Our Limit is the Sky

Our Limit is the Sky

Shouts made in anger

Threats creating fear

Made to be so much worse

When said by someone dear

His words tend to cut

Into the very heart of you

Were there good times...yes

But in comparison...very few

He needs to make you feel

Less than the woman that you are

But not what God wanted for you

As he peers down from the stars

You may want to give up

Just throw up your hands

But I’m telling you not to

Find strength...make a stand

His words while hurtful

Are still not true

He has yet to know

The real woman...which is you

The sad people who hurt us

Trying to cause us pain

Only bring out our inner warrior

Where only light remains

We cannot be defeated

By their negative tone

Because one fact remains true

You are not alone

Any effort which he has made

To break your tender heart

Is only made fruitless by

He who created us from the start

No matter what effects man

Chooses to impose

God knows the path which

Turns a seed into a rose

He knows what is best

For His children one and all

He gives us courage to walk

When we think we can only crawl

Stand up my dear sister

Hold your head high

For our Father walks with you

And while its okay to cry

Know that when your tears

Have dried in the light of His love

You will soar like God’s angels

On the wings of a snowy dove

You have strength and power

Not yet even tapped

It matters not where you have been

Only where you are at

And you are at the feet of God

He will help you rise

For when we submit to His will

Our limit is the sky

As I Pray

As I Pray

Dear Heavenly Father

As I kneel down to pray

Thanking you for the blessings

You sent to me today

I know there are times

I could look to you more

And you would guide me

Toward the gifts you have in store

We sometimes forget

The very beauty which is you

And think only of ourselves

And it shows in what we do

I can only hope you can see

The true intentions of our hearts

And while we may not deserve

Please give us a new start

We sometimes forget

The very essence of who you are

And we are only reminded

As we glance up at the stars

You are an undeniable love

A truth some fail to understand

You are greater than every body of water

You are the true gift to man

I wanted to tell you

We sometimes fail to be

All that you had in mind

And in spite of your creativity

We tried to make this world

Our own selfish domain

And now it is our evil

That now seems to remain

Please give us a chance to

Mend all that we have marred

A chance to love each other

And heal all of the scars

If we stop abusing one another

And stand up for what is right

Stop creating boundaries

Make children safe at night

Once we start realizing the gift

Which once was our lives

Put down our weapons

Stop wielding the guns and knives

I promise we will try harder

Starting with this day

We will try to be peaceful

With all we do and say

And hopefully the next time

I come to you and pray

We can talk about the changes

We made along the way

Father in closing I say only this

More than you could possibly know

I am thankful for your guidance

And I do love you so

Waiting For You

Waiting For You

A pulse races

Faster every night

She should feel safe

Hidden out of sight

He knows every rhythm

Her heart beats so loud

Like a trapped animal

Again she was found

Bruises, scrapes and cuts

Scars so real

Another is placed

Before others have time to heal

No relief in sight

No help at her beckoned call

Afraid to reach out

She sees no peace at all

She knows people hear her pleas

For help like a beacon in the night

People watching all around

But still...no relief in sight

She is your mom or sister

Or someone she could be

It could happen to anyone

It should be easy to see

But as long as we turn

Away from her plight

We all become her abuser

With no hope in sight

Reach out for her hand

Even if it seems there is no need

You may be her only hope

Her only way to be free

Let the bruises on her face

Be a lesson to us all

Watch out for her stumble

Don’t wait for her to fall

Be the net she needs

To know God loves her too

Time is too precious

And she is waiting for you

Sweet Warrior

Sweet Warrior

Although you didn’t realize it

I heard you cry, I know of your pain

And while it may be hard to believe

I, too, have felt the shame

Every blow he has dealt you

I have felt before

And while you may think

You can take no more

Please know that you

Are stronger than steel

Even when you are crying

No matter what you may feel

His attempt to destroy the light

Within your heart

Has failed miserably every time

Of that there is no doubt

I know you feel alone

Because once I did too

He leaves his weakness

On your face...a bruise

I want you to understand

I need you to see

How much you are loved

Starting with me

I love your strength

And the resolve on your face

I love the fact that

He can’t keep up with your pace

I adore the reminder that with you

God always smiles

And even if it feels like

You haven’t seen it in a while

The power behind your smile

In spite of the ongoing pain

Always brings out your sunshine

When he only wants to see rain

The sparkle in which

Your eyes always show

Is a constant reminder

Of the love you now know

God loves you sweet warrior

Never doubt that fact

I know you feel alone

But no matter where you are at

You are being divinely watched over

And his cowardly deeds

Will soon be repaid

With God’s wrath...a fact he should heed

Please hold on to this notion

That you are not alone

And you grow stronger

With every punch that is thrown

And while I will ask you

To please find away

To muster up your strength

And quickly walk away

Until you are able to break free

Know that you aren’t the only one

And God is watching over you

