Birdsong Before Dawn

You, hey you,

                though you cannot see it

night is almost over

                hang on a little longer

I will sing until the dawn.

You, hey you,

                don’t give up at the closing

                you will make it through the night

               watch for the morning light

I will sing until the dawn.

You, hey you,

                you are not alone in the dark

He sees your tears that are falling,

                outside your window, I am calling

I will sing until the dawn.

You, hey you,

                birdsongs wake and join the chorus

hope is rising with the morning

                a brand new day is forming

Sing with us until the dawn.

You, hey you,

                come and see

                                …

                                dawn is here.

Photo credit:
Patrick Hendry@worldsbetweenlines via unsplash

Every Single Minute

This poem is dedicated to my family, I treasure all our moments, the ups and the downs, and store them up in my heart every single day.

A special dedication also to my Nana Phyllis McKay, for whom I originally wrote this poem, and my Granny Rhoda Mitchell. They lived 100 and 98 years respectively! I appreciated every minute I had with you both.

The translation below is from a friend who used the poem to celebrate his Mother’s wonderful legacy of a life of well lived over in Malaysia.

At my feet there is a path
I know not how long it be
So Lord, I want to value
Every day You give to me.

To walk beside those I love,
I do not want to miss
The sorrows and the triumphs,
Every hug and every kiss.

So when the clouds gather
And storms are on the way
I'll walk outside to meet them
I won’t turn and run away.

When I feel the path’s too long
I cannot see my way through
I know that I am not alone,
Dear Lord, if I have you.

And when it’s time to say goodbye
I'll hold on to each and every one
To say how much I love them
Before the journey’s done.

Then I will go to my God
With so many thanks to give
For every single minute
Of the life I get to live.

(Chinese Translation, thanks to Wan How)

<每一分鐘>

艾莉森瓦格勒

 我的腳下有一條路

 我不知道能走多遠

 所以主啊，我要珍惜

 祢賜給我的每一天

 與我所愛的人同行

 我不想錯過

 悲傷和榮耀

 每一個擁抱和親吻

 所以, 當烏雲密佈

 當暴風雨即將來臨

 我會走到外面和它們相見

 我不會轉身逃跑

 當我覺得路太長

 找不到我的出路

 我知道我並不孤單

 親愛的主啊，若我有你

 當該說再見的時候

 我會緊緊擁抱每一個人

 在旅途終結之前

 說我有多愛他們

 然後, 我會投向我的上帝

 懷抱著無盡的感恩

 感謝我活著的每一分鐘

Photo Credit: Alison Wagler

Starfish

I wrote this poem a while ago after a particularly hard season. We got difficult news and I went to the ocean to wrestle with it all. I collapsed at the side of tide and saw a purple starfish clinging to a rock.

Maybe you are going through one hard thing after another and instead of finding peace, hard things keep on coming…I share this poem for you.

I am a starfish

clinging to a rock.

Wave after wave washes over me.

Back and forth, day after day...

They never stop.

Oh, for a quiet pool

where there are no waves.

A place where I can be left alone.

Somewhere I can finally rest.

When will I find peace?

Instead of peace, a hurricane.

Waves tear at my back

like a raging snarling beast.

I feel my grip slipping from the rock.

I want to let go.

I hear a voice, clear as the day,

“I am your refuge in the storm.”

The waves still roar; but the sounds fade away,

Whoosh, Whoosh… whoosh….

Peace at last.

I search desperately for the voice;

in the vast sea, in the distant sky above.

But no… the voice is close, close to my heart.

It is the voice of the Rock

I have been clinging to all along.

I am a starfish

clinging to my Rock.

I will not let go.

photo credit: Rafael Garcin@nimbus_vulpis

Overflow

“When did I last drink from the well?”

The fog of my mind hides the answer.

My heart sinks deep within me.

I should be able to tell.

Thirst consumes and it drives me,

I find other places to quench my thirst.

I drink and I drink, yet I’m still thirsty.

I keep going back. It’s easy not to think.

When I finally notice how dry I’ve become.

Weariness is in my very bones.

Lead flows through my blood, pulling me

down with its weight. Am I too late?

You should teach me a lesson.

Make me wait to fill up my cup.

Remind me you told me I would get thirsty.

Tell me I should know by now I need to drink.

Yet when I drag what is left of me to the well,

my arms too heavy to lift my cup.

You reach down and start pouring,

until Living Water overflows my cup.

photo credit: Anderson Rian @oandersonrian