I send out this poem by John O’Donohue to the couples I know who are suffering, and suggest they keep in mind that Now is not necessarily Forever.

For Love In a Time of Conflict

When the gentleness between you hardens

And you fall out of your belonging with each other.

May the depths you have reached hold you still.

When no true word can be said, or heard,

And you mirror each other in the script of hurt,

When even the silence has become raw and torn,

May you hear again an echo of your first music.

When the weave of affection starts to unravel

And anger begins to sear the ground between you,

Before this weather of grief invites

The black seed of bitterness to find root,

May your souls come to kiss.

Now is the time for one of you to be gracious,

To allow a kindness beyond thought and hurt,

Reach out with sure hands

To take the chalice of your love,

And carry it carefully through this echoless waste

Until this winter pilgrimage leads you

Toward the gateway to spring.

The Beach Cottage, LisSurMer, April 2011

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    Last reviewed: 29 Jul 2011