{Offering a poem} ~ hope for consolation at the end of Great Lent

Back in the fall I gave my first poem, 

written year ago, here.

Lent is often

fraught with great struggle,
even to the point of 

heart-rending loss, anguish. 

There is not a day that goes by it seems 

that I do not have a story of struggle and pain

from dear friends in my email inbox,
even this past week,
I got news of both a mother and a brother's
unexpected deaths and the devastation of the families.

*

The poem I am offering today is one that I wrote

in the middle of a time I was in great struggle, 

I was in severe job loss/money shortage, my health

was poor (I think from the stress of that time), and I was 

told that my health problem was a 50/50 chance of cancer.

So, a hard time.

I've learned that
sometimes, in the hardest of times, 

God teaches you things that you could not otherwise learn.

*

Today I give you this poem,
that came from when I was in struggle,

as something I hope can offer strength of sorts at end of 

Great Lent 2015.

*

The Hands of God 

If I die before I wake,
I am in the hands of God
I have no fear
I am at peace
I love our Lord Jesus Christ our Faithful Saviour and High Priest.
To whom by His mercy, will and my desire,
I belong.
I am in the hands of God.
These hands are the strongest safest hands;
I am perfectly sound and well here.
God will and has hid me beneath His wings
The devil is defeated, Christ has destroyed death by death
and I long to meet my Saviour face to face.
I am in the hands of God
Who loves me and gave Himself for me.
I am part of God’s church, I am His daughter,
I am His wife; He is my bridegroom
And I await Him patiently and with praise.
I am in the hands of God
Hands so gentle, so tender,
That they will not break the bruised reed,
They will not snuff out the smoldering wick.
As Moses asked God for the forgiveness of the Israelites
And God forgave
So Christ promises to intercede for me
to ask God for my soul.
I am in the hands of God
Who does not chastise forever
Who is mercy clothed in light.*
I am in the hands of God
Hands stretched out on the Cross saving me
Uttering forgiveness for those who nailed His hands;
I am in the hands of God
Who is merciful and who remains with me
The brute beast.
I am in the hands of God and
trust He will put me in His mansion with many rooms
That He will take me into glory
That He is ever with me
I long ever to be where I am:
I am in the hands of God,
Who I love and who loves me
with an eternal love blazing out from all eternity
I love the God whose hands I am in.
I am in the hands of God.

~ Elizabeth (of roosje:little rose blog)

This poem was dedicated in 2010 to both my 
biological father and spiritual father in Ottawa.

*from a poem by Jane Kenyon

© roosje:{little rose} blog 2015

please do not share without permission and acknowledgment with proper URL

Grateful for the sunshine on this Thursday, the last Thursday of Lent

So Mr. Husband brought home some herbs
the other day ~ we now have basil, parsley and rosemary.
A regular little garden on the sunny kitchen window sill!

Still loving the roses.
*
I am on skein two of the beautiful light blue scarf.
I could relate to this blog post and the one
it links to -
why is knitting so great?
We can actually have something finished,
unlike the rest of our lives...

Not shown here,
but we lit one of our candlemas candles
last night.
This sickness and the stress
it brings is wearing us down.
Yet, it is so little compared
to what much of the world is suffering.

Easter/Pascha baskets.
My dream of making cookies is fading fast.
We may only need one basket this year.

 

I enjoyed reading of this
family's move and their young son.
*
I am really hoping that things start
getting better for us.
I have so many things I wish I could do
that I no longer can.
Yet I know I have so much to be thankful for.
*
Lord have mercy!

Tuesday, Cloudy, Warm Impressions and Greatfulness

I had this recently.
The smell was so strongly attached to my Oma,
I was so surprised.
I think my Aunt P. must have had mocha cookies.

The small knit unbelievably orange scarf.

I am so glad of the two scarves I finished.
Above and below.

So I've been knitting a lovely
blue scarf for another gift
when I realized I had added stitches.
I talked with my sister for a long time today;
have to do it during day due to time difference
between Romania and here.

I showed her my mistake and then frogged it.
Then I went looking for my needle.
Could not find it anywhere;
same one I had lost before!
Only to realize I had put the needle in the bag it stays in
when I am not working on it...!
Sigh.
So glad I still have this needle!
*
Such blessings, being able to knit and
have different sized needles to choose from...

Cleo is so cute.

I had insomnia again.
But in the middle of it I had this deep
impression and feeling of love for
Mr. Husband,
it rather made up for it.

My chocolate bar in one of our Pascha baskets.
Counting down, getting ready...

 

Each of your comments are such a blessing to me
as I navigate getting better from
the mono.
Thank you.
*
I am still tired of course.
Insomnia never helps with that!
But each day is different and God's mercy is
truly new every morning.
*
Saw this three part interview with a young
Irish boy who died in the 1980's of a rare disease.
His life and his faith in Christ is incredible ~
if you have the time,
I would take a look.
*
Go here for some empathy and comfort on
Mothering and exhaustion.
*
Now I think it may just be time for a short nap...
I am so thankful that my Mr. Husband
affirms that my top priority is to get better...
the mono will not be forever....
One step a time...