Stitching

Dearly Beloved,

Grace and Peace to you.
         
         

I celebrate bruises, fevers and swelling of flesh.
Thank God for excess fluid, rashes and clots.
These are not failures of the body,
but acts of defiance and hope,
a gathering of neighbors.
Slice a body with scalpel or weapon
and immediately cells gather;
they reach out and take each other's hands
across the abyss of pain,
and make a wholeness of it.
When tissues are torn,
threads of blood take hold of each other,
reweaving living fabric.
Break a bone and without pause
the little angels begin patiently stitching,
knitting calmly, purposefully in the dark.
Wound us and the forces of life
rush to the scene to assist and to heal.
And so it is with friendship:
the phone call goes out,
and the cells of love respond,
the bones of family connect,
stitching us together over miles
in a tissue of prayer.
It's who we are, how we're made,
the way we reach out and hang on for dear—
isn't it precisely the whole miracle?—
life!

Beth underwent ten hours of surgery and six more days in the hospital, and we are home and recovering, thankful for the gift of love and healing, and the prayers of friends. Life is really, really good.
         
         
Deep Blessings,
Pastor Steve

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Copyright © Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net