“Pray

 that your loneliness

 may spur you

 into finding something to live for,

 great enough to die for.”

                          ~ Dag Hammarskiold (Swedish diplomat, economist, and author - 1905-1961)

“Heaven goes by favor.

If it were by merit,

You would stay out

And your dog would go in.”

~Mark Twain

Good-bye Beloved Chloe

9/23/12

“Until one has loved an animal,

A part of one’s soul

Remains unawakened.”

~ Anatole France

Pajama Pants and Home

God has favored her.

  Gigs to speak.

  Times to teach.

  Songs to sing.

  Writings touching hearts.

  Lives are trained.

  Hearts are changed.

God has favored her.

  Friends surround.

  House is sweet.

  The Lunch Bunch teases.

  The cat cuddles.

God has favored her.

  Writing.

  Painting.

  Singing.

  Playing guitar.

  Wishful drums.

God has favored her.

  Not a lot of money

  But car is good.

  Clothes are bought.

  Savings grow.

  Projects are accomplished.

  Trips are taken.

God has favored her.

  But she left her pajama pants

  By mistake

  In the hotel room

  In the other state

  Where she grew up.

  They are mailing them COD

  To her.

  But how, how

  Can they return

Mt. Juliet, Tennessee

  Her longing

  For her home?

She is favored and so blessed in one place

While her heart loves and longs for another….

The House of Cards

The last one or two cards still stand

But only for a short while.

This card house is almost down.

Gone.

Chapters and book closed.

Her pain throbs because

She knows

This deck of cards

Will never be again.

Yet it's a few, old cards from her past, who,

With a twinkle in their eyes and 

Holy laughter in their hearts,

Feed her raspberry pie

and advise, “Move forward." 

How did they know she was stuck,

Aching for what was behind;

Empty with what is;

Afraid in what might never, ever be?

She grabs the last of the boxes,

Loads a piece of furniture,

Rescues a recipe or two.

Makes polite conversation.

Then says a silent good-bye to the few cards left standing

Before the door is closed,

Before those last cards fall

For good.

And that, that . . . is her hope.
             

"Surely . . . goodness, mercy, and unfailing love 

shall follow me all the days of my life 

and through the length of my days 

the house of the Lord [and His presence] 

shall be my dwelling place." 

~ Psalm 23:6, Amplified Version