The Hate Never Ends

Sometimes I get tired of hearing the news
Sometimes the news paper is too much
Sometimes I don't even want to read Facebook

Why

Because of the hate

We've become a nation, a people, a society where hate dominates our thinking
We say if you can't say something nice, come sit by me

Our minds and our hearts have been so brainwashed to hate that we don't know any difference

Sure we love our families, most of our friends, our dogs and cats
We love our partners in life
But when it comes to others, it's easier to hate, and slander, and criticize
Instead of love

We who are human, who are Christians, who are bartenders, who are teachers and preachers
Who are farmers and disabled and reitired
Who say we love
Until we disagree, or hear some gossip, or slander or criticism
Unfounded by truth

We've forgotten what it really means to be human
Unique, loving, sharing, compassionate, understanding,

It's easier to criticize those we dislike or don't agree with because of  race, color, political party, life style, religion
And the list goes on

When will it stop
When will the hate end
Why is it easier to criticize, talk about, make fun of
Than to try to understand

When will we who say we love the Lord with all our hearts and souls and minds
Start showing love for mankind whether they are black, white, gray, democrats, republicans, Methodist, Muslims, homeless or wealthy

By our words and our actions, we show our true heart
We tell the world who we really are
If we're filled with love and compassion
Or hate and disgust

Guard your heart, guard your words, guard your tempers, guard your spirits
Don't profess to be one thing and let the world see another.
Don't say you know God's love and show Satan's hate

Just Stop

Is your hatred, your gossip, your jokes, your uniformed comments making this world a better place
No
You are just creating more hate

Why do you constantly try to search for the splinter in his eye when your so blinded by the beam in yours

You criticize a man without walking in his shoes, without knowing his heart, without carrying his load

When will it end

Stop the Hate

The Joy That Eludes Us

Babies and Kittens come by it naturally
Everything is new and exciting
Those little things that catch their attention
And gives them Joy

But age and responsibility
Tragedy and pain
Abuse and neglect
Hides that Joy

Life gives us so much
But circumstances take away
The beauty around us gives us hope
But the turmoil inside denies us Joy

Finding balance
Gives us a chance
But finding balance in an uneven world
Can tilt the scales of Joy

Even when we have the answers
The faith that takes us through
We relentlessly slip back in time
We're eluded once again of the Joy

With each day we have a new beginning
Full of endless possibilities
But only by looking forward and not back
Can we find the Joy

It won't be easy
It starts with the simple things that catch our attention
Through a word, or deed or action
Can we once again find our Joy                        

Lament

Sitting alone, my mind races
My heart cries out oh God
This world has hit me hard
The trials have been too much

And now more trials
More sadness
More Fear
More.......

You say you won't take us
Where you won't be with us
But my mind is panicked
My emotions in turmoil

Life and Death, all part of it
But sickness and death and sickness and death
Overwhelms me
My heart says not again

Hear my cries Lord
Heal my heart
Sooth my soul
Help me find your hope again

We pray for healing
But find uncertainty
We must have faith
But my faith is waning

Help me see you and not the fear
Help me see you and not the hopelessness
Help me see you and not the cancer
Help me see you and not the pain

Hear my cries Lord
Help me find my faith again
Help me lay it all at your feet
Help me see Lord, help me see

Lost Faith

Sometimes we feel like all is lost
Our faith in me is gone
Too many challenges, too many tragedies
Too many roads running in circles

Sometimes that lingering pain
That feeling of hopelessness
Seems too strong, too menacing
A battle that can't be won

The strength we had has failed
The confidence has diminished
We grow tired of trying
We come to the point of giving up

We've tried to do right
We've tried to have faith
We take a step forward
Then two steps back

We need things to be better
We need the healing to come
The tragedies deep inside
And of those loved ones we hurt for

But the sadness is too strong
The hope is lost
The faith we had in me and the world
Seems all but gone

Then we hear that still small voice
"Come unto me, all you that labor
And are heavy laden
And I will give you rest"

We want to believe
We want to find rest
But our faith is week
And our heart is broken

We hear again
In your weakness I am strong
So we try to let go
We try to let God

Life becomes a circle of ups and downs
Sometimes our emotions get the best of us
It's hard to see through the gloom and doom
That light in the midst that guides our way

To find the answer of faith
Not of ourselves
But faith in God
And his purpose in all things

So we sit silently waiting
Letting go of the doubt and fear
The pain and sadness
The emotions that hold us back

And we hear again, that still small voice
"Come unto me, all you that labor
And are heavy laden
And I will give you rest"

Expectations

We have expectations
Maybe more than we should
We try not to ask too much
After all, they are family and friends

But they are our expectations
Guess we expected too much
Just simple request
To stay in touch, to reach out or just remember

Our view of the world
Seems to reach only so far
Inside our boundaries
Our expectations

Family, friends
Remembered for a moment
Then lost by a distraction
Blocked and forgotten

Sometimes we expect too much
Sometimes we grow tired
Weary of the solidarity
Feeling like no one cares.

Asking why do we try
Why do we keep expecting
Only to be disappointed
Over and over again

Sometimes the heart breaks
Wondering why there is no care
No one listening to simple request
Forgetting we are here

So we stop expecting
We stop trying to care
We stop reaching out to touch
When there is no one there, reaching back

Don't forget the weary, the lonely
Don't forget the family, the friends
Broaden our boundaries so they encompass more
Let their expectations become a part of who we are

The Loss of a Child

I drove two elderly sisters to the Animal Humane Center this morning. The older sister had her small dog, Tanya, for several years. They had moved in with her sister a few months ago. Both were deeply attached to Tanya. We were taking Tanya to be euthanized. She had been sick for a while and was just to weak to go on.

For the two women, they were loosing a child. It was heartbreaking as they said their goodbyes, leaving Tanya to her fate.

This past week there seemed to be an epidemic of parents loosing their children. So many tragedies from car accidents, to shootings and stabbings. One of the saddest in Nashville was of a thirteen year old boy changing a tire on the side of the highway for his mother, being hit by a women who was impaired, leaving the scene but later arrested. The boy was a boy scout, deeply involved in his church and a sweet, sweet kid. At his funeral today, he would be buried in his scout uniform that he cherished so deeply.

To think that as they left the house that day, they never imagined meeting such tragedy. As with so many other parents sending their kids off, to get the news that they were gone as well.

They say, a parent should never loose a child. It seems to be the most heart wrenching of all tragedies.

I remember, years ago, I went back to Texas to spend time with my family after my cancer diagnosis. Being told I would have six months to a year to live was the hardest thing I had to share with my parents. As my Mom hugged me, the pain in her face was almost unbearable as the tears flowed and her voice trembled. But I was one of the lucky ones, as I lived to be there for my parents in their time of need and their passing.

It's times like these that we seem to take a deeper look at our own lives. What we are doing, how we are living, and are we truly living in the present. We just have to look around and see that tomorrow is not promised.

So I pray for those who are going through such loss, whether a beautiful pet, a wonderful child, a parent or grandparent, that God would ease the pain, the emptiness, the anguish and give them strength for today and hope for tomorrow. I pray that we will be there for them as well, if only to sit quietly with them as I did this morning and let them grieve.

Love and comfort can be shown in a multitude of actions, or inaction's, through compassion and strength. May God bless them today and you, as you constantly strive to make our world a better place.


and the Journey Continues......

When The Sadness Comes

When the sadness comes
Seemingly out of no where
Our first instinct is to suppress it
To shake it off and struggle to lift our spirits

But one wise person told me
To embrace the sadness
Let it engulf you
Let the process complete itself

We may not know where the sadness came from
Whether it was triggered from a memory
A word spoken, a sound
Or even a TV show

By letting it flow through you
Letting the emotions run free
Allowing the thoughts to take you
To that place deep inside

Maybe then will we understand it
Find the root of the sadness
Or maybe just find a way
To let it go

When the sadness comes
Don't be afraid or shy away from it
Let it be a part of you
Experience it to the fullest

Then let go of it
Learn from it
Be thankful for it
Let it mold you into becoming a better you