His embrace will not just hold you, It holds all men and friend and foe, whoa,
PiCourtesy Samuels, weekend getaway. …..
what’d I think His Comfort was… sweet cuddly Bear arm, warm with Paternity? His Comfort Zone is more than I dare dream… ach!
It’s in the Slap of the storm, in the Sap of the thorn,
Haha, I wasn’t chatting with God then, cuz He is in the crooky path of stray mountain goat; and I thought Love meant Light, but He takes the Night, longing like Darkness does for Dawn, for those that are unloved, forgotten…
…. all are clung together here: the healed, dead, dying, worthy, worthless, wasted idiot, reckless loser, offender, disbeliever, saint, deathless sinner : in that embrace that defies human limitations to Love like that.
India, soil of my bones: song of my soul. Heal my darling One who birthed my verse, my hunger, my thirst…
Digiart.RN
… Stay safe. Be loved. Don’t be suspicious of love. It’s all we’ve got in these days of war and crime and lust for hate. You are my Beauty, my core. Don’t leave now, don’t change. Please stay,don’t change what You taught me when I was growing. Don’t go away, into what could so easily re- arrange Your face ..India: Blood of my pulse, my breath, my core: only You know who You are, in the skin of our Dust, our streets thick with stories only You sow. Here the rich the poor the seeking living dying breathing decaying flowers, bloom – here distinctions, colors fade retrace our tiny large rooms. Here we congregate, we sing we dance we laugh we pray we say we are humans, we are one; oh I’ve loved You as a child, but its nothing like how I love You now…. Yesterday. …
You are every woman in the street, You are the aroma of things that reek the justice of the meek, the strong, the wronged, You are the joy of waiting garlands, the tears of our fathers’ mothers in lanes ‘neath these pavements we walk, who knows what lay beneath here, eons ago…?
Flower vendor … Who knows what root these flowers know, Who knows where they will go? Where do lilies and mogra and champa bloom, what river drew its dew Which mountain fed its spring What hands untiring, wrapt each in cellophane and string… from which field of jute, or factory of human hands, from homes I’ll never see, but they are You, and me, entwined as if we breathe the same air, as if we eat from the same field, we do we do, why then do I now & then ache anew; I was once a child, now I’m grown, I know how a mother knows the things she doesn’t know but feels in her bones, in all the mist of dust, there is love, whatever else goes, there is the deliberate stubborn existing persistence of Love.
With blind school kids, and a musical I worked with them
His name was Dhru*; he loved the ‘roaring’ bit. Dhru must be at least ten years old today, when we did “Everybody is differently beautiful”, he must’ve been 7? To think he couldn’t see his costume, had no clue what a lion’s mane was like, or even heard it roar, what a sport Dhru was. All these unknown things and he had to act as well as mime singing! But they were all game, as game can get.
I learned how to appreciate life, how to dance even if we missed a step, how to laugh out loud against all odds- from these kids who were my son’s schoolmates. The School asked if I could help out with Spoken English: oh I hinted broadly at Drama and Poetry. They didn’t get the Poetry bit, but one little girl did. She loved every poem in her braille typed book, especially the one that went, “…and Saturday’s child has to work hard for her living…”
It still breaks my heart to recall how they were taught to cross the street by themselves. Some of the older ones were actually going on crowded buses and getting off alone, cheerfully unafraid.
“They must learn….how else will they face life?” Their Daily Living Skills teacher asked me.
Sometimes I wish our own Joh weren’t as independent as he is. I wish he were less self reliant, I wish our kids didn’t need to grow up in a world that knows how to take advantage of the ‘disadvantaged’. I wish our roads were safer. But then am proud of every young /older challenged person or otherwise who can “work hard” at whatever Life gives them.
Thankyou young Dhru for reminding me today of people like you who still teach me to be brave and beautiful, no matter what.
Much to un-think here, @ a 3 hour drive from Bangalore city, into tiny growing town.
That cloud sits on thatch? …. its an untouched blue sky with no malls or smog. At Kuppam’s local market, one or two women are speaking fluent English, their eyes are warm. I meet a beautiful lady at the Railways- she mans a 2ft iron wheel that lifts railway-cross gate. There is no time to take her picture….. want to wish her a Happy New Year like we wished some others, but Railway lady in blue sari is busy; she turns to give me another look, then surprises us with a wide smile, white teeth and laughing eyes. The woman must be somewhere around 3o, 40? I send a small hand-wave. She waves back, laughing like a school girl. On our next visit to Kuppam, we simply must get a pic with her. Good holidays are also those when you’ve no time for a good photograph?
