Thank You!
Body, you have served me well. Somehow I made moves, had thoughts, walked through crowds and years, sadness and laughter, fears and anger and love.
I went here and there with you. Or did you go with me?
What force was leading us? We could never have done it on our own. Neither of us, that strong.
One day you and I will part ways, but not yet, not yet. When it is time. But not yet.
It has been quite a dance. What little joys and laughs we’ve had.
I guess we have served each other. You helped me, I helped you.
I think God has tugged us through the years, helping us get this far together. We are inseparable like old friends. Let’s keep moving forward, hand in hand, into the great unknown.
Body, I thank you.
America, you have taken care of me. You have guarded and protected while I was growing up like a ladybug scuttering about trying to figure out where to go next with my dreams, ideas, plans. During adolescence, I felt like a train wreck.
Because churches are allowed in this country, I had some unexpected guidance. My college teachers taught me to think for myself, not to believe everything I saw or heard.
I became a teacher first, then a counselor, and felt at home waving the American flag.
Today is July 1. The Fourth of July is coming. That’s when my country celebrates its freedom.
Everyone’s a critic of America. I know.
Perspective. It’s how we see things.
Can I see the goodness available here in this country? Can I see the bloody sunset that spreads a sense of loneliness on the gravel road? Can I see the direction the steeple points against the blue sky?
More is probably going on here than what’s visible.
America, I thank you.
God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, you waited on me to turn 13, when I finally gave you my heart.
You never hurried or rushed me. Always, you were like a gentleman, willing to wait. And there for me, day and night.
I was shy, inarticulate and a worry wart. But you are a skeleton key, knowing how to open unsuspecting doors and hardened hearts. Jesus, you are my bridge, connecting me with the Father. In you, I trust.
If not for Jesus, where would I be?
The son of God came to die on the cross. It was horrific: the crown of thorns, the spitting, the 39 lashes, the nails, blood, the torture, the collapse. The ground cracked apart. Why? He loved you and me. He offered us the gift of freedom from sin.
Holy Spirit, you are in me, guiding and helping me to see life with your eyes.
Like with the flight of crows, that’s all untraceable. I cannot measure any of it, but I’m convinced you help my days and my life move forward in the right direction.
God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, I thank you.
Blessings,
Pat Durmon
patdurmon.com
P.S. Always happy to hear your comments and to have you share my work. Friends, I am grateful you are in this world with me.
Photo of the American Flag and Jimmy Durmon in Heber Springs, Arkansas. Photographed by Pat Durmon in 2014.