And His will...soon shall be done

Giving Thanks

Giving Thanks

  Today I want to give thanks for the experiences of this past year. Some have been happy and some have been sad...but all have been necessary. This year my sister passed away...and while I definitely feel her absence...which makes me sad. I also felt blessed by her presence...for which I will forever be grateful. Life has a way of giving you just what you need...even though we might want more or feel like we actually have less. I am a better person for just having known her...and fortunate enough to have loved her. My sister loved me unconditionally, as I did her. And while I am still saddened by her death...I am elated that God loved me so much that He sent her to me...even if our time was brief.

  This year was a time of awareness...the world had become more aware of the trauma caused by the famine in the Horn of Africa. While this has been an ongoing problem, which has now become dire..., at least now we can no longer claim ignorance. We must acknowledge the ongoing problem and the obligation that we have to try and help...our fellow man. I have seen online videos and statements....as well as, online petitions to create awareness of this devastating problem. I pray that this dreadful condition...improves over the coming year. The only way to improve...however is to bring and keep this issue in the light; as people, it is our job to bring awareness to the fact that our fellow man is starving to death.

  In 2011, several states created racial profiling laws; and while I found this to be sad and disheartening...I still have hope that we will eventually do the right thing. It is my prayer that in the coming year we will be able to look at all the injustices and learn from our own mistakes. I hope that we will soon learn that not only are we no better or superior to anyone or anything else; but that there is no way for anyone to fix what has already happened. All that we may hope for in the near future is that we can move ahead and start treating other people as we would like to be treated...even if we aren’t being done so right now. I believe that we have the ability to rise above our differences and uplift ourselves by uplifting our fellow man. We have the chance to rise above any and all adversity...using our unique characteristics as means to connect. In 2012, I pray that we will understand that racial profiling, legal or not, is a huge step backward...and is no better than making our fellow man sit at the back of the bus.

  I want to thank Troy Davis...posthumously, while the light and awareness you helped spread did not save your life...I believe that it will help others. I hope that people may understand, because of your voice beyond the grave...that killing is wrong...no matter whom the assailant is. I also wish peace to the families of those touched by this case and the thousands before it. Let us not dwell on the errors of man...but learn from it so that we can build upon the fact that loving one another is all we need to do.

  2011 was the year that American troops came home from Afghanistan...and while too much life was lost...on both sides.... I know we are relieved to have our sons, daughters, fathers and mothers back on our soil. But let us not be so overjoyed that we forget the many lives lost. I pray we spend more time giving unsolicited hugs to the children of that war...once time has escaped us...there is no way to back track; but we can begin new...today.

  My thoughts and prayers are with those people still at war...all over the globe; those children of God fighting for their rights to exist...and I ask that we no longer turn a deaf ear to their plight. Let us remember how hard it was for us knowing that our family members, our neighbors...our fellow man were fighting and may not return...and pray for those families that still live with that turmoil today. Let us show compassion and empathy with the orphans born as a result of the wage of war...not forgetting that it is our children that pay that price.

  Let us remember in the coming year, the sacrifices that the women in our lives have made. Please join me in shining light on anyone and everyone who believes they have the right to do harm to any one of them. Please help me bring awareness to the fact that millions of women are beaten, abused (physically and verbally), raped, and even killed every year...a senseless and vile act. But even sadder than the fact that it happens...is the fact that it usually happens at the hand of someone they love and trust. I pray God reminds us to be respectful and kind to one another everyday...because we are breeding this behavior in our young children who sit and watch idly. I pray for the soldiers in this fight...the women and girls that are affected by this travesty every single day. With love, perhaps we can put an end to this war, as well. 

Lastly, I want to thank all of those people who did the right thing this year...loved unconditionally without bias. You are the reigning example of what we are all supposed to rise to...your example speaks in leaps and bounds.

  I wish all of you a safe and happy holiday season, and hope you leave room for growth in the coming year. Every day is a lesson. Every thought can maintain peace or create war...let us shine our Creator’s love on all that we touch.

Stop the Violence

Stop the Violence

  Today is Stop the Violence Day. Even in writing that it seems ridiculous to have to say. As children we are taught, from an early age, to be kind to one another. We have religious books that will tell us to be kind to our neighbors, and to want for our brothers and sisters what we want for ourselves. And since I doubt that anyone wants death and destruction brought upon themselves or those that they love...I doubt we are thinking of it in that way.

