Last week I caught bits and pieces of a song sung by John Gorka on the Morning Show on MPR. I hadn’t been actually focusing on what was on the radio. Instead I was probably thinking of the things I hadn’t finished yesterday or planning my words carefully for a meeting I was about to attend. When the words "I am writing in the margins" grabbed my attention, I realized it was song of longing and of war. The voice dreamed of being spared in a war he had not prepared for, felt ill-equipped to fight, one whose leaders and intentions he questioned. I would think this probably fits the description of most who have found themselves in that place.
As someone who is a perpetual student, I am always writing in the margins of books I am reading. Sometimes these words are questions or arguments I might have with the author. Other times there are words of agreement usually accompanied by exclamation points to show I have found a voice that shows I have found a kindred spirit. On occasion there is a note to look something up or check a fact or source. Writing in the margins allows for only the short, pithy thought.
"I am writing in the margins, notes to you and me, because the pages are all filled up, with what is yet to be…..I am writing in the margins getting closer to the edge….I am writing in the margins this day all I need to fix…." These are just some of the lyrics of this song filled with pain and yet such hope.
I expect we have all, either literally or figuratively, written in the margins of our lives. We make a mental note in the margins of our days to make a call to a family or friend we’ve lost contact with. We write in the margins of our hearts those little moments we don’t want to forget…..a child’s first step, a partner’s sweet word, the tender touch of a compassionate caregiver, a fleeting moment of hopefulness. We write in the margins of faith the prayers for the ones who are struggling with illness, fear, anxiety, injustice, despair.
Writing in the margins……not big, lofty thoughts. But the ones that really matter.