The door slammed shut blocking any trace of light entering the pitch black room. He might as well have been dead and buried; the crushing experience was the same. Isolated, abandoned, rejected, ridiculed, he could only cower in a tight ball thankful he could still breathe. He had been beaten and bloodied…again. The boy wasContinue reading “Our Tombs”
Tag Archives: hope
In Glowing Winter Moonlight
Three o’clock in the morning was a ridiculous time to be awake. Frosty thoughts tripped over Rachael’s sleepy mind as she closed the weather app and set her phone down. “Happy New Year,” she frowned shaking her head at the bedside clock flashing <10:00>. “Just great! Who knows when the power will come back on?”Continue reading “In Glowing Winter Moonlight”
Patches of Blue
Storms everywhere crowding meWith spiritual warfare cruelYet beyond great cumulus clouds The sky held patches of blueSome clouds white, others grayDarkness lofty grewYet thunder signs could not blot outVibrant patches of blueBe still my heart, all is well Though pressures fall and risePray, veer from internal storms Look up, still blue’s the skyThroughout the dayContinue reading “Patches of Blue”
The Helmsman
What to do when asked to goInto waters yet unknownMatters not if calm or stormUnfamiliar though they are The Helmsman knows the way How to navigate from deep Through shallow shoals that want to catch Would He who guides forsake us then Leave our ship to list and wreck Forgotten on the way Fear notContinue reading “The Helmsman”
The Strength of His Hand
She wasn’t completely sure who they were, this darling couple and others who came to visit time and again. They called her Momma or Auntie or Nona… who were these people? Her once short coifed hair had grown long and limp, the slow loss of curl and shine reflective of the persistent fading of herContinue reading “The Strength of His Hand”
While Waiting
‘Tis not a final failure when A vessel’s power drops No wind to fill its sails fullSans force it finally stopsEnters doldrums not foreseen “Take charge and sail,” it’s told“Make the choice, demand your way” “Compel the winds to blow” Inept to stir the mighty wind Command, exert its will Rather readies for the changeContinue reading “While Waiting”
Heart Song
As if from the LORD: Shhhh…can you hear the vibration? Beyond the noise of screeching, thumping, whirling? Beyond the voice of opinion, fear, confusion? Can you hear the music My sacrifice brings, conquering earth’s cacophony to touch your heart? Be still…listen. Quiet yourself that your soul might hear My still small voice whispering Love toContinue reading “Heart Song”
The Man on the Curb
Traffic slowed. The right hand lane emptied at flashing lights ahead. At the stoplight an enormous white pickup sat at a slight angle blocking the right hand turn; a man sat on the curb nearby; three police cars parked parallel to the sidewalk faced him and the truck. No other vehicles evidencing an accident wereContinue reading “The Man on the Curb”
Singing to a Flat Soul
Barren as the windswept plains So my soul feels on this day Homeward bound to unknown things Earthly cares a’jumblingTugging on my heart LORD, help me set aside the thoughts Of things I cannot understand And look to You to guide my day Taking burdens from my hands As I trust in You Keep meContinue reading “Singing to a Flat Soul”
Broken for You
“Broken in my heart…then offered to the Father…” These were the words that highlighted her mind as she slowly awakened. Correlations came as she pondered why Christ’s body was broken for mankind. The ultimate offering of self for the uplifting, the nourishing, the restoration of life for others. What exactly did those words mean personallyContinue reading “Broken for You”
The Bluebird
Did a bird in fact flit byBlue iridescence blazing Or was it but a moment’s glimpseMy mind’s eye then amazing Color blazed through gloomy grayOf sky and soul in winter Rarely seen in busy town Mountain birds its kinder Yet blue it flew to bright the dayReminders in my sorrow That gladness pierces even gloomContinue reading “The Bluebird”
Light in the Darkness
People slumbered seeking their pleasureWhiteness covered the moon All that was known could cease without measure Darkness persistent, creeping, determinedThreatened to overtake soon E’en in that nighttime light even greater Beamed n’er extinguishedConstraining the darkBrings hope to masses awake from their slumberShines on a weary world stark Come to the Light here in the darknessContinue reading “Light in the Darkness”
Voices
What voices am I listening toDefining life, how I should beNot only in the world around But also what I think of me Do they tell the truthHave you ever heard inside A voice insisting you are small Diminished in some unique wayNot good enough, somehow wrong Just because you’re youWhen I found in ChristContinue reading “Voices”
Get Up and Walk!
