Category: From A Quiet Prayer

There was the choice to align

with truth and life

at all costs…or not.

There was that one moment

when it was clear

enough life had been lived

and dishonored by oneself

to realize it had always been

a miracle

and that moment might be

the first chance of many

or the last for a while

to speak in alignment, finally,

from the heart.

What to say in that moment?

Rehash the details

of the dark or light the way

with a reclaimed soul?

(Holding space for healing,

of course.)

Say what is safe

or what is most true?

Shout with compassion

or comply with fear?

Pause and play along

as needed… perhaps.

Use every last bit of true love and

restraint?

It was impossible to predict

There were

no guarantees.

It was exhausting

to be aware and determined

to search for truth —

no matter what —

to take on a little bit

more than one’s own individual

trauma,

to be dedicated to truth,

then dedicated to sharing.

But it wasn’t really

a choice, not really.

There was the frustration

when words seemed to

dissipate in thin air

through years spent being pulled

into darkness

and years of climbing out —

through the shock as the whole world

seemed to turn completely

upside down.

But there was a certain quality

of spirit, recovered through

this very process that whispered,

“How could I not?”

It held no grudges or hatred

or blame

because it was seen

through the despair

and understood somewhere deeper

that this very soul would not have evolved

quite as quickly

or integrated quite so fully

on an easier path.