Monthly Archives: July 2022

“Let Me Thrive”

After the Fire

by James Crews

Let me endure whatever fires must
pass through here, must scorch my skin.
And if I have to feel the heat, let me
also trust that like the lodgepole pine,
the fire will open the parts of me
that are still closed tight, releasing seeds
I’ve been clinging to, hoarding for years.
Let me thrive in this new clearing
made at the center of my life, seeing now 
how the necessary flames melted away 
my resistance, revealing all that once 
lay hidden, asleep inside me.

Invitation for Writing & Reflection: Where do you find examples of resilience and strength in your own life? Can you remember a specific time when you came through a fire of your own stronger and
perhaps more aware on the other side? You might begin with the words “Let me endure,” and let
them guide you like a difficult incantation.