None Greater

Terror contorted Garet's face as the king gripped his throat.
His power renowned, Garet had never been at the mercy
of the Great King. He deserved death. Decades of treason
sealed Garet's fate.

Releasing his iron grip, the King raised his right
hand, silencing the onlookers. Garet's heart
seized with fear.

'Crown this man with lovingkindness', the King demanded.
'Cloak him in robes of fellowship!'

A torrent of regret flooded Garet. 'My Lord, forgive me!
How could I have so misjudged you?'

The King lifted Garet, 'Kill a fatted calf... tonight
we rejoice! This our enemy is now destroyed!'

_______________

Author's Note~

Abe Lincoln inspires this entry with his quote:
'Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of
them?'

A blessed, meaningful Valentine's Day to my readers!

Forever Young

Her voice is breathless answering my
call, 'Good morning!'

'Is everything alright? It took quite
a few rings...'

'Oh, yes. I was out starting the car.
It's too cold and snowy to run it
cold.'

I imagine her energy melting a path
right to her car. 'Well, glad I
caught you... where you headed?'

'I have a patient to care for, then
thought I'd walk awhile at the Rec
Center.'

I smile. 'You're a young 71! Happy
Birthday, mom...'
_______________

~ Author's Note ~

My mother has long been a role model
in my life, and I'm always encouraged
by her undaunted energy. :)

Visitation

The urgent knock jolted her awake. Eleven PM... only a half hour of reprieve. The memory of his leaving on a rescue mission lingered.

A presence filled the room without warning, flooding
her with peace. She sprang to the pounding door.

Tortured smiles greeted her. 'There's
been an accident... would you come
with us to the river?'

Childlike trust skipped from her heart,
through her lips, 'Okay'...
_______________

~ Author's Note ~

My heart is forever changed after being
led through one of the deepest pains of
my life. People who knew me, saw a
dramatic display of God's sustaining
presence. It was His visitation that
made a difference for me.

Still

She wakes to the song of chickadees after all these
years, reminding her of him.

Of him... tenderly singing her name to the melody
of a feathered chorus. 'Leeena, Leeena.'

The fallen nest they saved from their final walk
together sits on her bed stand, after all these
years, tiny and empty, reminding her of him.

_______________

~ Author's Note ~

I wrote this with tears... and smiles. The empty
nest I face now sometimes seems twice as empty
without my late husband. I'm grateful to have been
loved by such a man, who left behind so many tokens
of precious memories... especially our children.

Long Winter

For Sale by Owner:
Little house in the snow bank.
_______________

~ Author's Note ~

In my corner of the world, it's
been an unusual winter. Our first
big snowfall seemed unending and
keeping the snow cleared literally
created snowbanks that grew and
grew... :)

When the Weak Become Strong

She entered the gathering at it's peak of joviality-
an old enemy brandishing tools of destruction,
prepared for another victory. Standing in my rightful
place, I spot her.

A new sensation bolts awake, slicing through memories
of defeat. I see her fear! I smell her fear... taste and
feel it! She senses my presence and takes her weapon
from it's sheath.

Laughter erupts from my throat, disarming her.
Extending my hand, I lift her from her fear.

'Welcome to my victory party!'
_______________

~ Author's Note ~

Somewhere along the journey of life, I picked up a
sensitivity to the thoughtlessly harsh words spoken
by people. It's just been recently that I've had
a breakthrough.

To see beyond one's own fear, to understand that fear
itself is the real enemy, is a great victory, indeed!