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Refiner’s Journey
Providence deposited me at the mouth of winter’s midnight. The parchment, pressed against my bare flesh, seeped its siren song into my bones. I hadn’t counted on the world’s fortuitous sendoff nor the reciprocal sovereign hand that reached for me. But here I am. The path ahead looked dismal. Dense fog curled itself around the faintest of light, sucking it down like a ravenous child eating supper in the presence of death. Who was I to question my circumstances? I held the ticket, purchased with autonomy and expectation. Of course, I was wrong. The sky wept openly, soaking what little covering I wore. It weighed me down like chains, sticking…
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Affliction
Afterward, I sense the rawness of Flesh scorned throughout. Felt, falling, feverish Like death in slow motion. Incredulously crooked side-stepping Casually stopping on the underside Til breath lies extinguished. Innate darkness seeping Out of yesteryear springs flow. Night perishes into morrow.
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Out of Winter, Spring
This piece was originally written on December 19, 2016, and has been lightly edited for clarity. It reflects a season of profound trial, marked by the near loss of my mother and the enduring reality of my son Joshua’s medical journey. The year prior, he had been diagnosed with a rare terminal neurodegenerative disease. During this period, he underwent complex spinal surgery followed by serious complications that required an additional hospitalization. I share this reflection not to revisit hardship, but to bear witness to the faithfulness of God in the midst of it. The temperature outside is frigid, the ground cold, dead, and hard. December may conjure warm memories for…
C.L. Stansberry
"Guided by truth, stirred by story, ever pressing toward the long tomorrow.”
