the week's last thoughts

having coffee (well, hot chocolate) with the church staff at their weekly shop-talk meeting is always fun. it feels quite the privilege to be trusted into such a groups unguarded discussion. it's a group that is very easy to love and enjoy, to see how much they put themselves into the people they serve.
as i've been job searching on line, i came across service and catering positions w/ a food chain i've never eaten in...so we decided it would be prudent to actually go in and taste it (my host and myself, we parted ways with the others). turns out i'm actually impressed w/ the selection, and for some reason beyond me i'm actually going to apply for the catering slot. it doesnt really make sense to me why i would do this, but since it is such an odd draw to it, i figure i'd better respond even if it's just a test of willingness.
following this was another visit to the bookstore, so that my host could go through her meeting notes as well as prepare for other things, including our bible study in the evening. i was able to finish going through the doctor who magazine i encountered earlier on sunday afternoon, and then began to investigate the direction for the bible study myself. mainly i used my fancy phone and all it's technological glory, but i did notice while i was walking around the store after being satisfied w/ my findings there - a book about salt (our study passage was matthew 5:13-16). i would have bought it if i had the resources to do as i please. the author was traveling around in europe and was eating a fantastic steak, with some difficulty he was able to find out why it was so wonderful - salt made by the owner's brother, a salt artisan. i've noticed lately in the store all the various fancy salts, but it didnt occur to me till flipping through this book and reading his discoveries and realizations that our salt is, well, awful. it belongs in the category of white bread and soda. it's mass produced and has nothing to do w/ its roots of handmade regional flavor and time-consuming value. no wonder we dont understand the bible's confidence in a 'covenant of salt'. i still dont get it. but i do know this after the cumulation of poking around, salt was required on all the grain offerings, dictated in leviticus, and Jesus calls himself the bread of life - the ultimate sacrifice - and if we are the salt of the earth, we are to cling to Him before God. i got that from a guy named ron miller. this passage of Jesus' teaching is so visual. come to think of it, he was pretty much always making connections that we put together w/ our familiarity and visual knowledge. but then He'd go beyond that. i was taught that the first place something is mentioned in the bible is usually significant. and the first mention of light is so obvious, i couldnt help but see it. He says we are the light of the world, and the first thing God spoke into existence was light. before there was a sun or moon. and Jesus is called the light. and in the end, when the sun and moon are gone, there will still be His light. so we are light w/ Him? that's a pretty big deal. it's also a big deal when you pull the whole thing together, and look at who He's talking to. the poor in spirit, the desperate, the meek, the mourning who will find comfort, the hungry righteousness seekers, the pure in heart, the merciful. yes, a world w/out these people, it would be dark and flavorless. the desperate will be the most alive when given new breath, those who know pain know great joy when things are made right, when justice wins there is freedom...yes, the world needs these people. the world needs them light a city on a hill, like salt in their food.
a thought i had at the bible study was the safety of a town lit at night, but this morning i'm also reminded of the safety of a salted road. i dont know if it is ironic that Jesus says the flavorless salt is thrown on the ground and is good for nothing... but here, they value salt on the road. it means they can travel and do life without worrying that they will end up on the side of the way, stuck somewhere.
i leave today. i'll be back home by midnight. and i wonder, will i be here again? so many beautiful hearts have made it clear they already long to have me back, to have me be part of life here. i'm so touched by that, i really dont know how to feel, but obviously humbled. to have been adopted upon first meeting by this new family here... i hope to see them again. how strange it feels. i've only ever known my family back home, and they truly are family to me. i shouldnt have any ease to leave them. yet God puts in our hearts things we may never understand, and will never be able to explain. i think he has enabled me to have a peace about all this. even though there are puzzle pieces still in his hands. i will simply wait to see what it looks like as he places them upon the table. ...yeah.

