There is in life's turning away Like that of a new day's dawning The sort of thing in a man's way Of time spent sipping lemonade under the awning
Until that day, when life simply slips away And the miracle of love has its final say Taking that honest man up to meet his wife And brings the peace to end life's strife
No longer fighting for that last breath On that day, he's no longer afraid of death His reasons to live, in that take and give, Was taken from him years ago when he survived
And she was no longer there to hold his hand It was the pain he lived through to understand The strain that God had left him to quietly care For his children, but she was no longer there
The love of what had been a beautiful, simple life Leaving him often in dull loneliness without his wife And though we find much in the ways of sadness His wife, at last, called him home from this madness
He had loved her since he was just a young boy All that was left were the memories he enjoyed She came to him one night in a peaceful dream Holding him closer than love's timeless seam
With a smile on his face He called out her name to timelessly embrace The love that he had always known And he returned to her in a true love shown
Their souls belonged together as two into one And their life's journey was finally done It's said he passed peacefully in his sleep The smile on his face says there is no cause to weep
(R.I.P. Tom Ryker, your life's example shines as an example of how a good love should be lived)
(c) March 20, 2024 Michael Doyle All Rights Reserved
“People have said, ‘Don’t cry’ to other people for years and years, and all it has ever meant is, ‘I’m too uncomfortable when you show your feelings. Don’t cry.’ I’d rather have them say, ‘Go ahead and cry. I’m here to be with you.’ “- Fred Rogers
In every story that's told About the cards that fold There is also the breakthrough Of holding strong in all that we do
Loving the blessed life that's given And keeping the promises of being forgiven This is the hope that we live in Spoken into our hearts as we're forgiven
With my fading eyes, I see Jesus And I keep my faith just because I've leaned into faith in my ways And I will live it through my end days
Holding onto the light in the darkness His love dispels the world's harshness I am thankful He provides the same Satisfaction is given as I call upon His name
(c) March 19, 2024 Michael Doyle All Rights Reserved
“You fight your superficiality, your shallowness, so as to try to come at people without unreal expectations, without an overload of bias or hope or arrogance, as untanklike as you can be, sans cannon and machine guns and steel plating half a foot thick; you come at them unmenacingly on your own ten toes instead of tearing up the turf with your caterpillar treads, take them on with an open mind, as equals, man to man, as we used to say, and yet you never fail to get them wrong. You might as well have the brain of a tank. You get them wrong before you meet them, while you’re anticipating meeting them; you get them wrong while you’re with them; and then you go home to tell somebody else about the meeting and you get them all wrong again. Since the same generally goes for them with you, the whole thing is really a dazzling illusion. … The fact remains that getting people right is not what living is all about anyway. It’s getting them wrong that is living, getting them wrong and wrong and wrong and then, on careful reconsideration, getting them wrong again. That’s how we know we’re alive: we’re wrong. Maybe the best thing would be to forget being right or wrong about people and just go along for the ride. But if you can do that — well, lucky you.” ― Philip Roth, in American Pastoral
Together, we learn to live out What our sermons are about Day by day, we learn the talk And put it into practice in our walk
Spiritual growth brings our skills Like Saul to Paul, we serve God's will All the legalism cannot make us so pure As to make our salvation secure
Saul persecuted the Christians with zeal Seeking to destroy the Church before it was revealed That the proof of the past does not define the future It all comes down to what we nurture
On the road to Damascus came Paul's conversion Blinded by the divine light that healed his corruption And removed the scales on his eyes and let him see That our holiness is only restored by God's divinity
We, ourselves, can turn this into our intention To give everything our very best sense of attention Walking the straight line of lessons lived and learned Each of these leading to truths needed to be discerned
The physical heart belongs to each of us, as is fine But our spiritual hearts must come to fall in line Through God's will, we find that we can do all things And take on the world and everything the world brings
No longer the victims, we become the victory This is a priceless lesson that God has brought to me Paul had his come to Jesus moment on that old road Through it, he became a servant to God as has been told
Excuses do not stop us from needing to walk our walk And in our spiritual growth, we learn to live our talk These are the fundamentals we realize we need to know Gatherings, groups, and practice help us to spiritually grow
All the runners are at the starting line of the race But if we're to win, we must hold the victor's pace It is ours to take the steps we know are necessary And fulfill God's will without becoming wary
It's a miracle prayer sort of Sunday To be lived out in God's holy ways As Saint Patrick has blessed the shamrock All us Christians have left is to walk this blessed walk
(c) March 18, 2024 Michael Doyle All Rights Reserved
“History by apprising [citizens] of the past will enable them to judge of the future; it will avail them of the experience of other times and other nations; it will qualify them as judges of the actions and designs of men; it will enable them to know ambition under every disguise it may assume; and knowing it, to defeat its views.” – Thomas Jefferson (1781)
It's really not so frightening To see Satan fall like lightning Cast down from the Heavens above All in the name of God's sacred love
Living life as a personal testimony The world sometimes crashes down on me And I'll remain safe in God's care Protected as I am from Satan's snares
Living life from my birth to my death I proclaim Jesus's holiness to my last breath Be it a house of worship or on the street I remain God's servant for everyone I meet
My victory will not fall to or know defeat God's love pours through me on the street As I serve my purposes in Jesus's precious name Though I'm crippled, I am not lame
Instead, I walk my walk in truth and love Keeping my eyes fixed on God above All things for good is what believe It gives us the power to steadily conceive
That we can live the miracles needed Keeping fresh and alive, we've pleaded And received the blessings of God's power Spoken in His name in this holy hour
(c) March 17, 2024 Michael Doyle All Rights Reserved
Heading out of Australia to escape this Aussie winter. First stop Japan, then UK/Ireland and if work doesn't call me back, onto Chicago. I will make it up as I go along
