Prepared

From the sky and from the air

he watches me but I’m not scared.

My Father also watches on

as does His ever precious Son.

Eyes on me! He commands

I am the Shepherd and the Lamb

I am the way, the truth, the life

the evil one will bring you strife.

Know he’s there, be not afraid

it is for Me you have been made.

One life, one sky, One to be feared

one voice to raise, one God revered.

Your only hope, the Holy One

I’ll grant you life when life is done.

This one can only watch and tempt

In Me your soul can rest, repent

Eyes on me! He commands

I am the Shepherd and the Lamb

I will find you in the storm

from my hand you’ll not be torn.

I’ll wait for you with love and grace

resist the ways he tests your faith.

Turn to me, take my hand, 

heed my words, keep my commands.

The devil wants to steal your gaze

with eyes on Me you’ll not be fazed.

Just like these clouds that soon will pass

the life he offers will not last.

Look past my child, I wait above

to shower you with hope and love

Ignore this one who watches on

he’ll steal your soul and you’ll be gone

From the sky and from the air

he watches me but I’m prepared.

- Vera Patterson

 

This is me at the beginning of each day

killing it!

Jumping high

OVERCOMING

every obstacle.

That back leg though...

It’s

Despair

self-pity

anger

pride.

Sometimes it clears

I land

jubilantly

sometimes it 

knocks,

trips me up

knocks me out

and I feel

blindsided

In this moment I remember as I approach

the hurdle -

jumping is up to

ME

but being airborne?

That is

GOD.

If I FOCUS on 

HIM

I clan clear the challenge.

If I FOCUS on

ME

well...

That back leg right?

If I take credit for clearing the

hurdle

stop to celebrate

MYSELF

momentum will carry me crashing

into the next

hurdle

If I remember

IT WAS GOD

and it will

NEED

to be Him again in

3.2 seconds

I am more likely

to jump and be jubilant

that

HE is a PROMISE KEEPER

who carries me

EVERY

time that 

I TRUST HIM

- Vera Patterson

 

He seeks me.

From deep down in my soul

He bids me Waken!

Follow! Obey!

He seeks me.

Stalks my dreams

Imbuing the with ribbons of hope

for a life not contained by

these fingers, these toes.

A life where skin

dissolves, where my light

re-emerges.

He seeks me.

From a space within

where words from lips

maintain shape,

not transforming between my tongue

and his ears

confusing who I am and what

I need.

He seeks me.

Offering 

more of Him

in exchange for

more of me...

stripping me naked

all the while calling me

Beautiful Creation!

Daughter! Beloved!

He seeks me.

Over 

the mountains

through

the valleys

in the

meadows

in the

sunshine

in the

wind

in the throws of

every storm

offering

a crevice in

His expansive hand

where I curl up and

rest

before 

rising from dreams

imbued with ribbons of hope

to seek 

Him

- Vera Patterson

Cross words

Beat me, shame me all you can

 I am the lion and the lamb

When I die you shall be free

 It is the man you kill in me

I never sinned, I never strayed

I will rise beyond the grave.

My father waits and He is pleased

that I have suffered your dis-ease 

You disbelieved that I am He

To your salvation holds the key.

Father? Forgive them one and all

On your merciful grace I call.

You were right, they all are lost

My precious blood will pay the cost

It will redeem them when it’s shed

The sacrificial lamb be bled

Father! Father! Bring me home

To sit beside you on your throne

Your will for me, it is complete

I die in glory not defeat.

My sheep? Your sins He’ll not condone

And so for them I have atoned

Come my child, sit at my feet

It’s in your need that we shall meet.

 I am your shepherd and the Light

 I will keep you through the night.

It is my blood that cleans your slate 

Young or old it’s not too late.

Tell me... whisper what you’ve done

I’ll lead you home my precious one

When you believe you are the host

for Father Son and Holy Ghost

I am the One, the Great I am 

I wait to love you all I can.

 

- Vera Patterson

ANGEL

The sky is blue the feather’s white

my angel stayed all through the night

she watched me cry, she heard my wails,

reminded me of Jesus’ nails.

I shook my fist, I ranted, raved

She said His love led to the grave.

It isn’t fair! I moaned and sighed

She said you’re right, for you He died

He took your sin He gave His life

and you are stuck on earthly strife?

Where is your hope for what’s to come?

Where do your help and strength come from?

Your lack of faith is so absurd

put on your helmet, shield and sword!

Even now He sent me here

so you would know He’s always near.

Cry and rave but in the end

you’ll bend your knee, begin again.

you’ll follow Him as close you can

you will repent, yield to his plan.

Let it go, your need for this

your joy, my child is found in His.

