What power on earth could possibly be greater than feeling abandoned?  Of all the holes that don’t go away, that one is deepest.  Don’t the worst terrors of the night lurk there?  Where is comfort for those who are left behind?  Who can hold this fear? 

You who never slide away from the really tough moments did not forget us then. Farewell, you said, one more time and before leaving, you promised peace.  “I am gone but not really.”  Something runs deeper than fear and stretches further than emptiness.  This is not lonely space inhabited by dreamers.  There is one greater who calls us to love. 

We live with many holes.  But how do we know?  Ask my students.  They don’t mean, “know for sure.”  Some hopeful data, a strange coincidence, even a peculiar voice from the clouds would help.  All this knowledge and none comes clearly from God.  Are we alone after all with our brilliant interpretations and lovely metaphors?  How real can God be if not real enough to seize the screen and show some godly face? 

In our flesh are signs of your presence.  The circle of friends who pick us up when we are left for dead.  Wounds that heal.  Learning to love.  Passion for things that matter.  The gift of awakening to the moment.  Your works surround us and tell us who we are.  You show us what is real.