Starting Over

Over the last few days as we "stay at home" in this time of the Corona Virus pandemic, Sheila's Cassidy's poem "Starting Over " comes to mind. It seems so appropriate to what's happening in the world today. This is uncharted territory for us all. In one moment everything we knew as familiar and thought was certain has been taken away. Nothing is a certain. And we are more aware of our vulnerability which is our very nature. Maybe, through this, we will come to a deeper awareness of the need to live in harmony and peace, to look after those living on the margins and to care for our planet.

We continue to pray for the families who have lost loved ones, those who are infected and very ill with this virus and the medical teams around the world working in high risk situations.

STARTING OVER

And so we must begin to live again,

We of the damaged bodies

And assaulted mind.

Starting from scratch with the rubble of our lives

And picking up the dust

Of dreams once dreamt.

And we stand there, naked in our vulnerability,

Proud of starting over, fighting back,

But full of weak humility

At the awesomeness of the task.

We, without a future,

Safe, defined, delivered

Now salute you God.

Knowing that nothing is safe,

Secure, inviolable here.

Except you,

And even that eludes our minds at times.

And we hate you

As we love you,

And our anger is as strong

As our pain,

Our grief is deep as oceans,

And our need as great as mountains.

So, as we take our first few steps forward

into the abyss of the future,

We would pray for

Courage to become what we have not been before

And accept it,

And bravery to look deep within our souls to find

New ways.

We did not want it easy God,

But we did not contemplate

That it would be quite this hard,

This long, this lonely.

So, if we are to be turned inside out, and upside down,

With even our pockets shaken,

just to check what's rattling

And left behind,

We pray that you will keep faith with us,

And we with you,

Holding our hands as we weep,

Giving us strength to continue,

And showing us beacons

Along the way

To becoming new.

We are not fighting you God,

Even if it feels like it,

But we need your help and company,

As we struggle on.

Fighting back

And staring over.