CHAPTER 1
My Prayer
God manifests His Love
Over all the earth to us
Daily.
Listen to Him
Invite Him into your Heart.
Value His mercy. Feel His
Energy within your heart, mind, body, and
Soul.
Intercede for us, O Lord.
Never leave
Us, we pray. You are our
Savior, Lord, and Friend. Amen.
God Comes
God is wholly true and wise.
He comes to us in Holy disguise.
It may be that He is a nudge to our heart;
Or causing it to leap with a flying start.
Feelings are his Holy mode of presence.
Love, hope, joy, and peace bring His essence.
Come, O Lord, fill me with Your glory shone.
That I might live for you, for you and you alone.
Trust
Can it be that I mistrust?
Can it be that I lack faith?
Help me, Lord, to know you true.
Teach me, Lord, what you would have me do.
The Enemy
I know who my enemy is ...
He comes at me through my
imagination and visions ...
On many occasions, as he raises the bar
of emotions, I rise to match him ...
Only to have my emotions taken out of rhythm.
Relax, rest in what I know of God ...
Walk there in His steps aright, and
where His feet have trod ...
I know who my God is ...
Trust in Him Alone ...
Doing God's Will
How can I know I do God Will?
When I read God's Word, and recall it when needed.
When my heart leaps when I see,
hear, or feel something
And it is heeded.
Sometimes I ignore the sign God gives,
Right in my heart, right where He lives.
But he doesn't forget, he gives me a nudge
To my regret, I begin to fudge.
For sometimes, it takes a two by four
For me to follow Him a little bit more.
That is when He becomes insistent.
Until my following becomes more consistent.
With prayer, meditation, and watching for signs,
And reading carefully between the lines,
I have learned God is a God Divine.
He is within me all of the time.
Grace
Within a heart with beauty fair,
Is a love residing there.
Whose light splinters the black contours of the night,
Casting sun rays to glitter the darkened sight.
Dark night of the soul is o'er,
Dawn's brilliant hues before thee soar.
Regrets
So many times have I done wrong in my life,
And I see the harmful, painful ripple
effects I have left behind.
Lord, help me to right some of them,
And throw others aside.
Relying on Jesus the fences to bind.
Treasures
Hidden away in the recesses of my heart,
Are the boxes of treasures that I have gathered.
Some are set apart.
Others are works of creative art.
Music, family, friends, faith
What are the treasures that fill your cart?
Butterflies
Flying here and fluttering there.
Touching moonbeams and rays of golden sunshine.
Goes the lowly butterflies
Whose feeding on nectar brings
us flowers of every kind.
To delight the soul.
Journey
I have treated my journey as a race ...
All along trying to keep up the pace ...
From time to time, I've come to halt ...
Stopping by a looming fault ...
Gazing closely and deep within
I have found more of me there in.
After I stripped the tragedy of sin.
I have found virtue and grace its twin.
Not letting the dew of grace outpour,
Instead going on in search of more ...
Oh that I would treasure this trip,
Drinking in the greatness of each sip.
Love, beauty, and grace here in the murmur.
Taking time my soul to nurture.
Taking time my soul to nurture.
Question
What is my passion?
What is my purpose?
Whom do I give my affection?
Whom do I trust with a sense of oneness?
Let me search the void ...
I have found God.
Hope
I have set my sails for the far away shore.
Here to turn my heart no more.
Though the seas are rough and stormy,
I see ahead seas that are calm and balmy.
Riding the waves of tempest seas
With much goodness, grace, and ease
For God is always by my side,
To mount the rising thundering tide.
Tomorrow is another day.
Tomorrow is another day.
Stillness
There was silence sustained throughout
much of this day ...
Fruitful silence in which my thoughts did play ...
Through written form in a communique,
The thoughts came like droplets in a waterfall display.
When at last the speech did form,
Talk was out of character ...
Out of the norm.
Phrases here, stillness there.
Offered up as silent prayer.
Quiet.
Addiction
The man was found dead from a heroin overdose,
There, but for the grace of God go I.
The woman got behind the wheel drunk,
There, but for the grace of God go I.
We all have an addictive behavior
of one sort or another,
We are not better off than our brother ...
Is just a different kind or other.
There, but for the grace of God go I.
Joy
Alone in my thoughts and praise to the Lord,
Listening to music, responding to every chord.
When a song plays, only by chance ...
Then I rise to sing and expressively dance ...
Joy comes in many forms,
Smiles, music, dance, and even in the
Aftermath of the wildest of storms.
Alleluia
In the quiet stillness of the night,
Until the first rays of the early morning light,
Prayer and worship come with ease,
Like the flowing of a cool, gentle rippling breeze.
May God accept this humble offering,
Blessing my soul with a purifying watering,
Of grace, joy, peace, and love,
From our Creator who reigns above.
Alleluia.
