HARVEST. Spring 2020 | Page 11

Though we were introduced, we did not share our stories with one another. You own a cross; are you religious? You seem to know God; who is that? You mention church but do not go; why is that? When we saw each other again, I had grown up, and you had gotten older. I held your hand at your bedside and tried to tell you about who I’ve become. You called me by my father’s name; the only image you associated with my name was one of a boy. “Mahal kita,” I whispered. I still know little of your language. “What can we share with each other?” I would ask. I am too young to know your life, yet I am too old to claim that I do not know better. There’s a light I found, something so profound that I must tell it to you in full. But what can my words mean to you? I do not know how you will respond, or what you will take away. Will you hear a gentle whisper, or witness some blinding light? who we are. For in all of our stories, there is a common thread. In all of our stories, God was there. In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. Romans 8:26-27 (NIV) Joseph Delamerced is a sophomore concentrating in Education & Health. This one-way conversation often feels fruitless. I do not know what to pray for. I know less what to say. Every day, I grow more frustrated. How often do I have a chance to hold your hand and talk to you? How many more chances will I ever have? As your memories of our times together fade, I need to know: is this how we’ll meet, you and I? I know this is hard. So for a long time, I sat— Your lives are more alike than you think. And I prayed— Isn’t there a story you’d like to tell? And I tried to meet you again. “Let me tell you the story of how we met, He and I.” So in this way, we will know each other. We will know our truths and values, those stories that have stayed bottled within us, the ones we always wanted to share, the ones that shaped 11