choral music by Nell Clowder

Here you are, facing the past,
And when you're not numb, you're angry or grieving.
Here you are, through no fault of your own,
And yet you must walk from this dark place
On your own feet.

You can't see in this dark place
How far you've already come.
You can't feel among these ghosts
How slowly you do come alive.
Afraid to trust, you reach for compassion and say,
"Will I ever get out of this place?"
You will, keep going.

I have passed through that place,
I can breathe now.
I have passed through that place,
I feel clean now.
I am new now, like a quilt made with love from the old,
The discarded, the dear.
I can sing now.
I'm going, I'm going, I'm going on
As best I can.

Here we are, facing this day,
Learning to tell the past from the present.
Here we are, the choices now be our own,
And yet, as we walk down this long path,
We're not alone.

Every tear swells a deep stream
That cleanses and purges shame.
Every lie we refuse
Is a promise to those still innocent.
We'll learn compassion and answer ourselves when we say,
"Will we never get out of this place?"
We will, keep going.

I have passed through that place
…
I'm going, I'm going, I'm going on
With my life.