Softest voice. Gentlest hands.

When I’m browsing Facebook and come upon a poem so deeply moving that it makes me weep, I feel compelled to share it.

(The poem is below. The above quote was shared in the Facebook comments; it’s so perfect I had to use it here.)


when I am tested by the complexities of
our modern world, I retreat to the simplest truth I have slowly come to understand:

I cannot hush the roar of a hurricane
or persuade an earthquake to spare the walls I’ve built for my home

my influence on this life is small and I control very little

except for:

1) the softness of my voice
when I speak to myself—

and

2) the gentleness of my hands
when I reach for others

my love,

if we hold fast to
these two things,
how can either of us
fail this great exam
we all must take?

~ john roedel