Life is filled with shadows

That run when life becomes

Intolerable because of grief

And long carried memories

That hold oceans of sadness.

We try to convince ourselves

We are doing the right thing

And we stay within boundaries

To keep ourselves safe from wounds

That still gape open in ourselves,

Wounds we have not resolved.

We forget at times that circumstances

Often require that we respond differently.

So we feel the war inside ourselves

As we navigate this thing called life.

We struggle with appropriateness

In our mortal bodies, and we end up

Forgetting we are human beings.

We are part spiritual in nature, and

That part of us seeks to respond, in

A Christ-like way, when we encounter

Pain and sadness in our neighbors

Or sense grief in total strangers.

We often forget that our humanness

Seeks a response for pain and grief

That is beyond words and platitudes.

Pain and grief responds best to touch

And non-verbal messages that

Indicate that someone cares for us and

Will make sure that we do not die alone,

Not cherished, unloved, and unsung.

Yu/stan/kema