped me or accompanied me. Yep, looking out and looking up can make a difference.

As we go forward on our journeys of faith, when our hope is wearing thin because of the demands and situations of the moment, let us stop to look out and recognize those around us who are willing and wanting to help us along the way. And let us look up and recognize that “we live and move and have our being” in our loving, all present and all-powerful LORD. We are not in this struggle alone. We need only look out and look up to recognize that sometimes.

Until tomorrow, let us all love well.