  Violence has become a way of life for most of our world. And to support the violent action we are often making excuses for it to continue...both on the domestic and global fronts. We will often hear an abusive person making excuses for his/her behavior stating that they were led to that dark place...often by the victim. When we hear such an outlandish statement, we often shake our heads. And we react in this way because it is juvenile for us to believe that another person could lead us into such violence. After all, we are individuals. We have our own minds and thought patterns. We certainly can not be led astray by another individual...can we? We couldn’t become so angry that we would want to strike someone that could be considered weaker than us, could we? We couldn’t actually hope for people to believe that a child could do something so awful that they would need to be battered or bruised...but do we?

  Tempers flare, but we are responsible for those actions. And if we can not control the actions of our bodies or mouths...we should reach out for help. I learned some startling statistics that I wanted to share with you, so that we could see this problem in black and white.

1.   In South Africa 1300 women are raped everyday

2.  In the United States, 683,000 forcible rapes occur every year

3.  Child abuse is reported every 10 seconds

4.  Every 9 seconds a woman is beaten

5.  5-6 children will die from complications of abuse every day

6.  Most Rapists commit 10 rapes before they are caught

7.  4 million women a year are seriously abused every year

8.  1 in 5 high school girls are sexually or physically abused by a partner

  These statistics, while startling are completely factual. There is nothing worse than being abused. This violence has to stop. We are literally killing each other...every single day.

  No one...has the right to put their hands on another living soul. We do not have eminent domain over another person. People are not property. We can not be held or contained and if we are...it is a violation of our civil rights. It is criminal to make anyone do anything against their will...whether spoken or implied.

  I pray that we use this day as an example of how we are supposed to live. We need to learn to live in harmony, with ourselves and others.

Rays of light

Rays of Light

I wanted to take a moment to share God’s Rays of Light with you, so maybe it will show the divine way in which God gives us HIS unwavering love.

 I have always known that all that happens has a greater purpose or reason…even though we may not fully understand why it was/is necessary. How many of us have met some one and we were certain that he/she was “THE ONE”? And in time the relationship would fall apart, for whatever reason. I can remember, personally, feeling lost…not understanding why God would allow that to happen. It would take years before I could see that the relationship was not as perfect as I may have convinced myself that it was. In time I came to realize that God would use many people to help me see what I needed in my life…by showing me what I didn’t need. However I had to experience the things I didn’t need to see what they were. Maturity helped me realize that if the relationship had continued…I would have missed out on what HE had been preparing me for my entire life.

 I have noticed that often people have used an illness to try and dispel the fact that we are loved highly. After all why would a God who loves us allow us or others to suffer? I always try to keep in mind that there is a lesson in everything, so I always ask myself what I can learn from this experience. Perhaps I needed to slow down, because I was losing sight of what was really important, and I had not been using the gifts God had given me. It is, of course, always harder to watch others suffer…so in my attempt to understand the lesson in that…I had to search deeply within myself. I couldn’t imagine what lesson a child who is starving, would need to learn. I certainly couldn’t believe that the child had done anything wrong…or deserving of the affliction or circumstance. Was God overlooking that child’s prayers? Then one day, I saw the larger picture. The TRUE LESSON in having to watch a child starve to death…was in the fact that…we WATCHED. We didn’t take any responsibility for trying to help. Perhaps when the child prayed to God for help…God responded by bringing the child to our attention. So given that perspective…it wasn’t God that failed the starving child…it was us.

 Do we ever consider the fact that people are brought into our sight, for a very specific reason? How do we drive past a homeless person on the street, who is asking for help, as if we don’t see them? Almost ironically, we will shake our heads in disbelief when we hear of a man beating his wife or child to death…yet sit idly while they are being verbally abused. How many times have you heard some one say…some one should have done something? Next time, be completely honest with yourself…why didn’t you do something? What if you were the life line that God threw to that person…and you acted like it wasn’t your place? What is your place? Are our heads and hearts in the right place? After all it is our hearts which tell us what we should care about…and heads which tell us to take action. Does your head listen to your heart?

 God is loving…but the window of opportunity to do the right thing…can be brief. We blindly go about our days, as if it isn’t our job to look out for other people, especially if they don’t play a major part in our daily lives; I just can’t imagine there being a more important job than to love one another. Its like leaving something laying in the middle of the floor…and walking over top of it, waiting for some one else to take the initiative to pick it up. The problem being…everyone is waiting on some one else to pick it up. Doing the right thing is easy…we make it hard.

 The beauty of God is all around us, we see it daily. Have you ever seen a flower grow in the middle of a sidewalk? It is God’s way of showing us that even amidst mans destruction of this earth…He will allow a flower to grow…in an unexpected place. The question is will we appreciate the blessing of the flower or plow it down?

 What are God’s RAYS of LIGHT? God’s way of showing us a negative situation…which man has allowed to occur…and giving us the opportunity to make it better, through love and peace.