If I Could: A Hopeful Prayer for Healing

If I could, I'd wash away the sadness.

I would wrap you in my arms and hold you against me, pressed against my chest. I would protect you from everything that makes you unhappy and reduces your spirit. Gently, I'd wipe away the tears and hold gently your head between my hands, looking you deep in the eyes, reminding you without words that I am with you no matter what comes. We'd embrace again, a little too long; yet as we pulled apart, we'd eke out delicate smiles as we went our separate ways for the day, confident in the awareness that we'd be together safely again come evening.

If it was up to me, I'd banish the fear.

Standing bullishly, steel-tower upright and strong; arms crossed over my chest, facing into the bleak; I'd defend you as you stood behind me. Nothing would pass to bring you agony. No harm could penetrate. An invisible shield lovingly guarding you from all that might bring to you hurt, or cause you to cower fearfully in the dark places. The soft, bright, warm glow of inner strength would flood over you until you again could stand tall beside me. At that point, arm-in-arm, the two of us would face the day, supported by each other, looking forward to the future once again.

If it was in my power, I'd eliminate the worries.

I would keep us in the present, realizing all that happened has gone and what is yet to come is powerless until it appears. We would rejoice in the Now, infused with the awareness that, in this moment, at this point in time, despite the maelstrom that swirls around us near and far, we are safe and secure and together. Remembering that this moment is all we have; for the past cannot be changed and the future is still a formless shadow. Anxiety would subside. We'd breathe deeply again, filling our lungs with peaceful calm, and savor the perfect moment of the here and now.

If there was a way to accomplish it, I'd heal away the illness.

Should it be something of which I was capable, I'd wave a wand, or pray to God, or meditate in silence high atop a summit; forcing away the sickness that has enveloped us. There would be no virus; no death counts on the television nor health alerts published in the news. Social distancing would become an oxymoron as we'd crowd together in too-tight spaces, overjoyed to be close to friends and even to strangers. We would hug each other with joy and abandon. Masks would be reserved for costume balls and Halloween parties. We'd all together raise our glasses and sing songs to the rafters of happiness and health.

Should I have my druthers, things would be different.

We would celebrate the small events and praise the educated and the health care providers for keeping us in strong well-being. Our classrooms and playgrounds would again be full with the unbounded eagerness of children, keen to learn and play. Patrons would flood out from movie theaters at the end of a summer blockbuster, their excited chatter filling the parking lot, as they went their many ways, driving to bustling restaurants and bars and standing in lines waiting, fearlessly, for tables in crowded establishments. There would be no reminders on the floor to "stand here" and hand sanitizer would never again be a pre-condition to enter a building.

If it was my decision, things would be so unlike they appear today.

There would be more joy and fewer tears. Politics would be a healing force, not one used to create more "us" and "them." There would not be videos of department store customers tossing merchandise on the floor, acting like screaming ghouls because they were asked to protect the public health. Group homes would not instill fear, but rather stand for protection and support; as they are supposed to do. We would no longer cross the street to avoid passersby, instead continuing on, even waving and possibly shaking hands.

Alas, these powers are not mine to have nor give.

Therefore, as we go through these trying times together, I wish for each of us that we stay healthy, keep strong, hold each other close in love and light, and know that there is a new, bright, sunny day waiting for us when we rise again; which most assuredly we will do.

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