The Bible and The Banjo - for the people affected by the fire in Gatlinburg, Tennessee

I wrote this inspired by a situation that was experienced when my neighbors home in the mountains went up in flames. May people far and near come together in love, prayer, and action in helping the people affected by this tragic situation in the area of Gatlinburg.


I saw the flames from through the trees,
It was my neighbor's home,
Within the dark and near his loss,
His face looked so alone.

Bright orange fire light in his eyes,
In silence he just cried,
Surrounded by friends and fire crew,
Underneath the ashen sky.

His family safe and in and his arms,
Only two things more survived,
With banjo and Bible from the flames,
He kept his faith held high.

We came together in days to come,
Us neighbors far end is near,
To help a friend who was in need,
His family we held dear.

We each had skills to put to use,
To build that home again,
From our hearts we brought our skills,
Back home to help a friend.

For love from God flows through the heart,
As dark times sure will show,
We gathered in joy by the new front door,
With his Bible and banjo.

With over 700 homes and buildings destroyed, and a rising death toll, these folks need help.  Click below if you want to help them.

http://dollywoodfoundation.org

From the Ashes - For The people of Gatlinburg, Tennessee

Dolly Parton is giving $1000 a month to help people who have lost their homes in this tragedy affecting the place she has known as home. What will you do?  http://dollywoodfoundation.org

Where is God to allow such things?
The fear through the night,
Tempered by the pain of loss,
Hope replaced by hopelessness,
And then there is the Cross.

Do miracles light up the sky?
If God is all powerful,
Then miracles are merely acts,
But Christ's love with in our hearts,
Turns the impossible into facts.

What can rise from these ashes?
Bones of loved ones mixed with wood,
Permeate these blessed grounds,
Their love forever in our hearts,
New direction can be found.

Can darkness really show the light?
This truth Jesus taught to me,
On this dark stage together,
Actions from our hearts will weather,
Showing God's love as it should be.

The Tapestry - For Irene Sutera

Many lives,

Have walked the earth,

In the past and the future,

Crossing souls in the wind,

Lifting their voice to the sky,

Each with a story.

We live and we thrive,

On our own paths of duty,

Driving passion into the stone,

Carving out our markings,

Leaving a legacy to be known,

Not aware of the stories around us.

If all of the stories,

Can be shown in truth and glory,

The tapestry would stretch,

Beyond limits and imagination,

Beyond length and width,

And not contain all.

Each face and what was seen,

All the faces yet to come,

All the pains and all the joys,

All of the love in each embrace,

Let the wonder of it all,

Be seen within our eyes.

For the energy of lives,

Never fade from the light of day,

For all matter is made of energy,

Everything seen and heard is energy,

So each life makes reality,

More beautiful than before.

It is time which makes the bond,

Where a face never leaves our hearts,

And a heartbeat never ceases,

When we invest our lives in another,

And the gift to us becomes eternal,

In what we carry forth.

Forsaken

 

In the fleeting moment,

We are born and we die,

The touch of the father’s hand,

Turns quickly toward the plow,

The belonging of family,

An illusion quickly shattered,

As friends come and go,

Some closer than others,

Some of which you marry,

Shatter illusions of compassion,

Without word or reason,

As if nothing ever happened.

Forsaken from the womb,

We taste the cold air,

Alone within our skin,

Yet you are always there,

The heart is but a window,

Through all vision taken,

Seeing you through the heart,

We are never forsaken.

Some hearts cross our paths,

With a true desire of bonding,

Alone within their skins,

Heart beating and yearning,

Reaching out to you,

And reaching out to me,

Not dreaming of separation,

Separated by circumstance,

Even two hearts bound in marriage,

Only touching at sunsets,

Contemplating life true meaning,

Most moments are bereft.

Forsaken from the womb,

We taste the cold air,

Alone within our skin,

Yet you are always there,

The heart is but a window,

Through all vision taken,

Seeing you through the heart,

We are never forsaken.

In space we fall through time,

At times we fall through space,

While bleeding and alone,

In the grip of hopeless gravity,

Knowing that strength was an illusion,

And what must be will occur,

For if the height was per chance higher,

The final page would turn,

As some of us have tragically learned,

Living out our days,

Those souls shining through our hearts,

The truest sun life rays.

Forsaken from the womb,

We taste the cold air,

Alone within our skin,

Yet you are always there,

The heart is but a window,

Through all vision taken,

Seeing you through the heart,

We are never forsaken.

In Memory of Gene Wilder

How lucky I am,

To be born at the right time.

To be a small child,

Adoring Willy Wonka’s smile.

To be a young boy,

Seeing Young Frankenstein.

A character and charm,

Prevailed with my heart.

It was with his heart,

Gene crafted characters.

It was with his soul,

He made fiction into magic.

For magic becomes passion,

And passion prevails pain.

Arming us with his smile,

Unleashing our potential.

Eccentricity was his gift,

To think outside of the box.

His gift within my life,

Has led me to many solutions.

Unconfined to grey conformity,

My imagination soared on his wings,

And on the wings of possibility,

I help others to take flight.

So do not believe,

The rumors of his passing.

For the essential things,

Are only seen by the heart.

Carry forth his great smile,

In all the things that you are,

May the kindness in his eyes,

Live forever through our hearts.

Impressions

At Sid Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood I felt a bit of the magic of past lives which graced this spot from the silver screen, practicing their craft to the extent of becoming legends, making impressions upon our lives along the way.  To that extent I did stand in the shoe prints of Dick Van Dyke with the prayer that some of the magic may help the ineptitude of my feet, as his charm has enhanced my ability to smile.

The greatest gift unto life,

Is how life begets life,

How hearts beat to each other,

Bringing souls together,

So that eyes meet for a moment,

Creating the real change of love,

Just a smile on the street,

A warm hand where we meet,

Words flee through the air,

Planting seeds of eternal trees.

The mind records impressions,

Which are never forgotten in life,

How much more then the soul,

Brings them unto heaven?

For seeds are always cast,

Yet the fruit seldom witnessed,

Though the planter always knows,

Whether the seeds are good,

Have faith that seeds of love,

Make beautiful impressions.

Whispering Thunder

Alone I entered into this world,

All alone I will leave.

Alone I entered into this world,

And all alone I will leave.

But the things I have seen and done here,

You would not believe.

No one ever gave me a chance,

Except for you standing by my side.

No one ever thought I could make it,

And then you made it your ride.

You know that all the things I do for love,

Are things I do with pride.

There is pain awaiting the sunrise,

And sorrow when it goes down.

There is pain for you in the sunrise,

Until the sun sinks below the ground.

Without the faith to make it right in the day,

Pain was all that I found.

I had,

Nothing!

No one!

No guide!

No fun!

No peace!

No pride!

And no where to hide!

You gave me,

A reason!

Believing!

A feeling!

I’m reeling!

Fear stealing!

Appealing!

Cause its HEAVEN I’m feeling!

There is a whispering thunder inside me,

From the beating heart of love.

There is a quiet thunder inside me,

Defeating the storm clouds up above.

I am the heart of the strength of the storm undefeated,

And its all because of your love.