The Test of Faith

I have often heard pastors and others look at someone going 

through a trial and say, "His faith is being tested."  It suddenly occurred 

to me that perhaps our faith is being tested in how we respond.

Her eyes have seen many miles,

Her lips have spoken wisdom,

With decades of marriage behind her,

 And children far away,

Alone she lives upon a hill,

While illness slowly claims her love,

Visiting him when she is taken,

As time slowly ticks away.

His eyes have seen bloodshed,

In defense of his nation’s pride,

He traveled overseas,

As there was conflict to be,

And over fallen friends he cried,

While at home the picture changing,

Financial patterns rearranging,

His own home no longer to see.

In a young woman’s eyes lived laughter,

In this young woman’s eyes lived joy,

Until the day turned the page,

An old enemy of health reappeared,

Taking her rest away,

Taking away all of her peace,

Not able to put her battle to words,

Her eyes speaking volumes of fear.

I have been told such are trials,

With pastors speaking of the tests of faith,

I would wonder why they are being tested,

With conflicts and pain like I never knew,

Some with friends and family of support,

Others sitting alone in the darkness,

I realized those witnessing the trials are tested,

All of us who see and hear are being tried,

With those we do or do not know,

Be it a stranger leaving a store to go,

Alone with tears in the eyes,

Leaving us each a faith question I ask you,

If your faith is strong,

What will you do?

Turn the Page

The breeze comes on the evening sun,

Lifting birds to the sky,

While people travel to and fro,

Where they are going,

I do hope they know,

Sounds,

Calls,

Noise,

Data,

Streaming…

Time,

Stress,

Nerves,

Mind,

Reeling…

With my mouth closed,

My heart is listening,

The voices of old friends gone,

Introduce new friends to come,

Family is togetherness,

Whether blood or by choice,

Together giving voice,

Joy in simple things.

Jokes,

Laughter,

Cookies,

Clearing,

Resting,

Testing,

Together,

At our best.

Canolli recipe passed down,

From mother’s heart to heart,

Kitchen to kitchen family,

Magic from hand to hand,

As the story keeps unfolding,

Life and joy continues,

For the heart continues yearning,

And so the pages keep turning,

Turn the page.

Who Are You?

Feel,

Fly,

Reach,

Try,

Stretch,

Yearn,

Grow,

Learn,

Speak,

Share,

Give,

Dare,

Laugh,

Cry,

Feel,

Why,

Reach to the stars,

Learn who you are.

The Ocean Above

Within the blue ocean,

Stretching endless above,

The crystal waters of warmth,

With sailing ships of white,

Looking down upon our heads,

While we are scarcely looking up,

To raise our hands embrace,

As our hearts confound the infinite,

For the birds and wild sing truth,

While we do not stop to understand,

Stop to drink the still waters,

From the eternal well,

Closing our eyes to the physical,

Our hearts might see the truth,

How our souls swim in the infinite,

Waters of overlapping worlds,

Colors singing in wonder,

Two streams crossing in our hands,

An impossibility we glimpse,

When the blue seas lift away,

And the stars confront our illusions.

Unfolding Magic

Magic is unfolding,

In the wandering of ways,

Following the spirit wind,

From the breath of God.

Perhaps aimless in appearance,

Like the fluttering butterfly,

Yet a straight and narrow path,

Kissing every flower.

Chemistry in spirit,

Follows faithful motion,

As souls are lit in the touch,

Like stars burning from God’s flame.

And so you touch my hand,

As my words touch your heart,

And the wordless meaning of life,

Strikes us crystal clear.

And so the song continues,

Heard loudest in the silence,

With no beginning and no end,

Bringing angels tears of joy.

A Prayer - In Celebration of the Life of James Sutera

 For the time I knew him, it was like I had the time

back with my own Dad.  For my wife, he gave the finest complements

to her driving as we went to the Sutera family picnics together.  For you, 

something entirely different and special.  And if you are not part of this family,

and have lost someone special, may this prayer apply to that life continuing through

your heart.

Dear Lord Jesus,

Grant me daily strength as you did for him,

The strength to work hard at anything,

To provide for my family’s needs,

And give my children a good life.

