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
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