“Go! Into the house now!” her father thundered. His elder daughter’s defiant eyes flashed as she stood daring to glare at him. “Go now!” he growled, not with menace but authority. She spun on her heel and fled, slamming the door behind her as she stomped into the house. She, with her mother, had selfishlyContinue reading “The Father’s Care”
Tag Archives: mental health
Hope Deferred
Waiting with prayerful petition Goes on forever at times Months slow turn into decades Years roll languidly byHeart sick heavy with sorrowRefusing to heal, to mend A shroud of heaviness hangingMulling its way in the dim Why yet no answers so wanted Those heartfelt cries to aboveOh to see the great picture See with God’sContinue reading “Hope Deferred”
Fading
Wispy like clouds…that’s how she felt. Stretched for so long it seemed holes were holding her together. No wonder an emptiness invaded. Not depression really, just a void. It was a strange experience, more tolerable the older she grew. Watching changes in her loved ones and friends added to the taste of life distancing…becoming lessContinue reading “Fading”
Our Tombs
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”
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 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”
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”
Those Things Between
What are those myriad things that wash against our souls, tidal waves lapping, churning, that retreat only to return again? Crests that are braved leaving us weathered and worn before the relief of calm, sun’s piercing light scattering the grey, blowing the gale away? What when those tides are words and looks, voice inflections, orContinue reading “Those Things Between”
Braving the Door
“Why am I afear’d to go out the door?” Embarrassment crept around me unbidden, like a specter’s shroud. Had this feeling slithered in under the door or risen up from some long ago wound? Frankly, it felt weird…afraid to go out my door to the front yard? Was I losing my marbles? What was happening?Continue reading “Braving the Door”
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!”
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”
Beyond Vulnerability
She could barely describe the situation, so overwhelming it felt. Yet she knew she could not rely on her feelings… they were capricious, diaphanous, wispy like foggy droplets wafting on the breeze. They were without substance… just feelings. And yet they flew at her like ice pellets in a raging storm. She felt her headContinue reading “Beyond Vulnerability”
Dew Upon The Arbor 