This inability to stop inhaling
These sweet fragrances are so breathtaking
Stirring tender memories from my childhood
All of them, rich and good

They bring peace to my soul
They have indeed made me whole
Happiness mingled with a pinch of nostalgia
Triumphs and losses are swallowed up by this beautiful aroma

I smell the essence of each individual flower
Mixed in tandem, my olfactory senses it doth shower
I sense the beauty of this moment
The timing, so delicate … so perfectly eloquent

I wish I could remain
In this beautiful state I'm in
Knowing that this moment was made just for me
A smile, a wish come true, my soul caught up in jubilee

This infectious aroma, this essence
Has created such an exquisite ambience
Wherein I may find inner peace
Until I exhale, and my breath, I release

Written by:
Jason Cheney
March 27, 2022

He has heard my simple yet earnest prayer
My heart He has healed with the greatest of care
Through His anguish in Getsemani
I see all He has done for me

My life I will live
A portion of my time to Him must I give
How great is His everlasting love
As His disciple, an exemplary life must I live

To honor Him
I must first understand why He was nailed to that heavy limb
To reflect His image, my heart must I change
My life must I rearrange

My soul hungers to feel of His loving touch
His strong fingers I wish to clutch
When I am weak and I've lost my way
My humble heart turns to Him while I pray

I raise my arms and ask to be lifted up
For with Him I desire to sup
Yet I feel so unworthy of Him
My tears often fill my eyes to the very brim

He hears my soul's lament
He quietly listens as I repent
Then He extents to me His loving embrace
Towards those outstretched arms I do race

He's known me since the beginning of time
We should always remember Him during our lifetime
Within a song, a verse, or a rhyme
We can get to know Him

So as we kneel down to pray
Let our hearts be drawn out today
So that our Lord's redeeming grace
Can be seen in our very countenance

Written by:
Jason Cheney
January 2022

Such anguish in my soul
Why doth the devil have so much pull?

To draw me down below
Eternal happiness I feel I must forego

I can't seem to rise above all this pain
My tears fall upon my cheeks like rain

I can't see through solitude's darkness
My heart cries out to me, "life is pointless."

When I am in this moment of despair
It's time to kneel in earnest prayer

My God, I need Thy help to draw me up
I know that Christ did drink from that bitter cup

But I cannot fathom what effort it took
Yet of it He still partook

How strong He must have been
To withstand Lucifer's evil grin

Never to relinquish his eternal perspective
To achieve His Infinite objective



So as we wallow in our own sorrow and pain
Remember that Christ did obtain

Through trials at Gethsemane and there upon Calvary
He did rise above all this world's drudgery

He's here to help lighten our load
This burden upon Him can we unload

To stand up straight
Grabbing the iron rod with all our might

Placing each foot in front of the other
Into God's waiting arms, and also those of our Elder Brother

Where this anguish can be swallowed up
If we will do one simple thing, JUST LOOK UP!

Written by:
Jason Cheney
December 21, 2021

Mis lágrimas
Mi angustia
Mi lamento por este alma pérdida
Mis miles de recuerdos de ti

El dolor
Mis gritos
Mi corazón tan débil
Mi cuerpo sin fuerzas

Me atraen a tu puerta, querido Señor
No aguanto tanta pérdida
Abrazame por favor
Quitame el dolor y estas lagrimas

Da caricia a mi alma
Abre a mis ojos
Quita las palpitaciones de mi corazón
Extiende tus brazos hacia mi.

Ayúdame sentir mejor
Colma mi corazón
Con tu amor evangélico
Envuélveme en tu abrazo amoroso

Ayúdame entender "el porqué?"
Silencia mis gritos
Toca mi corazón
Levanta mi vista, Señor

Hasta tus cortes celestiales
Para ser un testigo
Del Plan de Redención
Y que me amas

Esta es mi oración
En tus manos deposito mi confianza
Para que algún día yo
Contigo y con ellos, puedo morar

Escrito por:
Jason Cheney
Diciembre 11, 2021

The loneliness of the night
To some it is quite a fright
For this purpose God created "light"

In the wee hours of the morning
My mind begins churning
I often find that it's time to begin writing

I can't go back to sleep
I've tried counting thousands of sheep
Therefore, I turn to God, while others are asleep

My thoughts are often just my own
About the gospel seeds that I have sown
And how quickly my kids have grown

