Sometimes the world just feels so sharp. Blade to flesh. Sword to heart.

I watch one soul slay another with a word, or by withholding them.

I watch a man speak icy to wife, she feels the frost and pulls herself away… bit.

I see a mother chop down child…right at the knees. I watched him crumple before her.

All of them clinging to the hand that will inevitably slam hard against the cheek.

And there were the others. Those that shopped alone. Lonely. They sought to make eye contact with me and we did and I smiled warm and I felt frost melt and I felt soul draw near and I knew soul deep loneliness from across the meat cooler. I tried to tell them I loved them with eyes alone. Say we’re in this together you and I. When I lifted bran muffin mix she requested from the top shelf and I brushed her hand as we parted and she smiled long and slow as if I had embraced her.

And we all ache together. The deep ache that remind us that this world is not enough. The Spirit twinges that remind us what we are here for…the love bringer who wants to use us to bring love to a loveless world. And the least of us is in all of us, and some of us are just better at disguise. And some of the poorest are the richest and so we watch and wait and we love all because we never know what disguise He will come in.

And this is the way we become peacemakers to a world in desperate need of peace.

At our house? We are trying to tame our ‘wild things’. Teaching them how to calm tensions without flying off the handle on little sisters/big brothers. How about you? How can you make more peace this year? This day?