Dear Lord God,

Grant me the wisdom of discernment,

As you did for him,

That I can face problems without fear,

And those close could trust me to help them,

As I walk in faith with you.

Dear Precious Lord,

I am far from perfect,

Learning and growing each day,

Dealing with mistakes as he did,

Give me patience that I might fix my errors,

And be a better person.

Dear Holy Father,

Love is the basis for all things,

Though I try to remain strong as he did,

May my actions convey love as he did,

So that  my family and friends have hope,

No matter the circumstance of life,

Dear God,

I am not making Jim to be a saint,

For when he accepted your Son it was done,

And in his errors and attributes he was human,

And the best of that shown though his life,

So may his light shine on through our hearts.

Edie

Doctors told her she would not make it.

She lived to tell me they were wrong.

Never doubt the scope of possibility in faith!

Passing by the elevator,

Greeting us,

In meeting us,

With bright eyes,

She relayed a happy tale.

Unexpected this was,

Going somewhere,

To find her there,

With a smile,

God lifted up a veil.

Her name is Edie,

Though very quick,

She was sick,

The doctors there,

Painted picture grim.

Her heart was stronger,

Then illness come,

Wherever from,

And with faith,

She faced chances slim.

Her prayers were answered,

And from her bed,

Though almost dead,

She rose with force,

Joy to share a new.

For she was talking,

Heart to heart,

A brand new start,

Though doctor said,

Her life was through.

We never know,

Day to day,

Here to stay,

For each day we have,

Is a gift to share.

Like Edie showed me,

Living true,

Means coming through,

With a smile,

Showing all you care.

FARKLED!!!

Six dice,

Anything goes,

How they land,

No one knows,

Three sixes,

Six hundred,

Three fours,

Four hundred,

Four sixes,

A thousand,

For fun,

Abounded!

Risk a little,

To gain more?

Two more dice,

An open door?

Roll and see,

A hundred points,

Or five hundred flee,

Yet a different game,

The risk forms pain,

Risking relations,

Just for an issue,

Letting a good soul,

Go and miss you.

Is it worth it?

Ask yourself!

You are hurting now,

AND HOW!!!

But pain does pass,

As wine from a glass,

But on the floor,

Or to the lips,

We have hands,

And are equipped,

For the heart makes choices,

To silence voices,

Or make all souls glad,

From what can be had.

Realize creation,

It is your station,

Make it happen!

Do not let it pass,

For the choice is yours,

The choice is ours,

To make the play,

Have the good things stay,

Or gain a little for a lot,

Just for a ripple,

Getting out of a pickle,

And leaving a relation,

FARKLED!!!

From The Edge of Time

“Dance me to the children who are asking to be born,

Dance me to the curtains that our kisses have outworn,

…Dance me to the end of love.” – Leonard Cohen

From sepia tone pictures,

To the rooms we enter now,

From windows through the past,

They reach and teach us how,

Their eyes and smiles see us,

While steadfast love frees us,

To life alive unfettered.

Relationships with aging,

All along the years,

Hearts forever youthful,

Through laughter and tears,

Just sit and lend an ear,

Be patient and do hear,

How life is made better.

Age can frail the bodies,

Once so strong and whole,

Yet wisdom runs forever,

On life within our roles,

Never doubting life’s meaning,

Truth from God’s mind gleaning,

In the following of love.

Youth will find true purpose,

In wisdom and in faith,

In sharing smiles with elders,

A joy nothing can replace,

See the hours pass like minutes,

Defying life illusion limits,

With God smiling from above.

Cookies - for Uncle Jack

In the scope of things,

One life may seem small,

Yet one life contains a heart,

And each heart is a universe.

He loved to have a cookie,

At the end of every meal,

Something to look forward to,

A piece of joy for the soul.

A cookie from the hand,

Of the wife that stood beside him,

Was love becoming physical,

Merging spirit with the world.

This was a piece of joy,

A token between friends,

Passing from other hands to his,

And lifting up his smile.

A variety of flavors,

Reflecting on the truth,

That each and every person,

Is variety in motion.

He has become so old,

And frail within the physical,

Yet deep within his heart,

He is forever young.