Or, how I wish to become like Nephi of old
Who did everything that he was told
He saw Christ, angels, and other things foretold

I think of God's expectation of who I could become
I am free to act, due to Christ's ransome
His ways have never been cumbersome

Talents that have been given to me
These have been a benefit to many you see
But my body aches, the hour is half past three

While upon my bed I do lay
I read, ponder, and pray
What more can I say

The night has passed
A new dawn has come at last
I feel somewhat downcast

As I wonder how to withstand another day
My body and mind must not sway
From my duties to perform, today

While others got a full night's rest
For me, today will be my biggest test
As my body doth protest

Why on Earth couldn't I sleep
Into thy hands, Lord, my soul please keep
As I travel, work, ponder, pray, and seek

Let this next night be more restful and kind
Into thy hands I place my tired, weary, old soul and mind
Please Lord, help me to fully unwind

As each hour swiftly flies
I gladly close my beautiful blue eyes
In hope that my body, this night, will reenergize

I know that through the silence of the night
I have come closer to my Heavenly Father's light
By reading about him, because I've accepted his invite

To become more like Him
Therefore, I sing my favorite hymn
"Oh My Father", this phrase fills my heart to the very brim

No matter what, to Him I'll sing
His matchless love gives me wing
He comforts me, when my heart is aching

What comfort, joy, and beauty is found in this phrase
I stand in all amaze
While looking upon Thy face

"My God How Great Thou Art"
Thou hast known me since the very start
In Thy embrace, my troubles and worries do depart

I deposit my life into Thy loving hand
My faith in Thee will help me withstand
The trials of this life which are just part of Thy eternal plan

Written by:
Jason Cheney
November 6, 2021

How often I sing praises to Thy name
My heart swells whenever I sing about Him
He shows such compassion and love
That's when I know He is watching over me from above

There are times I stand in need of console
To lift up my heavy heart and soul
There are times I wish only to be wrapped in the warmth of His embrace
And feel His touch as He wipes away each tear that falls down my face

I know that He knows
His love for me overflows
He who is greatest of us all
Gladly paid the heaviest toll

How my heart implores
To drop anchor at those heavenly shores
My solemn prayer doth take wing
Towards my heavenly King

I recognize His face from afar
Perhaps He can rid me of this horrible scar
Someday soon, towards Him I'll race
To find comfort in His godly face

Written by:
Jason Cheney
November 2-3, 2021

Goblins, ghosts, faeries, friends and foes
Witches, werewolves, warlocks, and even the crows
Vampires, skeletons, and angry jack-o-lanterns
Makes Halloween a treasure for all little patrons

We dress up in costumes and sheets
Then we do wander the city corridors and streets
Knocking on people's doors
Tens, no hundreds, of kids by the scores

Calling out, trick or treat
Just to get something sweet
Happy Halloween
Is such a perfect holiday scene

Vibrant kids, both young and old
Bravely enduring the freezing cold
Just to keep this custom alive
Hopefully it will endure and thrive

Pillowcases filled with candy galore
The older kids desire even more
But for me this Halloween night
Gives me pure pleasure at the very sight

Of spooky hobgoblins running here and there
Smaller children being led by their parents with care
Halloween definitely is a fun filled night
Costumes of all types fall within my sight

Young girls dressed up as Jasmine
Some of those kids are probably mine
Here comes my GI Joe
His successful ventures this night surely do show

A ***** alley filled with eerie sounds
Double mirrors, chainsaws, and scary clowns
Rabied hounds which chase us down the maze
Is something everyone craves

This is why Halloween is a special treat in the fall
But the most important of all
Is the joy of seeing all these little munchkins
Who have dressed up as pumpkins

Though I am now too old to don a cap
For Halloween treats, I'm still a sap
I see a familiar figure striding up the street, in his cowboy costume
Luckily none of them ever rode home upon a magical broom.

So this Halloween night
When everyone looks a fright
Be happy, cheerful, and alert
As each child their hands do insert

Into my candy filled cauldron
I sure have their complete attention
Me hopes they don't see the heavy, woven net
That will swoop down and capture you, my little pets

I'll take these children, yes, each one of them
And fill them with candy and cookie crumbs
Then send them home all fat and sassy
This Halloween night has been fantastically, classy

Written by:
Jason Cheney
October 2021