no lack of good things

you find out who the outdoorsy people are around here when it's cold...or when it's not, i suppose. my host, took me and one of my new friends up to mount sugarloaf. no idea why it would be called that. i should look it up for you! ah, they used to put sugar into a certain kind of shape for packaging and shipment - i take it if you look at these peaks, you'll know what that looked like. fair enough.
well, anyway, on our way there we passed the yankee candle place, and it seems that a lot of people think it is worth a stop. none of us cared about it. but get us on a trail? happy campers! i will say though, on the way up my thighs were questioning my motives. i should work out more so that they dont get surprised next time i go hike around anywhere. thankfully though it was just a short distance, and by the time we were back down they had forgiven me their misfortune.
at the top you find yourself overlooking the connecticut river. on either side of the landscape it cuts through is farm land and what look to me as segments of towns (but i think they are full towns, but i dont know how). at the beginning of my stay i learned that the long barns are for drying tobacco, and the fields next to them are where it grows. let me just tell you they are everywhere. there's something neat about the way they look though, so they end up in my pictures. i guess they tell of our crazy history, silently pulling through into our crazy future. there's something to be said for that.
once we were back in our town, a stones throw away practically (well, maybe a few throws), my lovely host gets a look in her eye and asks, "time for a treat before we break ways?" speaking to our friend that joined us. so we stopped at this charming modern/rustic/industrial cafe. the base of the counters were covered in pieced together cabinet doors and other decorative framework parts (old door frame corners, from a time when even the little things got some loving attention - the type of thing that is part of the norm here). wooden shelves on the dining area walls were supported by black metal pipes and the lights were wine bottles w/ the bottoms cut off, hanging over the tables. the long table in the middle had a lovely series of bottles, amber, green, and blue in all different sizes laid out in a lose stair step (by height, w/ the bottoms level) for a nice unified feeling. our round bistro table was a hodge-podge of wood scraps fit together and covered with a shallow pool of resin. some of the boards had faded logos and writing from their past lives. the food was great, i had a little sandwich w/ scrambled egg, apricot jam, whipped gorgonzola, and arugula. a sticky wonderful thing. oh, and citrus ginger tea. which i pretty much drank all of (those little tea pots seem to hold more than you realize). i've been needing more liquids here than i thought i would, even now my knuckles are dry (i've never had dry knuckles). the others had carrot cake, a smoothie, and soup...and we shared the cake. i'm glad we did, it was packed w/ walnuts and the icing was thick and rich, it was well done. i think i would be willing to try anything there.
there have been so many chances for great food this week, even my last event of the day was dinner. earlier in my stay we were told to check out a sushi buffet. well, that idea is typically sketchy, but a second person said it was worth it too. i mean, if two reliable friends recommend it, we should at least give it the benefit of the doubt. w/ one of the roommates in tow we went...and it was wonderful. several really creative flavor combinations - like mango, which was lovely in sushi rice. and the nigiri was tasty good. i night have overdone it w/ the coconut shrimp (but who says no to fried shrimp in creamy sweet gooey sauce?)so i've had sushi twice now, i'm quite the happy camper indeed.

my heart is beating peacefully.

