A Blessing in The Wake of Loss,
At The Beginning of Something New

Blessed are you, after the fall. In this new and unrecognizable landscape. At the still point between what was and what’s to come. Time has stretched itself, and there seems to be a future somewhere for some people and things, but it touches you only lightly.

Blessed are you, right here, in between. At the end that comes before the beginning. That grief is a long story, and maybe, somehow, you are still in it. Growing straight down in the dark where sorrow breathes best. Where roots find their secret springs in crevices that are well-hidden. Where God’s great magic act of love begins.

Blessed are you, starting to sense that maybe sunlight can reach you, even here. And you reach out, finding yourself in a fierce embrace. And God’s voice saying: You are not the bad thing. You are not ruined. You are not broken, nor over, nor a failure, nor learning a lesson. You are my suffering one, and you are loved, you are loved, you are loved.

Blessed are you, maybe ready for the turn. Straight up.  

— Kate Bowler
from Good Enough: 40ish Devotionals for a Life of Imperfection
Kate Bowler and Jessica Richie, 2022

Kate Bowler is an associate professor of the history of Christianity in North America at Duke Divinity School. She is a best-selling author, and a popular podcast host. In 2015, at age 35, she was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer.  Her memoir, Everything Happens for a Reason (and Other Lies I’ve Loved), tells the story of her struggle to understand the personal and intellectual dimensions of the American belief that all tragedies are tests of character. Her recent book, No Cure For Being Human (and Other Truths I Need to Hear), (2021) grapples with her diagnosis, her ambition, and her faith as she tries to come to terms with limitations in a culture of toxic positivity that promises anything is possible.