Knowing that there is an after
At Easter last year, we looked ahead with pandemic weariness.
The hoped-for respite didn’t last long, and our confidence in the future was a little shaky.
In this context, my friend Andy Hunter from The Presence Project commissioned a blessing that would speak to both our collective experience and the marking of this particular season.
‘There is an after’ was the result.
THERE IS AN AFTER
May you know that
there is an after.
Where light has pierced
the darkness
with a single shaft,
and night is no more.
There is an after…
Where brokenness is restored,
doubt becomes sight,
and those who are weary
are renewed.
There is an after…
Where beauty rises from ashes
of lives shattered and
torn apart,
and colour returns.
There is an after…
Where stony isolation
gives way to the
gentleness of being named
and known again.
There is an after…
Where hope finds its voice
and we join together
in the anthem
of new life.
May you know,
really know deep inside,
that there is an after –
because love wins.
Now in 2022, the words feel even more of a gift – given with love and hope.
Here is the link to the music video: There is an after…
A different kind of knowing
When what we think we know is shaken, it’s helpful to recognise that our knowing is far more visceral and deeply rooted in our beings.
Indeed, when we realise our extraordinary plurality, our capacity to stand takes on a new dimension – we are not alone.
‘Singularity’ (after Stephen Hawking) is a poem by Marie Howe. Her introduction and reading have been captured in this beautiful video by Maria Popover for the 2020 Universe in Verse: Singularity (after Stephen Hawking) by Marie Howe
I hope you can gift yourself some time for reflection and grounding over this Easter holiday period.
Go well and tread gently.
Sue
~
This week
Exploring what we mean by knowing – and how it liberates us!