a blessing for when you suffer alone

I see you there, suffering alone,
with the illness or pain that lingers
though friends do not,
—or cannot.

You, in isolation,
locked in, or locked out.

You, the caregivers
struggling in the certainty
that there is not enough
strength, time or resources.

You who counsel others in their trauma,
but suffer deeply from your own.

You who are grieving losses, too many to name,
too complex or unbecoming to speak aloud.

Blessed are you, dear one. Searching for someone to understand,
see your wounds and your hope for healing.
You are seen, as you walk that hard and lonely road.

Blessed are you because your loneliness speaks a deep truth:
you were never meant to do this alone.

God, comfort us, guide us,
that our hope for more—a prayer which will be answered—
might be protected too.

Adapted for a communal setting from THE LIVES WE ACTUALLY HAVE, page 98