Yes. Yes, and yes. You’ve captured so much of my own season Ashley. Thanks for sharing your reflections; they help shed light on and articulate my own. ❤️
Your piece made me think of Yolanda Pierce’s newest book, “The Wounds are the Witness,” which was an incredible piece of writing. Definitely my top read so far of 2025.
She composed one of my favorite litanies (I believe in the aftermath of Ferguson protests 2013-2014ish)???:
"A Litany for Those Not Ready for Healing" (Dr. Yolanda Pierce)
Let us not rush to the language of healing,
before understanding the fullness of the injury and the depth of the wound.
Let us not rush to offer a band-aid,
when the gaping wound requires surgery and complete reconstruction.
Let us not offer false equivalencies, thereby diminishing the particular pain being felt in a particular circumstance in a particular historical moment.
Let us not speak of reconciliation
without speaking of reparations and restoration, or how we can repair the breach and how we can restore the loss.
Let us not rush past the loss
of this mother’s child, this father’s child…someone’s beloved son.
Let us not value property over people;
let us not protect material objects while human lives hang in the balance.
Let us not value a false peace over a righteous justice.
Let us not be afraid to sit with the ugliness, the messiness, and the pain that is life in community together.
Let us not offer clichés to the grieving, those whose hearts are being torn asunder.
Instead…
Let us mourn black and brown men and women, those killed extrajudicially every 28 hours.
Let us lament the loss of a teenager, dead at the hands of a police officer who described
him as a demon.
Let us weep at a criminal justice system, which is neither blind nor just.
Let us call for the mourning men and the wailing women, those willing to rend their garments of privilege and ease, and sit in the ashes of this nation’s original sin.
Let us be silent when we don’t know what to say.
Let us be humble and listen to the pain, rage, and grief pouring from the lips of our neighbors and friends.
Let us decrease, so that our brothers and sisters who live on the underside of history may increase.
Let us pray with our eyes open and our feet firmly planted on the ground.
Let us listen to the shattering glass and let us smell the purifying fires, for it is the language of the unheard.
God, in your mercy…
Show me my own complicity in injustice.
Convict me for my indifference.
Forgive me when I have remained silent.
Equip me with a zeal for righteousness.
Never let me grow accustomed or acclimated to unrighteousness.
"Witness, though, is an act of love that requires deep sight. It is an attendant virtue." Yes! And necessary. In every season, there is unexpected learning (or unlearning) isn't there? I have experienced both learnings in my mid-life season, for sure.
Yes. Yes, and yes. You’ve captured so much of my own season Ashley. Thanks for sharing your reflections; they help shed light on and articulate my own. ❤️
Your piece made me think of Yolanda Pierce’s newest book, “The Wounds are the Witness,” which was an incredible piece of writing. Definitely my top read so far of 2025.
Oh, I”ll have to take a look. I’ve been thinking how both wound and witness seem to need to work together.
She composed one of my favorite litanies (I believe in the aftermath of Ferguson protests 2013-2014ish)???:
"A Litany for Those Not Ready for Healing" (Dr. Yolanda Pierce)
Let us not rush to the language of healing,
before understanding the fullness of the injury and the depth of the wound.
Let us not rush to offer a band-aid,
when the gaping wound requires surgery and complete reconstruction.
Let us not offer false equivalencies, thereby diminishing the particular pain being felt in a particular circumstance in a particular historical moment.
Let us not speak of reconciliation
without speaking of reparations and restoration, or how we can repair the breach and how we can restore the loss.
Let us not rush past the loss
of this mother’s child, this father’s child…someone’s beloved son.
Let us not value property over people;
let us not protect material objects while human lives hang in the balance.
Let us not value a false peace over a righteous justice.
Let us not be afraid to sit with the ugliness, the messiness, and the pain that is life in community together.
Let us not offer clichés to the grieving, those whose hearts are being torn asunder.
Instead…
Let us mourn black and brown men and women, those killed extrajudicially every 28 hours.
Let us lament the loss of a teenager, dead at the hands of a police officer who described
him as a demon.
Let us weep at a criminal justice system, which is neither blind nor just.
Let us call for the mourning men and the wailing women, those willing to rend their garments of privilege and ease, and sit in the ashes of this nation’s original sin.
Let us be silent when we don’t know what to say.
Let us be humble and listen to the pain, rage, and grief pouring from the lips of our neighbors and friends.
Let us decrease, so that our brothers and sisters who live on the underside of history may increase.
Let us pray with our eyes open and our feet firmly planted on the ground.
Let us listen to the shattering glass and let us smell the purifying fires, for it is the language of the unheard.
God, in your mercy…
Show me my own complicity in injustice.
Convict me for my indifference.
Forgive me when I have remained silent.
Equip me with a zeal for righteousness.
Never let me grow accustomed or acclimated to unrighteousness.
I found the book at my public library believe it or not! Here's a link: https://www.broadleafbooks.com/store/product/9781506485331/The-Wounds-Are-the-Witness
Mmm. Thank you for sharing these thoughts. (And I cannot *wait* to read your interview w/LB!)
Thank you Lucy! Just small thinking gestures. Grateful for your own good work.
"Witness, though, is an act of love that requires deep sight. It is an attendant virtue." Yes! And necessary. In every season, there is unexpected learning (or unlearning) isn't there? I have experienced both learnings in my mid-life season, for sure.
It is amazing how aging slowly changes and transforms perspective. Thank you for capturing some of this.
You’re welcome! I’d love to hear what you’ve learned.