Cities cannot shield you from the broken. Everything from broken lamp posts to broken people, and by broken I mean really broken. I mean twisted limbs that don’t function properly, I mean bruised and banged up bodies, I mean broken souls. You have to be blind to not see this but it becomes so much a part of the landscape of the city that slowly you are desensitized.
Instead of helping the woman who walks with two canes, trying to juggle a shopping bag and purse down stairs that don’t accommodate the broken, you think “Oops, I’d help but my train is coming” Worst True Story Ever – it was me.
And I think of Jesus and how he reacted to the broken. How comfortable he was with the broken. They made sense to him. They reflected outwardly what we all are inwardly – broken.
“Blessed are the Broken, For They Shall Be Made Whole!” A cry for the broken in the city. A cry for you and for me.
Marilyn R. Gardner 
Reblogged this on Faithful Realist and commented:
Great thought for the morning. Thank you.
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I’m honored to have you reblog! Thank you.
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Love this Marilyn. (And Denny, I don’t know you, but thanks so much for taking the time to write your personal reflection.)
This discussion reminds me of Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s story, “The Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” about a “broken” angel who brings a community love, connection, healing and even prosperity– but they don’t see it because they can’t see the angel in the strange old man they keep in the chicken coop in their back yard.
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Profound and beautiful! Thank you Denny.
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I’m one of those who walk with two sticks, carry a shopping bag and juggle my purse. I’m so focussed on what i’m doing, and doing it safely, that I often don’t see those around me. If you offered to help I’d smile and say” thanks, but I’m fine” because I’ve sorted my grip on everything, got my balance and if you tried to help me carry something I’d be off balance. So don’t feel bad about needing to catch your train.
The greatest gift you can give the”broken” is to normalise us. I’m not broken, not on the outside, and I’m always working on the inside too.
I”ve become a great problem solver to get around in what is often a challenging, even hostile, environment. That’s been a gift too. Sometimes I stop and look at everyone rushing around me and I’m grateful that I can be relaxed about needing to be somewhere at a particular time – I’ve given myself permission to be late, to not always be where I’m supposed to be (as long as I stay in touch with whoever I’m “letting down”). That’s a gift too.
Jesus was comfortable with everyone because he saw similarities, not differences, and he saw inner, not outer needs.
Respect and admire the ability of people like me to get out and do things that take us out of our comfort zones, but also let it be an inspiration to others to move beyond their areas of comfort.
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Thank you Denny. These were good and wise words borne of experience. I’m so glad you came by and wrote. Your vulnerability allows people like me to learn. Have you seen the short film Butterfly Circus? It’s a moving story that I watched this past week. Much more to say but I will leave it at that and give another big thank you.
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