Delight the Lord… make Him smile

rest in His grace, abide a while

You’ll find that you will want to stay

He planned your life to be this way.

She took my hand, she dried my face

He died, she whispered in your place

His perfect life was used for you

Trust in Him and be renewed!

The sky is blue, the feather’s white

my angel stayed all through the night.

NINE

I had the pleasure of taking these two cuties to Ripley's Aquarium this weekend. As we wandered around looking at the exhibits, it dawned on me that this place was more than just a venue to look at sea creatures, it's a microcosm of the ocean... but more importantly, it is a microcosm of life.

A large group of people above the water contains the same variations as the creatures we marvelled at in the tanks: they were many different colours and species; some fish travelled in schools while others travelled alone; some creatures worked together to better the environment and others were just there because they literally had nowhere else to go.

When this shark swam by, I was like, "Look at those teeth!" then, "Yeah... too bad people who are predators don't have their sharp whites out there like that so everyone knows up front who they are and what they are about." Don't worry... I said it to myself!

"What about the baby sharks?" You ask.  I have to admit to finding them cute but Athena almost touched one by accident when she reached into a tank to pet a stingray. The baby shark was swimming underneath and slipped out just as her hand came down. Human sharks can be like this also...hiding in the shadows then slipping out at opportune moments looking all cute and safe. "Don't touch the shark," the Aquarium employee shouted, startling us all. Thank God for his warning. Even when we watch for danger we don't always see it right there, hidden in plain sight.


We were patient and waited. When the coast was clear, we did pet the stingrays. So smooth and cool to the touch and much like many people I know, safe to hang out with if you don't ruffle their feathers but trigger their defences and you'll know it when they sting you.

Jellyfish too though they don't have to be triggered... they are just always going to sting you, no matter what, if you get on their wrong side, which is well...just about every side.

If you think the Aquarium lesson ended when the exhibits were over, we had to exit through the gift shop, a place full of shiny things designed to catch your eye but which on closer inspection prove themselves to be mostly junk. Rather than grab at the pinkest, cutest or shiniest thing, if you take your time to search, you can usually find something of substance and value hidden amongst the rubbish. I set out to encourage this...

But then I remembered that she's NINE! Unicorns, the tooth fairy and Santa exist... I am still almost always right. I remembered that my bed is the comfiest place for her to sleep and she hasn't realized that she really is too heavy to be sitting on my lap. So I bought the stuffed seahorse with the hearts and pastel colours that made her voice rise two octaves when she talked about how much she loved it. I also bought her a handful of candy from the bulk station just because I wanted to see her smile her crooked smile and skip her crooked-legged skip all the way back to the GO station. I bought them for her friend as well because I know the only thing better than having one happy nine year old is having two.

I filled the empty shopping bags with their discarded jackets, balancing the weight of their baggage from a pace behind. I watched their free arms swing while their others clutched the seahorse tight to their sides, the stuffed heads bouncing in their little-girl grasps and smiled inside knowing there is still so much time before she understands even half of this - thank God.

Happy Birthday!

Danger! Keep Out!

Many North American cities experienced flooding this Spring. I have watched the news reports, silently horrified for those affected and the homes full of loving memories which have been lost. On a recent visit to the docks in Port Dalhousie, I noticed this sign and a truth about who I am hit me.


I wouldn't dream of walking over or around the barriers to explore how deep the water is. I am not tempted to wade up to the fence to see what's going on.

Ninety-nine percent of the time I obey signs. I don't ignore or walk past "danger".  I handle packages marked as "fragile" with care. I assume that the people who place the signs do so with integrity and the intent to keep me safe.

As much as I am an outside-the-norm person when it comes to making independent life choices, I am a conformist when it comes to obeying some signs...ok, a lot of the signs.

Somehow it is also true that I do not obey some of the most important signs...the ones given to me by people about themselves. Instead, I do what I would call puzzle people out. When I see a "Do Not Touch" sign posted in a person's personality I want to poke at it to see why it is painful. A "Do Not Enter" makes me wonder what scariness lies behind the closed door.

One of my favourite quotes from Maya Angelou is: "When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time."  Yet I don't. I can't. I hold out believing that whatever has caused them to react, behave or say the things they have can be healed with love or overcome with understanding.

I don't want people to hurt. I want them to be who they were before whatever it is that changed them changed them. I know that person is still in there, vulnerable but reachable. Catching occasional glimpses gives me the encouragement I need to keep trying.

I have heard it said that you can't change a person. I think that's only partly true... we can't change the experiences people we meet have had but we can offer them a safe place to reveal themselves without judgement and that, in itself can be life changing.