Desolation
Being in a quagmire of despair,
A soul in need of repair,
Turmoil within and without,
Letting out a cry and a desperate shout,
Hurt, pain, and weakness
Seem to be the only feelings alive in the bleakness.
Hanging on by a thread,
When will my heart be fed?
When I turn around and look
I see the sparkling, bubbling brook,
Of what it was before this trial began ...
Of radiant grace which there ran.
The desert here is a sign,
Of how we grow by God's design.
How do we here cope?
God gives us the grace of Hope.
Reflection
Winter seems to bring a fresh blanket of snow
Or temperatures that dip to an all time low.
We wonder will this season ever come to an end?
Are we entering into a new season's trend?
Let us think about the blessings in the making.
Forced reflections for the taking.
The brilliance of this blanket of white,
Reminds us of the garment of light,
Given to one after the application of chrism
And anointing of water in the Sacrament--Baptism.
New life is coming and will emerge.
After the purifying and the purge.
What Ifs
What ifs seem to control my life,
They seem to control my calm and my strife,
What ifs seem to determine how I will act,
Let me move from what ifs to accomplished fact.
Control
Much of what we seem to do,
Is determined by each cluttered clue.
Let us, instead, put God in the driver's seat,
And we, as the passenger, complete the feat.
Then our days will be ordered by God,
And we will have grace where-e'er we trod.
Angels
Angels come in many shapes and sizes,
In many forms and many disguises,
Some will help, some to heal,
Some to teach, and some to steal ...
Let us take pause of each moment of life,
Thanking God for intervention and for strife ...
Each angel is the elixir of life ...
Each angel is the elixir of life ...
The Son is leading by the staff of life.
The Father is teaching eternal life ...
And through the Spirit the breath of life.
And through the Spirit the breath of life.
Thank you, Father, for the angels that come to me,
May I more aware and thankful be,
For all the angels approaching me.
For all the angels approaching me.
Thoughts
A volcano lies silently beneath the surface of me.
The turmoil that threshes inside this foaming sea,
Churning, boiling, calling, crying to escape.
Finely squeezed, like the wine
from a Chardonnay grape.
Expelling the words that are thrashing there,
Spewing them out into unexpectant air.
Then the silence, then the peace ...
Then the exquisite calm of sweet release.
Then the calm of sweet release.
The Trial
Putting past resentments and disappointments to rest,
Comes after a questioning trial; a
thought-provoking quest.
Whether they will pop up again with
their all consuming wrath,
I can not answer for I know not my path.
But for now, I will shut the door.
Oh, not wanting to open it more,
Praying only for God's grace to outpour.
And for my spirit on wings to soar.
Taking me to heaven's peaceful shore.
Once more.
The Promise
The Covenant was made, faithful and true
Love declared by me and by You.
Bound for a lifetime of promise unbroken.
Vows made aloud and those unspoken.
Even when troubles and sorrow abound.
Even there is gracious love yet found.
The Meltdown
The early mountain thaws bring rivulets of snow
Into the streams traveling far down below,
Splashing into a great river's under-tow,
Lazily meandering from place to place,
Then into the ocean's encompassing embrace.
Like the wanderings into grace
The soul which love will encase.
Despair
When you have hit an all time low,
And it seems there is no place to go,
Trust in the blessings that around you show ...
For you are loved more than you will ever know.
Communion
We are always in need of stuff from heaven;
Manna from on high
Give this day our daily leaven.
Hope in abundance to lead us nigh.
The Presence
When will Jesus be recognized?
Among the worldly and the wise?
In the tenement dweller and migrant worker;
In the banker and the world leader?
He is present in all about.
Those in Church and those with out.
Can you see Him in your neighbor?
Can you see Him in the Congress Chamber?
He is there, if we but look.
As a child reading a picture book.
Wind
Majestic evergreen swaying gently
in the morning breeze.
Sign of the wind's formidable decrees.
Nothing can move it, but a wind most fair,
Sightless, mindless, with strength to spare
It can heal, cool, and sooth like lotion;
Yet, we can move within air's motion,
Let's be thankful for this gift of nature.
Come to us from a beneficent Creator.
Learning to Trust
Trusting in humans has its limitations.
Sometimes there's hurts, and sometimes frustrations,
Sometimes promises unfilled,
Sometimes fear in us instilled.
These put up walls within our hearts,
From these, the barriers of love imparts.
Facing our hurts, frustrations, and fears,
Comes with courage and the shedding of tears.
Embracing our wounded inner child,
Let us ask for guidance from Mary, Our Mother Mild.
Waiting
Waiting keeps me out of the moment
For in anticipation I lose present enjoyment.
Waiting for my morning coffee,
Waiting for the morning calls,
Waiting for what comes next daily,
Means I miss what now befalls.
Though this might seem small and trivial,
This time of waiting is not immaterial.
For learning to wait expands in us our patience.
Which in the end, leaves us with a lovely fragrance.
So don't worry, waiting has its own elegance.
