Stardust to Stardust,

for joy flew with love;

there is hope,

there is truth,

and wonder,

and light…

 

It is not about how many times you fall,

but how many times you rise—

 

What is a new beginning?

It is a prayer for peace,

a hope for kindness,

and the miracle of possibility.

 

Stardust to Stardust,

for joy flew with love

one is the flame, the other the mirror,

both give equal light,

both cast away fear.

 

The banishers of sorrow once stood here,

facing into the wind and the endless power of the humbling sea

They have long since disappeared into Time’s infinity

but their souls stay here,

on the land

in the air,

and with the sea they once claimed for

wonderstruck peace

 

Close you eyes,

focus deep inside,

and listen with your heart—

 

You can hear them,

They were always here,

they were always watching over you,

even when you swore to the stars you had given up all hope,

even when you were determined to lose yourself to the dark;

 

There are those who have let

the darkness run rampant,

letting it snuff out all light within its reach.

 

But again and again, new banishers of sorrow have risen

and faced the darkness.

And again and again, the obstacles that were once impossible

to overcome

are defeated because the light chose to pause,

gather its strength, and flow over

the obstacles in its path.

 

While those who once stood here

have passed into memory,

there will be new banishers of sorrow

and they will come,

here,

where the land meets the sea

and the west meets the east

and you can feel the tingle of magic

on your skin

You have never felt the earth so alive

with your arms spread wide about to take flight.

 

Close your eyes

Focus deep inside

Open your heart

and you will find

that in truth

there is a banisher of sorrow

in you.

 

 

Grace Shanti Sherman

January 2, 2015