Beginning Again

The Land of Beginning Again
by: Louise Fletcher

I wish that there were some wonderful place
Called the Land of Beginning Again
Where all our mistakes and all our heartaches
And all of our selfish grief
Could be dropped like a shabby old coat by the door
And never be put on again.

I wish we could come on it all unaware
Like the hunter who finds a lost trail
And I wish that the one whom our blindness has done
The greatest injustice of all
Could be at the gates like an old friend that waits
For the comrade he’s gladdest to hail.

We would find all the things we intended to do
But forgot, and remembered too late;
Little praises unspoken, little promises broken
And all of the thousand and one
Little duties neglected that might have perfected
The day for one less fortunate.

It wouldn’t be possible not to be kind
In the Land of Beginning Again
And the ones we misjudged and the ones whom we grudged
Their moments of victory then
Would find in the grasp of our loving handclasp
More than penitent lips could explain.

For what had been hardest we’d known had been best
And what had seemed loss would be gain
For there isn’t a sting that will not take a wing
When we’ve faced it and laughed it away,
And I think that the laughter is most what we’re after
In the Land of Beginning Again.

So I wish that there were some wonderful place
Called the Land of Beginning Again
Where all our mistakes and all our heartaches
And all of our selfish grief
Could be dropped like a shabby old coat at the door
And never be put on again.

One of my most cherished possessions was a book my mother had given me titled The Best Loved Poems of the American People. Alas, I lost the book when our house burned about ten years ago. To this day the above poem is one of my favorites. During my darkest days when I could see no way out of the mess I had made my life. I was stuck; hopeless, battered, soul-dead and weary, bitter, lost, and lonely; yet surrounded by people who called themselves "friends." This poem represented a hope, a wish. I read it so many times I could almost quote it in its entirety.

Praise God, I have found the true land of beginning again and the King of that wonderful place is Jesus! Just like that shabby old coat, I dropped my old life at the altar and walked through the door of forgiveness and restoration. Oh, I have suffered the consequences of my actions and decisions. Let’s just call them what they are, sins. But those consequences are a strong reminder of the grace of a living and loving God that gives beyond measure and loves beyond human reasoning. And while sometimes the road of life is long and winding, "up hill in the snow both ways" and the struggles are real. Life itself is no longer a struggle.

As I think back to those days when I tried to wash away the worries, heartache, and disappointments with a bottle of vodka and the 'pill of the week'…the times I contemplated death and took my own life as I picked up a pen and paper and died a thousand times with the written word. I am so thankful that someone somewhere was praying for my salvation. I can now see all those seed-planters along the way.

To now know that God has a plan for my life...that I am in His hand, that He is the great protector, the provider, and the giver of life, the lover of my soul… I am amazed and thankful that this joy I have is eternal! Though at times I will be sad, I will experience troubles...His hand is there guiding all the way. I have to stop here and just say, Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty who was and is and is to come. His mercies are renewed daily and I rest in His presence.