Grace and Matthew Byers

I have heavy on my heart, the pain of emotional orphans. Whether raised with biological parents, single parent, or adopted into family, children's needs are not always met. This means that in adulthood, there is a hole in the soul with slow and steady leakage, pain that is like a low grade fever, not life threatening and yet, it causes undiagnosed discomfort, an edginess in the spirit that manifests in the body and in relationship. It shows up in adults of all stripes and ages, a look at me, I'm cut and bleeding neediness that cannot be allievated with human hands, human intervention. This explains the desire to connect with something, someone greater than ourselves, with a higher view, perspective with horizons as part of landscapes, seeing past the here and now and into what can be, past the pain. Past the pain, over taking the pain, soul and its hollowness filling up rather than the void growing ever larger and gapping, wholeness with wound healing is a distinct possibility.To get there, sometimes fever becomes full on infection, flu, tooth or heart ache, thusly, the dark night of the soul engulfs the suffer with no one and no where to turn, than one must look up and ask, where can I find relief, I beg, from this drenching dark torrent of pain? It can not be escaped, one cannot run and hide, for the darkness follows until in desperation the cry is enough, let me loose, set me free...emotional orphans can be seen and heard and they are filling our streets and houses. My concern is for the children that will one day become emotional orphans and it is for them that my heart hurts because it's not too late, parents listen to your children now and they can be spared. At 48, I am still learning the art of listening and my 18 year old son is teaching me as I clear away my mothering roles and hear what his heart is speaking. It's never to late to love with big ears trained on truth hearing and mouth engaged in truth sharing. I love you Matthew Byers, for forgiving me when I have failed and loving me always no matter what, as your mom. You are my gift from God and grace is, truly amazing.