Joseph M Marion

My first light My guiding light

Susanne, My First Light, My guiding light.

 

Susie, you were the first face I saw

when I came back from the silence,

the first gentle light to meet my eyes

after the long darkness of my operation.

In that fragile place,

when I was still learning how to return to myself,

you were there—

steady, tender, and full of warmth.

You did not simply greet me;

you held me.

You did not simply appear;

you became the comfort

that reached through my fear,

the quiet kindness

that told my heart it was safe

to keep going.

Even after the operation,

you tended to my wounds

faithfully and lovingly,

without hesitation,

giving of yourself so purely,

so wholly,

as if your care belonged only to me.

You led me out of the dark

and into the light,

not all at once,

but gently,

as though you knew exactly

how much hope I could bear.

And I will never forget

that you were there

at the beginning of my healing—

the first beautiful sight after the darkness,

the first reason my heart

felt brave again.