A gentle rain was the touch of God —
Healing — bringing healing.
My weary soul, so dry and parched,
Received the living water.
I cannot comprehend Your love, O Lord —
For me, for others.
How can a sound touch my heart so deeply,
Washing cares away?
And to the earth it brings the promise,
That evil will be cleansed by Your love.
And by Your suffering so deeply,
You washed my sins away.
Rain on the roof,
Clothes on my back;
It’s dry inside,
Though it’s only a shack.
Wind’s blowin’ hard,
But I do not fear —
Six layers of clothes
Do bring me good cheer.
The demons attack —
They make my thoughts jumble.
But through prayer and fasting,
The enemy crumbles.
Be not afraid;
You have what you need.
To God and His promises
We all must take heed.
God grants the rain,
The stars, sun, and moon.
Give thanks and give praise,
For He’s coming soon.
She wandered for years
In war-torn lands.
Why she didn’t go home,
I don’t understand.
Sometimes begging,
Sometimes stealing.
You’ve got to survive —
Starvation not appealing.
Oh, where can I go, Lord?
Will I ever find a home?
It’s only in Your arms, Lord,
That I won’t feel forlorn.
What comfort I receive
When gentle raindrops fall
Upon my roof — and I
Am dry beneath it all.
What comfort I now feel
When warm inside my bed,
Like mom who wrapped me in her arms,
And always kept me fed.
What grief I sense for those
Who under freeways sleep
Who struggle every day to find
Security to keep.
My heart is broken now
For families torn apart.
For strife and anger uncontained,
The wounds of broken hearts.
O, gentle raindrops, tell
Those suffering now from want,
That there’s a God Who loves them still;
He loves your broken heart.
A misty morning in southwest Ohio —
The moisture hugs the ground,
Oozing out from the damp earth.
We pass an alpaca ranch, and horse stables.
There’s an old, high, stone wall
Surrounding a mansion, making a fortress.
It’s cool now, but the fog will burn off,
And a rainless day
Will keep the farmers busy.
Now is the time to be living.
The events of the past are for learning.
The future, for what we are hoping.
Make memories now while you can.
The past is no longer at hand.
Don’t build the future on sand.
I like to think my neighbors’ lawns
Will tell me something of their minds.
Do they more meticulous,
Or laid back, lazy, industrious –
Who knows?
(By the way, no fences stand
In neighbors’ yards, at least the fronts,
So lawns meet lawns, a sea of green.)
You might think they are all the same
(The lawns, I mean) —
But as we walk along the green
It’s easily seen
Where one yard starts
And one’s complete;
(Do property lines tend to accrete?)
Some lawns are a perfect green
With soldier blades that stand so straight
And not a flower to be seen.
The edges, too, are knife-edge straight,
Some right against the concrete curb,
Or indented just an inch or two —
The dirt shows through.
The other end of this extreme
Are lawns with dandelions dappled,
And bumpy blades of various shades.
For those, the edges not so neat;
Certain blades o’er sidewalk creep
In wand’ring curves.
And when those edges have been cut,
But piles of blades not swept away,
Then green things grow in dried out grass, alas.
And maybe you would like to ask
Which type of lawn this writer has?
In younger days,
So many ways to play.
Time stretched forever
in endless summer.
I rode a bike,
Or climbed a tree,
Or rolled on skates
Or skateboard.
Those berry fights,
And flying kites!
The six-gun caps,
The endless laps
Round playgrounds.
The hide and seek,
The flowing creek
With newts to play with.
The rainy days
In oilskin coats;
We fashioned moats
And marched;
We were “The Rain Squad.”
Umbrellas? – No,
We liked the flow
Of water on our oilskin.
Collected pillbugs,
Or were they sowbugs?
Made mudpies,
And my mom allowed us.
Stayed out ‘til dinner;
That was a winner.
Those days are gone;
I don’t know how,
Or why they were
The way they were.
I only know
They’re part of me.
I do not know
Why that man doesn’t want to be a man.
Perhaps they loved his sister more.
Perhaps he felt that he wasn’t lovable.
Well, that was their failure, not his.
Find out who God wants you to be.
You might have been lied to
Or you misunderstood.
[I wrote this after I had an infected kidney stone episode on 2/2/2023. An infected kidney could lead to sepsis. Was in hospital two nights. Doctor put a stent in and drained the infection. 2/14/2023 — Kidney stone and stent removed. Much better now!]
I praise you, O Lord,
For you have rescued me from the path to death.
Once, twice, and three times now,
And perhaps many more that I’m not aware of.
I thank You for those who are healers —
Doctors, nurses, nurse aides, and their helpers.
Please guide them in their work
And give them Your wisdom.
Now, Lord, help me learn from this.
May I take the best care of my body,
The temple of Your Holy Spirit.
May I use my good health
To heal others with the gifts You’ve given me —
Mostly encouragement, I think!
[I also pray to have the gift
To praise You
Right in the midst of any hardship,
For You have a plan for me.]
May Your name be praised
Over all the earth!
clarakatalin 