A dad is given the gift of the child
the child has the gift of the dad
so God decided, so God created
and most of the time
the child outlives the dad
and in dad's passing there is sadness
memories and feelings
to examine, to process, things to heal
and God does, in His way
in His time, and it is for His healing we pray.
A life well lived, never to our hope of perfection
is validated by the tears
which from the heart do flow
even when we know
dad is no longer in pain
for in faith we die, being with Christ our gain
but a daughter's heart has a vacuum
where dad use to be, it hurts
because his life mattered
so the tears flow, the heart feels tattered.
for this grieving daughter I pray
in Jesus' precious name
for comfort in the days ahead
that through grief's valley she will be led
till she joins her dad around heaven's eternal flame.
dc riggs 16 March 2013
Saint Patrick's day is over
with it goes the stories
of faith, leprechauns
pots of gold,
or so the stories are told.
memories may have been made
except for those
who drank too much
finding that the snakes
Patrick drove out of Ireland
have sloshed their way inside
perhaps some have told
the story of his faith
the dedication to the God he served
shamrock theology
of how three can be in the one
of how a slave lad
can as a God loving man
return, to change an entire land
so the mystical leprechaun
faith, and pots of gold
fade into the mists of tomorrow
remember the stories
even though Saint Patrick's Day is over.
dc riggs © 17 March 2013
***********************
The shadow of the shamrock
has faded for the day
the legacy of the green
covered by night's dark black
yet within me stirs
the memory of the Leprechaun
with the twinkle in his eye.
Monday comes with work and woes
task from the past not finished
the awkwardness of projects gone awry
the uncertainty of a new week
but I take with me into the new day
the memory of the Leprechaun
with the twinkle in his eye.
Some did today try to honor St. Patrick
by pinching those who failed to wear green
honor him they did not
the meanness of man was coming out
Patrick would have loved them
with God's love, like a big leprechaun
with a twinkle in his eye.
The shadow of he shamrock
falls wherever it may
on Irish hearts and those who are not
if we by faith would live and pray
loving God, our fellow man, even our self
embracing life as might the leprechaun
with the twinkle in his eye.
dc riggs © 17 March 2013
Who am I? What is my Who?
often I define myself
as we all do
with "what we do for money"
or for fun
but what makes us tick
Moses asked this of God Himself
the Answer "I AM That I AM"
but I am not a little I Am
even early in the a.m.
if I were witty, caring, sweet
would this define my who?
strong, flexible, and understanding
to my identity would I be true?
does the who
that others see from outside
match up with my view
or with what is really inside?
do I need this to know?
YES! Indeed!
for if I cannot understand myself
accepting who I am
how can I accept and understand you
which is something
that I wish very much to do
so tell me please, Who is my who?
dc riggs 18 March 2013
'Tis never really over
this thing called St Patrick's day
even for those born
far from the emerald hills and shore
for like being a Texican
Irish-ness is a state O' mind
though the lad Patrick
sought pleasures far from God
the man was God's own
as he and his followers
spread the gospel throughout the land
opposing powers serving darkness
they brought Sonshine
dispelling the fears of night
healing the brokenness of tears
so these three
Cross, Shamrock, and Harp
remind us of Ireland and Patrick
they call us to serve, to love
as he did, both God and man
with committed mind, pureness of the heart
eternal life, represented in the green
St. Patty's day is never truly over.
dc riggs © 19 March 2013
In the beginning, was God
was He satishfied with being alone?
No, so He created, created all
sky, earth, mountain, sea
birds of a feather, critters walking
crawling, trudging on all fours
some on two
was He satishfied? No!
so He formed man from the dust
two legged man walking
as other mammals do
was God satishfied? No!
so into man's nostril
He blew His very own breath
and the man became a living soul
fearful that the man
would be lonely, stuck in silence
the Lord God created woman
gave them dominion over the "all"
they had it made, easy living
walking with God in the cool garden
were they satishfied, would we be? No!
they wanted to be equal to God
so sin came in the fall
and great it was God was not happy
out of the garden He kicked them
was God now satishfied? No!
