It has always been true that the world has a way of catching us off guard. Many of us like to think we have our life in control. Especially if we were fortunate enough to be born into a comfortable middle-class family, we have been taught to work hard and life will reward you. Pestilence, natural disasters, and war intervene, toppling our achievements.

In the midst of what is happening, we all need hope! Sharing words of hope and encouragement is going to be my focus as I take a sabbatical from new posts for a short while and reach back to republish some of my prior writings.

Where do we turn when there is violence all around us?  Where do we run to feel safe when there are those who relish shattering the safety of our schools, the sanctuary of our places of worship, and the normalcy of our marketplaces?

Run to family and friends and console one another with compassionate words and deeds.  What if you feel you have no family nor friend close by?   Please accept those with outstretched arms who come to you in difficult times.  But also be a person who reaches out to others in their times of need or distress.

I know that neither words meant to comfort nor deeds of charity can erase the wounds of extreme violence, but they can uplift us and give us hope.  My poem WORDS OF A FRIEND encourages us to find support from a friend but also to be a friend.

WORDS OF A FRIEND

A gentle breeze is blowing
Across the tears within our hearts.
It reaches down where hurt is found,
Searching out each wounded part.
And with calmness and assurance,
Its journey moves on without end
As it spreads sweet words of promise
Spoken gently by a friend.

Our thoughts become a message
Shaped by the words we choose to say.
Must they be used as piercing swords
Bringing anger, hurt, and pain?
How much better if we’d answer,
Molding each word before we speak,
So our gentle strength brings comfort,
Which grieved hearts will then repeat.

A Poem of Consolation and Hope
Connie Carlisle Polley, 2018-2022
ConnieCarlislePolley.com
NonnyDay.com

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• Find out more about Nonny Day Series children’s books
• Designed for Ages 5-8 and Pre-Readers