Ticking Time Bomb (digital collage)

Candy Land (sonnet)

So we're back to the game of Candy Land,
We're not stuck in the Lollipop Forest
Like we had been for weeks and weeks on end,
But in the Molasses Swamp now we "rest."
I don't know how many "turns" we'll spend here,
Perhaps we'll have to go back to the start.
I don't know how I'll dry up all my tears,
Or explain to my children's broken hearts.
How is it that this injustice can be?
How am I to deal with this load of pain?
Just when I thought life was setting us free,
My hopes were squashed completely flat again.
I don't know how much more pain I can take
Before I stop bending and fin'lly break.

The Storm's Increased (sonnet)

I saw a lighthouse drawing me to shore,
A beacon of hope lit my shadowed path.
Distraught, I prayed in anguish to the Lord,
"Please let this storm I'm fighting be the last."
The thunder raged about me 'round the clock,
The waves came up and over on the deck.
I felt my ship pulled near the jagged rocks,
Yet still I clung to hope and craned my neck --
Yearning for a glimpse of the distant shore,
Longing to be rescued from all the pain,
Buffeted by gales I couldn't ignore,
Drowning in bucketfulls of pouring rain.
Just when I thought I'd find a resting place,
The storm's increased and trashed my flimsy faith.

No Point Wasting Time (sonnet)

Do raindrops drizzling wish that they were snow?
Do snowflakes swirling wish that they were rain?
Does thunder ever care to even know
From where on earth it's booming power came?
Does the water flowing downstream ask where?
Does the seed that's aloft the breeze know why?
Does the child at its mother's bosom care?
If they have no worries, then why should I?
Not even a single sparrow that falls
Is unseen by my Father's watching eyes,
He hears each fallen creature as it calls,
Our mournful tears to Him are no surprise.
So let life carry you where e'er it may.
No point wasting time on worry today.

A Longing for Heaven (sonnet)

When questions line up like soldiers in line
To take their shot at my crumbling resolve,
When each day seems lacking sufficient time,
And the problems seem too many to solve,
When the worries press and the cares distress,
When the bills are many and checks are few,
When all of life seems a big, jumbled mess,
And I seldom seem to know what to do,
When I fall to the floor on shaking knees,
When I cry to the sky without reply,
When I beg of God, and even say please,
And yet still don't have the answer to "why?"
That's when I cling to promises He's giv'n.
That's when I feel a longing for heaven.

Leaning on the Lord (sonnet)

Just put one foot in front of the other,
And just take one little step at a time.
Trust your subtle instincts as a mother,
Tell yourself, "ev'rything will be just fine."
Just wake up each and every morning,
And with a genuine smile, greet the day.
With each sunset as the daylight's fading,
Say, "we will all make it through this okay."
Never doubt God's power for a second,
Never falter from the path He shows you.
Never linger when His Spirit beckons,
Don't forget He made you and He knows you.
You'll find answers; keep trusting in His word.
You'll find comfort; keep leaning on the Lord.

Unworthy (sonnet)

I know I don't deserve for You to hear
My prayers, oh Lord, or give a second thought
To my complaining words or raining tears.
Some may say I'm beautiful, but I'm not.
My past is ugly as the sin I've borne,
It comforts not that You are forgiving.
I try to let it go, but still I mourn
For those that died and those that are living.
Is there an end to this eternal ache?
A mother's heart can only take so much
Before it crumbles and begins to break
From all the worrying and stress and such.
Unworthy though I am, I come to You.
Please give me strength so I can make it through.