Hope

As we drove through Detroit earlier this month & saw the three remaining buildings standing in the midst of the rubble I felt such sadness. And yet the green ferns peeking up out of the burned forest were a vibrant sign of new life. The busyness of the grocery store was a sign of people supporting the community. In the midst of terrible loss & grief, hope was apparent.

There were stretches of burned trees, stacks of cut logs, and then areas where no damage was discernible at all. I cannot imagine the grief of the people who lost homes, livelihoods, family members. Nor can I imagine what it really is like to be the lone house left in your neighborhood. The grief is heavy. It must be held and acknowledged. Hope is not found in denying the pain and suffering. Hope is found in it.

So we turn now in these days of darkening nights, higher COVID19 case counts, and we acknowledge the losses, the fears. We bear the weight of our grief and this is where God meets us. In the mess, in the sorrow, in the darkness. God is present and that is hope. The green in the desolation, the care in the loss.

-Eilidh