The love we’re born to be….
Dear darling you at the end of your heart-breaking day,
I can’t hear them clear, the words you’re making through the buzzing on the line
but I can hear it strong the sadness in your voice,
and it stirs me to lean in as far as I can bend.
But the clamor in my ears has me guessing what you mean
and it feels your voice may break into pieces
if I asked you to explain
so I close my eyes and squeeze them tight
to try and be present with you in your storm.
If I knew how to hug you warm and let our words be breath,
to hum them soft without saying,
and pull out ice cream and olives and bubbles and cheese
and put on fuzzy socks and a movie
and let your sadness simply be
– knew how to do it across these lines
where our voices hang like unpicked fruit,
knew how to offer you my love
but not too noisy,
how to climb inside this phone
and simply
hold
your hand.
Oh my dear one, how I would.
In every shade of comfort and kindness
just exactly how your heart could hear it
I would.
But how to hold your sadness
when my hands must hold
the phone
is a song I don’t yet know.
I hear how singing the wrong words jangles your nerves
and makes your hurt feel hurtful more.
And so here –
here in this learning place
I wrap my love with care and send it far like precious package
and use my hands to dig my roots down deep through the rock of this new season
while I charge my heart – remember – how there’s always made a way
and we will land in light and time enough
to grow the music we are needing
to be filled up wild and freeing
in the love
we’re born
to be.
“Dialogue is easily spooked, so you must be vigilant against fear,
dismissal, manipulation and apathy – true enemies of safe dialogue.
You’ll feel it at first, deep down, the urge to rebut, rebuke, refute.
It will be a cold rock in your gut, tempting you to correct or disagree,
or to be offended and center yourself in that person’s story.
But that instinct can be overcome, and the results of someone feeling heard and respected
are immediate and palpable.
It takes a fairly high level of humility, empathy and courage
to keep a space open and healthy.
It is a developed skill that takes practice.”
– Jen Hatmaker
Just gonna be saying about the things I’m living;
always i love when you come around and join the conversation
and appreciate that you read the words that I write down:)
I love your prayer of the heart. Sometimes when words won’t do, all we can offer is love, hope, and prayers of the heart.
Wishing peace in your dear heart.
Hugs, Julia
Yes, so much. So often words don’t seem to do. Or they get in the way. I have such a love/hate relationship with them that way:)
But always the love:) And thanks for the peaceful wishing:)
Warmest hugs,
Jennifer
Heartfelt hugs and oceans of caring.
I am quite convinced that love can (and does) travel through phone lines. And cyber space. Words can be tricky beasts (and sometimes slippery), but the emotions which power them are not.
It does – love is amazing that way:) Sometimes it’s hard for me to recognize changing seasons in relationships – like wearing shorts to school on the first cold day and
coming home with legs that ached blue:) It feels harder to recognize those changes over the phone so sometimes my words are ill-dressed:) Learning to
be more sensitive to the temperatures is lifelong learning for me.
Thanks for those oceans and hugs:)
Much love back,
Jennifer
It is so deeply hard, isn’t it, to offer the comfort you so want to give when separated by mils. But somehow, I know your words here have brought comfort — maybe to one special person; maybe to many.
It’s a hopeful thing to simply send the words out and
let them fill whatever air they’re meant for:) Thanks for your kind, balmy words to me here;
they warm my heart so. You are a bright light, Jeanie; thank you:)
-Jennifer
always blessed to be reminded that you are there, here … thanks for staying close, for sending your warm words across the miles. xoxo
Always thankful for your beautiful GIFTS!
And for you and yours, Robin:)
Ditto over here:)
– Jennifer