A Child's Grief

Look inside the mirror
And discover who you are.
Be not afraid
Of what you may find
For it is only through the searching
Will you find the answers
To your life's journey.

Imagine a mirror
Oval in shape
The wood is oak
Finely polished
When I look closely
I see a shadow image.

Watching, seeing, yet unbelieving
Rejection the image
I am overwhelmed with sadness for this image.

A child, small and alone
I grieve for the child
She was born; yet I sense no connection to this child image
I grieve for her lost childhood.

She tries desperately to seek non-existence
For beyond her imagination; there is safety
Invisibility provides peace.

I tried to protect her
She was helpless
She could trust no one
She had only one - ME
Oh, little one, it would be best if you were not born
I know in my soul there can be healing.

Come, little one take my hand
Do not fear
It is a journey we will embark on together
You and I as it was in the past
Different this time, I will protect you
With the courage and strength of a bear
You and I will venture out
Take our first baby steps prepared to take a risk
Reach into our spirit, learn to feel
With the vigilance and timidity of a wolf
You and I will test the world
Learn to trust
Accept our weaknesses
And learn our strengths
With pride, display our independence
Together seek the company of others.

We will look to our beloved hedgehog ROSEY
for guidance and refuge
knowing when to put up our quills (defenses)
Wisdom to know when we can relax our prickles (be ourselves)
To find the perfect balance of peace and contentment between us and others.

The playfulness of the dolphins
Will show us the way to dream
To hope, and to harmonize our inner self
Together we can let go of the waves of the past
To become one through healing.

Together we will trust Jesus
To watch over us
In Him we will find healing
For He, is the healer of broken hearts and souls.

Together we Pray
Sweet Jesus, remind us daily not to expect overnight recovery
Guide us oh Jesus as we work together to find healing and inner peace with you
Reveal to us memories of long ago
Place upon us our healing
Above all, grace us with your divine presence so that we can begin again.

April Howard