I want to make a difference with my PASSION!!!

Sorry for the use of explicatives in this video
But I have never seen something so moving
This is what my life will be about
And that excites me more than (almost) anything
I want to wake up everyday
With so much enthusiasm
That my students can't help
But come to school just as excited
No matter what happened at home
Before they got to school
My hope is that they will leave it at the door
That my hug and smiling face
Will brush the weight of their shoulders
And if it doesn't
I will write them words of encouragement
On brightly-colored sticky notes
Because both bright colors
And sticky notes
Make me smile
That alone is a hint that I was born to teach
I will understand that they are much smarter
Than they appear to be
On mornings like those
And that is okay
Because I have had my fair share
Of mornings like those
When I am the one in need of a hug
They will know
I will declare group hug
And the boys will roll their eyes
When really they love it just as much
As all those cootie covered cuties
And as a wise fellow teacher
(Who I happen to love
And will be marrying next December)
Told me had worked in his classroom
I, too, will put into practice
I will tell my students to take out a piece of paper
And write anything on it
That they wish hadn't happened
Or that they did wrong
Or something that makes them sad
Or anything that would distract them
From being a great learner that day
"No. It is not for a grade."
And here is what I will tell them:
"Take that piece of paper
And wad it up in a ball
Or rip it into a million little pieces
And throw it in the trash can
Because right now none of that matters
From the moment that paper
Enters that trash can
You will be ready
For the best day of school
You have ever had
And when they are all in that can
We will clap and cheer
And smile FOR THE REST OF THE DAY
Because just like McDonald's
I love to see you smile
OKAY?"
I want to fill young minds
With knowledge
And hearts with courage
And backbones with confidence
And legs with perseverance
And hearts with smiles
Because if I can't do that
I have failed them
I have wasted my time
And theirs
They need a teacher
Like the one I want to be
And aspire to be
And dream to be
And wish to be
And plan to be
Because on my way
From where I was
To where I am
Someone taught me to learn
Until I learned to love it
They showed me all I had been through
And told me I was brave
Someone saw something a me
That I didn't even know was there
And wouldn't let that me go to waste
Someone would never let me give up
Or slow down
No matter how much it hurt
Someone made me laugh
When I wanted to cry
Someone taught me how to fake a smile
Until I realized it wasn't fake anymore
I want to be that someone
For at least someone
And what better place to do it
Than in a classroom
Full of kids who haven't had
Nearly enough of those things
They need me
To help them be
The people God created them to be
And I need them
To help me be
The person God created me to be
I want to have story after story
To tell the people who ask
Why I am a teacher
When I can make more money
Doing other things
I want to have the words to say
To the people who say
It takes a special person to teach
"The Special Kids"
But as the once dearly beloved
Purple dinosaur would say
"Everybody is special."
And I am honored
That they see me as such
But when they say that to me
It comes across as sympathy
As if they are thinking
Wow...
I guess someone has to do it
I am glad it is not me
But I am SO GLAD
It will be me
And I CAN'T WAIT
To become the person
That everyone feels sorry for
It sucks to be them
They sure are missing out

Life and Death, not necessarily in that order

Death:
To some people it is scary
To some people it is sad
Understandable
But,
There is something strangely beautiful about a graveyard
I don’t know what it is
Or if I would feel differently if I knew the people
Who once lived in the bones below
But it is peaceful
And quiet
And still
In the quiet hillside between its stone walls
I could somehow feel life around me
Monika put it perfectly
“There is just something about dead people
That makes me feel more alive.”
I must agree with her
The only thing sad
Was what was said on the stones
Just names and dates
And the occasional cliché phrase
“Lost but never forgotten”
But most of the people there
Will be forgotten
One day their family and friends will no longer
Walk the earth
They may one day be in the ground beside them
But if they leave nothing of their life behind
But a bunch of photographs and loved ones
Their memory will only live on earth for so long
“As far as gravestones go,
It is not the date at the beginning or the end that matters
But how they used their dash”
I know that I will live forever in a place that feels like home
But I want a part of me to live long after my loved ones leave
That is what I am trying to do
Putting my heart on a page
Makes me feel as though I can touch many tomorrows
And my voice may someday be heard
By people I never met
I want my dash to be one of life
Because that is what a dash is after all:
LIFE

I cannot suppress my extreme longing to live the “American Dream”
Though it is so much more than that
The American dream is to graduate from high school
And be someone people will remember at reunions
Go to college and somehow leave with no loans to pay off
Be it sports or scholarships or just a generous rich family
Find your prince charming or perfect 10
Get a job where you make just above a decent living
Whether that involves influencing lives for the better or for the worse
Then get married before your biological clock ticks one year too long
Have kids
Keep them off of drugs, out of jail, hope they don’t have kids before it’s time
And pray they remain a significant part of the family once they move out
But I long for so much more than that
I pray that what I left behind in the hometown I will seldom return to
Is something worth remembering because I somehow impacted lives
I want to learn lessons in college both in and outside of the classrooms
I want to more than just pass my classes but excel
I want to learn to move on when my performance is less than excellent
I want to let go of my plans for my life and accept what may be hard to accept
That sometimes my dreams for me aren’t necessarily in the “cards” God has dealt me
I want to touch people
Bring smiles where they are lacking
Hug the hurting
Make people laugh on a dull day
And wake up the sleepwalkers
I want to be a face that makes people smile
I want to walk with a purpose even though I don’t always know what it is
I want to sing in the rain
And trust through the pain
And try not to complain
I want to learn what I need to know for my future
Or at least what this institution can teach me
Then move on to bigger and better things
That may be more worse sometimes than better
I want to be prepared for those times
Wrapped in the Lord’s armor
I want to do what I know I have been called to do
Teach the unteachable
Hug the untouchable
Know the unreadable
And inspire the ignored
The future that I and few others believe in
I want to “settle down” with the love of my life
That I know God created to love me forever
And strive to cherish me as God does
I want to love him back with the love of Christ
I want to have the triangle relationship
Us at the bottom
Growing closer to God as we grow closer together
I want to get married
Even though some doubters say we are too young
Because God said not to let anyone think less of you because you are young
But be an example to all believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith
And in purity
And for that I am willing to wait
But maybe not quite as long as some feel we should
And together we will climb the mountains
Enjoy the scenery from the top
Seek his face in the valleys, and walk the winding roads we are led down
I want to start a family and love them with all we have to give
And provide all of the experiences that we can give them in this life
And teach them to love people as we are called to love
And show them what a marriage should be
And help them learn from our mistakes
I want to laugh and cry and play and reach
With so much passion
That that is what I will be remembered for when God calls me home
That is MY American Dream
And I will live it
Wherever in the world God decides to send US
Because since I found him
I don’t plan on walking this road alone ever again
Though I know if I HAD to
God would be enough
To carry me through

