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.