Unpack the Backpack Janet’s Light

We suit up every shift, hearts on the line Fire in the veins, sirens in our mind Kid on the table, brother down in the smoke Another call hits hard, and the backpack starts to choke Years of the unseen, the ones we couldn’t save It all stacks up quiet in the dark of every grave Oh, this heavy backpack, full of what we’ve faced Trauma in the lining, grief we can’t erase But we don’t shove it down—no, it only gets heavier We unpack it together, light the candle, feel the air I stand beside you, through the joy and through the pain In the work family circle, we find our way again Janet Childs showed us, back in ’76 Centre for Living with Dying, teaching how to fix What breaks inside the healer when the world falls apart Bay Area CISM, lighting up the dark Forty-five years walking with the hurt and the lost Turning broken pieces into bridges we can cross From out of control to steady in our hands She taught us face it, feel it—make meaning where we stand Resiliency is peace, compassionate and true We bear witness to each other, me and you Not everything can change… but nothing changes ’til it’s faced This heavy backpack—watch it lighten in the light We unpack every burden, turn the dark into flight No more carrying alone, the community’s our shield Healers of the broken, now the wounds begin to heal Janet’s light is shining, showing us the way We stand beside each other… every single day Unpack the backpack… find our grace Thank you, Janet… for lighting up this place