The Shores of Great Unhappiness

“We all stand on the shore of that ocean — atheists, agnostics, God-lovers and God haters alike — and we all experience seasons of great unhappiness. But how tragic it is to be the one “crying to the night and emptiness” without this profound comfort of knowing the love of God the Father.”

Greig, Pete – “God On Mute – Engaging the Silence of Unanswered Prayer,” copyright (c) 2007 by Pete Greig, Published by Regal Publishers, Ventura, CA p. 50.

Walking Home From School

I was walking home from school today,
When something caught my eye.
“For Sale” signs are everywhere.
I began to wonder why.

Maybe folks don’t like it here.
Perhaps some people just need a change.
It’s unusually quiet now.
Gosh – this is really strange.

Jenny’s dad was just laid off,
Her mom works just part time.
Jenny overheard her parents say,
“We’re down to our last dime.”

My friend Junior, he has asthma.
Sometimes he struggles to get air.
His parents can’t afford his medicine,
They have no healthcare.

I am passing Mr. Jacobsen’s,
“This economy really blows!”
He remarked to Mr. Johnson.
“A real recession I suppose.”

Mr. Johnson walked toward the fence,
As he shut off his hose.
“My banker said this morning,
The credit markets froze.”

Katie’s mom was at the mailbox,
As I approached I could hear her sob.
What’s the matter Mrs. Brown, I asked.
“I just lost my job!”

Miss Koski chatted with Mrs. Fern,
She spoke softly, almost paternal.
“I’ve never seen it quite like this,”
As she waved her Wall Street Journal.

As I turned right on Elm and crossed the street.
A man emerged looking quite distressed.
A truck was towing away his car,
His bank had repossessed.

He wandered out into the street,
He brandished one middle finger high.
As he watched his car go down the road,
Behind the tow truck guy.

As he turned I recognized his face,
He wasn’t angry, he was awfully sad.
I began to run toward him.
To comfort my own dad.

He put his arm around me,
As we walked toward our front door.
“What’s the matter dad?” I asked.
“Can we go to the store?”

Mom was seated in the living room,
Her face – a shade of red.
She held a tissue in her hand,
Soaked with tears of dread.

My dog Barney lay in the corner,
Head on paws, he didn’t move a muscle.
He always jumps up to greet me,
Engaging in a joyful bustle.

Mommy rose and smiled at me,
Tears twinkled in here eyes.
When Daddy joined our family hug,
I began to realize.

Somehow, life has changed,
In these unsettling economic times.
I express my own observations,
Writing these little rhymes.

We didn’t go to the store tonight,
Dad said, “Let me explain something honey -
Our family is really hurting.
We’re terribly short on money.”

I always enjoyed shopping with my dad.
For me, a source of joy and thrills.
We can’t do that anymore.
What we have must pay the bills.

I learned something walking home today,
A lesson they don’t teach in school.
Republicans or Democrats -
Everyone can use this tool.

In a world full of viewpoints,
Regarding who, what, when and whether.
My family’s no exception -
We’re all in this together.

Uninspired by life,
Dusk descending all around.
Looking desperately for hope,
Listening for its sound.

The mundane, the routine
These mates accompany me today.
I yearn for a different companion,
To help me rise above dismay.

As I exit the alley,
Burdened with this dread.
I meet a familiar voice,
“Lift your chin! Look ahead!”

Meandering down side streets,
A whisper lifting the other.
Buoyed by the realization,
We’re created for one another.

Do you have those days in life?
When you’re simply going through the commotion?
Trudging through patches of desert wasteland,
Thirsting for a life-sustaining potion?

My guess is that you have.
If you haven’t, you surely will.
Just remember, you’re not alone:
In a valley, or preparing to climb a hill.

Just when you think you can’t go on -
Slogging in knee-deep dread.
Raise your eyes beyond the path before you,
Allow hope to raise its head.

As you gaze through the trees,
A hint of light comes into view.
“Is there relief at the end of this tunnel?
Is Someone coming to my rescue?”

That distant light up ahead:
Perhaps a ray of hope’s high beam.
Lessens the burden of it all -
Piercing pessimism’s seam.

One thing I know about times like these -
Of this I’m certain; absolutely sure.
There’s no immunity to these moments.
They are times we all endure.

When life sings this song-
Incapacitating you within this drone.
In the dreadful deafness of it all,
Remember: You’re not alone.

You cannot avoid it.
It’s something most folks dread.
There’s no way around it…
Life falling on your head.

Some wait with trepidation,
The arrival of life’s calling.
When it doesn’t seem to arrive on time,
They claim the sky is falling.

Some bemoan the unexpected,
The stuff that comes out of thin air.
Victims of the deception,
That life’s designed as somehow fair.

Some get overwhelmed,
Amidst life’s mess and muss.
They believe they have immunity,
“How could this happen to us?”

Some attempt to avoid it,
Spinning through life like a compact disk.
Their pace and their busyness,
An attempt to outrun the risk.

Some build self-contained bunkers.
Insulating them from things uncertain.
The end result is predictable:
An unlived life behind death’s curtain.

Others worship the routine,
A life that minimizes chance.
They live life as spectators,
Who never learned to dance.

There are those paralyzed by excuses.
The one’s petrified by “what if” and “but.”
Afraid to live a life of meaning,
Bored to death in a self-made rut.

Maybe it’s not life we can blame.
Perhaps we need to clarify these situations.
Could the source of this problem,
Lie within our own expectations?

You’ve experienced those times,
Shattering the expectations that you own.
The tires of life seem to get blown off.
Remember…You’re not alone.

When life happens in this way,
When your expectations become unsealed.
When you think the sky is falling,
Anticipate a new dimension of heaven to be revealed.