i hope you experience peace 
when the sun ascends soft,
or sets with dazzling hues
at the end of pleasant days

and that you pause to notice
miracles like these—

but i hope you discover too,
when bridges fail and roads are closed,
when footing’s unsure and circumstances 
escalate

to find the place of calm
in the center 
of the storm.

this, my friend, will be concrete proof
that you’ve learned a thing or two
about accepting the uncertain
in the things you can’t predict,
let alone control.

because peace when it’s peaceful
—is easy

but finding the calm 
in the middle of the mess 
is the hard-fought, down in the bones
deep in the soul, radical form of trust
that remarkably 
endures. 

                        
**********
"I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
    where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven and earth."
                                                 (Ps. 121:1-2)
**********

Photo by Vincent Dave Agustin on Unsplash