Whither Thou Goest...

There I am.

No matter where we go, there He is...in the clear blue sky, in the Eagle soaring on high winds across fallow fields highlighted by a slowly setting sun. In forever friendships that transcend time and space...in the love of a man or woman who truly get you, love you, accept you, cherish you....in the comedic antics of an overgrown six month old puppy...

I had occasion yesterday to be witness to a heart of gold in the face of disdain and dislike...witness to a heart that only looks to serve, to love, to support...all in a heart of only a quarter of a century of experience, born to extend kindness and acceptance, compassion and grace.

Age matters not my friends...my mother was one of those...born to showcase the love of a Father who sees past the muck, the dirt clinging to our bones weighing us down...born to see the good in each one...born to give hands of hope to the hopeless, to be the sweet smelling scent of fresh baked bread...comfort, peace amidst chaos...a resting place of safety and a safe space to land.

I saw that same telltale heart in one who has stood by one of my boys...extending compassion and just standing alongside while grief rides the shoulders, bearing down with a weight none is ever prepared for.

I saw an example of kindness I need to espouse...a reminder of who we can be each day with purpose, with intent, with an understanding of our own failings, our own humanity.

I spent time with two of the best examples of character, honour and true unconditional love I have seen in some time. I am safe...loved...accepted...cherished...and my heart mends another inch, another jump from one tear to another, bridging a heretofore unbridgeable crevice...

A fresh shiny pink scar appears...creating strength in a heart that stutters along some days, tripping over grief, over traumas that flash within the mind without warning.

A friend I am proud to call so, wrote on grief yesterday...on it showing up on her doorstep unannounced, without warning or prevarication...words that plummeted to the bottom of the well to ricochet back to the top hitting all the buttons along the way, calling to each kindred spirit weighed down by grief that spans oceans of time, climbs mountains of love with nowhere to go.

Dear friends...we must find it within ourselves to accept one another where we stand...no judgement, only understanding in humility and grace...we each have our own cross to bear, unique to us...let us be kind, let us be full of grace and mercy, for what does it cost us to stand back from harsh thoughts, standing above instead of beside?

Loves saves...it soothes the beast of burden...it makes space for peace, for joy, for kindnesses...

Let us search out moments to pour into those we come into contact with...that child feeling unloved by angry parents going through their own battles...that woman standing alone and afraid in the corner...that man bravely walking into the swimming pool despite feeling watched because of his large size, expecting rejection instead met with acceptance...

We do not know the ripple effects of those encounters but we can guess from our own moments of despair, of grief, of feeling lost in a world full of a 'me' generated population.

I have encountered such angels in just the right moment...calling to mind such a feeling of relief, of peace, of safety I cannot but do the same...I look for it now...I search it out..it assuages my own grief, my own shoulders weighted down by sorrow and frustration become lighter by such degrees I feel I may soar to the heavens...

Loves saves...our actions, our words have impact dear treasures...let them have impact in wonderful ways, loving ways, ways full of grace and compassion.

I have discovered a newfound excitement for the future, replacing fear, taking the place of trepidation and expanding into dreams of far away places, into thoughts of dusty roads leading to incredible vistas, lakes of such beauty they soothe the soul, rivers and falls of such glory one can only stand in awe and wonder at the hands that created such for our pleasure...they heal, mend broken places and spaces but more, they blow through the heart and mind and spirit with all the force of a mighty wind clearing away each and every persistent cobweb.

There is hope dear lost ones, struggling survivors...there is always hope...a life awaits full of joy, of promise...alone we find our new selves, something different from the old version but better...more...stronger, mightier in battle...we stand tall, walk proud and speak truth.

Go today and each day forward with knowledge of who you are in God, who you were made to BE...free to fly on winds of adventure, laughter, and love that transcends the small insignificant (except in their own minds) munchkin monsters left behind in a prison of their own choosing.

May God sit with you in your tears...may you know a heavenly presence that comforts, holds close, gives hope and loves without reservation or doubt...loved and cherished by a Creator who knew you before you came into this world we call home.

“I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb. Before you were born I set you apart." Jeremiah 1:5

God bless each one with courage, with wisdom, with grace to confront the lies, the deceit and most of all the truth regarding the master puppeteer destroying your life, your very person until all you know is them, losing sense of self, of who we are....

Worthy each one....worthy of love, of kindness, of goodness...may you fly free, breaking through bars of the invisible cage that holds you.

Stand tall my friends....you are loved, always.