Have you ever seen the way
A bushfire sets beautifully ablaze
The deepest, darkest forest trees
A melting-orange intensity
It brings about an ash of gold
Like the smothering dust of charcoal
The wildest destruction ever to see
In the eyes of a son who came from me

After the rain, just as the sun came,
after light years of planning and 9 months of travelling
- after the rain,
Herbie came

and landed fully formed, fully loved,
full of laughter, a master of light
a gifter of aromatic delight
- after that long night,
Herbie came.

He’d waited, biding his time,
timing his arrival beautifully
bang in the middle of the lunacy,
the happy family being built at Conolly,
(number six)
fitting right in, applying his tight grip
on the mum and dad who just don’t know when to quit.
Yes, Herbie befits this Butcher-family-mix.

After the rain
this Ray of grace,
this pilgrim,
this loving warrior from heaven
this beam of radiance came
and entered a place Herbie-shaped
in the heart of the Rob & Rachel space
with a seasoned, full of flavour Herbie taste
that will forever linger
here in the embrace of family Butcher.

Yes, after the rain, just as June flamed,
Herbie came.

This is for the Lord's Saints
Remember God's grace
Don't lose hope
Don't lose faith

Press on with righteousness
Press on with zeal
Press on with courage
Press on no matter the ordeal

The wicked wants you weary
The evil wants you weak
The darkness wants you fearful
The devil wants your peace

The Holy Spirit is with you though
This never forget
God will help you
God will be your strength

He will give us rest
He presence will surround
So may we not fret
When the serpent slithers around

This is for the Lord's Saints
Keep shining your light
And when things look dim
Call on Christ.

Yeshua is coming.
Yet we know not the time.
Are you prepared,
As his beloved bride?

Yeshua is coming.
Yet we know not the day.
Are you prepared,
To be taken away?

Yeshua is coming.
Only the Father knows when.
Are you prepared,
To depart and ascend?

Yeshua is coming
Listen.
Watch.
Pray.
Wake up to the signs.
Remain in the word my beloved.
Truly my brothers and sisters, remain in the Vine.

Bitter, sour, barely sweet,
when I was in your tummy,
you craved that acidic fruit,
and even though we've since leaned towards
different suns and
fermented,
it's still my favorite.

Your twisted seed,
what has become of me?

Growing up your love was a grapefruit.
Pulpy, complex cuts, precision with a tiny knife.
It left a sting on my lips,
but it fed me,
and it gave me vitamins and it was
juicy.
This morning as I consume these two halves I think of us.

Duplicate cells, my pink flesh and thick skin and
biting taste, all from you.
Both of us hollowed out and squeezed until we have nothing left to give, but we're still
bright yellow on the outside.

Nine Mother's Days have come around since the day when you perished.
The many years that we spent together are something that I'll always cherish.
You were such a great person because you cared.
When you died, I learned that life can be so unfair.

You were a wonderful mother and that's why I celebrate Mother's Day.
I knew that life would never be the same again when you passed away.
When you inherited $3600 in 1985, you shared it with my brother and I and Dad.
You were the most unselfish person in the world and when you died, it was so sad.

You weren't just a woman, you were a lady as well.
When you died in March of 2013, it hurt like Hell.
You were an outstanding mom to me and my brother.
Happy Mother's Day, you were the world's greatest mother.