The wicked and the fearful will spite you, they will lie on you and tell false tales. The truth is not always easy, but it is the right way. Doing what is right is not always popular, but it is a better way to live. Working to make things better has it's own reward. Though you may not obtain wealth and prominence, to see peace in your time is a good thing. Hold fast to your beliefs and seek to walk the right path. Though you are persecuted, you will never go wrong doing the right thing.

Lay a blanket of emotions over me, and envelope me with the secrets of your heart and I will open up my soul and let you come in. Share with me the most intimate parts of your life and I will knit my heart to yours. Surround me with your affections and I will immerse you in mine. We shall walk a path of emotional strength and be joined for all time. In the deepest part of the night, beneath the starry skies above, embrace me and hold me tight, cover me with your love.

On a barren hill, lay shattered pieces of wood. They were weather worn and aged. In the broken boards I found three nails, they were rusted and stained . I picked up the boards and I felt such pain, I dropped them in shock and fear. Then I touched one nail and I felt such grief that I wept as I fell to my knees. With a broken heart I lay in the dirt wondering why this had to be. What horrible thing could have happened here and why did it bother me? Then a peace came over me and I looked at the things before me, I picked up the wood and nails and turned around to see a man behind me, he was dressed in common clothes all white and clean. He took boards and nails from me and said I have been looking for these, thank you for finding them for me. In stunned silence with an empty heart I felt all of my fear and pain wash away. I asked him what he wanted with two boards and three nails, he said just wait and you will see. He push them back together and as if they had never been torn apart, I saw they formed a cross and at that moment I knew what the nails were for and let God come into my heart.

I have many imperfections and faults to my credit. I have little in the way of perfection. I am often temperamental and judgmental. I put on airs but I am really insecure. Despite what I may accomplish, I am sometimes unsure of myself. I want to do better, I just don't know where to start? What I should work on first is an utter mystery to me. I can be moody and often times insufferable. If I do form a true friendship, I will likely find a way to mess it up. Despite all that I am not, I am a work in progress. I am human.

Wrinkled with ten fingers and ten toes you came into the world with not even a cry. With new eyes that sparkle when you laugh, you are a  clean slate upon which a story will be written. A new mystery to be unraveled and a new chance at life. You have yet to experience the wonders and tragedies that await us all. For now, I will simply cherish a few stolen moments as I hold a new born treasure in my arms.

Dropped off in a desert.
Combat uniform tight against me.
Sweat gripping my skin in a desperate plea
For sanity to return, so I may escape.
Gunfire stutters its loud whispers of death against my eardrums.
Explosions drown out screams. My own?
I blink. The dust engulfs my body as I writhe on the ground;
Fetal position my permanent placement.
Longing for the ground to swallow me whole,
To the comfort of death's womb.
Cries of, "Get the hell up! What are you? This is a man's war!"
I get up.
The gun at my side like an old man's artificial hip;
Comfort and support in an unstable land.
I look at the chaos and depravity around me.
This is supposed to be Heaven to me,
Yet the combat boots feel too heavy.

To each of us there is a refuge, for each of us there is a safe harbor. To others it is not always obvious, but in a quiet place we find comfort. To some it may be faith, to others a good book. To some their labors for the good of others is a gateway to peace, while others may seek to do nothing but reflect on their inner selves. What ever your refuge, each of us has a place where we find hidden solace from our troubles.