The Voice of Love

Whose voice is it that calls me from the distance
and makes me abandon my present thoughts
I'm pulled immediately to respond,
to find it's source

Why am I so moved
what is it that has captured my heart,
my soul?

I am drawn by it's power, it's hold over me
I am compelled to find it

It's the voice of Love beckoning me
to a place where my heart can be cared for,
loved and felt safe.

Haiti's Cries

Lost in contemplation
I'm distracted by recent events
far away, yet near in my heart
helpless I am, hopeless I am
as images of devastation pass by my eyes

swirls of questions cloud by mind
too big to ask, too big to answer
unable to hear
unable to discern
your voice

somewhere, you are there
this I know for sure
it's just that I can't see you
through all the pain
the fog of sorrows
the din of screams
the heaviness of death

God be God
God be great
God be gracious and merciful
God be quick to heal and save

So many brothers and sisters
lost beneath the rubble in your
beautiful country of Haiti

God come quickly
to the suffering ones, the poor ones, in Haiti
God,... come and cry

Inhaling God's Goodness

A thought that has been mulling around in my mind lately is the idea of "inhaling" God's goodness and "exhaling" my sinfulness.

It just sort of popped into my head one morning as I uttered a prayer before my eye lids even opened. And so, I've been thinking about the natural process of "breathing" in God.

There is so much goodness around me. Yes, I am aware there also is death and destruction. But I choose to believe and choose to see the handiwork of God in creation, and in the lives of those nearest me, that I focus on this positive aspect of life.

God within me, is greater than the force of evil in the world. Acknowledging his fingerprint in nature causes me to thank Him for his creativity. Recognizing the "divine" in the faces of those that flash across my mind, makes me rejoice and thank Him for such wonderful "human" gifts.

Breathing in his goodness - actually taking a deep breath with my eyes still closed - holding it for a minute till my lungs fill up with the volume of his presence - transforms me. I am filled with a heavenly peace - a heavenly presence - a holy longing for more ...

And with this breathing comes an exchange. I inhale his goodness then exhale my sinfulness - push out with force, the sins that have consumed me and tainted my soul.

Oh, that a mere breath,... a single breath,.. would be all that I need to experience to be transformed and made more like Christ, but alas, "breathing" must be perpetual in order for life to be sustained.

So, I "breathe in and out" endlessly.

The Gift of My Children

I just stood in the kitchen window watching my daughter Sandy load her luggage in a friend's vehicle and prepare for the long trip back to the city where she lives and starts another semester of university. She was home for two weeks over the Christmas holidays and the time together was wonderful. My son Bill lives in town and we enjoy his company tremendously every time he drops in. My other daughter, husband and granddaughter are visiting his family in South Africa and their presence was greatly missed this year and I can hardly wait till they get back home safely and I can visit them.

I found myself suddenly overwhelmed with a wave of emotion as I watched the vehicle leave the driveway. Moments ago I hugged her and told her I loved her - whispered in her ear that she brings me great joy. And now I am full of sadness because she is leaving and also full of deep love for her and my other two grownup children.

Gosh,...the love one has for their children is indescribable. You think it reaches a plateau and it can never become deeper,especially when they become adults, but that is not the case, as I am finding out. It deepens with every year of their life, every experience, every circumstance, every season they go through.

I spent New Years Eve at a local establishment surrounded by so many friends, neighbours and family. My husband played in a band and I danced the old year out and the new year in to tunes of the 60's, 70's and 80's. What fun! What absolute joy! It's hard to get me off the dance floor once I get going....it's a freedom I never experienced until my mid 40's and I love every moment. There I am moving to the rhythm and beat of the music on the dance floor, opposite my daughter and my son who are just several feet away... we're laughing our heads off - they're not embarrassed by their mom out dancing with them - actually the range of ages covers a huge span of early 20's to over 60...the generation gap disappears on the dance floor.

It's a wonderful feeling of community being there together. My son takes my hand and begins to twirl me - and I'm just so darn bad at it (not enough experience I think!) and he laughs at me - I laugh at me - and it's all in such great humor that we attempt it again...

So,... it's with these fresh memories of last night that my emotions get stirred up as I see Sandy leave and head back to her home. I am so blessed. I love my children so much.

They are the greatest and the most loved gifts I have ever received from my Heavenly Father and nothing in this world is more important than my relationship with them. Like precious jewels, I tuck them carefully away in my heart, protecting them, nurturing them, loving them with a love that deepens and becomes more rich with every phone call, every conversation over coffee, every embrace, every tear, every prayer.

I could never thank you enough Father for who they are, who they will become and the gift they are to me.

Thank you.

A Simple Prayer for 2010

Dear Father,

I come before you with a simple request for this New Year

May your grace sustain me

and your guidance be clear

and may you create in me

more of what is necessary to become like You.

I love you.