Thinking about our grandson’s requirement to get up and walk after thoracic surgery, I could imagine his pain and the natural guardedness one has when asked to get out of bed and move. Bearing that pain, anticipating more pain, taking courage, receiving help from others, rising up, taking the first step… Like the pain ofContinue reading “Get Up and Walk!”
Entrusting with Hope
So many parents share our hurt A child now grown throws us away Rejects love, the blessings given Denying good we’ve brought her way It hurts, LORD, this rejection deep So well You know the pain we feel Shock, confusion settling in Before air clears to see it’s real Now we must forgive ourselvesOf imperfections,Continue reading “Entrusting with Hope”
Walking With Hope
We two walked there arm in arm Speaking in low voiceShe allowed me to hold on Surprised me with that choice I saw her there in my dreams Our daughter now estrangedMy firstborn a treasured giftWhom I long to see again Long suffering my heart does yearnFor closeness we once shared Before events of lifeContinue reading “Walking With Hope”
Celebrating Freedom
What joy to live in such a placeThat holds freedom high With gratitude for such a gift Think long what brought it by It is a gift, hard fought and wonA gift through sacrifice A gift to treasure and protectBought with excessive priceFree to live and to thriveTo seek the truth to know Realities ofContinue reading “Celebrating Freedom”
The Lost Cat
Dreaming vividly I awakened, my mind still engaged in technicolor drama, scenes playing on throughout the day. Was the dream somewhat prophetic… a harbinger of events of tomorrow’s meeting? Or just my mind’s imaginings? Nearly fifty years ago I unexpectedly plucked a tiny kitten from an icy November night. She ultimately warmed the cold andContinue reading “The Lost Cat”
To Be Known
Who am I? Does anybody care about me? Am I lovable? What’s my identity? Am I good enough? All through life the need to be loved and known are cries of the human heart. From those first baby wails of “Help me! Feed me! Make me safe!” we need attention, deep down inside. It isContinue reading “To Be Known”
The Gift of Irritation
Perhaps we are gifted With a thorn of irritation To help us see within ourselves Our own throbbing situation I wonder why a teller’s stance Never seems to change And sigh deep within myself‘Oh, here we go again!’Pricks of aggravation Settle o’re my countenance Listening to the same old tomeHearing heartfelt elegance Then contemplate whyContinue reading “The Gift of Irritation”
Cloaks of Identity
“Belonging comes before identity. Ownership births purpose. Someone speaks whose we are, and out of that we become who we are. It’s just the way the heart works…” —Charles Martin, Keeper of Water. Having recently finished Keeper of Water, the above quote has resonated in my soul. Somewhere deep in one’s being there is thatContinue reading “Cloaks of Identity”
Beneath the Ventilator
As the woman lay flaccid she barely felt the tube placed into her airway, emergency treatment to correct her failed breathing. Her body raged with pneumonia and infection, her temperature high, her fluid levels low as dehydration became worse. Completing the intubation the paramedics hovered over her, administering oxygen while providing respiratory support via ambuContinue reading “Beneath the Ventilator”
Skating Blind
She touched his face, and then again after a spin, as though orienting herself to him as the music started. I was mesmerized by the gracefulness of both these young skaters, he in a dark suit, she in a gossamer short dress. There was an air of innocence in their demeanor, that kind of purityContinue reading “Skating Blind”
Victim or Victory
When reading posts on Facebook (mine included), I find at times a thread of victimhood that raises its hoary head. It knocks on my door of awareness, and breaks my heart for those ensnared, captured in ways perhaps they do not yet recognize. That has certainly been my life’s experience. As the windows of myContinue reading “Victim or Victory”
On the Brink of Eternity
Someone said she was dying. Decades before her grandson-in-law had quipped, “We are all dying a little bit each day, from the day we were born.” Well, that was understandable… yes, we grow, and as each day brings us closer to our earthly end, one could say we are all on the dying continuum. SeemsContinue reading “On the Brink of Eternity”
Dew Upon The Arbor 