fear not good towns people! your favorite protagonist has not been defeated by the wintery nemesis WeatherMan! nay, his prediction was less than impressive. it was wet for a little while, and even some slushy flakes fell, but the ground is no more covered now than when i first arrived. it is just the remnants of his last great attempt to cover the world in white, which recedes little by little each day.
"great news," you say, "but why have you forced us to wait so long til this next update?"
well. weekends get busy. sorry.
so, where did i leave off?
saturday was nice and slow. i've enjoyed the various tours of the campuses, but the greenhouse at smith was beautiful. dont get me wrong, the quirky late 20th century architecture of hampshire college is amusing, and the antiquated feel given off by the main buildings on the other schools is great, but nature takes the cake. the maze of humid greenery draws you in. from one room of tropical exotic you go through a door and find cacti and succulents that make you pause (why would a cactus need hair?). the other visitors brought a smile to my face, one mother made use of a tree-filled room like a park for her active little boy. she sat on a quaint bench as he literally ran around the place in circles, back and forth around and round. he was having a blast. so i can certainly see finding some respite from the snow in there in my future.
in the afternoon we went to visit a lovely couple who has made their own little sugar house. getting to see the sugaring process from the very beginning to end (w/ tastings throughout) was quite the good time. what's sugaring? making maple syrup! oh how yummy it is. i was very surprised how watery the sap is right out of the tree, runny and clear. we gathered it from buckets tapped into trees all on their property. it takes a good long number of hours to boil the water out and get it to the right % ratio. the flavor is so different when it has only begun to reduce a little, like a marshmallow, but with a bit more plant influence. one of the girls w/ us described it being similar to barley. but i havent smelled that, so i will just take her word.
all the houses here are charming and comfortable, old and lived in. back home this place would be a labeled historic district. but here, it's just life. this family in their old house probably find it troublesome or lack-luster. i'd go visit the sugaring house any time! and not just for the fresh still-hot sample of their finished syrup.
i think all the introverts of MA live here, and the extroverts must be in boston. well, not all. i've been introduced to a fellow aggie (though she only finished her first year before transferring here, but she owns it all the way) who reminds me of a dear friend back home. pretty sure she's been the most extroverted person i've met all week! gotta love your aggies. i say that, but of course it's not really true. there are two of them. this is sunday now, by the way, and i'm at church. finally seeing the pastor friend that has lured me in. i kinda love that half a week went by before seeing him. just shows that this place is about the people.
the early service is small, and unlike at home it's filled with young college students. as is the second service, which seemed 3x the attendance. i guess you find out who your morning people are!
the glow and fire these students have for the gospel is inspiring. so many are new christians and have no family background in it at all. there is no deep culture here to rebel against like at home. the roots of these churches and schools is long forgotten, or simply ignored. so once they see the truth and God removes the veil, it's like they wonder why they never saw it before.
after church i got to hang out w/ the pastor and his family while my host went off to a baby shower near boston (outskirts, but still a bit of a drive even so). their kids are awesome. me and their girl played w/ their bunny for a while after lunch (at chipotle, brand new here, and they flock to it! we beat our own crowd, who have made it their sunday tradition to go there now. so amusing. what would they do if they had the texacan?). we then had some down-time at barnes and noble. get a bit to drink and take advantage of the store to read a bit. first thing i see? a doctor who magazine. didnt finish going through it, but i couldnt justify the money to take it w/ me. did you know they use it in the uk to motivate creative writing among their grade school kids? they've had script writing contests, and the winners had their show filmed! what a cool deal! we wrapped up the evening rejoining my host at the pastor's house for dinner - chocolate chip pancakes and sausage scrambled eggs. i love breakfast for dinner!
and so went the days. everyone i meet is praying for me to find a job. they're all so kind and joyful. yet, they pain for the people in the cities. they rejoice deep, and they mourn deep. i only have a few more days, but regardless of what else happens, it has been good. real good.

mm, got me some sencha tea too.

amusing things:
several christmases ago, my aunt gave us scarves - beautiful, hand knit, long ones. well, in texas is doesnt get cold enough for them. but i love mine, it's rich red and warm purple, sort of rusty or brick like.  well, it's perfect here.
then this last dec my uncle on the other side of the fam, he gave me several things, but the one i loved and have found most useful - fingerless gloves. i've worn them everyday here! when i was excited to receive them, he made a comment about thinking i would, that they struck him as something i'd like. how right!

ok then, for my daily recap!
most of the morning yesterday i was working on organizing my poetry. i am going to submit 10 pages of poems to a writing fellowship contest. it's so intimidating! looking over the last winners through the years, they have advanced degrees in writing and fine arts, they've been published or have been granted other fellowships...so then there's me. wholly untrained, unpublished, granted i've told you about my w-courses in college, but in comparison....it seems weak. but it's something i've done for years. words come out of me. so i'm going to find out if other people who like words - like mine. i'm going to have to treat it like a band-aid, do it quickly then forget about it, since the announcements for the winners isnt till sept. i have till the end of march to submit them, but i hope to do it well before the deadline - no procrastinating on something this big! it could change a lot for me. just dedicating myself to the blog more seriously is changing things internally. it almost seems possible.

