Tag: Comfort

Shed a Little Light…

Feeling the heaviness and deep sadness for the loss of eight lives in Atlanta and now- 10 people in Boulder, I sit here with my tears. As these 18 people started their day, did they think about their safety? Or did they begin that day focused on the work that needed to be done, the care for their children and family and thoughts of what would come next — dinner, school, maybe even looking ahead to plan for time to safely leave home and relax — finally, the way days normally begin.

None of these people were able to experience the life they may have hoped and planned for. These tragic deaths have created holes in the fabric of our lives as community. We feel this loss and struggle to make sense out of what has happened.

When words cannot suffice, I turn to music. The words and melody often allow emotions to surface that my logical brain struggles to release.

This video was recorded soon after the shooting at Mother Emmanuel AME Church, Charleston SC in 2015. It was this evening’s music that allowed my grief to finally rise.

In honor of all who died in Atlanta and Boulder, I share this with you.

ATLANTA

  • Soon Chung Park
  • Hyun Jung Grant
  • Suncha Kim
  • Yong Yue
  • Delaina Ashley Yaun
  • Paul Andre Michels
  • Xiaojie Tan
  • Daoyou Feng

BOULDER

  • Denny Stong
  • Neven Stanisic
  • Rikki Olds
  • Tralona Bartkowiak
  • Suzanne Fountain
  • Teri Leiker
  • Ofc. Eric Talley
  • Kevin Mahoney
  • Lynn Murray
  • Jody Waters

In the dark, in the light

 

‘while it is still dark’ Jan Richardson

The hours slowly past. The silence was deafening. After her Lord’s death, Mary and all those around her felt that creation had paused in inexplicable grief.

They were barely able to carry Jesus from the cross to a tomb before the Day of Preparation began. Mary was unable to perform the ritual bathing and anointing for burial and so she waited. In the silence.

At the start of the new day, before the sun began to rise, Mary ran to the tomb. It was still dark but her heart was heavy and her love great.

No one could have prepared her for the moments to come. Moments where the blur of vision before dawn caused fear, confusion and awe. Where had he gone? What was she to do?

She was brave and filled with conviction. Whatever had happened she would work to get answers. She would proclaim the truth before her. In his absence and his return, Mary remained open to God’s love however far away.

In the moments of dark-before-dawn Mary’s faith would be sealed.

While it is still dark

You hardly imagined
standing here,
everything you ever loved
suddenly returned to you,
looking you in the eye
and calling your name.
And now
you do not know
how to abide this hole
in the center
of your chest,
where a door
slams shut
and swings open
at the same time,
turning on the hinge
of your aching
and hopeful heart.
I tell you,
this is not a banishment
from the garden.
This is an invitation,
a choice,
a threshold,
a gate.
This is your life
calling to you
from a place
you could never
have dreamed,
but now that you
have glimpsed its edge,
you cannot imagine
choosing any other way.
So let the tears come
as anointing,
as consecration,
and then
let them go.
Let this blessing
gather itself around you.
Let it give you
what you will need
for this journey.
You will not remember
the words—
they do not matter.
All you need to remember
is how it sounded
when you stood
in the place of death
and heard the living
call your name.
Jan Richardson

A cry for comfort and safety


(Vietnamese brother comforting baby sister )

I wake this morning with few words and an aching heart.

I share this image as an icon of comfort and compassion – a human response at any age. 

I share this prayer as a way to express the thoughts I carry deep within. 

For Nice, France

“God have mercy on all those who have lost their lives without reason. Lift them up in your strong arms and hold them close. Receive them into a place where there is no more terror or sorrow. Help the injured to recover. Guard them from further pain. Comfort the families with deep compassion. Give them a sense of your presence as they search for a way to bear their grief. And pour your Spirit into this broken world. Let your love run like waters of life into every mind and heart. Show us how to confront what we cannot comprehend and stop the sacrifice of so many innocent lives.”

quote: Bishop Steven Charleston
image: Vietnamese siblings, taken by Na Son Nguyen, 2007
%d bloggers like this: