When The Spirit Moves Within me, I Am Sore Afraid

So often have I offered pleas to a higher power than me;
Help has always come in a form that I could feel and see.
I am hugely grateful for The Breath that fill the hearts,
And inspire others to reach out and do their parts.

The miracle drugs that seem to have cured my daughter's cancer
Are possible because so many did their best to find this answer.
Those who honor the sparks of Divinity within themselves
Will not find peace without sharing The Light that, in them, swells.

What we sometime feel as anxiety is actually a driving force
That nudges us to move upon our most blessed course.
There's a reason that songs of The Spirit often said,
"When The Spirit moves within me, I am sore afraid."

We begin doing things we didn't know that we could do;
The need to honor others is proof that The Spirit is true.
Those asking for a helping hand are as special as those who give;
Lending strength to the most vulnerable is a good reason to live.

Participating in Paradise

Returning to the sounds of seagulls takes me back to a magic time,
When my grandchildren, after exploring nature, onto my lap would climb.
We would sing songs of A Shepherd, and love, and other things;
We would re-imagine every item for the adventures it would bring.

We had crabs for supper, who would swim into our traps,
And the shrimp lady down the street would fill our supper gaps.
The beaches were a constant source of pretend independence,
Where our silent, watchful eyes were an ever-vigilant presence.

Oh, to be able to reclaim this lost bit of our own paradise
I would gladly long hours work, and to pay whatever the price.
There is nothing quite so wonderful as children in nature's thrall
I wish that I could share this with earth's people, one and all.

Praising Productivity

Having a job is a most wonderful thing
That this stage in life can bring
I've always felt torn before,
As I dressed and walked out the door.
My children are now long-since grown;
My time is truly my very own.
My husband has his own pet projects,
And I no longer feel the need to fret.
The place that provided his heart transplant
Cares for him as other hospitals can't.

I had trouble believing, when first told,
That the other employees wouldn't be cold.
The office is filled with friendly faces
Who all share each other's places.
Perhaps it's a function of market makers
That they are givers, not takers.
I couldn't be happier with my position;
My dream is coming to fruition.
I'm doing work in which I believe;
No longer for my old life will I grieve.

I don't want to become too complacent; 
Long-term, this may not, for me, be meant.
But while it lasts, I feel needed;
With happy faces I am greeted.
Housework has never filled my need,
And earning is not simply for greed.
We can much longer be independent
If one of us is, on a paycheck, bent.
Isn't this what we all want on earth,
A place that we can call our berth?

Serendipity and The Spirit

When we are surprised by things that fall into place,
We have different words to describe this grace.
Some say it was "God" doing a favor for me;
Some call the event serendipity.
We say it was Providence, or it was pure luck;
Karma is credited for us being so struck.

One thing seems eternally and universally true;
We're all trying to understand what we go through.
Those who seem to feel the most content
Are those who believe that good for them is meant.
But unless they accept the grace with humility,
They often look down on you and me.

It seems that many credit "God" with good things,
But blame others for the natural pain that life brings.
There is always a balance that must be struck
Between personal responsibility and our "luck."
But there has never been, and will never in life be,
A full explanation for The Power we can't see.

I am grateful whenever The Force of The Universe
Has positive energy, upon me, dispersed.
I make a very sincere attempt to understand
How this gift fits into The Eternal's plan.
Even not understanding, I still feel driven
To share, with love, the gifts I've been given.

Joy and a Job

A job seems like such a one-dimensional thing,
Something we need for the independence it brings.
I used to think that this was the only excuse
That I would willingly, of my leisure, let loose.

I now know that I am of a temperament
That needs affirmation for why I was sent.
My dear husband is happy if I simply
Sit in a chair acting eternally wimpy.

I have many friends, both in the flesh and online
Who happily spend, with me, their precious time.
So I now surely know that my great unease
Has not been because they were displeased.

I was raised with a value system that insists
That those with resources, others must assist.
Even in the positions that pay my way
If it's only for a paycheck, I rarely stay.

I hope that I can feel a sense of doing good
In our new Louisiana neighborhood.
I pray for the strength to give my full self,
And that hubby will take care of his own health.

I know about me that I don't do well when torn
Between my job and those who, to me, are born.
I hope I can hold firm when those who are not
Attempt to put me in their mothering slot.

Many of those I know who seek for a mother
Are looking to rebel against another.
They get tired of knowing that nobody will die
No matter what tricks, for attention, they try.

I plan to return to the outside work world,
A good-humored woman, not a six-year-old girl.
Through many friends I have renewed my old confidence
That the last years' battles had put on the fence.

This is a sincere and prayerful thank you
To all those who I hope, with me, grew.
I want to keep up our soulful correspondence
Even though daily blogging may no longer make sense.

Family Freedom

In families, can we be completely care free?
Where each of the involved parties
Let's you be you and me be me?
I can't separate love from obligation
When we share our lives resources,
We can be each other's ruination.

It has been eleven years since
Richard received a new heart.
He hides his pain from others,
And has done this from the start.
I felt that I had to shelter him;
Now I hope he will do his part.


I still feel somewhat anxious
When I have to be away,
Like a parent feels when one's child
Goes down the street to play.
I wonder when I realize this:
Do other spouses feel this way?

My grandma used to regularly say,
"Cher, give it over to God."
But don't we have some responsibility
To others, while on this earth we trod?
I grapple with where my role as spouse ends,
And how much care I owe to him as a friend.

He is not the only one that I seem to smother
I don't seem to know any kind of love,
Except the love that seeks to mother.
It is time for me to accept his reality,
He will do what's he feels is right for him;
I'm responsible only for me.

Troubles and Treasures

Ah, to be back where there is memory
Of who I and my Richard used to be!
The love that surrounded us in the hospital
Is the kind that makes our souls feel full.

These are people who have been there
Through the troubles that we could hardly bear.
We don't have to begin with stories of the pain
That led us to move away and back home again.

And the work I did before we went away
Has, in some memories, found a place to stay.
It has led to meaningful work with a team,
Helping fund healthcare behind the scenes.

I feel so blessed that I can, once more, be a part
Of work that is close to the community's hearts.
Community hospitals are such a need
In these modern times of corporate greed.

The work that I do will also help fund
The volunteer shipbuilder Richard has become.
I hope that he enjoys being a kept man
If my new job goes according to plan.

I'm grateful the seeds we've sown were kept alive,
And that those seeds will now help us to thrive.
I am also grateful that we have opportunity
To be the servants we were meant to be.