amen..
O my Jesus,
I think of your mother there,
watching you fade before her eyes,
watching your breathing grow ragged and labored,
each breath a struggle
to reach that moment
when you would lay down your life.
Then I think
of another Mary
watching her child die,
dried out
moment by moment,
growing weaker
and frailer.
O Lord,
have mercy on this child
and on this mother,
hold them close in your hands,
keep them near your heart,
give them the strength they need.
Amen.