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This is my tenth semester with the Beacon. Despite my love for this community, I sometimes feel at a loss for what to write or share. We have been through several hardships together these past couple of years, and the healing process always takes time. The healing process can serve to bring us together, which I have been blessed to see happen on many occasions, but it can also drive us apart.
One of the main reasons I’ve seen healing become a dividing point is because of the different rates at which we are healing. Some people’s grief may be over in a moment, while others’ grief may take years to transition from an open wound to a tender scar. It can be difficult to show grace and compassion to people who are in a different part of their journey than we are, and it can be awkward to try to figure out how best to be a blessing to those still struggling with an open wound.
So, for this letter, I want to do something a little different. I want to share with you a few of the quotes and songs that have been a blessing to me over the last few years. These are not meant to resolve problems or even to speed up the healing process; rather, they are intended to give you the opportunity to take a moment, to reflect, to feel your pain, and to remember that you are not alone.
“You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” -A. A. Milne
"The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand." -Psalm 37:23-24
“Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines, it'll shine out the clearer.” -J. R. R. Tolkien
“To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best day and night to make you like everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight and never stop fighting.” -E. E. Cummings
“You can't go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” -C. S. Lewis
“My God, I have never thanked Thee for my thorn. I have thanked Thee a thousand times for my roses, but not once for my thorn. I have been looking forward to a world where I shall get compensation for my cross, but I have never thought of my cross as itself a present glory. Thou, Divine Love, whose human path has been perfected through sufferings, teach me the glory of my cross, teach me the value of my thorn.” -George Matheson
“The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them.” -Deuteronomy 33:27
Songs that have given me space to breathe:
“Be Kind to Yourself,” and “To All the Poets I Have Known,” by Andrew Peterson
“Sparrows and Lillies,” by Pat Barrett
“Priceless,” and “Ceasefire,” by For King and Country
“Always Remember to Never Forget,” by Christy Nockels
You are never alone. There are people in this community who want you to talk to them. We were created to need one another.
Let’s not neglect to love others, and let us not strip others of the opportunity to love us.
We are beloved.
Sincerely,
Brianna Rae Densmore
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