In Her Shadow
In her shadow,
I knew the meaning of comfort
The whisper of grace
The joy of acceptance
The miracle of a place
Where silence knew deliverance
And kindness knew the way
To make my heart beat with hope,
Breathing light into the safety
I knew when I was with her
In her shadow,
I knew what it means to smile
With an open heart, vulnerable and free
From all the clutter – soundless
Darkness, muddling my thoughts
With worries, anxiety – panic
Because I couldn’t feel worthy of
The pleasure, the wonder, the feelings
That brought me through the gray
Dread, the humdrum beating echoing
Inside my head when I felt so alone,
Lonely like the captive, who knows only
To listen for keys of redemption,
Deliverance from the blackness that covers
Moments with melancholy and blends
Hues of apprehension, erasing
Inspiration and adventure, destroying
The miracle of tenderness, gentling…
In her shadow,
I knew light, love and laughter
I knew the hope of forever’s answer
With her, I knew love that would promise
My heart that this was the way
God intended me to feel, the way
That life was meant to be,
The way that love could wipe away
Every despair, every fear – all my tears
With a smile and a song from her,
The one I knew as my mother, - her love
Opened the door to kindness and caring,
Stirred up the stars so my wishes were shared
With the night, so brilliant and alive…
In her shadow,
I found myself, the me who believes
In forever – eternity with the powerful
Love that abides inside those how know
Him – my heart’s best friend – the
One who she always taught me could really free me
From the prison of my own making,
The prison of doubt, dread and discouragement –
The prison of loneliness, lack and loss –
The prison of feeling like I could never have
Beautiful, inspirational – the grace that would
Color my dreams in reality and whisper
Faith over my heart and soul, silencing every
Fear with the promise of a love that she revealed
When she raised me to reach through the fear
Into the place where He is my strength
Where He is singing the music of love that is
Forever alive, always inspiring and completely wise,
Love that came to be because of His sacrifice
On that tree where He became the answer
For everyone who finds the way to believe
In her shadow,
I came to be certain that this love within me
Is a love that knows the meaning of being
God breathed – as a child of the living King
I know what it is to love more than anything
To give when I don’t even know the meaning of giving,
To hope when desperate is more real to me,
To love when I can’t find the feeling – but only the
Believing that leads me to give a love that He stirred
Up inside my chest, where my heart is beating
To the rhythm found in the song He blessed
In her shadow,
There is music that never rests,
Music that inspires, reassures, expects
The heart to listen – because this music
Rouses the soul to dance with the hope
That comes from knowing her love
Is a love that flows down from the source
The One who created us both –
To love without conditions or restrictions,
To love like He loved, with conviction!
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