Beautiful Tender Mercy
   ©2021 Louise Gallagher 

One day, when you least expect it
 you will stand at the threshold of your heart
 and hear its pounding insistence
 you step across the liminal space between not loving yourself
 and loving yourself with all your being awakened to every beat of your heart.

 In that moment, you must choose between
 staying locked in the darkness of believing your flaws and many imperfections
 are too wide and bulky to fit through the doorway to your heart
 or
 stripping away the heaviness of your belief you do not deserve your love
 because you are so imperfect and scarred and scared of loving yourself
 you will never be free of the fear of loving yourself. 

 To choose to stay locked in darkness  is easy.
 It’s the comfortable shirt you’ve worn forever.
 The one you thoughtlessly put through the washing cycle so often
 you no longer worry about putting the machine on delicate.
 You know this shirt is tough enough to take your abuse.

 But, to risk stripping away the shirt and tearing it to shreds.
 To risk standing exposed with all your scars and scared self naked 
 to the prying eyes of imperfection.

 Ah, well that is the penultimate act of courage you will ever commit.

 One day, you will stand at the threshold of your heart
 and be asked to commit to loving yourself in all your wounded, flawed beauty.

 On that day you will know the sound of freedom is not a song 
 sung by those with the courage to climb every mountain  and ford every sea.

 It is the sound of your heart falling
 deeply in love
 with the perfection of the beautiful tender mercy of being held 
 in the loving embrace of your arms wrapping themselves around your heart
 as you whisper joyfully, I Love You..