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