The following was written for people who hold for others.

The Holders

We hold for you

We hold for families

We hold for communities and agencies and systems large and small

We are the holders

You know not what we hold

Because we hold in silence

Yes some pieces we are required to share for safety reasons – trust us when we tell you – those are few and far between what we hold – like the tip of an iceberg – the larger mass is not seen

Our minds and bodies and guts are full of what we hold

And we respect that silence so much that although we do have natural human reactions to what we hold …

We remain committed to our profession

At some cost, some days, some seasons

But we honor our holding

To hold is to carry, to protect, to feel the weight, to embrace, to grasp

To hold is also to feel, to contain, to bear and to suspend

Holders do all this

As a holder, our container has no limits – or so we hope

Our ability must be strong – to let what we hold flow in and out in silence

All while allowing space for more to hold

Sometimes holding feels like an internal sieve sorting through pieces

Sometimes holding feels more like an open gate where pieces can easily wash through

And then sometimes… holding feels like a large boulder that sits just above our stomach and close to our chest … almost interfering with breathing…. almost

Holding requires keeping our holding muscles and cells in shape

Ready to hold … without becoming

To hold and stay objective

To hold and be silent

To hold and hold some more

Holders know each other and without any words, understand what the internal holding world is about

Deep holders have senses that go beyond the five you know about – there is not a good word for that sense

And when holders reach some undefinable maximum capacity – which is usually not known until it happens-  something unexplainable, something close to resiliency but more

Takes over and after some time, space, self-care, processing, and deep, internal commitment to the holding

A holder finds themselves ready to hold again

In silence

Holding is an art and a privilege and a burden

If our holding enables another to release, grow, or heal

Then our holding opens a path to freedom and we will claim from a place so deep and peaceful …

We are the holders.