Love wins.

there is so much that i do not understand
but i am beginning to understand
that God is love
and justice
and mercy
and hope.

That every good & perfect thing comes from him
like the goofy joy of a baby so happy that he kicks his feet and giggles
and the sunrise after a long and frightening night
and a hand to hold
and the memory of a love long lost
but so very good and sweet
and my grandmother's vegetable soup and Reubens
and a tiny girl no longer hungry
nor given to shame.

The heart of an old curmudgeon 
that welcomes a new friend
or forgiveness asked
and received
or spring
without violence
and saturated in new freedoms
on wobbly legs…
these speak to me
whisper a reminder 
in the dark night of my soul –
love wins.

Across the desert
through the trees
the snapping of jaws
and slithering of snakes
the winds of worry
gales of grief
and vast emptiness
of faith flung
into the salt flats –
the whisper makes its way
and finds us;
Love wins.

We cannot define it
corrupt it
box it
cage it
kill it
hang it on a cross
or drown it.

Ultimately
life prevails
and
Love wins.

So what do we do with this information?
Wait for another
to do the work
clean up our mess
carry our broken enemies
shield us from the uncomfortable truth
and bury the dead?