Hello, friends. What beautiful weather we have been having lately! We had a storm roll through Sunday night that was a blessed relief to the gardens, fields and dusty ground. We long for more and pray that it will come.

Our state is facing incredible devastation given the fate of the last large storm, derecho. We mourn the loss of lives, homes, businesses, crops and livelihoods of so many of our southern neighbors. May relief and comfort come to them quickly. There are numerous online routes to take if you desire to give towards derecho relief efforts. Donations can be made to feediowa1st.com, interland3.donorperfect.net, table2table.org, unitedwayjwc.org, centralusa.salvationarmy.org and redcross.org. Please consider helping families and Iowa citizens amidst this devastation.

Will 2020 let up already? Isn’t one catastrophe after another enough? I’m thankful that we live where we do and can keep our children aware of what the world is enduring, yet surround them with love and assurance of their future being bright even through the COVID-19 haze. Many aren’t as lucky and are feeling every blow that COVID-19 and storms have brought their way.

To say the pandemic is over is laughable, given the circumstances our country and its citizens will meet in the uphill climb. Masks may be a good idea in certain situations, social distancing may help some, facts have been and continue to be worked and reworked, and politics is surely intertwined in everything, creating this sick web of ugly arguing and uncertainty. We work hard to provide safe, loving, enriching and nurturing environments for our children, and then it all went to hell in a hand basket.

There have been worse times and undoubtedly this will not be the worst in history. We must seek joy, find hope, see that bright light at the end of this dark, dreary, heavily-burdened tunnel and focus on the positives around us.

Evil surrounds us our entire lives. Sometimes it hides in the shadows and goes fairly unnoticed, while other times it rears its ugly head in a way that is blatant and unimaginable. Evil wants us scared, feeling alone, worried and in hiding. Our enemies want us riled up and ready to fight.

But good always conquers evil. There is always hope. There is joy in nearly everything if given the appropriate perspective and attitude. There is comradery and compassion if we turn on the light and don’t give into the darkness.

We can face this a few different ways and all end poorly if we don’t stick together, seek compassion and understanding, kick fear to the curb, look for the light and joy with great mind-set, and look up for guidance.

God plants His perfect Grace all around us. He knows light conquers darkness and desires us to seek that light versus let the darkness in. We have so much to be grateful and thankful for, even given the circumstances of COVID-19, storms and more.

It may not be an immediate answer to all of our worries or wants, to our problems and fears, but a positive attitude and hopeful heart can get you to a brighter future much easier and more happily than a negative one. Positivity and hope are worth their weight in gold.

May God keep you safe, let you find the light and happiness in your days, and encourage you through the week.

Sentinel-News contributor Iesha Toft lives in Royal.