Pause.

I thought I’d awaken to a world in mourning.
Heavy clouds crowding, a society storming.
But there’s something different on this golden morning.
Something magical in the sunlight, wide and warming.

I see a dad with a stroller taking a jog.
Across the street, a bright-eyed girl chases her dog.
A grandma on a porch fingers her rosaries.
She grins as her young neighbor brings her groceries.

While we might feel small, separate, and all alone,
Our people have never been more closely tethered.
The question isn’t if we will weather this unknown,
But how we will weather this unknown together. . .

When this ends, we’ll smile sweetly, finally seeing
In testing times, we became the best of beings.

Amanda Gorman. From “The Miracle of Morning.”

 

 

Listen to the long stillness: New life is stirring.
New dreams are on the wing.
New hopes are being readied: Humankind is fashioning a new heart. Humankind is forging a new mind. God is at work.
This is the season of Promise.

Howard Thurman