The Hidden Heart

Always moving out along the peripheral. By the time you realize someone is there, she's' already gone by. Peeping out from behind nowhere, she calculates the precise distance and every step between each shadow, corner... the safe-places along the way to where she has to get. It's how she gets anywhere, when she gets out at all.

She's heard, "Oh My God" more times than you can imagine. Freak, Demon, Monster... if she's caught in the open, she knows that's what they'll call her.

Getting trapped somewhere in the open without a stairwell, fire exit, or even a storage closet... like yesterday... that's her nightmare. That's what keeps her from leaving her apartment most of the time.

No mirrors, shinny surfaces, nothing in the apartment returns her image. Since the fire eight years ago, even she won't look at herself. Yes, the fire that she started herself. Living with the fact that she did this to herself is harder than looking at what happened to her.

And recently, there's this dream every night. Back to the fire... back to the worse night of her life. She's never remembered what happened that night after starting it... but this dream seems so real. The Fireman reaches into the flames for her, but the little girl is afraid. Then he takes off his helmet so she can see his face. Come, Lets go through the fire, together, as he picks the little girl up. Who is he and what does it mean?

Father, open our hearts, Lord. Help us to understand why you allow things like this to happen. But more importantly, use us Lord. Give us the strength to get past their appearance long enough to look them in the eyes and say, "I love you... God loves you". Forgive us Lord and fill our hearts with a Love for your people.

I Love you.