FAITH
Faith is built on trust.
A gift from God
It gives us hope,
That we have a future,
Hallelujah.
To the Spirit
Moving in like a cat unseen,
Stealthily, silently it comes upon the scene.
We never know when He will appear,
To give us strength to persevere.
O gentle, sustaining Paraclete,
Take us unto Mercy's Seat.
O Gracious Wisdom, God's own Dove,
Fill us with God's Grace and Love.
The View
We look to the heavens in amazement and awe,
At the beauty and tragic flaw.
Black holes may exist and be full of matter.
Giving us pause and thoughts of impending disaster.
This is no different than the dread that fills our souls,
For their dark nights are like the darkest black holes.
Yet, in their midst, let us remember to take heart,
For with us, Our God will remain, never more to part.
Ours is only to recognize Him,
Acknowledging we have many times
followed our own whim.
Turning away from our gloom and deceit,
Toward our selfish side, seems to bring its own defeat.
Yet in that darkness, may lie a piece
of us we have hid away.
Something we need to complete the day.
So here we have a choice to make:
Into the beauty of the starry lit night; or
Into the hole which sheds not its light.
What view will I see in my panoramic sight?
No matter our choice, there will be found the Light.
Anticipation
What lightness of heart bright
sun shiny days do bring!
Hopes that winter's over and on will come spring.
Attitudes improve, and spirits arise,
Marking winter's impending demise.
As the temperatures soar, and snows melt away
We look to the dawn of a brand new day.
One full of hope and expectation.
We long for Spring with great anticipation.
Much like Easter which highlights our year.
Taking away guilt and pain; sorrow and fear.
The Armor
Surrounded in truth;
Clothed in righteousness;
Wearing shoes designed for peace.
These are the items we wear this day.
Carrying a shield of faith;
A helmet of salvation;
And the Word of God
These are items we carry this day.
This is our initiation day ...
Our Confirmation Day.
Blessings
Thank you for lessons missed; they keep us seeking;
And those learned; they tell us You are loving.
Thank you for gifts given; they tell
us You are charity itself.
And those earned; they tell us to
keep searching for Yourself.
Thank you for promises broken;
for they teach sacrifice.
And those kept; they tell us of
Your sacrificial promise.
Thank you for dreams fulfilled; they
tell You will always be there.
And those unmet; because they
tell us we will suffer here.
Thank you for words of acceptance;
they tell we are Yours.
And those of refusal; for God restores.
Thank you, Lord, for all things;
That in all things we may find blessings.
The Giving
Anticipation full of exquisite yearning and desire ...
Expressively needing, wanting, desiring release ... .
Yet holding out until it can be held no longer ...
Consumed completely by an ocean
of calm and peace....
All that I am is Yours ...
In You my heart soars ...
Coming to land on Your Sacred Shores.
To rest in the heart of the One who endures.
I am Yours.
In the quiet, gentle, stillness of the moment,
Caressed by Christ's atonement,
My heart in overwhelming gratefulness,
Feels His warm and loving tenderness.
Exquisite peace and soul's fulfillment
In the contentment of the commitment.
In You my heart soars ...
All that I am is Yours ...
Questions
What makes a house a home?
Is it not the people that live therein?
What makes a house a home?
Is it not warmth and loving gestures within?
What makes a house a home?
Is it not the virtues lived among the kin?
Learning
I am a constant learner; searching,
searching, searching.
Searching for fulfilment; yearning,
yearning, yearning.
Yearning to find the answers;
grasping, grasping, grasping.
Grasping when I find it; in the everlasting.
Then the cycle again; beginning,
beginning, beginning.
I am a constant learner; searching,
searching, searching....
Searching and ending in the everlasting.
In the everlasting.
In the everlasting.
Lent
The prophets of old called the people to repent,
Just as we are called to do each Lent,
They were called to give up their gods and idols,
And return to God, for He would have no other rivals.
It is the same for us as we begin this Holy season,
As we think of how to repent;
Our love for God to deepen.
Maybe it is doing away with a habit or sin,
Instead, adding a grace or virtue deep within.
Let us not take this time of repentance casually,
Instead make it part of our spirituality.
Yes, as we begin this Holy season,
Let us think of how to repent.
Our love for God to deepen.
Snowflakes
Snowflakes are wondrously and carefully made,
Under a magnifying glass we see
their beauty displayed.
Yet on the surface, they look all the same,
When we look closely, their beauty proclaim:
There are dendrites and columns
and needles and plates;
Stars and bullets and hexagonal plates;
Triangular crystals and irregular shapes.
All are different and various kinds of flakes.
There is not one that is identical,
Yet they are very, very symmetrical.
We humans are much the same as these beauties,
On the surface the same, but with different identities.
We need to look within to see who we are.
Look within to see our beautiful star.
Snowflakes are wondrously and carefully made,
And so are we. Look carefully and see us portrayed.