before the 'events' of the day got into full swing, i joined my host in a search for a baby shower gift. well, target was out day before, so now it was to see if whole foods would let us down. nope, good 'ol whole foods. i have a feeling that would become my go-to place here. i wish i could transplant one central market, but whole foods will do. you'd think such a populated area would have a lot of just about everything, but as we drive around she points out all the chains that are new, w/in the last few years. it surprises me. this place, it's as if you took all the little in between towns back in central texas, like lampassas /marble falls /giddings /navasota /etc. and squshed them together w/out losing any small town feel. then stick a major highway in the middle of them to split them into sides. that's about what it feels like...
in the afternoon we went back into downtown amherst to meet w/ a lovely young woman who has decided to become involved in mercy house, volunteering in the admin details. so i joined in the conversation, that way i could also hear the info she needed to figure out how she was most useful. after covering several bases we got more into each others stories. she is a pretty new christian, it's been about a year. it's all still fresh and exciting in her eyes. though at the same time, the urgency of it weighs on her for her family. what a thing to deal w/ in life, i know many do not have the blessing i do - two parents who raised me in honesty with God.
that meeting ended w/ ideal timing, and we walked right across the street to dinner. there have been several times of lovely timing, stepping out of one thing and into another. it's funny how many people i'm meeting hail from texas. i think there's a fight club concept that i havent been initiated into - we're taking over, but no one seems to say so outright. hm. anyway... one of the older members of the church was part of our party, and i have instantly found friendship w/ her. i dont think i've ever met an ectomorph like myself before. well, not that i've spent much time talking about and acknowledging it so openly. what amuses me most though, if i come here i'll be leaving a group of older-than-me women who i love, but i know i'll be coming to join a new one. it's strangely common for me to find friendship in those older than myself. i've been called an old soul, not sure if that has anything to do w/ it. but i love them, they have so much life and so much to share, stories and experience...they see life though different lenses, and i'm always seeking new ways to see life.
the evening concluded by volunteering at the homeless shelter held in one of the churches. it reminded me so much of the soup kitchen back home, but much smaller! i was in the kitchen w/ three girls, i think they were all students at u-mass. you could tell who the leader was, she knew the drill and could delegate the workload. i didnt find out until we were into the night that the 'real' leader was unable to make it. i can tell you she should be so proud! what the one girl didnt know, the 'second-in-command' did. and the third girl and i just made sure what they needed done - got done. it will take some time to learn their names, but i know if i were to come back - they'd be open-armed friends. the third girl grew up here, and she thinks i should go to u-mass as well, and live here and be part of life here, she even hugged me goodbye. unless this area is just different from most of new england - i have not seen a single 'not nice' person here! lies, all lies i tell you! the time went so quickly, it was cleaned, re-prepped and time to go @11:30 before i even realized an hour might have gone by.
what a good day. it will be some effort to top that! though, somehow i have a feeling it will be done.

my daily post, just for you

what to say for yesterday? i'm getting to enjoy leisurely mornings followed by social afternoons. the range of social varies quite well too. since my host was meeting up with a friend to catch up on the times, i wondered around amherst. college students going to and fro, little businesses lining the street...stopped by several book stores and found the exhibit for emily dickenson and robert frost (and another man, whose name i've forgoten - but he got props from frost. that's pretty cool) in the library. got some dice in a fun little toy store, a friend of mine is waiting for me to turn a handful into jewelry - i think i will put it on the high end of the to-do list when i get home!
while i was walking around i had intended to take some pictures, but nothing grabbed me...so maybe another time. it was fun to hear all the locals talking about how cold it was. surprised me a bit. apparently it's colder this year than last, and i guess that's all the comparison one needs. but once you're layered up, it's not that bad. granted i came mentally prepared for cold. no where in my books is the high 30's and low 40's a warm day. the forecast has us down for snow on sat. that would be fun to see.
i should get ready for the day and maybe walk around this little neighborhood w/ my camera. if i dont to it today, i still need to make sure it happens before i leave.
well, i guess that's all for now. see you again tomorrow!

glass door knobs and bacon. end day one.

initial response: i love it here. yes, it's cold...that's what clothes are for. yes, it's filled with crazy people...well, i guess i fit in.
the pilot took a route that took us over the ocean, and up the coast line. slowly the landscape below bore snowy fields and hatch-mark tree-scapes, a world, when looking down upon it, that bore no color. it brought me to thoughts of bill waterson's calvin and hobbes' snowy panels, 'yukon ho!'
i'm sitting at a table paired with mismatched chairs in a lovely old two story house, looking out the window. the glass is old and has that fantastic melted trait. across the street, rows of tombstones in the snow. beyond that field of history are bright houses, fantastic high pitched roof lines and naked trees...well, a few evergreens.
this house has the 'i have stories you will never know' quality to it. glass door knobs and white radiant heaters made back when everything was worth putting a little extra effort into, showing off their curly motif. copper pipes conduct their business boldly from the bottom of the first floor up to the ceiling where they disappear. other girls live upstairs, i wont likely investigate it, but i assume it is for their radiators. for now downstairs is my curious domain. it seems there are doors everywhere. door to the stair, door between the entry and main room...not a lot of halls, just rooms off of one main space. i guess that helps keep heat in the rooms you want it in, i appreciate that!
at some point before i leave i will pull the doorbell knob, which is attached to a wire to the spring that rings inside the brass dome. in the room where i sleep, one of the features i love is a medium sized wood framed mirror propped in the corner on top of a rich textured old trunk. the curtains are orange, so when they're closed the light is tinted the same and washes the whole room. it's a nice thing to open your eyes to in the morning. i should probably go turn off the space heater in there, since i'm not occupying the space for a while. i do have it set to a particular temperature, but still. no reason to waste electricity! alright, there now.
it's interesting to come from texas, where i've seen pictures painted of the north east, and then sit shot-gun looking at the real thing going by. the barns and houses, fields of snow, the time... i dont know how old the paintings are that i've seen, but i would have imagined them being quite old - though now i suppose they could have been completed yesterday! coming back to the house last night my lovely host pointed out the twin buckets on each side of random trees (random to my untrained eye anyway, it would be helpful to see them with leaves i think): maple syrup waiting to happen. i love maple syrup! i will have to photograph the street of houses with the tin buckets on their trees. we were coming back from a bacon party. yes, that's exactly right. a friend of several here is sick, so in his honor they held a gathering to enjoy his favorite food. and i even took part! chocolate covered bacon is lovely. put it in a pb&banana sandwich, tip of the hat to elvis. i think that's the main way i eat it now. had a breakfast in portland (the one on the other side of the country) of the same idea (on french toast of course). but that was a different time. i'm writing about now.
later today while my generous host is meeting in town, i will go wondering! walking, watching, praying...
just because i know i need to walk in a new way, does it mean i walk in a new place? i wouldnt mind this place being home for a while. God knows, so i will soak it in and love it while i'm visiting.

motionless fingers

trying to sort out myself, preparing to visit a snowy place...a place vastly different than here. i'm surprised i came up w/ anything at all, and didnt just sit here, fingers poised with no words to take hold.

5:45
in 36 hours i will be on a plane
i'll have to wake up too early
but that's ok
the destination is worth it
the destination is a glimmer in my future self's eyes
she is looking back at me
speaking comfort to my unanswered curiosity
i'm not anxious
that seems to come at a surprise
as if i should be, how dare my composure be so sure
i'm ready to be there, not just this time, but always
in a week and 48 hours i will be on a plane
coming home
but i want there to become home
i have yet to go, and i already want to go back.

things i dont show you

people know me as light-hearted and joyful,  smiling and whatnot. and i am those things at times. but in the quiet places, where i love to be, i find that there is a sadness. it wont make sense to most, i dont expect it to. but, if i am to come out of my hiding places, then i have to admit i was in them in the first place, right?

well, this is something i wrote a few months ago. something it seems is always right below my surface. and now you know.

Every time I come here, it feels the same. I face a wall, so high I cannot see the top, so wide there is no corner or end. It is windowless and cold, layers of dark red brick and sorrowful grey mortar. What I long for, I know without a single doubt, is looking right back opposite of me on the other side. If the wall was invisible for but a moment, our eyes would meet and I would finally understand my soul. Alas, no, the object of my desire and the secrets of my soul are locked away with a key left in a dark hole far behind me. I cannot bring myself to turn around, to seek the key; there is no strength to leave. Day and night I stare through this brick, willing it to move or willing myself to fly. I’ve already run the length to my left and right till my lungs and legs hated me. I’ve jumped. I’ve dug. It is an eternal barrier. Every hope and dream seems to touch the other side as I do, mirroring my behavior. My hand has rested on this same stone for hours, if not days, maybe years. I’ve completely lost track. I don’t feel as bad knowing they long for me as deeply as I long for them. I notice I’m panting for breath, but I am not running anymore. My heart races, though my feet are at rest. My mind is frantic, incapable of new thought. I know eventually I will have to turn around and walk away. But I can’t. I can’t. I hit the wall, bang it fist after fist producing only numbness in the sides of my hands. The stones are so cold. It gnaws at me to know there is a solution outside of myself, if I relinquish my faux control. I’ve done it before. I even get half way to finding my dream in that way, but then I think I can get the rest of the way alone…and I face a wall again.

Heavy. Yes, that how it feels on my chest, and in my heart: heavy. Like concentrated gravity is funneled towards my soul. My freedom is immeasurably close, and though I stretch out my arms to touch it I sweep only air. My grasping leaves my hands empty, whatever had been in them before was dropped in hopes of greater things. All I want to do is produce something that will be of interest, something that resonates in other people’s minds, which might lead to good changes and thoughtful conversations. Yet each time I place my fingers upon the keys, the content eludes me and the weight comes. These keys might open doors to freedom, but as I pick one and then another and form combinations of words no doors open.

