Shape and Meaning, Comfort and Fear
Human life itself may be almost pure chaos, but the work of the artist is to take these handfuls of confusion and disparate things, things that seem to be irreconcilable, and put them together in a frame to give them some kind of shape and meaning.-Katherine Anne Porter
As we all struggle to try to come to terms from this latest horror in our country's history...to try to understand a lunatic's mind, to discuss and share opinions online, with friends and neighbors in our front yards...I remember the last time fear and tears held me hostage, one of the toughest times of my life, in any mom's life since time began, a child in a war zone. Everyday I communicate with moms and dads, loved ones, who lay awake at night, or wake after fitful sleep to turn on the news, and I tell them the same thing. Everyday. You are not alone. The same thing I told my son when he was deployed, the same thing I tell myself when the world seems overwhelming, and the same thing my sweet Rosie tells me when she comes to climb into my lap.
The online communities have really reached out to one another during this terrible tragedy and it's aftermath of tears, grief, blame and pain. I thank all of you. It has been a great source of comfort for us all. The thoughts of so many of you shared in these incredible notes, or on those long threads of discussion, the time and effort so many have taken to try to share opinions and reach out to those who do not understand your views has been energy well focused, because underneath most of it was the sincere quest to understand the other.
When I write in our online military moms boards, saying those same words over and over, I try to share the things that brought me comfort, a little rest, a sort of spastic peace enough to sleep at night when my son was in harm's way. The videos I've made in my back yard concerts with wonderful musicians with that unique talent of blending lyrics to melody and sharing them with us who love to listen.
Others are just favorites of my heart... Calling My Children Home by Emmylou Harris was a daily listen, along with Taylor Pie's Walking on the Moon..then George Ensle released Build A Bridge (and if there is a song that fits today, that is certainly it.)...yesterday I listened to Audrey Auld's We Cry and now, maybe a little looking forward with Steve Brooks's One Good Year.
So when I read this wonderful quote from Katherine Anne Porter, I thought it just fit...poets and writers much better than I, as well as the wonderful musicians through out our nation will take this handful of horror from this weekend and shape it to verse and a song...different views from different lives, but they will share them with us as we all reach for recovery from the fear and the grief that has again entered our all American lives.
Just remember, you are not alone. There's always someone around to help you find your way.
As we all struggle to try to come to terms from this latest horror in our country's history...to try to understand a lunatic's mind, to discuss and share opinions online, with friends and neighbors in our front yards...I remember the last time fear and tears held me hostage, one of the toughest times of my life, in any mom's life since time began, a child in a war zone. Everyday I communicate with moms and dads, loved ones, who lay awake at night, or wake after fitful sleep to turn on the news, and I tell them the same thing. Everyday. You are not alone. The same thing I told my son when he was deployed, the same thing I tell myself when the world seems overwhelming, and the same thing my sweet Rosie tells me when she comes to climb into my lap.
The online communities have really reached out to one another during this terrible tragedy and it's aftermath of tears, grief, blame and pain. I thank all of you. It has been a great source of comfort for us all. The thoughts of so many of you shared in these incredible notes, or on those long threads of discussion, the time and effort so many have taken to try to share opinions and reach out to those who do not understand your views has been energy well focused, because underneath most of it was the sincere quest to understand the other.
When I write in our online military moms boards, saying those same words over and over, I try to share the things that brought me comfort, a little rest, a sort of spastic peace enough to sleep at night when my son was in harm's way. The videos I've made in my back yard concerts with wonderful musicians with that unique talent of blending lyrics to melody and sharing them with us who love to listen.
Others are just favorites of my heart... Calling My Children Home by Emmylou Harris was a daily listen, along with Taylor Pie's Walking on the Moon..then George Ensle released Build A Bridge (and if there is a song that fits today, that is certainly it.)...yesterday I listened to Audrey Auld's We Cry and now, maybe a little looking forward with Steve Brooks's One Good Year.
So when I read this wonderful quote from Katherine Anne Porter, I thought it just fit...poets and writers much better than I, as well as the wonderful musicians through out our nation will take this handful of horror from this weekend and shape it to verse and a song...different views from different lives, but they will share them with us as we all reach for recovery from the fear and the grief that has again entered our all American lives.
Just remember, you are not alone. There's always someone around to help you find your way.
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