Poem: The Blessed Light of Peace

The Blessed Light of Peace

Too often it is the storm we remember,
the wail of an angry wind,
rain ripping at skin
like a million shards of glass,
Lightning. Thunder. Fear.

To often, we forget the blessing of peace
that comes after,
the stillness, the relief,
the return of quiet and a red sky at night,
and in our exhaustion, this quiet blessing,

this time of restoration,
this gift of God,
passes
without our understanding
that this, this is the way of heaven.
This is what we were meant for.

So look upward after the storm.
Let this moment be your memory,
not the storm,
but the blessed light of peace.

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For years now, I have been a participant in "Blog Blast for Peace", inspired by Mimi Lenox. It is an opportunity for bloggers worldwide to focus on the topic of peace in all it's manifestations. Over 1500 bloggers now write special Blog Blast entries on November 5th. They cover the gamut of thoughts, ideas, hopes and dreams. Mine tend inwards, as opposed to some of the "bigger" issues of worldwide peace.

Why inward? I believe that in the end, all peace, even the big picture worldwide peace kind of peace, starts with a quiet centeredness inside us. That centeredness is often difficult to find, because life is a swirl of "shoulds" and competing expectations, instead of focusing on acceptance and what is and the gifts that surround us all each day.

My experience, and it has not been a easy set of lessons to learn, is that focusing inward and upward (to God) brings far more peace than external circumstances. And so that is where I focus this year's Blog Blast for Peace.

My thanks to Mimi, for her idea, and her quiet persistence each year to make this day something special, something that each year, seems to resonate larger and larger through the blogosphere.

One last thing, the picture below, taken at the Lord Botetourt High School football field two weeks ago, was the inspiration for this poem. You can click on it for a larger view.


Tom