We stay almost a week here. That lovely Gate is under repair. There were lesser sheep this time at Kuppam: no it’s not a farm for animals, just us humans+ cuddly paws.
My sis sculpts her fav words into woodwork, grills…. She’s an Eye Doc in this town, border to three south Indian states. Li loves the precious simple life here with a faithful househelp and furry princess.
Like Trees planted by Springs of Living waters; there’s backyard Date palm, bougainvillea, guava, papaya, mango, occasional monkey ….
Bonfire woodies. Such memories here with Mom&Dad in this space by Christmas tree, Gulmohar, shoeflower, a baby tamarind tree. Time has flown by ‘like smoke through a key hole…’ (Movie : The Bucket List) Honey!Li’s exquisite cuisineThat new double road used to be a rough path to Kupz’s lake. There are more people, cars, school buses, buildings today….Floors, tiny christmas lights asleepMeshed safety front grill to keep away esp. mosquitoes. That door lock has seated one or two friendly frog. Very tiny ones. They look like Kermit to us, but Li doesn’t think so. She says(with shudder) they (her leapy frog) wait for her with sly grin. “No, they’re not ..!” is her horror response to my Q.”What if they just want a kiss, and will turn into your Prince? “ Li loves her Prince of Peace best.
The road back…. miles off city limits: goatsherd!Thresh time! We must gingerly drive over their sheaves, this helps them? (Green lid sohmph my new travel mate from Li’s kitchen).You can’t see this well enough, but that’s a Church steeple over local temple, rerouting past Kolar gold fields.Sunset over another gorgeous day; Joh is quiet this past hour. Bangalore city is closer from this long stretch, after brief stop for Lassi. Back home @Greenview, our feathered granddaughter Tina has two ugly blonde chicks… soon they’ll grow fine feathers. One must wait. And watch. And did you know Pigeon can be trained to recognize every alphabet? Tina’s mom is our second daughter Kitsy:) Tina herself was hatched here (also mothered by Kit, so). Complicated!
All this in our little garden which will be busy this season. Phew! Wishing 2020 Vision for us all.Peace, Shalom : nothing missing, nothing broken. And if there is ‘missing- broken’, may each fit in a whole new way, causing Peace beyond belief. Selah: meaning, Pause calmly & think of that.
“With this being the end of not only a year, but also a decade, I thought I would look back at what the Lord has done in my life the past ten years. Also I would like to make this a tag- The Decade Tag.” quote👇
2- Share some highlights for you over the past decade and if you want a few low points
3- Tag whoever you wish to.
4- Ask them some questions
5- Use any picture appropriate for such a tag.
Highlights for me (@innerdialects are:
Joh.
Miracles we watched as our son went through seizures and healing in the most bizarre, unexpected places and ways, among a host of unexplainable events that led me to start blogging again. It’s all here in this blog. Do browse through.
My questions from Tag:
1- What was your favorite song or songs from this past decade?
RECKLESS LOVE, Cory Asbury. BROKE& DROP EVERYTHING,Riley Clemmons. HOLDING ON TO THE CROSS,Vihan Damaris. MANY OH MANY,Vihan Damaris. COURTESY CALL,Thousand foot crutch. LET THE SOARKS FLY, Thousand foot crutch. GOD IS:(cover Vihan Damaris). EASY,Sarah Reeves. YOUR SPIRIT,Tasha Cobbs. CHURCH CLAP, Le Crae. I BELIEVE, KB.
2- Fav movie/ movies this past decade: THE SHACK, DO YOU BELIEVE?, BREAKTHROUGH, OVERCOMER, WAR ROOM, THE BLINDSIDE, RAGAMUFFIN, I CAN ONLY IMAGINE, SHADOWLANDS, CASE FOR CHRIST, HEAVRN IS FOR REAL, MIRACLES FROM HEAVEN, WOODLAWN, GRACE- UNPLUGGED.
3- What was your favorite book from this past decade? MERE CHRISTIANITY, CS.Lewis, WHATS SO AMAZING ABOUT GRACE,Philip Yancey.
Hey Tag yourself if you’d like, with link back to source! I really want to say something poignant powerful but there’s a Shepherd’s pie to pie, and a night to fix for the friends who will come in. Take care, stay safe, be blessed, you and I are more precious than we suspect!
Innerdialects 
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