The Scars That Leave a Lasting Mark

James Anthony Ellis
Legacy Editor

This prose comes after a lifetime of scars and the lessons and experience that comes from them. Receiving something positive from loss has been termed “post traumatic growth” in some circles; some have quoted “no pain no gain.” and “what doesn’t kill me makes me stronger.” In my time in MDI, I have learned that to deal directly with life’s upset and then take an action around it gets me in touch with the source of my power.

The wonder of the wound, the sacredness of the scar 
Carrying life experiences, no matter where we are 
Scars physical, emotional, mental … those of the soul
Those that truly take the highest and deepest of toll
Those that do appear when we reveal them to others
And those that we’d rather keep undercover 
They may fade from view as time and space moves on
Though some invisible scars may never be gone 
Ripping of flesh, or breaking the innocence of heart 
These are the scars that leave a lasting mark

The father who didn’t respond to an outreached hand
The sibling who never could really understand
The bully who held you down against your will 
The first girlfriend or boyfriend who lives in there still 
The burn of the first loss in the game on the field of play
The chasm of miscommunication where you had nothing left to say
The judgment of the awful teacher whose grade just wasn’t fair
The avoidance of the faithless friend who just didn’t care
The cuts, bruises, abuses and, yes, deaths that tore you apart
These are the scars that leave a lasting mark

There is no healing for the scars that leave a lasting mark
No healing for the scars that leave a lasting mark
No healing for the scars that leave a lasting mark
No healing … needed

Elevated to another state in a mind that can see God’s grace
The lines that etch life experiences across our face
Chiseling on uncarved block, we live a life educating a soul
On the world’s stage, playing out every single role
Burning through karma and dharma, as we rise from the ashes
Of illumination, there will be glimmers and flashes
Seeing the truth behind the murky shadows on the wall 
Until the realization of the real world, the garden before the fall
Sinning and soiled, we had to rise above to uncharted heights
Surrendering to divine will, releasing the wars, battles and fights
The lessons earned, after sadness ceased and after tears were cried
The lessons learned, when truly embraced and then applied
Through the pain and the trauma, there is progress and then growth
Awareness gained, experience grasped, we sit in communion with the Holy Ghost
Yes, we wouldn’t realize our light without first encountering the dark
In the end, this will be the scar that leaves a lasting mark
This will be the scar that leaves a lasting mark