I don’t know how to live in a world
where my little girl skips past broken relics of violence
Where she asks me to hold her lollipop amid the echos of anger
and smiles in the sunshine knowing nothing of the pain, the desperate cries for help.
I don’t know how to live in the dichotomy
of helping versus hurting
tiptoeing the line and walking the fence
because any action I take is the wrong one
to someone who yells louder
than the whispers we so desperately need to hear.
I don’t know how to live in a world
where silence condemns you without knowing the heart
Where we act first and think later
and never stop to consider the other side.
I don’t know how to live in a world
with so much hate
we don’t know where to aim it so we direct it at each other whenever convenient
voiding what we were designed for
opting out of compassion and decency
accidentally becoming just like those we vehemently deny
in our quest for justice.
I don’t know how to live in a world
where playgrounds might kill my children
and a mask becomes an article of war
a political statement about how much I care … or don’t.
I don’t know how to live in a world
where I have to explain why the color of someone’s skin is a reason why people hate
to wide, innocent eyes who’ve never considered the concept.
The chaos is paralyzing
How do I do better?
I don’t have answers
But I can choose to live in a world where I can still see my little girl in pink,
trusting,
dreaming,
loving,
free.
Kate Grasso is a MOPS ministry coach, graphic designer and homeschooling mom to three incredible kids who have taught her more than she’s taught them.