Nine days from today
Is a day that stands for a beginning
That many thought was just an end
What a great time of year
To begin a new chapter of life
And soon Jennifer and Curt will do just that

If anyone was to pass by 1701 Canterbury Point
On the eve of April 4th, 2009
They would see a simple brick house
Glowing with pastels and sparkling chandeliers
In the window of the first floor you would see
A woman filling square vases with purple flowers
And tying pink ribbons on linen napkins
And hanging little Easter eggs above the table
Not creating a little kid’s egg hunt feel
But just a hint of the new life about to hatch
Metaphorically speaking
You would see attention to the little details
That would make each guest feel welcomed
From the picture frames they will take with them
To each individual personalized flowerpot
Placed at each seat around the tables
You would see sparkling crystal glasses
And gold-rimmed china just waiting
To be filled with ham tomorrow afternoon
In the kitchen are tall pink flowers
A tall centerpiece on the island bar
Where the guests will come gather their food
But now it is late, the lights are turned off
A very late (early) time is shown on the clock
The chairs are pushed in, the house tidied up
Tomorrow morning we’re off to fill up coffee pots
For now this is Meredith signing off
Can’t wait for the party and all that comes with it
I’ll capture the moments so they never wither!

See the rest of this photoshoot at http://www.beforeitwithers.com

AWAKEN

So this is the street we walk down every day
Some in our own world
Some still rubbing our eyes to get fully awake

We all leave our dorms or our apartments or homes
And forget to remember who we're called to exalt
And we climb up onto our own thrones

We walk down the road and meet up with our friends
This life we are living seems an endless cycle
A wheel that we roll along seeking our ends

We think at these endings we will find something more
More joy, less monotony, more excitement, less stress
We think our lives are difficult, lonely, or just a bore

When our eyes have been rubbed and no longer bloodshot
When our friends or good grades or good foods wake us up
There is a spot inside us that just has something missing
Like a flower in wintertime longing for springtime to wake it up

On our faces are smiles and laughter and gladness
Where does it come from and how long will it last
Where does our joy go when something bad happens

On the outside we look like we've got it together
We say that through Christ we can brave any weather
But if that was true then we aren't good at showing
Just how far our God's got us going
We say that we are growing and on the right track
Maybe that's true but there's something we lack
I know we all have it, a flame in our heart
That we were given when Christ made our old selves depart
That flame never leaves us or gets snuffed out
But we're to show others what it's all about
We think that just praying for our meals is enough
Or praying for our friend who’s been through something rough
Or wearing a cross around our necks
Or going to Cru to get on our God quest
But what if we woke up a little bit early
What if we dropped to our knees for the hurting
What if we prayed God would open our eyes
Help us to turn away from Satan's lies
What if we talked to him like we do all our friends
What do you think might happen then
Maybe the Christian inside us would awaken
Seek to fight Satan with determination
Maybe we could reach a whole nation
Starting on our campus, 8000 in population
If our underdog mediocre basketball team
Can make a night show because of a crazy dream
A school our country knows nothing about
Made it to the big stage against all the doubt
I know that just the part of Cru here tonight
Is bigger than that team and Christ’s on our side
So we are much stronger than they will ever be
If we all lean on each other I know we will see
God's plans are much bigger than we could ever imagine
If we are deaf to his voice the results could be tragic
Though we are just students not yet in the real world
Let’s do something crazy, give this God thing a whirl
Stop underestimating all we can do
Let’s stop being fake, I'll do me, you do you
I know God has created us each different and unique
I have got something special, something that's only me
And you have a calling that no one else has
So don't let another opportunity pass
When God tells you something you think is just crazy
Like nike, just do it, don't get too lazy
Wake up my Cru-ites and do something insane
When you leave Cru tonight be ready to take on the rain
I have no clue where these words came from
I am not kidding I didn't write a word, not one
I am completely overwhelmed by what my writing has told me
This isn't just for you, this was God’s voice to me
The rain is the storm I know's on the way
It's a storm of God's power that's starting today
God told me today what he's speaking to you
The life we've been living until now is through
You take the flickering candle of yours
Touch someone who’s never felt it before
We may each be one flickering flame
But God is the gasoline ready to create a big bang
You kindle that flame and listen to God’s growing voice
Seek him each time life calls you to make a new choice
If we all bring our flames near to God something crazy will happen
We will each find our place in his plan be it preachin or rappin
Or painting or loving or playing for him
Or kindling a flame that’s grown fearfully dim
Something is different I feel it already
God's got something in store so yall need to be ready
When God starts working the devil changes his plans
Goes on a mission to tie up Christians' hands
Even as I type this poem I'm shakin
From all of the words I hear my God sayin
To sum up this poem I'll just say AWAKEN

Don't Stereotype Me

Don’t Stereotype Me
I am not your average writer
I steal snippets of words here and there
From a magazine ad
Or a sentence in a story
Or a line in a song
Then I make it mine
I take words whispered in my ear
And treasure them in the cupped hands
Of my heart
I make poetry out of nothing
Then when I read it
It is almost music
And I wonder where the toneless song
Came from
“I am not your average girl”
Yet another line
From another song
One that isn’t mine
But I am not your average diva
Or a pastel princess
Or a girly-girl
I have recently discovered I do like pink
But I call myself a tomboy
Power Rangers were my Barbies
And sports are the pep in my step
However, I do like pink
I love pink
But yellow is my favorite
Yellow makes people stop and take a second look
Yellow gets your attention
And makes you smile
Aren’t all smiley faces yellow?
If my skin were a different color
I would want it yellow
Not for the attention
But it would stand out
Among blacks and browns and blues and greens
It’s different
Not many people’s favorite color
But it is by far mine
I have discovered the color
That radiates within me
My color is no better than yours
It is just the best one for me
There is nothing wrong with blue
That sparkles in a pool on a sunny summer day
Or paints the sky to make the day
Worthy to be called
A beautiful day
There is nothing wrong with green
The color of spring
Spring that is a fresh start
Green is grass that makes the yard smell like summer
There is nothing wrong with red
It tells people to stop
And prevents trillions of wrecks
And though it earns many a people tickets
It is great just the same
It is the color of fire trucks
That come to the rescue
To save people and the buildings that house them
It is the color of lipstick
That makes lips look so kissable
And what shows when we blush from the good ones
There is nothing wrong with orange
The color or the fruit
Or the juice
But it isn’t really orange
It’s yellow
Another reason why yellow is my favorite
Even orange is a yellow wannabe
Orange is good for something, though
No sunset or sunrise would be complete without it
There is nothing wrong with purple
It always makes an appearance at baby showers
And who doesn’t love babies?
And like many of the world’s colors
It, too, has a reservation at sunset and sunrise
But there are so many things right with yellow
There is nothing more to say

