Double, Double Toil and Trouble...

Days fly by in a blur of kaleidoscop'ing colours, in a symphony of sounds and music...I stop often and ponder my place on this planet, often. "I look to the skies from whence comes my help..." and see grace in the way the clouds fill the blue above, I see love and compassion in the way the sun refracts off surfaces of icy snow and hoar frost...

This morning as I sit with the usual cup of heaven steaming at my elbow, fragrance filling the room with comfort and routine, I think on the future...I think on the present...I dip into the past, one memory at a time, letting it come to be washed in the waters of the healing river Jordan, then released to follow the gurgling, flowing water.

Psalm 35 4-8

"May those who seek my life

be disgraced and put to shame;

may those who plot my ruin

be turned back in dismay.

May they be like chaff before the wind,

with the angel of the Lord driving them

away;

May their path be dark and slippery,

with the angel of the Lord pursuing

them.

Since they hid their net for me without cause

and without cause dug a pit for me,

May ruin overtake them by surprise--

may the net they hid entangle them,

may they fall into the pit, to their ruin."

As the survivor continues along the healing path, the journey to wholeness once more the enemy, for that is what they become in every way possible, sets up traps, pitfalls...lies in wait to confound, annoy and just make of themselves a nuisance...like a gnat on the back of a horse, biting...vexatious little creatures that fly in and fly out in a flurry of bites and blood letting, leaving behind wounds that fester and putrify without cleansing.

You may think, dear friends, that I speak out of turn for dramatic effect...oh if only that were so. For many...this is their lot in life until the monster is excised completely; in death, in jail or incapacitated in some way. They do not let go...they must circle, hoover and hover to siphon continued glee from their hijinks, their antics, their evil perverse ways.

Oh it is true...and I am only one story...I heard a British high ranking officer speak on the epidemic that violence against women has become. He rattled off statistics that should cause horror to arise in the minds of the average kind-hearted human being.

A bold statement issued from his lips to the masses listening...he likened it to terrorism;

'the unlawful use of violence and intimidation...'

Give the man a medal...truly...I have been touting the fact that violence against women (and children) has become an epidemic and I truly hope the message is getting across to many...the outcome of understanding the enormity of the situation?

Awareness....bold action...harsher penalties....

I have sat and watched female judges hand out the easiest sentences to repeat offenders...get it off the docket and move on to the next.

For shame...this is the 'why' behind raising awareness, the next step; laws being changed back to protection for the 70% who manage to leave abusive relationships only to end up dead at the hand of their offender. True statistics my friends...and you wonder why we live in fear, watching always...

It doesn't end in walking out the door...oh god, it does not end there...I would love to speak on the ease with which the transition, the escape goes down....I cannot.

'Freedom comes at a price..'.(C.S. Lewis)...it must be fought for, negotiated for or died for.

Is it worth it? Oh my dear lost ones...it is worth every tear, every wail and gnashing of teeth...

It is worth every scrape, each bruise, each dive into the unknown, each step forward brings a measure of calm, of comfort, of grace that cannot be described with words...such a profound feeling that begins to fill up the soul and the broken parts of heart and spirit.

Peace...make peace your doorstep to each door you walk through...each meet, every encounter...

May God bless your day with purpose, with intent, with joy and love that never ends.

May your path be clear...may your soul be at peace right where you stand, no matter the turmoil, the chaos that surrounds you, an oasis of calm centred within that can never be touched by man or his evil thoughts and objectives.

May you know the touch of the divine and His love for you, always...no matter where you are, no matter where you sit, or dwell, may His presence fill your spaces and places.

Go now dear hearts, may you see your place here...may you know your worth in all things.

Bless you dear lost ones, there is a way and it will be clear in its time...