Just this today. Ann’s post. I was so touched by her words… brought tears. How shields are also cages, and how women can reach out and help other women heal.  Here’s some of what she says, I can’t repeat it, only quote some of  it:

And when you’ve been hurt, you’re making sure that won’t be happening any time soon and you keep this wary distance from anywhere where you’d have to show the bare underbelly of your tender heart.

But no one tells you that the shields you carry to keep you safe, become the the steel cages that keep you alone.

We can believe that God alone is our security and love is always worth the risk and there is no better investment than reaching out to someone and locking arms and unlocking your heart.

No better investment than finding the time for friendship and the courage to be real and the humility to say we’re sorry.

And distrust can cost us the very richest life of all and the price for being safe can be too expensive and friendship is the only thing that will show up at our funerals.

We can do life together…

And we can hold each other’s fragility and we can forgive each other when we crack an artery, and our hearts will break, and we can pray and grant grace and begin again because we’ve tasted mercy and His name is Jesus.

I am learning to reach out my hand.

…

And our God is a love body and He hates amputations and He sutures our wounds together with the silver threads of community.

In the places of sisters and sinners and souls made saints, we make safe circles around women and together we watch each other’s backs and together we bend down when one hunches over in pain.

And together we pick up the shards of the hearts all shattered,  the Jesus-women making this healing mosaic of grace…

Beautiful, powerful, who can say it like this except one who’s been there, the way she writes… and can’t you just picture it? It’s a message for all women… indeed to all peoples, really. We all have shields, cages. We all need to learn to reach out our hands. “No better investment than finding the time for friendship and the courage to be real…” Yes, Ann, yes.

Just this today, please read her entire post here, worth the time.

http://www.aholyexperience.com/2011/04/how-hurting-women-can-help-each-other-heal/

...and then… intentionally move toward these places she points us to–  to unlock hearts and lock arms, encircle, bend down, reach…and let someone do the same for you… isn’t life too short not to?