Christmas Season

Wishing joyful noises during times with loved ones
For peace of mind and hope for all
Cherish these moments together
As we celebrate once more this Christmas season!

12/22/17 -- ALJ

Find Yourself

Sometimes 
Among the clutter
Among the chaos
Among the busy times of life
If you look
You may find
A little more of you
In the things you see

12/2/17 -- ALJ

Far & Near

Finally holding you, in my arms
Waiting so long
Distance makes it hard
But every precious moment
The cuddles
The squirms
The grins
Make waiting at all so worth it
Now that we’re both here
Little Anabelle, my dear

11/23/17 — ALJ

Raise a Glass

Many cheers
For many years
For happiness
For life
For loving
And forgiving
To (Lane)
And Mary, his wife

8/12/17 -- ALJ

Matter to You

How to forgive?

How to move on?

When the resentment and anger build up,

And the words spoken

Don’t seem to matter at all.

How do you stop?

How do you not care?

Not everything is a joke

Just because you spout it in the air.

You’re tired and you’re angry.

And somehow that seems to be my fault.

I try to talk.

I try to relate.

But it doesn’t matter to you at all.

Overreacting, you cry.

And what a hypocrite, I think.

You can never seem to empathize.

No the shoe never does fit.

We’re supposed to be closer.

You never think we fight.

But my memory is cluttered,

With many argued nights.

I have too many feelings.

And you couldn’t care less.

Left to bear the olive branch,

I’m really getting tired of that.

I’m worn out with sorry,

Having to always apologize.

But I’m done with that.

No I won’t admit defeat,

My feelings are what they are.

And it’s not wrong what I think.

If only it mattered to you,

Just a fraction.

Just a bit.

Then maybe you wouldn’t be so hurtful.

Maybe you wouldn’t be so mad.

Maybe I wouldn’t feel,
Like your emotional punching bag.

7/24/17 -- ALJ

That Look

I wear my feelings on my sleeve

For all the world to see

No matter how hard I try

I can never seem to hide

The thoughts floating by

Passing through my mind

I’m an open book

Only need to take one look

But even deeper still

Is how I truly feel

And that I guard with my heart

And protect with all my might

7/17/17 – ALJ

Faith Full Thoughts

Is there a wrong way to be introduced to Jesus? Doesn’t God have the power to work all things towards good? Nothing is going to be perfect. Human interpretation and representation can be very wrong. But if it gets people asking the question – Who was/is Jesus? – isn’t that indeed a good thing? Now that doesn’t mean that that same medium can bring you the answers. No, the only real source of truth is the Bible.

Why that time? Why not now?

That is something I have often contemplated. Not that I think Jesus should have been sent during my time, but it’s something I wonder. I wonder what it would have been like if God had waited another 2,000 years before sending the Messiah. Would it have worked? How different would it have been? With advanced technology, transportation, and communication, how would the life of Jesus affect the world today? And what type of world would Jesus have been entering into. So many worldly events have occurred almost because of Jesus’ life taking place when it did. If Jesus had been born 2,000 years later, how would the world have taken shape?

I know my life could have been drastically changed. In fact, it may not even had come to surpass.

Now wondering about this fact, (because I do indeed believe that Jesus lived, died, arose, and ascended into heaven) does not negate my faith. It can only help me to grow. That is, if I choose to search for my answers in the right place – the Bible.

A faith full of paradoxes. A faith that doesn’t change, but one I cling to even during the harder times.

6/13/17 – ALJ

HOME

A house
A home
Responsibility
The blessings outweigh the burdens
Such are the things in life
What's worth having
Is worth working for
And you enjoy it that much more
In the end
It's not really yours
So take the time
Take each moment
Soak it in
Those brief minutes of the day
Where worries are cast away
You're home now
You found a place to stay
You may not know how long
But it's the place where you belong
And for now
That's all you'll need

6/8/17 -- ALJ

MADNESS

But that's the thing, you can be mad. You can get mad. That is totally OK. You can shout at God. You can tell Him how mad you are. Shout your frustrations. Don't hold it in. It is OK to get furious, to not understand. To want to yell at God. Because it sucks. And it's going to feel that way. But sometimes, shouting at God is what we need to do. It doesn't make him hear us better, but in our frustration, when we turn to Him, we acknowledge the fact that we know He is in control. We know that He has the answer. We know that He's the one that truly has our best interest at heart. So when we are mad. When we are angry. When we are frustrated, that's not something you turn away from and tell yourself to ignore. However, you don't linger there. You move on. To conversations with God, turning to Him in prayer and refocusing that anger and frustration into something positive by trusting in Him and knowing that He will ultimately work everything to good. And unfortunately, there is no timeframe for when God will answer you. You may feel even worse. But unless you take your troubles, your frustration, your anger, guilt, madness, shame. Until you voice those feelings and bring them to God, you're only going to feel worse.

Left Behind

The things you leave
After you're gone
The things left unsaid
Left unlived
Left undone
The words you might say
Are not here today
But all is not lost
All is not gone
It is in those left behind
Left with memories and hope
Left to remember
And to cherish
Left to carry on

Left behind are the burdens of life
Left to those still to live
Yet the things you leave
Are more important than you think
Left to the people you love
Left to pass on
Those things you shared most
Showing that you cared the most

And above all
It's the love that you have
That gets left behind
It stays with those people
And though hearts break
And never fully mend
Yet like an imprint on their hearts
The LOVE for each one of them
Remains

2/4/2017 -- ALJ