[almost there]

eyes timid and apprehensive,
pupils delighted by
luminescent hues of refreshing moments.

modest claims of change,
leaves a joyful stain on a face
with cherubic enthusiasm.

Hope--a little worse for wear,
but never out of fashion.

re: Stacks

This song is beautiful.  It's about the burdens that we all carry as human beings or the "stacks" that we accrue over the years as we wade through less than ideal situations--imperfect families, sinful predispositions, death of a loved one, or a death of a dream, unfulfilled expectations and disappointments that lead to meaningful life changes, suffering caused by our own decisions or the decisions of others.  The list goes on.  In the somberness and simplicity of Bon Iver's song, in his recognition of the broken, yet beautiful way that humans continue to strive with their own inherent shortcomings and the shortcomings of others, there is a haunting and freeing sound to his melody.  The last verse of the song says: This is not the sound of a new man or crispy realization/It's the sound of the unlocking and the lift away/Your love will be/Safe with me.  I think of Jesus.  And how anything is possible in His strength.  It's not that He gives us super-human strength. He gives us His reassurance, and a fresh perspective. Yet, even the supernatural strength of the Holy Spirit is immensely practical.  It makes us resilient, while keeping us humble.  And the beauty of resilience is the freedom that we gain from the gradual mitigation of the stacks on our backs, as we pursue emotional and spiritual growth with fervor and passion.