And so this is to him,

And also to us all,

Sharing each day our love,

In light of cookies yet to come.

Stories

 

These words came into my heart as I walked down a hill from Kaiser after visiting someone I love.

I went to see the old man,

He was sleeping in his room,

The nurse was busy outside,

I walked slow to his side,

Hand shaking under the sheets,

And stories inside his soul.

I wished I could touch his heart,

Lay my hand upon his soul,

For souls are made of stories,

As bodies are made of atoms,

And hearts are made of feeling,

And I wished I could feel his stories,

Life and memories to span the sky,

As I stand still upon the ground.

Stories compose each soul,

Tied together by free will,

As we create cosmic points of decision,

For the decision to follow a leaf,

Blowing through a park,

Can lead a man to kindred soul,

Together finding love,

They form a quantum timeline,

And reality changes around them,

Departed from separate paths,

As together they brighten the world.

And so the world exists,

A temporal mirror of forever,

Where we find meaning together,

In the complimentary grip of time,

For as light exists in waves and particles,

Time exists in positions and speed,

And within it we map out destiny,

Riding upon waves of space,

With sails full of love,

As the stars sing out our song,

Leading everywhere towards our hearts.

The Initiative

Jeanette and Alexander knew each other since childhood.

 They fulfilled their dreams spending each day together.

Their only remaining wish was to be together at the end.

On their 75th wedding anniversary, they passed away in each other's arms.

This is where the story begins...

Hand in hand,

They play as children,

Girl and boy,

No need of toys,

Just in a field,

Or up a tree,

Hand in hand,

For all to see.

Heart in heart,

And into life,

As man and wife,

Share pain and joy,

No matter what,

And through all things,

Look in their eyes,

And hear them sing.

Life in life,

Fulfilling full,

For all in all,

They do stand tall,

In family’s eyes,

From day to day,

Just joy in being,

Always this way.

And hand in hand,

Their tale is told,

Though they’ve grown old,

Forever young,

Never to part,

Soul initiative,

Right from the start.

The Eyes of a Lady

Can you see the beauty?

When surrounded by flowers?

A colorful cascade,

Arranged for the heart?

Can you see the eyes,

Of she who strolls through it?

In appreciation’s song,

Soul singing from the start.

She sings without words,

She sings without music,

For her notes are in life,

Beating around us all.

She sings in the workplace,

She sings within her home,

Music to be recognized,

And felt by all.

In her eyes’ reflection,

The world appears in truth,

In her eyes’s reflection,

I see further than beyond.

I can taste colors of joy,

And feel the hues of pain,

And reconnect my heart,

When all feeling is gone.

She tastes a million voices,

And hears a million colors,

Speaks of a million things,

Just trying to find the words.

Yet in silence I can hear,

When I just use my eyes,

For they can see the music,

Of all the things unheard.

And now I see the beauty,

Of life beyond eternal,

With reality unfolding,

Past imagination’s skies.

For all things are revealed,

Through love’s great inspiration,

As beauty keeps unfolding,

In my soulmate’s eyes.

The Girl With The Flower

For a friend facing much.

 

In the realm of possibilities,

There are no true exceptions,

For all things may happen,

Seemingly without reason,

Bringing darkness for a season,

And with it pain.

Through truth,

We doubt,

No truth,

Will shout,

Through fear,

To ears,

Not hearing.

Life is possibility,

As all things are of energy,

And energy is from love,

In creation from the heart,

Which God’s faith did impart,

With power beyond comprehension,

To His children.

We have power,

For this hour,

To see clear,

All that’s dear,

For through knowing,

We are showing,

What is truth.

Our minds bend reality,

Through the strength of passion,

And the force of our will,

In the work of our hands,
Though our hands seem meek,

And our hearts grow weak,

In Him we are strong.

We will not fail,

Though we seem frail,

Do not give in,

To illusions of grief,

For testing is brief,

In eternity’s true reflection,

Casts away all deception.

It is the girl with the flower,

That is the strongest of them all,

For her strength is of the heart,

And she goes forth in stride,

Her love is her pride,

Handing beauty and strength,

To another soul.