Swirling through and around this community over the last six weeks has been more grief than we would have ever expected.  The impact of profound loss on the Fish, Marschke and Fleming families has more than rippled through the Shalom community.  We can only hope and pray that those families have felt practically, emotionally and spiritually embraced in recent weeks and in the days, weeks and months ahead.  Young people here have learned some hard life lessons through all of that.  When you take the risk to love someone, pain is a byproduct of that love.  But that is a part of life and wouldn’t it be infinitely worse if that did not occur?

Hearts ache

questions hover and surround

and hope seems so fragile and its flame flickers.

In that moment and in that time – reach in and reach out;

to memories, to the heart whisper deep within – your loved ones voice gone deeper to your deepest and most treasured space – your spirit, your core, your essence; you!

Tears, yes tears.

Pain, yes pain.

Reach out, arms around, walk forward together

stronger and more whole and complete because of the gift

of the one we appear to have lost.

Look again, look within, quieten your racing thoughts – to hear their heart message calling you to dance and live, love and forgive

made richer because of your pain,

made stronger because of your loss

made more beautiful, because of the precious love, that right now burns and aches but will

with love and with hope

gift tomorrow with peace!

A few weeks ago, I shared in a Newsletter with you the shortest verse in the New Testament from St John’s Gospel 11:35 – “Jesus Wept”.  The God I believe in has shed countless tears with the Fish, Marschke and Fleming families as they navigate their pain.  God does not sit on the sidelines of grief but sends people, us and others, to comfort, support, cry and love with them.  Thank you to all in the Shalom community who have been the face of God to those grieving families.  That is faith in action. 

Mr Dan McMahon
Principal
mcmahond@shalomcollege.com