November 15th

“O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
     for his steadfast love endures forever.” Psalm 118:29

when grief is that chill which creeps
into our bones on the hottest day or
those tears which seep into our souls
like raindrops in warped window frames,
there comes a piece of paper
carried by the Spirit, on which God
writes simply, ‘I love you.”
when grief is a pebble in our shoes
which numbs us with every step
or a boulder heavier than
Atlas bore in that old story,
the psalmist nudges us to remember
the love which outlasts
the loneliest of days.
when grief gifts us with
a silence too large to hear
or an absence which is more
than missing that soft breath
which calmed us in the night,
God’s love is that gentle hand
on our shoulders which
simply stays with us,
whether or not we ever become
whole again.

© 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman