My Friend Max
First and foremost, I feel the overpowering need to express my sense of gratitiude to the fifty grieving souls here at DS who have befriended me and offered their comfort and support to me, even though they grieve just as I do. I read their stories, I savour their journals, I cry when they cry, and my heart celebrates every small success they achieve along the journey. Their numbers have grown to the point that I cannot respond to them with the clarity and timeliness that I feel in my soul. Hell, I can't even get everyone's name straight in my mind. I have never had so many friends or people that I cared for or who cared for me that it really challenges my very capacity keep track of every one, let alone support and relate to them as I feel I must. So, for all of my friends who do not get the written love and encouragement from me often, please know that my "spirit is willing, but my flesh is weak".......And I am on the road with you for as long as it takes.
Another "friend" that I have met along my way is one Max Lucado. I had never even heard of this man until I began reading his daily devotional, "Grace For The Moment". I still don't know much about the man, except that he is a man of God and he knows me as well as I know myself. More often than not, his daily offering to me is exactly what I need to hear. Today is no different:
Don't Panic
"Your disappointments too heavy? Read the story of the Emmaus-bound disciples. The Savior they thought was dead now walked beside them. He entered their house and sat at their table. And something happened in their hearts. "It felt like a fire burning in us when Jesus talked to us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us." (Luke 24:32)
"Next time you're disappointed, don't panic. Don't give up. Just be patient and let God remind you he is still in control. It ain't over till it's over"
He Still Moves Stones
I have never been a patient man. Lazy, yes, but patient? Not me. I want to be happy. I want to have a purpose in life. I want to enjoy playing again. I want to be free from the shackles of my grief. And I want these things NOW. It's hard to be patient when you are over 60 years of age and feel like your time is running out and you cannot plug the hole in the hourglass to keep the sand from draining.
It is still early this Sunday Morning, and I am reminded of the song by Cat Stevens, the lyrics of which follows:
Morning Has Broken
Morning has broken, like the first morningBlackbird has spoken, like the first birdPraise for the singing, praise for the morningPraise for the springing fresh from the world
Sweet the rain's new fall, sunlit from heavenLike the first dewfall, on the first grassPraise for the sweetness of the wet gardenSprung in completeness where His feet pass
Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morningBorn of the one light, Eden saw playPraise with elation, praise every morningGod's recreation of the new day
Lyrics by Eleanor Farjeon
Be patient with me, my friends. Lord knows how I am trying..................
Another "friend" that I have met along my way is one Max Lucado. I had never even heard of this man until I began reading his daily devotional, "Grace For The Moment". I still don't know much about the man, except that he is a man of God and he knows me as well as I know myself. More often than not, his daily offering to me is exactly what I need to hear. Today is no different:
Don't Panic
"Your disappointments too heavy? Read the story of the Emmaus-bound disciples. The Savior they thought was dead now walked beside them. He entered their house and sat at their table. And something happened in their hearts. "It felt like a fire burning in us when Jesus talked to us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us." (Luke 24:32)
"Next time you're disappointed, don't panic. Don't give up. Just be patient and let God remind you he is still in control. It ain't over till it's over"
He Still Moves Stones
I have never been a patient man. Lazy, yes, but patient? Not me. I want to be happy. I want to have a purpose in life. I want to enjoy playing again. I want to be free from the shackles of my grief. And I want these things NOW. It's hard to be patient when you are over 60 years of age and feel like your time is running out and you cannot plug the hole in the hourglass to keep the sand from draining.
It is still early this Sunday Morning, and I am reminded of the song by Cat Stevens, the lyrics of which follows:
Morning Has Broken
Morning has broken, like the first morningBlackbird has spoken, like the first birdPraise for the singing, praise for the morningPraise for the springing fresh from the world
Sweet the rain's new fall, sunlit from heavenLike the first dewfall, on the first grassPraise for the sweetness of the wet gardenSprung in completeness where His feet pass
Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morningBorn of the one light, Eden saw playPraise with elation, praise every morningGod's recreation of the new day
Lyrics by Eleanor Farjeon
Be patient with me, my friends. Lord knows how I am trying..................
Replies