This Is Not Supposed to Happen

A young man dies on a motorcycle
Before he ever graduates college,
Or marries, or becomes a father
This is not supposed to happen

A boy, up to bat in a baseball game
Is hit in the chest by a pitch
And lays in a coma, unmoving
While his mother sobs at his bedside
This is not supposed to happen

A madman works the political system
And becomes the ruler of a country
Determined to ethnically cleanse
Those he deems unworthy
This is not supposed to happen

A man packs his lunch and goes to work
On the job, a tree falls across his back
He will spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair,
In constant pain, never to walk again
This is not supposed to happen

A mother prepares for the birth of her child
Only to be confronted with doctors,
Ventilators, funerals,
And an empty crib
This is not supposed to happen

A high school student in a library
Studying for her final exams
Shot to death by a classmate
Dressed in a black trench coat
This is not supposed to happen

A mother rocks her frail son against her breast
“Momma, I’m hungry”, the boy says
“I know my dear, so am I” replies his mother
“So am I”
This is not supposed to happen

A healer, teacher,
And miracle-worker
Who preaches kindness,
Tolerance
And forgiveness
Who harmed no one
And in fact, healed many
Crucified by an angry mob
This is not supposed to happen

My God, my God,
Why have you forsaken me?
My God, my God,
Why have you forsaken us?
Where is the promise,
The hope, the joy
In the midst of such darkness?

Where are You?

My children,
There is no joy without sorrow
There is no hope without despair
There is no promise without betrayal
There is no living without dying
For there is a purpose
To every season
Under heaven

A time to love, a time to cry
A time to live, a time to die
A time to forget your source
And a time to reclaim it
A time to deny your light
And a time to shine
For all the world to see

Come now, dry your eyes
Put away your childish playthings
Put down your swords of words
Designed to slay your siblings with guilt
For the time for toys has come and gone

I have prepared a place for all of you
Where dreams of terror can touch you not
Where the world you know is seen
As a distorted reflection of what was meant to be

Be still now and come home,
I wait in certainty for your return
For there comes a time when enough
Is enough

And there you will find me
Forever where I always was
And always will be
By your side and
Within the stillness of your heart

The only thing I ask
Is that you bring your siblings with you
For the healing of the world
Is never solitary
But always shared

So on your journey homeward
May everyone you meet
Be reminded of my love
For all my children
And remember
Actions speak louder than words

Love each other as I have loved you

Follow the guides I have sent you
They know the way and have clearly marked the trail
The path flows through the darkest valleys
And climbs the highest mountaintops
But rest assured of your destination

For I have willed it be so
And you are forever free
To explore your creations
Or wander off the path awhile
For a child of mine is never coerced
But only sanctified

And so I wait for your safe return
In the certainty of eternity
For the story’s end is forever
Written in the stars

So skip along home now
Hold hands and hum a merry tune
My will is done
My kingdom comes
Be joyous and glad that it is so

Amen