You Are Not Alone

 

I will give you the time to say all you need to say
To speak your pain – give voice to the agony of soul – empty yourself
I will be near
I will see you and I will stay here with you
When all you’ve held in – comes pouring out of you
I will listen
I will stand with you and see it
I am not afraid of the space that is created
I will not try to fill it
I can hold my words – this is no time for advice or empty words
I cannot be your rescue
But I can stand with you
Unashamed – Unafraid – I will lend my strength to you
For you are Not Alone
 
You will feel seen but not compared
Known but not judged
Understood but not assumed of
You will be vulnerable but not embarrassed
You are loved and we both know that pain is part of love
We will not run away or turn aside
Not hiding or trying to escape
 
And when you are ready
I will remind you:
You are stronger than you think
You are well worth your own best effort
You are not easily broken and you know how to heal
Facing the pain is no small thing
You are already well on your way to where you want to be
You know you will get there – as do I
 
You will be stronger
Your depth of compassion greater
Your love expanded and deepened
Because you’ve faced what could have crushed you
Laid bare what tried to shame and silence you
You have spoken and you have stayed standing
 
Soon you will stand with others as they open their soul – spill their pain and need to know that they are Not Alone
 
 
So often we are made uncomfortable by pain, injustice, the horror of what someone has experienced. We want to rescue and make it all ok. We want the pain to be alleviated, for joy to return. It is not easy; it takes time and space.
 
So often we want to fill the space; advice, wisdom, words of understanding. In an effort to comfort, we compare to prove we can relate. We want to protect and reassure. We want to ease the pain. Our words are hollow, but still, we speak them. “It will be alright” “You will make it through this” “This is not your fault. You do not deserve this” “Somehow it will all work out”  Truly, we speak to make ourselves feel better; desperate to offer something.
 
But when love is present awkward space and quiet is not too scary. To the one in pain, your presence is more meaningful than your words could ever be. It certainly is more true! Our time, our attention, our restraint gives value to the person who is sharing and allows them to find their own strength rising up.
 
When we listen and stand with someone, we lend our strength, we let love quietly fill the space. We watch and celebrate the first steps of healing courageously taken from that raw spilling of pain into the journey of becoming whole again.