If at the beginning of each life,
We had to write each thought and deed.
Record our very actions,
How we live, our moral creed.

How would every chapter start,
With each phase of life we live?
Would it match the Book God keeps,
In what we take, and what we give?

Will you have a section,
That's devoted to our Lord?
Or, will your book be about yourself?
Do you live by faith, or by the sword?

Does your book include much laughter,
Will it improve the world at all?
Can you say you picked those up,
That were shattered by a fall?

So many things to think about,
As you write about your life.
Steadfast in adversity,
Who do you turn to when in strife?

On these leaves you cannot lie.
As daily the pages mount.
Baldly stating all the facts,
Are your sins too high to count?

The Table Of Contents must be last,
For, it chronicles what's inside.
And, only the finale shows the world.
Of how you lived before you died.

When I write my final chapter,
I pray He tells me I'm not forsook.
Because my name, He too, wrote down.
Will He say that too, with your Life's Book?

Cold dawn breaks gray
I can only stay still so long.
From under a mountain of blankets,
The only warmth I feel.

You're gone.
I stretch out my hand
To touch an empty space beside me.
Only my heart has a larger void.

Rain falling off the eaves,
Like tears from Heaven.
Knowing you're not here beside me,
Sharing in my misery.

Your pillow still carries your scent.
Reminding me of nights gone by,
Love that this bed knew...
Before.

The soft sheets that embrace me.
Enveloping me like you did,
Only a substitute, a tease.
Not to compare with you.

As thunder begins to crash,
Just like my emotions taking flight.
Giving credence to what was.
Sparking energy into a hollow shell.

That fluffy cotton robe you bought me
Embraces me from neck to toe.
Silk, you want to encase me in
But for winter, you wanted me warm.

Time.  Time to start another day.
Reluctant to leave this sanctuary.
A place that feels safe and known.
Scents, mine and your's, mingled into one.

Silently, I pad down the hall.
The rain a steady downpour.
House in shadowed gray,
I search for light.

In the distance of another room,
Beaconing glow appears.
Slowly I advance to unknown scenes
My sighs, leading the way.

There, surrounded by glowing candlelight,
Is you.
With hesitance I lean on the doorframe
Waiting for you to speak.

No words are necessary.
It's still storming, we have candlelight.
Ah, to begin a day, as you take me in your arms,
Dancing to the music of the rain.

As a flower emerges from the ground,
That was kissed by frozen snow.
A seed that was sown by God's own hand,
Just waiting for Spring to grow.

For, a Monarch evolves from a lowly worm,
It's beauty, a sight to behold.
That graces the air, for all to see,
More precious than silver or gold.

Freedom springs from rusty chains,
That bind, with malicious intent.
To suffocate a way of life,
Never in the way that God meant.

God never meant for the world to be,
His footstool of war and strife.
But, a place of peace, for all to share,
Treasuring His precious gift of life.

But, Mankind's greed and powerlust,
Have made Earth hard to cope.
It's humanity's turn to stem this tide,
To survive, we all must harbor hope.

These are just of few of the things,
Some rise from beginnings of violence.
For, hope is even in the bloodiest war,
A baby's cry, emerges from the silence.

Warm, bright sun, upon my back,
As I wander through the wood.
Flowers grow, for my delight,
I take some, I know I should.

Friends are always near at hand.
They are such utterly divine.
Never sneer at what I wear,
Their coats, too, are so fine.

Lazy days to gather around,
Our favorite swimming hole.
Take a dip, or just relax,
The water soothes our every soul.

Evening comes, we head back in.
My man knows just what he should do.
Warm calloused hands to squeeze my *******,
I'm a happy cow, with a contented moo!

I took a glance around me
And bowed my head in shame.
All the violence, grief and anger,
I cried to God, "Who's to blame?"

He quietly opened up my heart,
And asked, "What do you see?"
His question burned me like a fire,
For the answer came back to...me!

"Me?", I asked in disbelief.
"But, I've never hurt someone."
"Is that so?", was His reply,
"But, tell Me, what have you done?"

"Have you reached out to the lonely?
Been a friend to one in need?"
"Try to teach right from wrong,
Give a child a moral creed?"

"Have you stopped to help a stranger?
Sought to uphold the just and right?
Or are you on the sidelines,
Hoping someone else will take this fight?"

Again, I bowed my head.
But this time, it was to pray.
To ask for strength and guidance,
For God's presence throughtout my day.

So now, I know the reason
For all the violence and misery.
And, God gave me the solution:
The answer begins with me!

As we dream of Peace On Earth,
When we light the Christmas Tree.
Stockings hung with care,
A Star for all to see.

Safe and warm at home,
Christmas parties to attend.
Gifts that bring us smiles,
Hugs from family and friends.

But, the other side of the world,
Homeless in a foreign land.
Whose dreams of a snowy Christmas,
Are swallowed by desert sand.

A helmet instead of a halo,
Their rifle instead of wings.
A service to God and Country,
With pride, his freedom brings.

Though, hostility abounds,
As they kneel in Christian peace.
A prayer in every heart,
That all hatred will finally cease.

As they bow their heads in reverence,
In Faith, they do believe.
In our hearts they are at home,
On this Christmas Eve.

The golden moon was halo cast,
As it rose above the trees.
You walked me silently, by your side,
We were caressed by scented breeze.

The silver rays beamed down on us,
Tranquility ruled this eve.
Night birds sang their soulful tune,
In magic, we could believe.

Stars were diamonds in our sky,
On ebony they dwelt.
Crowning Heaven in the night,
This awe on Earth we felt.

Fireflies were as pixies float.
This dream that was so real.
Fantasies raced the forest green,
The essense of loving thrill.

Peace reigned true, this velvet night.
You held me captive with blue eyes.
That bound me to you for all time,
You reduced me down to sighs.


Deb Nixon