Don’t Stereotype Me
I am not a hippie
Though I would rather be outside
Than anywhere else
Call me a tree-hugger
Monika made me a dedicated recycler
And I am proud each time I deposit
My bottles and paper and plastic
Sometimes I count them
And hope my 10 bottles and stack of paper each week
Make my carbon footprint a little smaller
Even though my real footprint
Is way larger than it should be
My poems may be scatterbrained
And lack any semblance of organization
But they are the real me
So deal with it
If an editor ever reads this
(Which I hope happens one day)
I will not let them make these senseless poems
Make sense to them
They only have to make sense to me
Though they don’t always do so
Some of these poems make me sound crazy
Which I am
But I am not too crazy to be around
I think
Unless my friends are phony
Phone-Y-Friend
I grew up in the days
Of Who Wants to be a Millionaire?
With Regis Philben
As you can see my ADD is kicking in
My self-diagnosed ADD that is
And while we are on the topic
Of Who Wants to be a Millionaire
I highly recommend that every person
Who reads this rambling poem
Sees Slumdog Millionare
It may be one of my favorite movies
Of all time
Along with Big Fish
“There comes a time in a man’s life
Where he must accept that all hope is lost
And only a fool will continue
The truth is I have always been a fool”
Foolish am I
I am a foolish dreamer
I want to break a 5-minute mile
Which will probably never happen
Now that my college running days are over
But I hope someday I can chase that again
I want to jump out of an airplane
And not have a seizure on the way down
And live to tell the story
Of how my extreme excitement
Became extreme fear
As soon as they opened the doors of the plane
I want to hike the whole Appalachian Trail
One short adventure at a time
And run a successful business
And a marathon and a triathlon
And raise a family with a faithful husband
Who I never regret marrying
And see my country and the world
And change many lives for the better
And become a better person everyday
And make someone smile every chance I get
And live a life worthy of the gospel of Christ
And show someone Jesus without saying a word
And make my life one worth remembering
And die completely content
With the footsteps and words and family
I will leave behind

Do Not Stereotype Me
I am not your average loudmouth
Or rambling raven
Or mouth of the south
Though I feel I have a lot to say
And I say it
Most of the time
There are pieces of me
Deep in my heart
That only I and my maker can see
I leave a lot unsaid
I bite my tongue
More than people may think
I know I sometimes talk when I should listen
And I know I sometimes watch my words
When they need to be spoken
But I feel like when I talk
My words are heard or read for a reason
Every word has a purpose
And I try not to waste mine
Though I am sure I often do
Often my face does the talking for me
When I bite my tongue
My words tend to spill from my eyes in tears
Or radiate from my eyes
In love or anger or frustration or longing
Lately just longing
The tears tend to fall when no one is around
Or everyone is sleeping
When I am laying in my bed all alone
Wanting to have a certain someone beside me
Yet again I have said too much
But I try not to hesitate when my fingers are typing
And I only use backspace when I find a word that fits better
Or a typo that needs correcting
That is all for now
As far as communication goes

Do Not Stereotype Me
I am not your typical teenager
Nor will I be your average young adult
Or the everyday person
Who goes through the motions
I plan on doing something with my life
And I am in the process at the moment
When I walk I will walk with a destination
Even if I don’t know where I am going
I will walk with a purpose
Knowing eventually my destination will find me
When I talk I will choose my words carefully
Or at least hope that what I say is important
When I love
I will love with all of the love
I have collected in this short life of mine
Though I am young
I feel I am underestimated
Not that I can do it all alone
I need guidance and advice
But only God really knows
The advice I need
And sometimes the people I love
Think they know when they don’t
But I love that they love me enough to try
When I hear
I will try to listen
And treasure the person who’s speaking
And learn what they have to say
And laugh and smile and cry
When such expressions are necessary
And can be genuinely felt
Whatever I feel on my hands my lips or my tongue
I will not take for granted
Warm water on cold hands
The soft ears of dogs and puppies
A cold glass of water
A coke (preferably from a glass bottle)
A strawberry-orange smoothie from Smoothie king
Where you have to order off of the menu
A good plate of parmesan pasta
A golden waffle with whipped crème
A Gatorade at the end of a run
A scoop of cookies and cream from Clumpie’s
“Shared” with good company
A perfect kiss
I want to taste life
And kiss back with life-tasting lips
For that is what love is
Love is life
And a kiss is not just on the lips
In conversations kiss your companion with honest words
And when your life comes to an end
Blow the whole world a kiss
A breath of the life you have lived
With a big smack of the lips as you say your goodbyes
And tell them to pass it on!

Little by little he opened my eyes to see
This was all part of the plan he had for me
The navy wasn’t for me though I felt its lure
Then later on I thought I’d be a dawg for sure
It was later on that year when I wasn’t running fast
A new opportunity in Nashville came to pass
I could see me in the red white and blue
Maybe running as a bruin was what I was to do
But something about Chatt-town tugged on my heart
I was still in doubt with such a rocky start
But now looking back on it all
You helped me hear your call
You brought me to the place
Where I would seek your face
You put people in my life
To help me pursue what’s right
Kids you’ve allowed me to reach
And your word I’ve heard preached
This is where you want me now
I don’t know when and I don’t know how
I will get to the place you want me next
But I know you will find a way to connect
My life to your will though I often turn
And walk my way and bridges I burn
Yet still in my filthy life you shine light
And find a way to use my useless life
For that I will praise you, your path I will seek
Climb til I reach the mountain’s peak
Push me from below when I need a lift
Don’t let me forget my strength is a gift
A gift from above
A gift of great love
A gift that needs a life of humility
Heal my blindness so I might see
The blessings you pour into my life
Are from you alone may I never lose sight
It is not about me but all about you
I'm trusting that you will see me through

From the Lamb to the Lion

Here I am Lord
Seeking to find you in some sacred way
Amidst the chaos in my mind
Trying to hear what you have to say
You are not looking for all the right words
Or poetry that beautifully rhymes
But lately I’ve had such a poet’s heart
And rhymes are what I’m feeling inside
In no way do my thoughts make since
As they seem to here on this page
But I’m just a girl who is longing for you
Though I feel you’re outside of my cage
I’m feeling quite trapped inside my own thoughts
Though they are thoughts that make me smile
It is those thoughts that cause me to text my friends
When it’s your number I’m trying to dial

I am in a box like a mime
Trying to reach you on the other side
Speaking a language that I know you understand
But feeling like a monkey speaking to a man
The words of my heart sound all jumbled when spoken
The pain that I have, at times, leaves me broken
I dream wonderful dreams when I am awake
Then in my sleep my dreams or epilepsy makes me quake
My health is so healthy one day and then not
The voices that tell me to quit I have fought
But this fight is leaving my heart weak and unsure
Lord on my thoughts grant a heavenly cure
I want to pour every thought out to you
But I seek loving people before I seek you
Then when I come to you I feel all shared out
And it’s my walk with you that I begin to doubt
I know I felt you as close as my skin
But I must say it’s been a while since then
I wonder if there is something I can do
To feel that way when I come to you
Some days I would hear you as if you were here
Not just beside me but whispering in my ear
Now I feel like a baby trying to speak to a lion
Or the lamb that just longs to sit down beside him
And play with his mane or snuggle up close
Or roll in the grass and tell lots of jokes
Or just try to take one more step closer
And somehow feel a little less like a loner
A lamb in an exhibit that is filled with grown lions
Me in the corner so scared that I’m cryin
Yes I’m the lamb who has been captivated
Feeling my life is way too overrated
To make company with a creature so great
So ashamed of my size I won’t show my face
Now I can feel you creeping my way
Softly and slowly as to not scare me away
I hear not quite a growl but more than a purr
Then I feel the touch of your bristly fur
Still I am trembling in your company
I know if I open my eyes I will see
Your large brown eyes staring right into mine
With a love so captivating it can’t be defined
Yet I wait and I wonder just what I will say
When I turn and look into your holy face
But tonight I can’t do it, I don’t feel strong enough
To lay my heart out there and hope it’s enough
I know that it is but I’m frozen here in the grass
Wishing this fright in my heart would just pass
But tonight will you just lay down within my reach
And wait until tomorrow, maybe then I might breach
This fear that’s been building a wall around me
So I can let my heart love you as you have loved me
Tonight I am feeling like a middle school girl
Back in that place where boys were my world
When I had a huge crush on a boy in my class
I would turn my head away when he passed
Afraid he would hear my heart beat so fast
Thought those times in my life were way in the past
But now I remember I felt almost the same
When I learned Mr. Strauss had a first name
All I wanted to do was to have him for company
But I wondered why he would want to make time for me
So when I saw him glancing my way
I would look at the ground not to give it away
All the things I had conjured inside of my head
I just knew that my thoughts would be easily read
And ever since the day I first looked into his eyes
I could see neither him nor I could disguise
The feelings we felt were felt by each-other
That he would be way more than my Christian brother
I know deep down that is what it would be like
Like falling in love again for the millionth time
Like making all of the right words rhyme
To put onto this paper what I’m feeling inside
For now I’m too tired to give you my heart
But telling you tonight how I feel is a start
And for now I will keep my face buried in grass
Hoping that tomorrow this longing hasn’t passed
To let myself love you with all of my heart
And feel once again a brand new start
Sometime tomorrow I will turn my head
And look into the eyes that cannot be read
From this side of heaven but I will sure try
To take just a moment to stare in your eyes
And let myself fall completely in love with you
Tomorrow that is what I plan to do…
Tonight may I feel you breathe as I sleep
You a strong lion and me a frail sheep!

Call Me an Obscure Dreamer

Today was a day of change
Not just for Barack’s campaign
Not just living up to his proclaim
Today we stood on the past
Both looking forward and glancing back
Today we proved equality can last
And acceptance can begin where it’s lacked
Rick Warren stood and prayed
And a whole lawn of Americans bowed
As they did I cast down my doubts
I have underestimated my fellow people
Of these 50 United States
Fearing something terrible would come
Judging from past heartaches
But change we have and bounds we’ve made
To this from terrible yesterdays
Gaining knowledge from past mistakes
And using it to create a better today
This morning I saw tears on many faces
Of many a people from different places
Tears of hope on the faces of varying races

“America is bigger than the sum of our individual differences
…differences of birth or of wealth…”
America is bigger than status or class
The impact of equality needs to be felt
“There are some that question the scale of our big ambitions”
But “What free men and women can accomplish” is limitless
And dreams don’t need society’s permission to come true
Through dedication and determination they’ll become a reality
“When imagination is joined to common purpose and necessity to courage”
These dreams that they said were too out of reach will be an actuality
We reached this day “because we have chosen hope over fear”
“We have chosen unity over discord”

Where others react with nuclear warfare
Peacemaking and discussion will be our initial sword
But back down we won’t and give up we can’t
Though we want our soldiers sent home
We will not let the death of those men be in vain
If we must we will stand strong alone
We will help our fellow nations
When their best isn’t quite enough
But not intervene when not welcomed there
Not just run when the going gets tough

My new president said this in his inauguration speech:
“It is a parent’s responsibility to nurture a child that will define us”
But I know a teacher, also, can reach
Teaching is the dream God laid on my heart
And teaching is what I aim to pursue
Though some may say I will teach the unteachable
That is what I know God’s called me to do
I can call myself a woman “obscure in my labor”
One who aims to teach the unreachable
And write the indescribable
And race the unbeatable

I may not find a genius in the mind of a child with downs
Or keep an autistic child from bouncing
Or listen to a mute child speak
But maybe I will help one affected with down syndrome
To be seen as a person and act and contribute as a citizen
Maybe I will be able to focus the mind that is wandering
Long enough to make use of their hands
Maybe I can help a voiceless child to be heard
In writing or art or through sign language
Maybe I can redirect the focus of those who turn their heads
From the ones less “normal” than they are
Maybe I can help those who call themselves normal
To see that those children are way more “normal”
Than the world gives them credit for
I hope I can use this obscure dream of mine
To inspire people to look outside themselves
Into the eyes and hearts of those the world has overlooked
To look into eyes that look at the same world that we do

You may not ever hear anything I write
From the podium on inauguration day
But maybe my words can touch one life
And inspire that one life to touch another
Maybe the experiences and thoughts I hold on to
Can be placed in your hands to learn from

I may not ever win the Southern Conference
In any of the races I am asked to run in
And I may not ever break five minutes in the mile
But I may be able to defeat myself
And the voice in my head that says, “give up”
Maybe I can ignore the pain in my legs
Just long enough to disprove all of those
Who said I would never make it this far
Maybe I can show all the doctors that told me
That said I would never run the same again
That faith is greater than epilepsy
And statistics are not right 100% of the time

“So let it be said of our children’s children
That when we were tested
We refused to let our journey end”
Tested I’ve been and tested I’ll be
Til God looks down and says to me
Daughter, it’s time for you to be with me
So from now until then I will not give up
Though I know there’ll be times when life gets rough
I want those who follow behind
To see me as just one tiny life
That, together, with all of the dreamers like me
Lived this journey for more than just what we could see
And they will see life a little bit differently
Than they would have before if there hadn’t been me

The obscurity of my dreams may lead me
To be un-noticed in a society of moneymakers
But the faithfulness I have in those dreams
Will leave me satisfied when not glorified
Because satisfaction cannot be fed
From the outside in
Gratification will not lead to glorification
But the One who instilled me with these obscure dreams
Will surround me with glory when my day comes
For I am willing to sell all I posess in this life
For just one moment in the presence of the ultimate dreamer
The author of creation
The maker of the unexplained
The seer of pain and healer of heartache
The one who holds on to my dreams
When I lose my grip
And leads me to find them again
The one who hears the cries of the forgotten
The words of the voiceless
The shouts of the hurting
And the cheers of the delivered

I praise the Lord for a man
Who has reached those opposed
And those who may disagree
With words spoken after an oath
For a man calling for peace
While preparing to defend
For one smiling while the weight of a nation
Seems to be resting on his shoulders
For a man who finds time to love his family
With a whole nation of families to lead
For a man who acknowledges
That there are ones who are greater than he
Though he is one who may or may not
Agree with who those greater ones are
For a man who will make mistakes
And a man who accepts
That others will make them too

And praise the Lord for the blessings
He has given to the Red, White, and Blue

MLKJ DAY

Then and Now

I’m grateful for MLKJR
The man who took a stand
Sharing a dream
That all should be free
We must believe
Giving us a plan
To join hands
Across a land
But we let go
Let hate flow
And guns blow
And fires glow
From churches
We used to go
To pray
Now kids lay
Dead
Because someone let
Fate rest
On the color test
Of their skin
“It’s not a sin”
They say
So they slay
Then walk away
With no regret
And we forget
That it happened
We keep passin
Each other
We don’t talk
We don’t walk
TOGETHER
We shake our heads
At the dead
But we’re dead
Don’t exist
Cuz we missed
The person beside us
Cuz they aren’t like us
We never think
We could link
How come
We’re never one
Always run
From what could be
If we could all agreed
That we’re all the same
Playin one game
In this thing we call life
Can we ease the strife?
Stop seeing black and white
It’s not right
Only got one life
And we’re dying
Cuz of the fightin
Long ago
It must go
This is now
Here’s how
Stop hatin
That’s Satan
I’m white
That’s right
And I rhyme
Is that a crime?
And you’re black
Imagine that
We both breathe air
We both care
Why not share
Our cares
We both live
Why not give
We both cry
And die
Why
Not
TOGETHER?

I watched steel birds intrude
Where airplanes don’t belong
I never would have guessed
That a plane could be a bomb
But I was wrong
To ever believe
The land of the free
Could never bleed
But she did
We all did
The towers fell
Some went to hell
Some better off
Their families in pain
And the ones to blame
Don’t even care
They’re over there
Hiding in caves
Their victims in graves
Moms and Dads
Never came home
Kids all alone
Smoke filled the city
The scene wasn’t pretty
Streets were a mess
So were our hearts
Fams ripped apart
Soldiers left with guns
All were sons
Some had sons
Of their own
SOME came home
DIFFERENT
They were defendin
Me and you
Red, white, and blue
So stop hatin
Appreciate them
Who knows
What kind of blows
Could have come
If we had run
Been 7 years
Still cry tears
Still have fears
Still today
Still in our minds
In 2009
Never be the same
Things are
DIFFERENT

If I could I would go back in time
To the Jews that stood in the lines
Tell them those “showers”
Had powers
To kill in minutes
Not hours
It would prolong the pain
What’s more insane?
Poison rain
Loss of name
Reasonless pain
Undeserved blame
Help came
But it was too late
Was death their fate?
From the day
They stepped in the gate?
Or did it end?
They were swept away
Like leaves in the wind
And people pretend
Try to defend
Say it’s a myth
They should take a trip
With a girl, just a kid
Who ran and hid
There were no boys
Or toys
Only fears
Of being destroyed
Only fears
Lots of tears
Loss of years
But not her days
They’re on a page
Read to this day
Where’s her grave?
Never gave
No respect
When she left
Only now
Words read proud
In our schools
Don’t be fools
Kids can’t lie
All that time
Don’t be blind
Open your mind
And Never
Ever
EVER
Let it happen again
THE END

Praise Da Lord!

The lighthouse we put a roof on and painted and constructed a wall around...

Doulas- the way up is down

Jay-Jay and I

Corton Tonji and I



I went to a new church this morning called New City Fellowship. It is a multi-cultural church in downtown Chattanooga. They opened the service with a speech by Martin Luther King Jr.

The worship was incredible, not just people standing in pews singing like they wished they were still in bed (which has definatly been me on occasion), but people pouring their hearts out just as they were, some broken, some rejoicing, some searching, some tired, but all genuine. For me the attitude of my heart was one in awe of the God I have recently been coexisting with lately. In no way have I been turning my back on him or ignoring him, but today I was reawakened to the Savior who is worthy of clinging to, and turning to, and chasing after, and learning from. I was reminded that my Savior meets me where I am and brings me the things that I didn't even know I was searching for. I was reminded what the body of Christ looks like, a bunch of random unique people with different perspectives, different looks, different walks of life, and different experiences united under their shared creator and lover of their soul. It was a church that made me proud to be a part of that body. I am pretty sure I have found a church home, or a least a home in the body of Christ whether that is the location I will call my church home or not.

What made the service so impactful this morning was the "Carribbean Medley" that was sang at the beginning. They sang songs I had long forgotten but quickly remembered. They were songs of Jamaica, the place where I felt like I woke up clothed in the blood of Christ, and a heart filled with the love of Christ, and my ears filled with the music of the angels. In no way did the songs they led us in sound like Jamaica, but I heard Jamiaca when they sang. I felt Jamaica as I swayed to the music. And when I say Jamaica, I don't mean the tourist Jamiaca, or even the poverty-stricken Jamiaca where I spent a week of my life, but the spirit of Jamaica which is both the spirit of God and the presence of Satan all wrapped up in one. This may sound like craziness to you, ones who did not expereince what I did, but I am doing my best to help you understand. There you could breathe in the spirit of the Lord, untainted by wealth and commerical corruption and hustle and bustle. But you could also smell Satan in the air and see it in the eyes of Rastafarian men carrying machetties and chanting in tongues. There was tangible and visible spiritual warfare, yet it was very obvious to me and all of the people who went on the mission trip with me which side was winning. The devil was fighting a losing battle. There is just as much spiritual warfare going on here in America, it is just unseen. Here Satan doesn't need demons to posess people... he just tries to distract us from the beauty of the world and our savior by convincing us that the things of this world are beautiful. Or as the pastor said this morning... gets us putting on gold-painted fake jewlry that leaves rust on our wrists and rings that shimmer but aren't the real thing. We look for instant gratification and end up settling for sloppy seconds that are so unfathomably less satisfying than what would come if we waited on the Lord's timing. How easily we get tangled in the trappings of the devil and drag around the unneccesary weight of our unnoticed sin.

"I've got my mind made up and I won't turn back

Because I want to see my Jesus someday...

Born, born, born again

Thank God I'm born again

Born of the water, and the spirit, and the blood

Thank God I'm born again...

Me, I will not suffa

I will not beg for bread

The Lord is my pro-vi-y-da

I will not beg for bread..."

The message was very moving. The preacher talked about the parable of the man who found a valuable treasure in another man's field. Instead of taking the treasure he had discovered for himself without telling the owner he covered it back up and went home to his family and sold everything he owned to buy all of the land. He didn't keep anything from his former life. If he had held on to anything he used to own, he might not have had enough money to buy the land, but he decided that the treasure was worth giving up everything for. Jesus said that is like the kingdom of heaven. It requires a willingness to sacrifice it all for the treasure that we find in Christ Jesus.

"Lord, You are more precious than silver. Lord, You are more costly than gold. Lord, You are more beautiful than diamonds. And nothing I desire compares with you..." That was the last thing I heard in the service today and that is all I have to say about that. :)

Staying Awake

Last year, my roommate ,Monika, told me that she had journaled every day without fail for quite a few years. And I used to think that I journaled a lot. When I heard the things that she journaled about it made me laugh. She journals about what she sees and I journal about what I feel. We have decided that our polar writing styles would make for a great book one day. We have one year of the same experiences from our different perspectives, both being runners at UTC and living in the same space. But this year we were on different places on the globe. She spent one semester in Uraguay and I stayed right here in Chattanooga. Our expereinces were completely different and since we are writing a book together, we had to take a little bit of each-other's styles to make 2 stories worth reading. More on the book later. All this to say that I learned a fun writing game from my dear writer friend. She took notes... on the peculiar, on people and thier looks and actions, on the world around her. Anything that her eyes touched and found emotion in, she recorded. So this year I have made an attempt to do the same.



This is what I have come up from the time she spent away until now:
1. Singing at the top of your lungs in your car with the windows rolled down can lead to conversations with strangers who make you smile.
2. Graffiti is a beautiful disaster… in a good way.
3. The MARTA smells, but it is a great cultural experience.
4. Charmin can afford to make their toilet paper thicker because their rolls are about 3 inches narrower than other brands. Clever, huh?
5. My grandfather calls the remote a clicker.
6. According to my 7-year-old sister, t-shirt designs for the fourth of July should be made a year in advance.
7. There is nothing like eating brownie batter at Grandma’s house at 10:40 in the morning.
8. Mimi’s Café has the best hot chocolate ever with frothy whipped cream and cinnamon. It’s worth getting in the summertime.
9. At the Panera in Farragut, TN, they make you melt the cheese on your grilled cheese sandwich in the microwave. If you ask for apple juice, they might ask you to squeeze your own apples.
10. Soemtimes the sunset looks like melted creamsicles and purple popsicles blended together into a summertime skyshake by the author of creation.
11. I was acquainted with the species nocerous-pottumus on John and Kate plus 8.
12. Don’t let 6-year-olds play with nail polish bottles in a nail salon. They will drop one and spill polish all over the floor.
13. According to the lady at Trade Secret, I have mermaid hair.
14. Bath and Body works is expensive but it lasts a long time.
15. Michael Phelps is sub-human…8 gold medals and 8 world records in 8 events…
16. There is a spaceship-like contraption that can measure your exact body temperature to the nearest 10th. I know because I have riden in one.
17. Dr. Wright has way too much time on his hands to fill 50 minutes of class with an hour and a half’s worth of information. It’s like holding his pocket-watch in his hands lets him control its passing.
18. Dr. Wright pronounces salary celery.
19. Rainy days at UTC make me laugh because people wear rainboots that match their outfits and umbrellas.
20. Apparently when one girl tells another she has exciting news, they immediately look at the girl’s left hand.
21. Why does UPD have 2 toilets but no stalls in the girl’s bathroom? We aren’t boys.
22. Bullets taken out of a gun can be put back in. If you want to let someone play with your gun but you don’t want them to fire it, you should probably make the bullets inaccessible.
23. Frogs don’t eat dead crickets.
24. When God wants to make an mushroom he takes 8 minutes but when he wants to make an oak tree he takes 80 years.
25. It is fun to narrarate the ice cream consumption of little kids on the sidewalk by Clumpies. (Josh, Rach, and Bri)
26. Don’t poke your straw through a styrofoam cup of milkshake. It will make a VERY BIG mess. Haha
27. The blue recycling baskets are UTC property and must be returned at the end of the year.
28. If you are going to fall asleep in World Civ class, don’t sit on the front row. And if you must, try not to snore.
29. We learned in Childhood Psychology that “whether we think about it or not, our bodies just want to make babies.” That was a direct quote from a movie, not a life choice or a suggestion.
30 . According to the lady at a beauty salon on Frazier, “If eyes are the window to the soul, then eyebrows are their curtains, and are, therefore, very important.”
31. Southern Star has great Brunswick Stew, almost as good as Sonny’s.
32. It’s not illegal to swim in the Tennessee river at night but you will be arrested for public intoxication.
33. Pancakes is spelled p-a-n-c-a-k-e-s, not p-a-n-c-a-k-s like they painted on the banner in the UC.
34. “If you write it as a rap, it’s a rap. If you write it as a poem, it’s poetry. It’s all in how it’s read.” –Brian “B-$” Strauss-
35. Waffle House almost always makes for a memorable dining experience.
36. You know it’s serious when your pronouns are always “us” and “we.”
37. Some people feel it is necessary to wear a watch on each wrist. Why, you ask? I have no idea. 38. One day in class my biology professor dressed like a farmer.
39. God is not a God of disorder. He has OCD!
40. Raze got me the most points in scrabble to date.
41. On the news one night they announced that an iguana had been found on the side of the road and they were looking for its owner.
42. One day there was a giant machine thingie on campus that was plucking a telephone pole out of the ground as if it were a flower.
43. The mom from the show "little people, big world" came and spoke on our campus and the only thing I remembered from her speech was her telling us that she loved when capris came out because she didn't have to get her pants hemmed anymore.
44. God is a Quaker. He makes the earth quake.
45. Get on the bus, Gus. Make a plan, Stan
46. My world civ teacher wrote on the board "Bad map of the day" and proceeded to draw a terrible representation of Africa.
47. Same teacher-"Keep reading your textbook even though it makes absolutley no sense at all. The puzzle pieces are all over the floor right now. We gotta work on finding all of the edge peices so it can all make sense."
48. Still same teacher: "The dark ages were not too terribly dark."
49. And more: "The Queen of England... yes, she is still alive... she is almost as old as Yoda."
50. I have no idea what he was talking about then he said, "Orlando Bloom shed his elf costume and then..." and after that it all continued to make no sense at all.
51. My stat teacher has 2 moles below his right eye and he answered a girl in our class, "yes sir," and didn't even realize she wasn't a sir.
52. Drawing little pictures of your upcoming dinner during night class helps you to stay awake but it also makes you very hungry.