I feel the words, “Paint what is in the darkness.” It seems it is all I can do to write this content as well. I ask, “What is in the darkness?” …I am.

I am the wall, I am the gravity. I am in my own way. I am hiding myself in the dark, hiding from myself in the dark. I am the cold, I am the sorrow. But I am only in the darkness, I am not the darkness. That rings of hope. There is hope of light beyond my eyes, if I would only open them. If I would only turn away and seek the light, then I could depict what was in the light. Strange comfort is offered to me by the light, while my eyes are still closed, “Paint what is in the darkness.” It is not just me, but many who grasp the air and inhale dust expecting sweetness. “Paint what is in the darkness.” A canvas is only seen in the light. Though our souls might never seek exposure, external content reflecting our interiors pokes holes in our walls. Piercing light, no matter how small, becomes a source of pain to these eyes so accustomed to darkness. “Paint what is in the darkness.” How can I? It hurts! “Paint what is in the darkness.” I have to; it would fulfill my deepest longings. I let time pass slowly. I watch it cautiously. I watch it mournfully, knowing how much I’m wasting. But the words do not force my hand; they just rest beside me, “Paint what is in the darkness.”

Sleepy, I grow tired far too easily. The amber sun sets and its light cascades through the windows, pouring like clarified butter onto the walls and floor. You don’t notice the shadows when you are taking such enraptured interest in the light. This is the time of day that the pleasant things fade faster than you like, causing you to realize you could have enjoyed more of it if your head had been up and your eyes open.

a bit poetic

not 'new' words, just some that i havent shared.

 

When Roses Didn’t Have Thorns

What was it like?

A pleasurable hike

Through the woods

Without having to carry your goods

And no mosquitoes too

Nothing there to sting you

When roses didn’t have thorns

And the beast was gentile with its horns

Love was understood

And everything was good

How did it feel?

To have nothing to heal

Always in good condition

No ailments ever to mention

To feel good all the time

And always be in your prime

What would you see?

A lion walking gracefully

Right next to a new born lamb

It changes who I am

Because it seems to be true

And before man messed up He knew

That when roses didn’t have thorns

The beast was gentile with its horns

Love was understood

And everything was good

He would have to make things right again

To gain us back and let new things begin

Even if it meant taking on our sin

Just so we could know what it was like, and feel and   see

The way He intended the world to be

A place where roses don’t have thorns

And the beast is gentile with its horns

Love is understood

And everything is good

Ponder the morning

Here I sit, watching the rain fall

Singing how truly you are my all in all

Here I sit, you are holding me

Open my eyes so I can see

Show me your wonders, as I wander

Not knowing where you lead me

Here I am, Lord fill my cup

Please Lord lift me up

Here I am, use me for your will

Don’t let me just sit here at the window sill

Show me your wonders, as I wander

Not knowing where you lead me

Here, take me, I am yours

Here, lead me, through open doors

Show me your wonders, as I wander

Not knowing where you lead me

 

written in 2010

oh weary wanderer, lay down your pack

it's already running low on supplies

let Me replace what you lack

oh weary wanderer, come sit a while

it's already evening, there's sleep in your eyes

let Me aid you this next mile

weary traveler, do you know the way you go?

I talk too long, you need rest, I know!

so in the morning we'll make plans

for I know ahead lay dark canyons

I've journeyed them quite deep

it's a journey best made with companions

I talk to myself, you're already asleep!

oh weary wanderer, your spirit is restless

it has continued its mournful cries

let me grant a moments bliss

oh weary wanderer, as you slumber

the night will give way to morning skies

do not fear the father of lies, it is I who controls the thunder!

weary traveler, do you realize the way you go?

I long to talk, grant you rest, and show...

in the morning I'll make it clear

for I know ahead lay dark pathways

I've gone to their very ends

it's a journey that takes many days

those who go through it with you are truly great friends

sleep in safety weary traveler

it's been too long since you've had the chance

for you life's parallels have been more to battle than to a ballroom dance

breath in deep My air of peace

sigh out long and find release

this is the way weary wanderer

this is the path you seek

now come with Me renewed and fresh

you'll find your old bones aren't so weak

I'm the creator of your mortal mesh,

see now again I've made it strong

so journey with Me and we'll seek

untold adventure past when the days grow long.