I am about four years old.
I am in the family home
where I grew up
in Derry.
In the corner of the living room
is a coffee table
that my Daddy made.
I am lying underneath it.

This is my hiding place.

Jesus comes into the living room
and kneels down on the floor
beside the coffee table.
He stretches out his hand to me.
I take it and try to smile.
I fail.

“What’s up?”, Jesus asks.
“I’m sad,” I reply,
“I just feel really heavy inside.
I don’t know why
and I don’t know what to do about it.”

Jesus squeezes my hand.
“It’s okay to feel sad, you know.
We all feel it sometimes
and we don’t always know why.
It’s hard,
but it’s part of being human.
Don’t be afraid of it.
Allow yourself to feel the sadness
and it will pass. “

I wriggle out from my hiding place
and crawl over to sit beside Jesus.
We sit on the floor,
his arm around my shoulder
and rest
together.

© Claire Murray