Hope these amused you as much as they did me.

I believe in...

1-16-09
I believe a pen can paint a heart.
I believe being broken can mend you.
I believe childhood can last a lifetime.
I believe being real is the best you can be.
I believe love can happen at any age.
I believe everyone needs a hug.
I believe that a hug can start to tear down a wall.

I believe in music.
I believe in cold pizza for breakfast.
I believe in finding a second wind.
I believe in faith, hope, and love.
I believe in the one that said they were the greatest things.
I believe in loud music and singing louder than loud music.
I believe in finger taps on the tips of your nose.
I believe in soft kisses and long kisses and hand kisses.
I believe in laughing too loud.
I believe in acting too young for your age.
I believe in our mistakes we find real life.
I believe in trying hard not to make them, and making them anyways.
I believe in people who make mistakes.
I believe in genuine compliments and genuine smiles.
I believe in genuine tears just as much.
I believe in splashing in a pool and trampolining in the rain.
I believe in making up words like trampolining.
I believe in ignoring spell check sometimes and breaking grammatical rules.
I believe in miracles and second chances and third chances at and IN life.
And I believe that every life is a miracle.

If I lost everything I believed in and faith, hope, and love remained
I would see I don’t need all of this stuff
Life is still life if these three remain
Even LOVE alone is enough!

What do you believe in?

Not Feeling Quite Me

1-15-09
Tonight, broken, I came to you
To hear you speak as I always do
Each week from Jason or Paul at CRU
Tonight I heard you say in a song
“Child of weakness, be strong
You are weak so you must pray
And find in me thine all in all.”
Lord you paid it all
And all to you I owe
While I’m sick you’re watching me
With love down here below
For me you sent your son
To suffer in my place
So when my face is pale
I will seek my Savior’s face
You have been there before
When my body had nothing to give
When I could barely get out of bed
You said, through me, you can live
When I’m not feeling myself
You take me just as I am
Feeling like no one can love me like this
You send people who try to understand
When someone thinks it is all in my head
You know how I feel down inside
When I am hard to be around
Beside me I know you’ll abide
Recently a smile is hard for me to find
Even though I am blessed with loving friends
And you’ve placed in my path great people who care
I struggle to show how I am grateful for them
Because the real me seems lost somewhere
Why am I feeling this way today?
Why can’t I be me when my head’s not quite right?
Why do I struggle to get through the day?
Fighting to smile is something I never have to do
It is such a hard concept for me to grasp
I wish this was over as quick as it came
I just want this sickness to pass
But here I am laying my life at your feet
Cause I know this is how you have planned it to be
Faith and trust is all I have left
And love in my life that conquers all things
This battle I’m fighting was already won
So in all of this I must try to remember
The things of this world were conquered by your son
I still have you and incredible people with me
For that I’m more grateful than I appear to be
Open up my eyes so that I might see
The light in the darkness that lives within me

Oh, God...

1-13-09
I want to grow closer cause you are so distant
Lately my thoughts are so far
I want you to show me all that I’m missing
Don’t want to see you as a star
I am so captivated by the light that you shine
But the light isn’t burning my eyes

Oh, Lord, for so long I’ve known you
And oh, God, with me you have dined
Oh, God, I’m only trying to live this life

I know that I need you
I’m missing that feeling
I cannot do this alone
You gave me your words and they gave me life
You promised I’d never be on my own

Oh, God, I am just wandering
Oh, God, please show me the way
Oh, God, I’m only wanting you to be near

Please bring yourself so close to my heart
That I’m tanned by your Jesus sunshine
I know you can show me all that I’m missing
Lately I have been closing my eyes

So many times I felt you right beside me
In your arms I long to abide
I have all these plans that my heart has decided
But is that what you’ve planned out for me?

