a blessing for the ones who have always been known
you began in the dark.
before the first cry.
before the first name.
before the world placed any expectation on your shoulders.
you were held.
you were known.
you were loved.
not for what you would become.
not for what you would achieve.
not for how well you would follow the rules
or fit into the boxes
or carry the weight of other people’s comfort.
you were loved
just because you were.
because you existed,
curled up in holy quiet,
carried toward the light
by the one who bore you
in body or in hope.
and still...
that knowing has never left you.
though you may forget it,
though the world may cover it up
with layers of “should” and “not enough”
and “why can’t you just”...
you are still
completely,
utterly,
achingly
known.
you are shaped
by the people who held you.
by the places you’ve stood.
by the pain you’ve endured.
by the beauty you’ve glimpsed
and the love that tried... imperfectly,
but earnestly, to show up for you.
you are shaped by the names you’ve taken on.
and the ones you’ve had to shed
to stay alive.
you are shaped by silence,
by song,
by the stories that live in your bones
and whisper,
remember who you are.
and still,
there is this pull...
to become.
not the becoming others demand.
not the tidy, quiet, well-behaved kind.
but the raw, honest, truth-soaked kind.
the kind that asks hard questions.
the kind that sheds the armor.
the kind that says,
i will no longer be what i am not.
and here’s the miracle:
you don’t have to become someone new
to be whole.
you are not unfinished.
you are not behind.
you are not broken
just because the world didn’t make space
for your softness
or your strength.
you are becoming, yes...
but only into more of what you already are.
you are dust and breath.
story and scar.
glory and grit.
named by the one
who knew you
before any of this began.
and who still knows.
and still sees.
and still calls you good.
A beautiful video showing the artistic process of Rev. Casey Wait, presented at Montreat Youth Conference. Learn more about her work at https://www.caseywaitart.com/