Stand Still

I occasionally am shaken from my pace and my hectic life

To realize that for someone, life has come to a standstill

When someone they love has gone;

When the very pulse of a person they cherish has faded to silence

I have felt this pain, this injustice that life literally goes on

Without. Even. A Breath. To STOP.

I have wanted to scream aloud, “CAN’T WE ALL JUST STAND STILL

AND RECOGNIXE WHAT HAS HAPPENED?

This one I love is gone, and life will never, EVER be the same without them!”

It seems the cruelest of pain to watch

As the world barely pauses, it at all

To acknowledge the amputation of a life,

And the ensuing numbness that freezes us in place.

All surreal and in slow motion

While unkind realization over and over i waves.

The comfort of loved ones is the only thing

That can reach down the darkness and pierce the disbelief;

The denial of the horror of the truth.

It wasn’t a dream, it is actually true.

They are gone.

They are not coming back.

The greatest gift, the only one that serves

Is to stand witness with my friend, especially in silence.

Stop with them in the gravity-less stillness

And breathe love into the heart that struggles to beat.

There will come a time when life moves again.

When the planet will start to turn.

But not now.

Not today.

I will stand with you.

I will STOP

And know that a seismic change has occurred in your world.

And you are not alone.

Love stands with you …

Still.

Stand Still was written by Trained Spiritual Director Diane Pennington and originally published in House of Comfort, the 10th book in Retreat House Spirituality Center’s “House of” series. You can learn more about purchase those books here.