We cannot go back
Time continues to plod on
Look ahead instead
a long story short
Enter at the gate,
They said.
The lights will shine on you,
They said.
The way is not so treacherous,
They said.
The night will not go on so long,
They said.
The dawn will come again,
They said.
Yet dawn did not come for a very long time,
The narrator interjected.
Your heart will be alright someday,
She said.
keep going
Who knows how to keep going
When you cannot see in front of you?
Who has the strength to carry on
Even though the world's gone dark for you?
He built a house without knowing
What it would look like.
He built a legacy with his two bare hands
Not knowing how far it would go.
He fought and sacrificed and worked and gave
His whole life not knowing in the end
Just what it would look like,
Who he would help.
Who makes a difference every day?
They who keep on going.
—
For my great-grandfather Francis and my grandfather Howard.
this valley
Rocks along the shoreline
Never kept me from the goal,
Yet somehow I seem to feel
More barefooted than I ever
Have before.
Cloudy days and
War torn dreams
Set a pace I
Never wanted
For myself.
A valley filled
With tears until
They lap upon the shore
Is where I find myself
Alone—
Sitting at its edge.
find some
Standing in a field surrounded
Unable to see past here and now
Steeped in the past
Steeped in hurt
Until one day
All the world turned green and purple
Filled with love and chances
Filled with hope
Standing on the threshold of the future
Noticing how nothing really changed
Recognizing the problem has always been
Perspective
invitation to act
Open it
Read it
Read it again
Take the time to notice
The nuances of the words
The paper and its fragrance
Hold it
Answer it
With actions
Again and again
Write the rest of the story
That started with
A note
somehow
Popping up out of nowhere
Seemingly
Showing up without an invitation
Or did they
Planning for the future
One day at a time
Springing toward the sunshine
While facing the dark
And it all works out
Somehow
Remember that
It all works out
Tell yourself
Again and again
It all works out
hang in there
Where do we go
from here
What happens
next
Some people
laugh
Some people
cry
Some people
fight
Some people
try
All we really need is
peace
class of 2020
Everyday details
Swept away
Instantly
By an invisible
Monster
Stealing away
Voluntarily
Though unwillingly
Things
We never thought
Would change
Sports games
Theatre performances
Competitions
Friends in hallways
Dances and dates
Driving in cars together
Laughing and passing
Notes from hand to hand
Memories
Never to be made
Even lockers
Did not seem
So very special
Before
—
For my students past and present graduating this year.
I see you. I care. I love you.
getting through
Sunlight is getting through every single day
Even though the clouds are heavy without a break
The light permeates the heartbroken landscape
Even if through pinholes in the persistent dark
Light and dark take turns these days
Yet the light will always win
With every shining ray of warming sun
Yet still we keep turning back forgetting how this goes
Spring reminds us
Dragging us into the warmth of God's love
Shouting at us to look at all the happiness
Waiting for us to soak it up and hold on for more
Spring and sunlight
Getting us through
If we will let them
Show us the way to Him
can we
Can we just go back or fast forward
Can we reach behind to grab some joy
Can we pack it in a basket to use right now
Can we step aside and let this pass
Can we take a road that is not ours
Can we walk together again soon
Can we hold onto something we have yet to see
Can we reach for something we do not know
Can we change the trajectory we were on for good
Can we grasp the idea of tradition made new
Can we generalize our joy into the everyday
Can we move with authenticity and purpose for the future
Can we find a way to stop looking back
Can we look ahead with pure happiness
Can we pick up hope like pebbles on our path
Can we give more thought with our whole souls
Can we strive toward peace and harmony
Can we have peace on earth without a holiday
Can we love better
Can we reach higher
Can we be exceptional
discolored
It could have been so good
With every hue and line
Matching up
Making history
Caught on heartstrings
A genuine masterpiece
In the making
But it takes more than
A nice palette
To create a canvas
Worth holding onto
And it only takes
A few errant strokes
To discolor and disarrange
Something that could have been
So good
prepare yourselves
missing from the routine
created to gather more peace
like harvesting happiness
in spring everlasting
calling to us
beckoning to be ready
soon—it will be soon
to return and receive
all
I don't have a lot to give;
I never really have,
But I reach to give
All I can
And love
With all I am.
always with her
Clothed in love and hope,
She looks upon the world with care.
She breathes in the worries
And exhales hopes and dreams.
Encircled by the warmth of the past,
She walks with strength upon the cold grass.
She finds her footing among the broken rocks
And lengthens her stride along the unknown path.
Covered in redemption and the glory of the Lord,
She faces the future with boundless joy.
She climbs mountains and crosses every river
And remembers her Savior and God are with her.
Easter
Tradition is good
Except when everyone is growing
Up and
Life is upside
Down.
Inventing something
New
To reach young hearts
Now.
Taking something they
Know and
Finding a path.
Easter is
Here.
Offering praise.
everyday things
When time runs out,
What will you leave
For others to find?
When your last day arrives,
What will they think
Of the things you left behind?
Little things might get overlooked or mean the world
Such as handkerchiefs and candlesticks,
Ornaments and letters never sent.
But what about the photographs without names,
The piles of scraps of paper and fabric and lace?
What about the just started journals barely written in?
There is so much,
Too much sometimes,
To remember or count.
When times runs out for me,
I hope you find more than things.
I hope you find the love I gave in every day for you.
it all adds up
It's not a big thing, but it is a gesture.
A gesture of care and hope for the future.
What can we give when words fall short?
What can we do to show what's in our heart?
Little things.
Small and thoughtful,
Simple yet purposeful.
That's what you give and do
When life is throwing curveballs
Left and right
All day
Every day.
Focus on the little things
Because when added up
They become everything
That helps to fill our cups.
each day
blurred
smudged
uncertain
bright
light
certain
persevere
past
unknowns
walk
into
today
watchful
prayerful
hopeful
be
a
light
get some rest
Is it okay to be tired?
Give yourself permission to stop
Thinking too much
Loving people who don't love you back
Holding your breath—
For anything or anyone to come around
It is okay to be tired
But it isn't okay to give up
Doing your best
Keep thinking of others
Keep loving those who will let you
Keep breathing
You are tired now,
So rest.
purple dreams
Standing in place and moving ahead
At the same time;
Walking away and walking toward something—
All in the same breath.
Purple dreams do not wait.
Dreams that push and prod—and entreat
To do big things in small ways
Small steps toward the dream
To do big things in small ways.
Purple dreams stay.
Dreams that take root in your heart like concrete
To tread on and make your way
Toward something wonderful
And real.
Purple dreams awake.
to the wind
We rode out to the edge of something
With a fever and a smile.
We took our happy hearts along with us
But set them somewhere as we went.
We spoke of hope and happiness
Though our feet went another way.
We held onto tomorrow's sunshine
While throwing today's away.
"Start anew," she whispered
When reality showed the truth.
"Walk the road to better times with me,"
She called out to the wind,
Moving in the opposite direction
Of his cold, forgetting heart.
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