a view from the shadows

if you find yourself doubting
your ability to nurture
the very heart that needs it most--
your own--
know that you are not alone
and that we all sit in the shadows
of our perceived inadequacy at times.
even as the spring awakens,
even as the sun lingers longer,
even as the birds sing out.

please remember that your view from the shadows
is merely a view from the shadows,
not an accurate reflection
of the beauty of the moment,
the day,
the month,
the year,
your life.

and maybe as you're sitting,
back perched up against the oak bark trunk
that casts its covering around you,
you can lean into that absence of light
and quietly whisper, "i feel you--
i see you,
i breathe you in,
and trust that you matter in my life--
as a reminder of how deeply
my heart longs for light,
as a reminder of how fully
my heart knows how to hold it."