Faith

Each of us is as beautiful as
a pane of stained glass
We are fragile
And often feel like a jumble of colored glass shapes
Sometimes it seems impossible
to make these pieces of glass
Resemble a thing of beauty

It takes too much energy
We feel helpless to know which pieces fit where
We are lost when it comes to creating our own beauty
But isn't it wonderful to know it can be done

When I came to you
My tiny pieces of glass were jumbled
I carried them around in a brown paper sack
Ashamed of what they represented
And afraid they could never be put back together

As I near the end of my first clean months
I take with me the beginnings
of a new stained glass picture
It uses the same colored shapes
I'm just learning to create a new image

I'm still afraid I won't have the patience
Or skills to complete my picture
But I carry with me
The fragile faith that I can do it

I thank each of you here,
my new family and friends
For the part you played in restoring
my hope and desire to live tomorrow
So when you look at any stained glass window
Look with hope
And the faith that you, too,
are a thing of value and beauty