After Thoughts

Sometimes light breaks through from even the darkest shadows.  Like springtime after a long winter or dawn after fitful nightmares, the theme of rebirth is not an unfamiliar one.  But when it is healing from disease or a deeper sense of peace, there is no more personal experience of renewal.  There are so many different stories that speak of it - so many ways to search and struggle.  Yet when healing is found, it is as unique as the person who needed it.  And it must be nurtured to persist and grow.  Whether in the assistance of a compassionate nurse or friend or in the mercy of forgiveness, we grow stronger to move forward to a renewed future.

The poems and prose in this issue share not only many stories of struggle and loss but also tell of the unique ways healing and growth were found.  We thank our many contributors for sharing the often deeply emotional reality of life in their carefully and creatively chosen words.  And we thank our readers for continuing to support the journal as we begin our third year of publication.  We hope you will consider purchasing a copy to share with a friend available through our press, The Lives You Touch Publications. and possibly submitting your own work for a future issue.

Thank you again for joining us.

O.P.W. Fredericks, Editor

Daniel Milbo, Assistant Editor