May 4th

“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.” 1st Thessalonians 4:13

in that shadowy room of absence
we sit, our hands wrapped around
those memories which ache with warmth,
but we do not sit alone.
our tears are caught in the palms
of the One who stands beside graves
and calls love to return to the light.
for even now,
crushed by sorrow’s burden,
hope tiptoes quietly—
like dawn which refuses
the caress of the longest night.
for the ones who have crossed
to the other side of grace
are not forgotten by God,
and however loud grief echoes
in our empty souls,
it does not have the last word.
because love always remembers,
mercy keeps watch,
and the Shepherd walks gently,
resurrection cupped in scarred hands
like a candle lighting the way
through every shadowed valley.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom M. Shuman