Rekindling the flame

As the sun rose on the day after the Referendum

I made my way to the beach.

Not all the results had been declared

But it was clear that dreams of an Independent Scotland

were not to be realised 

My heart was heavy

My spirit subdued.

But as I trudged along the sand

the stillness of an unseasonably warm autumn morning

bathed my soul

as surely as the ebbing tide

bathed the shore.

The sense of the Creator's presence all around-

In the sun creeping over the horizon

In the waves gently lapping the sand

In the quiet and the calm

reminded me

that grief too is a part of life

and broken dreams

are preceded by the spirit of hope.

Hope that cannot be snuffed out

but that continues to burn.

And when part of the dream dies

or is extinguished

the flicker that is left

must work harder

to illuminate the darkness. 

We are not defeated.

People of all hues

The yes and the no

have glimpsed the promised land

albeit from different perspectives.

It is now that, together,

they can step out in faith

to claim that promise

for themselves

and for generations to come.

Hope has not died

but has been rekindled

in ways we would never have imagined.

The fight is not over

but has only just begun.

All is not lost

and there is everything to gain.

And the tasks of grieving

for those who mourn involves 

acknowledging the dream

that we have lost,

gathering up the passion

that remains,

Moving on with renewed energy

and new friendships

to achieve that promised land

that we envisaged

where all are valued,

and where we share resources

with the poor and the vulnerable.

Together we can fan the flicker

of our wavering hope

into the flame

of love and justice

and peace in our land.

We have it in us

to realise the dream 

The work has only just begun.

(Liz Crumlish 19th September 2014)