paradox--to Gabby Giffords

Some simple truths

The shortest answer is often the most elegant.
The weakest moment in our lives can also be the moment where we show real strength.
The woman who struggles to speak truth is heard in a way that the easily eloquent woman is not.

Gabrielle Giffords.

She is a survivor and a victim at once.
Her struggle to overcome an assassin's bullet forced her to leave office,
but her voice now may be said to be more widely heard than ever before.

We might struggle to remember speeches that politicians gave in the past,
But there is not one person who can forget her voice
Reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

Her words once were easy and free.
Now they are carefully placed and thought through
Every one of them.

She works hard to say them,
And her public hangs on to every one of them.

Gabby, I am newly come to Arizona
Newly come to the Democratic party,
Not at all sure of my bearings.

I did not know you before that day in January,
A day I now commemorate with my school,

We remember and we grieve,
And we look at you and marvel.
I know that your struggle is by no means over.
I know that day by day
You work and strive and suffer
To achieve what was once done without thought.

But Gabby,

You are still valued, still important, still a spokesman.
You represent my community, my state, my heart.
Every time I see you achieve a new goal,
It reminds me that evil does not long stand
When good men
and women
work together.

God bless you, Gabrielle Giffords.
May he continue to heal you and make you strong,

But until that day,
Please remember that your weakness is your strength.
Truth doesn't need thousands of words.
Truth shows herself in actions.
And your actions show you to be a woman of strength,

I pray that as they observe your strength
Others will realize that they, too, can learn to be strong.
And may your refusal to back down help them to stand up for themselves as well.

Because in weakness there is strength,
In hope there is a release from despair,
And perfect love casts out all fear.