One day on my walk I was thinking about a time of grief I had with one of my sons. Though I have healed from it greatly, I will probably never forget the depth of that terrific pain. All at once, in a curious, unguarded moment, I offered a question to God. “Lord, what has grieved You most about my life?” I heard the answer immediately in my spirit: the times you walked in darkness alone.
It brings tears to my eyes now as I write the words. Now I know I was not alone, He was with me. He knew, He was watching. But then, believing I was alone, I certainly was.
In my poetry, I have described myself in those dark times as naked, dry bones, freezing in the coldness of a world I couldn’t seem to grasp. The more I looked to the world or to people who didn’t have warmth to give me, the more my bones ran.
One night years ago, my bones took a walk on the streets of my town. In that darkness, God reached a loving hand down past the faint stars and I took it. When I did, I knew instantly there is no hand like His. There is no warmth like His. Only He can bring comfort and sense to the uncomfortable and senseless. Hold on. Look to His mercy. Look to His heart.
You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you. Psalm 86:5
Meeting God at the Park 