Oh, God, you are so loving
Oh, God, I quickly forget
Oh, God, please help your daughter to grow so close

There is so much that muffles your whispers
I’ve been so distracted from you,
The voice of my father that longs to direct me,
Shout above the noise “I just love you!”
I know you are speaking but I can’t comprehend it
My human ears don’t understand
It is you that I long for, your path I have chosen
When I lose my way, please take my hand
Here I am waiting and here I will stay
To hear what your voice has to say

Don’t wanna wait for this life
I’ve gotta persue it
Been waitin for this life
I’ve just gotta do it
Been waiting for your life
But I gotta persue it
This is what I’ve wanted
This is what I’ve needed…

Love-Your-Child

Dedicated to the Rappers in my Life

1-10-09
Breathing life to the lifeless
Never thought of that concept
Though I see it as that
You caught my eye with that rap
I could picture the Maker of earth and heaven
Taught Jesus CPR, not regrettin what he'd given
Jesus came down and took a crash course
Birthed in a stable only home for a horse
Jesus lived a perfect life
Unlike you and I
Made him qualified to be
The perfect sacrifice
Lifted the burden we carried to do things just right
This guy Jesus Christ didn't go down with no fight
We can't be perfect people cuz only he could
If we've got something to give, we definitely should
So what, you may not have much money in your pocket
But pic up a mic, talk your talk, and then walk it
God always provides like he promises to
He provided his son who died just for you
So live for him and he'll give to you
The strength you need, to see
That your dreams are followed through
So keep on dreamin and thinkin
Rappin and singing
Cuz God up above is definitely seein

Prodigal Daughter

1-9-09
Your love wakes me up in the morning
But I grumble as I roll out of bed
To slip on a swimsuit and jacket
And swim like I wish I were dead
From the time I emerge from the covers
To the time that our pool practice ends
Never once did I whisper “good morning”
To the one who I call my best friend
Fall is my favorite season of all
But I despise walking back in the cold
I fail to notice the beautiful trees
With leaves of red, orange, and gold
After complaining about the weather outside
I go back to my dorm for a shower
I let the water warm my cold skin
But I let the insides stay sour
After I stress for my upcoming test
I see my weathered Bible
Sitting there beside my desk
A pain starts to form in my stomach
And inside I just want to cower
Cause there’s a man who let me live one more day
And I’ve ignored him for over an hour
But instead of stopping just a moment to pray
I see if I got any new messages today
I see a friend is hurting
Their status tells me so
I say that God is always there
Then say I have to go
Then I’m off to make a waffle
Cause waffles make my day
But never do I praise the Lord
That I don’t have to pay
I sit in class and I take notes
I study hard then fail a test
I know it’s not the end of the world
But still it gets me stressed
The after class I’m off to run
And I claim to be running for you
But deep down I just want the Mocs to win
I run for me, coach, and the gold and blue
Last weekend we prayed before the big race
“Give us strength to run our best.”
When the gun went off I was focused on you
Then I focused on me for the rest
When I crossed the line I felt so consumed
By negative thoughts about the race
Never did I acknowledge
That I had lost sight of your face
I gave every ounce of strength that I had
To run fast at the conference meet
Then I took the PR that I had just run
And laid it at my coach’s feet
That’s not where it belongs
My race was never his
He will never know my heart
Or accept it for what it is
His voice wasn’t in my head
When my body wanted to give in
It was you who helped me hold on
You were there beginning to end
And who did I praise when we won the race?
I didn’t run to you with a smile on my face
It wasn’t your arms I ran to
When our hard work finally paid off
I went and hugged the people I love
And the one who made it happen, I forgot
How do I so quickly ignore
The one who blessed me with life?
Why do I only jump into your arms
In times of heartache and strife?
I want you in the morning
When I grumpily get out of bed
I want to hear you cheering me on
When Coach says one more one-breath
I want you to cleanse my insides
As I shower the out
I want you to teach me with your word
How to love you from the inside out
I want us to talk as I walk to class
Not too slow and not too fast
I want to thank you for waffles
And everything else that I eat
And the roof always over my head
And the shoes always on my big feet
I want you to teach me to be all I can be
The best student, runner, and friend
To live in such a way
That people see the you that’s within
I want you to be there when I don’t call
And forgive me when I finally do
Because I’m a sinner who does things my way
When all I really need is you
I know that you are
And I know that I’m not
And I know that it has to change
I want you in all I do
Lord, help me cling to your chains
Help me draw near and share every fear
And know that you know
The reason for every tear
Take my hand and draw me near
Speak now the words I’m needing to hear
Open my eyes to the Devil’s disguise
Don’t let me get lost in all of his lies
Help me to see through a new pair of eyes
And chase after you all the days of my life.

Love Always (no matter what),
Your Prodigal Daughter

The Musicmaker and Me

1-8-09
Dance with me
Lead me in this symphony we call life
I hear its song but can’t always find the rhythm
You are the leader I will try hard to follow
I will let you swing me out on the floor
Hold me close when I need to close my eyes
When I get dizzy slow the pace
Sometimes I look at other dancers
And wish I could dance like them
Sometimes I forget that I have the greatest partner
To dance with in the whole wide world
Because no one knows the music better than the composer

I want to sit alongside you on the piano bench
As the notes of my life spill from your fingertips
I know I can’t play but I will learn from you
Watch your hands dance and then do as you do
You will play something the angels sing from afar
As I struggle through twinkle twinkle little star
You will laugh at my novice fingers all lost
As I feel like I am tying them up in knots
You will take my hands and help me to play
As if I’ve been playing piano each day
Together the music will touch someone’s heart
If no one else, at least my heart is a start
The music we make will inspire me to play
The music I’ve heard, in the words that I say
Though I am no player a writer I am
Music’s not me but you’ve blessed my right hand
You’ve given me pens that on paper must write
With my words I hope I can help someone fly
To a place where they see you as I see you now
When they don’t have to wonder when, where, why, and how
They can simply forget all the things of this world
Forget the trials that leave their hearts twisted and curled
Crawl up in your lap or sit down beside you
And feel as loved as all people desire to
There in your lap they can share all their fears
Into your hands they can cry all their tears
They can come to you broken and leave your arms filled
Feeling blessed with a calling-- uniquely skilled
Knowing there is a song they were brought here to play
That can’t be perfected in one single day
We each have a voice, passion, gift, or a talent
That will leave this world better than we have found it
I hope that my words have said all he wants to be spoken
And they leave someone’s heart a little less broken
If just one person is a little bit touched
If someone’s inspired to pick up their paintbrush
Or go out and do what God sent them to do
Or wake up tomorrow a little less blue
If this poem in any way makes your eyes open
If it brings hope to someone that’s stopped hopin’
If it helps someone open their eyes in the morning
Who wakes up each day wishing they were still snoring
If it helps you to see God in a different light
In a special way like I saw him tonight
If something inside you compels you to rise
To see your life for a moment through heaven’s eyes
If all of this or any of this just happened to you
These words aren’t really mine just God shining through
No this poem didn’t take me too long to write
But these are God’s words on the screen-they aren’t mine
I feel so blessed to see God has spoken
Even these words have drawn my eyes open
Lord, thank you for playing the music I hear
Thank you for bringing the broken me near
Thank you for knowing the story in every tear
Thank you for coming and meeting me here