My soldier traveled across the sea.
He gazed upon twinkling purple Crete stars and thought of me.
He felt the undertones of my body in the grey blue Bahrain Sea.
I sent him my warmest love when he stared at the sparkling sun.

My soldier came home when my letters arrived.
Time was too long.
Her silky hair laid on his chest,
just as the dry Crete wind blew,
when I whispered I love you 6000 miles away.

There is pain in patience
We are no strangers to this
A man who lusts for a woman
Will lose himself waiting
A woman who waits in silence
Is screaming on the inside
We all feel this pain
In one way or another
A form of agony and distress
Longing for what we desire
Patience brings pain
And we have no control
We are afraid to act
So we sit in solitude
Our minds soon betray us
And the tears begin to fall
Frustration soon follows
And then all goes numb
I am impatient
Though I know I must wait
And when thinking of you
My spirit grows heavy
Temperance is my goal
But I fail each time
So I suffer in silence
And let time pass by
I’m longing for you
And it’s quite obvious
I know patience is key
But I’m impatient for you

-AJT

I'm tired.
I wait.
I'm patient.
I hope.
I dream,
That one day,
You might see,
The one you love is actually me.
Forever is so long,
When you're all alone.
Second chances are hard to come by.
But love finds a way.
And if I have to wait forever,
It might be worth it.
If only you.
Felt the way I do.
Then the pieces would come together,
Everything would fit,
Perfectly.

Heavy the weight that one must carry when things start to come apart,

Emotions unbound a soul in sorrow the burdens of a troubled heart;

I will be your friend and while your heart mends I will share in your joys and sorrow,

And wait for that day when you finally say, things will be better tomorrow.

You are a grave digger.

Exhuming the heart I thought dead.

It was entombed like a love buried in the backyard of my essentia.

I dug it low with  pain a shovel

Deeper and deeper till I could not see the light.

Piled the dirt down the pit to a heart that could not become more soiled.

It did not matter you put your ear to the ground that night and listened intently

You didn't have a shovel you only had those patient hands.

You got on all fours and began to excavate clawing in the ground with quiet determination

A smile creased across the face as the muck caked your clothes but it did not ***** that spirit.

I thought you lost in the depths to claim a prize I tried to hide.

Then there you were a grin from ear to ear and a tender thing held in just one palm.

I froze uncertain as each step brought it closer.

You simply dusted it off and handed back the heart like a old hat I had lost.

I tried it on for size again and felt the familiar weight of it.

It still felt a burden but that look in your eyes made me believe that I could bear it

It circles around me,
it nuzzles its face next to mine,
shouting, "Don't be afraid!
It will work out in time!"
"But what if it doesn't?"
asks the doubting voice in my mind.
"Well than it will be a lesson to learn,
that patience and hard work
don't always earn you what you deserve."

Silence

Stay here with me and find your rest
Find relief in the shadow of my loving embrace
I challenge you in the practice of silence and patience
The point is not to find words where there are none
The greatest friends are comfortable in the silence
In the space between moments
Are you comfortable in the silence yet?
Do you trust me enough that even in the silence I will speak
I just want you to be with me spend time with me
Find the deep inner peace in your life
Be content with me and what I give you
Be content just to be and nothing more
Trust me: I am more than enough
I am all you need and I love you
Lose yourself in the shadow of the cross
Rejoice for I come to seek and save the lost

Many of us want to trust God to take care of our needs and we try to trust him, but in our humanity we fail and we try to take the burden on ourselves and away from God. We know that God is all powerful and works for our good, but it’s as if we’re afraid that he can’t or that he won’t. God tells us not to worry about getting what we need that the birds of the sky have shelter and are fed and the flowers bloom and grow and they do not plant or sow or make clothes and they are provided and cared for. And we are worth so much more than birds. In Jeremiah 29:11 Jesus says: “I know the plans I have for you” says the Lord. “Plans to prosper and not harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future”. Jesus, you don’t always give us what we want, but in your greatness and your wisdom you give us what we need. Sometimes, you ask us to wait or You say no in order to give us something far greater than what we asked. Sometimes it takes years for us to be able to look back and see that you really did provide for us even if it didn’t seem like it at the time. You also don’t expect us to sit back and do nothing at all. We are called to do the best we can with what we have and give it to you. In prayer, praise, patience, and faith you will provide the rest or bless and multiply what we have given you so we have enough.

Jesus help us trust in you that you will always provide us what we need. Help us also trust in the wisdom of your plan when we don’t understand or can’t see. Let us go forward in faith and love to give all that we have and bless and multiply it for us. You are good and if we are diligent and faithful when times are tough and we act with a right heart you will bless our offering. Jesus help us remember that you are enough, you are all we really need. Help us be truly satisfied with you. Be the shepherd of our lives and we will want for nothing more. Trusting in your Divine Providence we pray this and all things in Your name. Amen.