Arlene Geres Be not afraid, my friend, for I am with you.
I hear your cry, I wipe your tears gently away. I hold you close in my arms. I know it is a hard time, but you are not alone. Can you not hear my whisper in the night? Shhh, shhh, listen closely. I speak to you from the depths of your soul. I have given you this time to focus on me. I have removed all distractions, cleared the path so that you and I can draw nearer. You are my beloved. Come now, climb into my lap. Let me hug you close. Let me sing happy songs over you. Relax into my arms. You are safe. You are held. There is nothing to fear.
Why do you struggle so? Why do you open the door to depression and anxiety and keep it closed to me? It’s okay if you don’t believe in me.
I have always believed in you. I have been with you from the beginning of time, as I will be forever after. You are my beloved child. I created you. You are my love and my delight. You are the apple of my eye. I adore you. There is only one you, with all of your talents and gifts. You are worth celebrating! You have a contribution to make to mankind that is only yours to give. I need you like never before to spread hope to others. Come, arise from your bed and walk with me.
Oh, I know that you have messed up in the past. I don’t keep accounts of your mistakes.
Let the past go, keep moving forward. You are a human becoming, stumbling through this crazy world. But, you keep getting up, you keep trying, persevering through the darkest of nights. You know that the sun always comes out after a storm, that even in sunlight, there are shadows,. You remember that every single time, it shines even brighter, the laughter comes easier, the joy grows deeper.
You recognize how you were carried through those times,
and every single time, you and I become closer and closer until now you feel me in your very marrow. You recognize that I am a part of you. You have experienced a deeper understanding of my love for you, and you become fearless in the face of tragedy and sorrow.
Although I would never invite trauma on my child, I celebrate this triumph over it!
I watch over you just as a loving mother over her toddler. You pick yourself up over and over again as you learn to walk ever more confidently. I smile patiently at your attempts. Your arms are stretched out for support as you lurch from hardship to hardship. I have always been here, holding your hand, guiding you ever sure. You can do it! You grow stronger step by step. You gain confidence that your faith will continue to strengthen until these tentative steps become but a distant memory.
Come now, take my hand. Let us go forth together to share this news with the world. This is not the end but the beginning.
One day soon, I will send a whole flock of doves to signify the end of the storm. You will see my path more clearly than ever. The joy in your heart will burst to overflowing. You will sing and dance more fervently than ever. You will cry with joy at the smallest miracles; the laughter of a child, the yellow of the buttercup, the flutter of a butterfly’s wing, the love of a friend. Your arms will open wide to hug the world as you see that it is bursting forth in song.
Never again will you take this world and its gifts for granted.
Never again will you disregard its need for care. Never again will you litter, pollute, or neglect. Your eyes have changed, your heart has softened in love. This is the new order. Go out and share this message of hope. The healing has begun!
