In All Reality

When you go to a

Third World country

You think you'll give your

Time

For a week. 

You think you'll give 

Clothes or shoes, 

But in all reality

You give away your

Heart. 

And it will forever be in 

The arms of the motherless child

You wrapped up in your own;

In the hands of the Widow

That had food for the first time in weeks;

In the little church house

Where you not only poured out concrete

But your Soul too.

And even though you never knew

What they were trying to tell you,

You knew that you were loved because of

The smiles spread across every face

And the desperation of

Every child that threw their arms around you 

And refused to let go. 

This is Home

She loved to sit at the counter

On one of those old bar stools,

Drinking sweet tea

From a worn-out yellowed

Montgomery Ward pitcher,

While she crunched ice,

And the salty smell of fried chicken

Floated from the decades old

Cast iron skillet

To seek out and fill every last

Nook and cranny in that old house. 

She loved to sit in the porch swing

That hung on the deck

Over the creek.

She would sit there for hours

And let the humid air comfort her like an old friend

While the sun beat down on her legs.

She would watch the humming birds

Zip through the stagnant hot air

To drink from the bright red feeder

Filled to the brim with sugar water,

While the robins would sit

In the shady branches

Of the pecan trees,

And the katydids chirped from

Somewhere near by.

She didn't mind the heat.

The Old Days

I miss the Old Days

When I sat in those scratchy red pews

And listened to the preacher talk about

Jesus and generosity.

I miss when Daddy would let me sit

On his shoulders

To see the man with the guitar

And the voice like gravel and honey

All at once.

The Old Cabin

Leaning against the side of the old cabin,

The one by the lake,

She watched the pines dance

To the rhythm of the wind

And the melodious song of the sparrow.

She whistled along.

memories

My life has been kiddie pools

on the porch,

scrubbing floors

with Grandma,

letting the little minnows

nibble my toes in the creek.

Its been loved by everyone,

church all time,

and an abundance of home-cooked meals.

Its been full of sweet iced tea,

sandy lake bottoms,

sun-kissed faces,

and bible verses.

It was the familiar smell of sunscreen

and chlorine soaked swim suits,

watching sunsets in the driveway

and waiting for the stars to come out.

Its catching lightning bugs,

eating potluck after church every Sunday,

feeling like you're flying once the swing goes high enough,

and sitting in the cold auditorium

of the tabernacle.

And its all trapped in the dozens

of photo albums

stacked on shelves,

and in the deep parts of my mind

that will never let go of the memories.

Its Beautiful

As I sit atop this rock

On the edge of this canyon

And watch the river

Winding aimlessly down the way

With the wind sweeping up my hair

And tossing it in every direction

I realize that

This is a beautiful world in which we live.

He Is

HE waits for me

HE holds me

In HIS everlasting arms

HE loves me

With an unconditional love

HE forgives

My every mistake

HE provides for me

HE is my ABBA

HE is my love

HE is my Savior

HE is my shelter

HE is my rock

HE is my salvation

HE is my protector

HE is my GOD

And HE won't ever let me go

The Warmth of Sunshine

The warmth of sunshine

fills the soul with wonder,

illuminating every last dark corner.

The warmth of sunshine

lifts the burdens from your arms,

freeing you from every worry.

The warmth of sunshine

clears the head of all thoughts,

providing unspeakable peace.

I crave the warmth of sunshine on my face.

I want to be engulfed in its brilliant light.

I need the rays of summer's light

to kiss my skin and

Let me feel again.

The Night

Against the black night sky,

little specks of gold

cast a beautiful glow

across the earth.

Reflected in the eyes of

strangers

is a beauty like

no other.

The hard ground

cradles you

as you lie on your back

to stare up at these

strange things,

losing all sense of time.

A Summer's Day

I sit on the concrete steps in front of the house,

basking in the warm

sunlight.

I let the rays of yellow light

dance playfully on my face,

sending me into a

dreamy state.

I let my eyes close,

and my hair sweeps the

porch

as I lay my head back

onto the

dusty wood.

In that moment,

free from the burden of the

world,

I let the warmth and the

joyful peace

a summer's day brings

lull me to

sleep.

Hands

My heart is held in the

Hands

That hold the 

Stars

in place. 

How could I ever be so 

Lucky?