Extravagant Love
March 26, 2011
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The voices that I hear
Are the ones who are not speaking
Their silence is screaming out
I do know their pain
Suffering is the teacher
It is one I did not choose
Desperation silenced me
I now have language
All along the way
People have arisen here
I did not know I needed
Their voices touched me
Their presence ignited me
A fire lit up my soul
Friendship sets me free
To listen to the heartbreak
And wait in silence
Compassion invites me in
Only my tears tell my heart
It is the language of tears
It is my deepest desire
To make real what is the truth
Extravagant love
© Terry S. Smith
First posted August 5, 2009
Your Beauty
March 23, 2011
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Please cherish your life story
Your familiarity
Blinds you to your own beauty
You must look closer
It takes a paradigm shift
A change of lenses to see
Pain as being a part of
Beauty in your life
It is in the silent night
There is a whisper of love
Heard only in the stillness
A quiet thunder
The chaos was a great gift
Looking back I clearly see
The pain caused me to search out
Love searching for me
~
© Terry S. Smith
First posted July 16, 2009
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Handprints
March 16, 2011
I see your handprints
Looking back I sit in awe
Your gentle hand led
Me out of captivity
Into a world of freedom
In my anguish I cried out
There was no comfort for me
No one saw how desperate
How broken I was
I longed to find peace
To feel the presence of love
To find the understanding
Someone to listen
My search born of emptiness
In the prison of my shame
A deep loneliness
A soul shattered by my guilt
With no one I could turn to
No language to speak
The years of abandonment
Unspeakable grief lingered
I felt like I was nothing
My failures condemned my soul
My heart confirmed my no hope
No one could help me
I remembered her
My grandmother on her knees
The joy of her love
Her delight when she saw me
The light of love in her eyes
The light I wondered
That twinkle of joyfulness
I knew God was real
I could feel him in her touch
I knew she deeply loved me
My struggle was to believe
That there was a higher love
My thirst to find out the truth
Find a way to live
She opened the door
Her kindness drew me to search
Knowledge is what I needed
My hunger increased
Something in me was driving
Something larger than my pain
I went to the mountain
Got a vision of the peace
Saw joy inviting
An invitation to love
To receive it and give it
My mom and dad were clueless
I did not know why they raged
Or why they could not see me
Now I understand
My search for insight
My longing to understand
My hunger to not repeat
Find a way to peace
Give my children faithful love
Created a great passion
This longing marked me
A fire to discover joy
A mystery ignited
Determination to know
How to be loved and to love
Meditations written after interacting with the thoughts in Psalm 77 and Proverbs 16.
© Terry S. Smith
March 16, 2011
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Love Pursues
March 12, 2011
True loves pursues you
Wait and love will come to you
Be silent, listen
In solitude are treasures
A secret hidden wisdom
Available to seekers
Who learn how to rest
I must stop the noise
Hear the calming words of love
Already given
You’re my beloved
You’re the apple of my eye
A refreshing drink
© Terry S. Smith
March 11, 2011
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The Calm
March 6, 2011
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Looking back I see
Devastating decisions
That were destructive
My own and others
Forgiveness is what’s needed
Who is willing to give
Can my tears be seen
Are the cries of my heart heard
Looking back I know
In the stillness of the night
I heard a gentle whisper
“You are forgiven”
These words were sweet to my ears
Rooted in reality
There’s a place of rest
Where I found joy in the storm
The calm that brings certainty
~
© Terry S. Smith, First posted April 8, 2010
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Searching
March 3, 2011
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Those I loved were gone
I sat in the darkest night
Afraid, not able to speak
Alone and helpless
~
At the darkest time
No hope on the horizon
Light broke in the dawn
~
To live was my decision
There was fire in my being
Mysterious energy
Coming from within
~
My search became real
The path began to open
The pain was universal
Everyone’s lot
All around there were others
Searching to find what was real
~
It is easy to escape
And medicate all the pain
That is what my parents did
And gave it to me
~
Was I to repeat
And give this to my children
I decided, “No!”
~
I found a community
Of people wanting to know
Seeking knowledge and insights
How to be human
~
Searching is the key
Being honest and fearless
Not afraid to ask questions
Even about death
We’re at different places
But at one in our seeking
© Terry S. Smith ~ First posted March 3, 2010
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Your Story Matters 