He wanted relationship with them
so He clothed them, protected them
called them back to Himself
then He gave His only Son, Jesus
to walk as them, die for them
pay their way to heaven's shore
was man satishfied? No!
he and she still wanted to be as God
God gave them each the other
to love, honor, cherish
were the satishfied? No!
each wanted their world to dominate
so they fought, warred, divorced, killed
were they satishfied? No? Was God? No!
and the Scriptures say: "Jesus wept"
even as believers, unsatishfied
stand in holy places to sing "I am satishified"
when they aren't with self, spouse, children, family
not satishfied with the world, with life
yet God Himeself still calls
to a pilgrimage that ends at heaven's door
where peace and satishfaction await
for in the end, is the Great I Am, our God!
dc riggs © 19 March 2013
God was before, God will be after man
take the sum of the world's sand
a grain equaling an hour
you have not come close to eternity's sum
it is not man's power-ness, smarts
that enables him to survive
in the Valley it is the staff and rod
of the Creator, Father, that we call God.
In Death's Valley what is our defense?
if God be for us, who can be against us?
likewise we could say
God be against us, nothing else matters
when I meet my arc enemy "self"
knees banged, feet cut, bleeding, hurting
as I along life's road do trod
with me on the journey is Himself, God.
In living my life I God, others,self have failed
heartbroken with tears I have wailed
as if I were God I have acted
the boomerang pulverizing me into the ground
yet when I was displeasing and in sin
Scriptures teach" "Christ died for wee me"
justice, punishment, I deserved as onward I plod
yet love, grace, and mercy came from God.
So this verse with tearful brokenness I write
longing to have the wrongs of life made into right
I curl up on the cold floor, contemplation, rest
count my blessings, one by one
Himself has rescued me so many times
and in Him I still have a distant glimmer of hope
that He will salvage this pitiful man of sod
He can, He will, for He is our true and loving God.
dc riggs © 20 March 2013
Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.
Hebrews 13:5 NIV
'Tis early in the morning before the sun rises
the peace of night
the landscape still does cover
yet somewhere, not beyond the rainbow
the sun is up and shining
calling man, woman, and child
to come and laugh
work, love, and play
in this span of time called
"a brand new day"
let the old be gone and past
it's negatives and evils
should not last
for life is too short
even if it goes to a hundred and twenty
as Scripture says it could
but very rarely does
so from the peace of the night
go dear friend, enjoy, as the sun rises.
dc riggs © 22 March 2013
When does a man know for sure
that he is her cup of tea
males readily affirm the woman herself
if she be a Lady of beauty and faith
reflecting God's love so pure.
A man should hold a woman's hand
each the other's heart
walking, talking, kissing, sharing
along life's twisting path
whether it be rocks so hard or soft sand.
So for the Lady can he humbly pray
for her to have the man of her dreams
even if it is not he himself
walking through her heart's door
laughing with, loving her
man often fails to understand love's way.
Perhaps it is because of love's mangled path
that a cowboy chose to kiss his horse
riding easy in the saddle
across the lone prairie's desolate plain
free from the female's grasp and love's wrath.
dc riggs © 22 March 2013
In the language of love, listen to each word
man meets woman or she meets him
beauty is in the eye of the beholder
perhaps each sees beauty
in the other
then comes the word "smile"
that radiant moment
that lights up a room or a life
followed by the soft (?) spoken word
the quality of tone
can reach down into a heart
helping to heal a life that's been fractured
perhaps some would say
that "touch" is a language on its on
the firm, gently held hand
warm skin on skin
the taste of sweet lips
in the moment of the first kiss
the second, third, and then a lifetime
but deep underneath
is a current called "chemistry"
hard to define, but very real
the language of Love, the finest heard.
dc riggs © 24 March 2013
