note to self

    10
    1625

    In the quiver of lies called depression,
    the name of the sharpest arrow is
    You Have Nothing To Say. Forget
    what the flowers told you, or the gift
    from the little one in front of you at
    the drive through when she smiled.

    How can you give voice to the joy of
    a snuggling Schnauzer, or speak to
    the grief that rises with the sun day
    after day? Anything you say will only
    reinforce your insignificance. No one is
    waiting to hear from you. Stay silent.

    Truth is not silent. You must speak
    through the pain, of the pain. Silence
    can’t hold healing. Name the lie. Write
    into the night, fill any page with names
    you can remember, stories you believe,
    songs you know by heart. It matters.

    Peace,
    Milton

    10 COMMENTS

    1. 3 blogs I read every morning – one of my best friends who is a potter like me, yours, and the surf report in Wilmington. All the news, searching, etc. follows. Christ’s blessings on you today – Tom

    2. Milton, you are a beautiful soul.

      I was a lurker here for many months; brought several pastoral colleagues along, and your writings inform our discussion of worship, of music, of community, of our place in the world. I started my blog because I was inspired by yours. Thank you for feeding us. 🙂

      Hang in there, brother. Prayers coming your way.

    3. Dear Milton,
      I have known a lot of people who have suffered from depression, and a couple who have died from it. Thank you for your courage and persistence in fighting against it, and for helping all of us understand life–and Life–just a bit better. You are absolutely correct: Truth is not silent. Peace to you.
      Bob

    4. Milton,

      I don’t think I suffer from depression, but as a writer, I struggle, desperately, with You Have Nothing To Say. Perhaps that’s a form of depression, but it’s debilitating nevertheless, and I know how devastating it is. Thank you for sharing your courage with the rest of us who also have to defeat the lie, day after day. May it flower as beautifully in us as it does in you.

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