Sunday, June 10, 2012

broken.


she lay motionless on the mat
her skin ashen, and her bones protruding in places they shouldn’t
her feet were warm, and her legs were like those of a small child

but she is no longer a small child
and as I sat near her and brushed the hair back from her face,
I wondered how she got here

I cried
not only because she was so very ill
but for all the time she had been overlooked

for the life she lived without a mother;
and without anyone to fill that missing space

much of her life had been filled with pain and illness
it was too much for my mind to take in

I cried because she isn't the only one

for the children in this country
and mine, too
who no one looks after
who are alone and seemingly unloved

my heart broke open even further that night

we live in a world where we can ‘create’ our children with medicine and science
beautifully and wonderfully made
but this daughter lays dying on a mat
without anyone to hold her and kiss her face
and my mind keeps shouting,
‘what about the ones who are already here?’

and as I look at this one,
my broken heart is moved to act

Oh Lord, your heart breaks
and mine is breaking too

and tears still fall
because it hurts
and because I don’t understand…

but I sense You so clearly right there in our midst
as we draw near to the dying, the broken, and the alone

I know you are waiting with them
and I am waiting, too
as Your love leads me forward.

2 comments:

me again said...

May the Lord show you what He desires of you. Such a soft and beautiful heart of compassion Gretchen. Love you -

Mom said...

How is Panna?