Even Now

surrounded by family and those who care, I can't sleep. I searched for the words to write that would comfort me, if only for a few hours. And yet, there are none. So I turned to the words of others... and while not comforting in the sense that all I have done is cry harder and longer, I feel compelled to share them with the rest of the internet...

Having just drafted an email response this one reminds me of Mr. Waddles and the private hell he endured for so many years at the hands of others...

Safe Harbor

by Jennifer Hickok

The storm has been raging for so long now
Pouring rain, crashing thunder, howling wind
Beating down on this lonely ship
Searching for a place to call home

There was a time; it seems so long ago
The sun shone brightly in the clear blue sky
Looking up from the bow into forever
A gentle breeze, cotton candy clouds

But the storm slowly moved in
A few scattered showers and thunderstorms
Days of downpour, flashes of lightning
With shelter so hard to find

Rainbows still shone, beacons of hope
In the unlikeliest places
Vibrant against a backdrop of gray
A glimpse at the best of times

As the years passed by
The storms changed, getting worse
Getting better, and fading away
But they’d left their mark

A vessel is forever changed
When touched that way
And although you can rebuild
The damage has been done

Horrible storms had been forecast
For the not so distant future
But they wouldn’t hit this ship
Not again, no more damage would be done

The ship will be protected now
Lost no more, tossed about no longer
Safe in a harbor to forever call home

******************

And then no night would be complete unless I cried a couple of hours for the kids too...

The Promise Kept

Bruce Obermeyer

Their son was only two weeks old; their daughter's years were three
When duty called, this pilot to the war across the sea.
"Let's just pretend you're only going on a business trip.
Each day we'll write about the things we've done and then we'll slip a note into an envelope and put it in the mail.
You send me yours; I'll send you mine, I promise, without fail."
He walked away with pounding heart while fighting back the tears
with "Come home soon, I love you Daddy" ringing in his ears.
They kept that promise, sealed with love some 30 years ago.
They sent him tapes and pictures so that he could watch them grow.
They're married now with children of their own who, at the Wall,
ask "Was my Grandpa brave?" and Grandma says, "Bravest of all."

****************

Truly bravest of them all to weather the storm for so many years. To know where the safe harbors were, only to keep his course for the sake of those he loved and cared for so much. For that and so many more reasons, Jim has always been my hero.