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when hope stutters

when hope stutters
and darkness threatens to steal your peace
beauty will brace you,
peeling back the memories one by one
until you are strong again
love will cross the threshold,
holding you gently through this temporary night
until your spirit is at ease
life’s meaning deepens in your soul
as you smile even in the midst of pain
reaching out for the hand
of the one who holds you most tenderly
through good and bad

copyright 2007 ~ Jackie Young

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I originally wrote this piece for a friend who reached out when her family received sad news. I’d penned a piece that felt like her…elegant, lyrical, beautiful…even in moments like this. Somehow I lost the original poem and tried my best to recapture its essence. I had intended to share it with her but…the moment passed. How ironic then that I come across it again this week? In light of the recent events at Virginia Tech? Tomorrow is a state-wide day of mourning here in Virginia and also Spirit Day at Tech. Most likely, I’ll stay in all day - I don’t know if I can gaze upon that much raw emotion, let myself be open to absorb that much pain.

Life changes, moment to moment. Nothing remains the same. Each and every moment brings with it a change, a revision to what we think of as “normal”. An everyday occurrence that we take no notice of – after all, it’s “normal”. Sometimes, events come together, ripping the very fabric of “normal” such that it ends up looking like a patchwork quilt. And so it is this week. There is a hole in the fabric…but not in our soul. We cry, hold onto to each other, sift through our memories as we wade through the hurt, reminding ourselves that beauty lies on the other side of the pain that has come into our midst, uninvited.

When hope stutters. We have to reach deep inside ourselves – give thanks for the foundation that holds us up even in the midst of such a tragedy. We hold our children tighter, vow to call or visit more often, offer random acts of kindness to those we pass every day because…moment to moment, we do not know. And so, we promise to live better, love deeper, be present, pay attention, build the dream.

When hope stutters. We remind ourselves that pain is real. And so is healing.

Father,
We can’t possibly know the reasons but we know You and we know that You will birth something beautiful from this painful moment. We pray peace, memories, and healing for the families and friends of our Virginia Tech family. We extend those prayers to all impacted Lord – those who died, those who were wounded, those who managed to be moved out of harm’s way. Father we pray for the student who committed this crime and for his family. We pray that Your will be done - leaving healing in the wake of hurt, purpose in the place of pain, unfaltering hope in the midst of undeniable pain.

Amen.

I pray each of you as peaceful a Friday as your heart can stand.
~ J ~