Something Old, Something New

The way the light catches your eyes. 

And a freckle I missed before.

Your hair waves more to the left today.

The sharpness of your jaw & cheeks.

A hard line blends into the curve of your smile. 

The way your muscles contract & bend. 

All the tones and variations of your laugh. 

A dimple and a wrinkle here. 

Noticing each expression on your face. 

And how your hand fits in mine. 

Ever say is new, but I've been here before. 

A déjà vu daydream with no end.

Waking up to the reality of you. 

Not forgetting, but remembering again. 

Rush Hour & Rest

Driving through town today on one of the main streets in Lincoln, I was struck by the great irony that the center of this city is constructed around a cemetery. 

And I was saddened by the fact that this peaceful place of respect and silence is now feet away from shopping malls and fast food establishments. Most of us drive through it every day, and I would bet that most days we don't give it a second thought-- if we even notice it at all in the midst of our schedules. 

Although it's a beautiful sanctuary intended to be a hallowed ground; now a constant rush of busyness runs directly through it, stopping only to let monotonous routine pass by. 

We as people do the same thing. Focused on our daily repetition we barely open our eyes to the world around us. Instead of centering our hearts around heavenly peace, we let our very core become a place to bury our emotions. 

 And just like that cemetery, many of us close off sections of our heart, seal it behind walls, and put on our blinders whenever fate brings us along its iron gates. We let the distractions fill up the remainder of the map & hope that the more we build, the less we will remember the place of pain and sorrow in the middle. 

Maybe it's time we take a look at what we've built our foundation upon. Instead of constructing roads to zig-zag around our void, we need to remember that the only freeway to live on is actually a one way path straight to heaven. 

So let Christ become the center of your soul. Scale back. Breathe in and let him into your guarded defenses. Slow down. Be vulnerable. 

Your heart should be a place of peace and rest... But not lifeless. 

Perspective

Ironically, absence shows us what we really have, 

Giving us the chance to put the value back in reevaluate.  

We ask for wishes to be granted-- but instead we take them for just that. 

When we should remember that 'presence' is more important than 'presents'. 

Reminiscing only when pieces are missing...

It's when we lose something we really find everything. 

Perspective. 

Tomorrow & Today

The shine of fresh skin on top of a knobby knee,

Her blue eyes look down, 

curious,

Her finger gets closer & closer,

not sure what will happen if she touches what's been rubbed raw,

She looks up, 

grinning as she proudly shows her dad her days work. 

She's tough; and she shows her scars to the world. 

Across the room,

the wrinkles on her brow tighten as she smiles at the little girl,

Jealous of her zest for life & the simple nature,

The woman's days have accumulated & dusted gray her whispy hair,

How she longs to have cuts as shallow,

But the years now show, 

Her head droops slightly as she turns away and looks out the window. 

And another sits, 

caught somewhere between the hope of the little feet swinging from the chair,

And the burden of someone who has seen this life;

She is youthful & somehow her soul is weathered.

She's had her heart broken and mended from laughter & tears,

She remembers when cheaters were just playground games,

She's seen ones fade away like the colors of fall,

And had some taken too soon,

She's traveled the world,

Made mistakes,

Giggled,

And loved another with her whole heart. 

As she sits between the child with the dimples in her cheeks,

and the woman of wisdom & grace, 

She can't help but feel like she has pieces of them both. 

Raw & exposed in some way or another,

And they are all connected, 

here & now,

in this place.

She didn't know what she was, 

or maybe she did.... 

She was content.

And she smiled to herself,

as she breathed in all that moment had to give. 

She Didn't Know

She faces towards the flawless moon,

Glancing at the boy by her side,

Breathless at the thought of something new,

Can't help but smile as she looks into his eyes.  

Her senses tingle as their fingers intertwine,

Summer breeze flushes her skin,

Beating heart, waiting for that sign,

To tell her it's safe to love again. 

Nervous as she wonders what's in store,

Could this be the one she's waited for? 

But she didn't know,

That in her hands she held the boy of her dreams. Protecting her was above all his other needs. Someday he wanted this girl to be his wife. Wanting her every day of his life. Just like every star in the sky, she can't count the ways...

She didn't know. 

What started as just friends,

Could lead to the fairy tale end. 

With romance & laughter,

They could find a happily ever after. 

But she didn't know.

That he was the one god had picked just for her, and being together made them both feel more whole.  

she loved him and that fact she was sure,

She had finally found the other half of her soul. 

And just like every star in the sky. She can't count the ways... 

That now she just knew. 

My Purpose

"To bring glory to God, through wholly giving of myself in service to others by using my talents and abilities with purpose,passion & love."

Sleeping Beauty

Head on the pillow, 

Heart in the clouds.

Remembering the comfort of your smile & the shadow of your embrace.

Curled up in bed, but wrapped up in you. 

Slowly I fall. 

Tossing & turning,

I change my position, 

while you change me.  

The horizon promises tomorrow, 

But I cling to the stars above tonight,

Wide awake I slumber...

You're my favorite dream.