A Severe Mercy....

Monday, February 15, 2010

"The world breaks everyone.  And afterward many are strong in the broken places."   --Ernest Hemingway

                                                                                                      

After our divorce, our small family of four, hobbled along into the bedlam of confusion, sorrow, anger, heartbreak, grief and all the other countless emotions that find their way into lives shattered.  

The fortunate few get to the other side--stronger in the broken places.  We were one of the fortunate few...and it only took 25 years!  Considering it may have never happened, I consider the full-on healing of our family: A Severe Mercy.

It was not a miraculous event brought on by some outside mysterious forces. No, it was mended stitch by stitch, by the proverbial  blood sweat and tears method...by two very flawed and devoted parents, by two very loving, patient and forgiving children.  We all travailed with the sputtering attempts to reach the healing place.  We fell down  936 times and got back up 937 times to try again....  The grace and mercy of not being able to 'predict' the 'when' of the healing, made way for a vibrant (albeit painful) practice of 'not knowing.'  

None of us could have 'known' that last July the unraveling of a long ago wounded family would begin to be woven back together...our scar tissue had become its own badge of honor---a tattoo of sorts, that had all of our brave  names indelibly written on it.  Embedded in all of our heart of hearts was the medallion emblazoned with  a healing Family's Crest that read: A Severe Mercy.

Gracie Garp