This summer, Patty was very sick.  Many people thought that she would not live much longer.  In the midst of her pain, she sent the following to her friends to offer encouragement.  I am happy to report that today Patty, my friend and sister, is still fighting to let her light shine.   With her permission, here is her message:

I woke this morning to the sounds of the birds singing and the rain softly falling on the roof.  All day long we hear different sounds and forget them quickly.  I love to listen to soothing music and the beautiful voices of my family.   Some noises are dreaded:  the crying of a child in pain, an emergency siren and the phone ringing late at night after a hard day.  When we lie down and wait for sleep to come noises take on a life of their own.  We often want to cover our heads and hide at each bump in the night.  Sometimes at the end of the day I tend to go over the mistakes and shortcomings in my life.  I can almost hear the beating of my own heart.  But, out in distance, I hear a sound that took place over 2000 years ago.  I can hear it as if it were right outside my door.  It is the sound of metal striking metal.  A swish sounds in the air and again the pounding over and over.  It is a horrible sound that makes me tremble.  I want to shut it out and yet that sound freed me from my past and gives me a future.  It gives me peace from my heavenly father and you must hear it, too.  It is the sound of the hammer driving the nails into the hands and feet of my Lord.  With each stroke I hear my heavenly Father saying because of this, my child, you can have the gift of eternal life.

I loved you, sharing myself with you.
You hid in the shadows of your heart,
carelessly throwing daggers of self doubt.

I built you up.
You loomed over me
pouring flaming rage upon my head.

I nursed you back to health.
You poisoned my heart with lies,
ensuring life would never taste sweet.

I cried vicarious tears for your torment.
Your mirth still rings in my ears
when my troubled memories fight to survive.

I would have died to see you smile.
You ate my fear and drank my screams,
my terror was your sustenance.

I bared my soul’s throat to you.
You wear my blood under your nails,
cherry polish for all to see.

This was written as a companion to “Light.”

You light my path,
the sun is dead by comparison.
My feet find purchase.

I remember the darkness,
life before you.
It is the mere vestige of a shadow.

I am warm.
My soul fills itself
with your refulgent song.

Our love, the unwithering tree
basks in your glow,
full of healing fruit that is ever ripe.

The moon dances with the sun
circling in orbit,
learning your lessons.

I am enthralled by your light,
examining, searching,
knowing it will quell every doubt.

You are my daydream,
lighting my life,
washing the shadows away.

This was written as a companion to “Darkness.”

Sometimes we never get to see the impression people have of us, but when I do I always find it interesting.  I consider it a top honor to be in my niece’ thoughts.  It is a bonus that it is during her playtime and an even bigger bonus that her thoughts of me are humorous.   I just love making her smile…!

I can only watch in wonder,
your tears turning to diamonds
your cries to song.

You have become the creator
fashioning rhythmic sinew
from your own blood.

Your verse walks
touching all who see
with celestial vision.

You rise,
beating back the pain
struggle relenting to smile.

You speak,
honey drips like dew
words becoming my gossamer wings.

I bloom.

Hope’s promise comes born on angels’ wings!
I lose myself in You, unable to feel the darkness.
Your prophesy hunts the hunter.
I am the washed sinner, hands rising free.

I was lost and am found!
Blind yet now seeing all!
Happiness rains from clouds!
Dread nightmare is no more!

Doing Things

With so many things vying for my attention, there were times when my system would go into overload and I would just sit there like a giraffe at a ping pong tournament, craning my neck at this task and that, without getting anything done. I decided that I needed some advice. Based on a recommendation I saw on the web (I don’t remember where), I decided to read Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen. The book gave me some ideas on how to organize things to reduce stress and clutter. The biggest treasure I found in the book was instructions for setting up a revolving file that requires little maintenance to automatically put important items on my daily agenda. I set up two of these files: one at work, one at home.

Leashing the Mail Mann

Taking a tip from the book, the next big distraction I needed to remove was email. In previous jobs, email had been a central communication hub. I had made a habit of stopping everything when email arrived. In my new career, I value large blocks of uninterrupted time. My obsession with email worked against this. To add to the stress, my email organization system was failing. I kept anything and everything. In theory, this is great, but the reality resembles that spare room in your house with all of the boxes. Yes, everything is in there, but getting the door open and then finding something is an all day task.
I looked around for some great ways to tame my inbox. I found Merlin Mann’s Inbox Zero. This site contains a series of blog entries designed to teach you how to manage email in a productive way. After implementing most of the techniques, I now maintain a well organized filing system. My email folders contain only what I need, and my Inbox never contains more than a few unread messages.

What Is Stress?

After removing these two large stress producers, life became much simpler. I no longer have to remember as much as before (I hate remembering short-term things!) because the techniques I use to organize things are tried and true. What about you? What are some ways you cope with life’s chaos?

Break me.

Put me on my knees,
where I can find that life
is not about me.

Break me.

Show me that life
can suffer a bruising
and get back up.

Break me.

Mold me into
the sculpture I can be
from the lump I am.

Break me.

Show me the beauty of friendship,
hands grasping mine,
pulling me up.

Break me.

Let me grow beyond
the shell of myself,
rising to heights unseen.