Be strong, sweet one
And also, be soft
Softness is the length to which you will keep your heart open
when the world feels hopeless
And there is more strength in that than in becoming hard
Your sensitivity is not a flaw or a liability
But a well of tender beauty that will help us find our way
It is in the shimmer of our eyes more than in the words we say
There will indeed be times we cannot say the words
For our throat is clenching in rumbling grief
And our chest feels about to rip open as if blocked from air
And the pain we feel will be because we care and feel so deeply we can’t stand it
But we will. We will stand it.
And we will cry and melt and hide, and maybe sometimes rage
And if we have learned how we will retreat to our safe place where we can plug into our own energy and hold ourselves tenderly and breathe,
release and recover
And then show up and do it all over,
rinse and repeat.
Sometimes we will feel battered by the energies of the world that once were “normal.”
And wonder how we ever swam in those waters.
Sometimes we will feel broken by the desperation and assaulted by the violence.
And it will be hard to filter it through.
But we will.
Because we know that our power resides in our hearts
That the depth of our capacity to feel is the breadth of our potential to evolve
And so we feel it.
And as we learn how, we claim it.
Without shame for the tears streaming down our faces.
Without apology for our experience.
Without adjusting for others’ comfort.
Warrior of love and compassion, there is nothing wrong with you.
It is not for you to get tougher, but through the strength of your heart,
for the world to become softer.
That is why we need you.
That is why we need all of us.
