Eighth Row

True story.

My mother was given a tomato plant, and upon receiving it she said, “You know, I’m not good at taking care of plants. Every time I try to they just die. Still, I’ll take this plant anyway. I’ll try to make it grow.” So, she took it and discovered that she didn’t have all of the necessities to take care of this plant. Fortunately, the neighbors did and gladly gave my mother the tools she needed to get the plant to growing. So, everything was set up and it seemed like nothing could go wrong. My mother faithfully watered the tomato plant and kept an eye on its progress. The sad thing was that it didn’t seem to be progressing at all. She waited, and waited, and waited, and this tomato plant wasn’t producing anything at all. Then she started receiving phone calls from other people who also were given a tomato plant at the same time she was given hers. They boasted about how their tomato plant had already produced tomatoes, and they had already eaten them. My mother wondered why her tomato plant was so far behind. What was happening? Did she do something wrong? Why was everyone’s tomato plant doing well except for hers? She never gave up on her tomato plant, and one day my father asked her to come outside. She did, and he told her to look at her tomato plant. Suddenly, this plant was in the process of producing a beautiful tomato.

Have you ever been given a gift or perhaps a task to accomplish? Have you ever examined your life and said to yourself, “But I’ve failed so many times. Everything I do just turns out wrong?” Does it seem like your life just isn’t progressing…like you’re the last one, and everyone else is doing great? Can you somewhat relate to the story above?

My mother knew that taking care of that tomato plant would not be easy for her judging from past experiences; however, she wasn’t afraid to accept the challenge. She didn’t have all of the ‘perfect’ necessities to get the plant to growing at first, so she had to ask for help from the neighbors. Now, let’s pause and discuss this part first. Any time you have a goal to accomplish, you have to be prepared for the obstacles ahead. Regardless of what has happened in the past, your focus should be on the present and how to become better in the future. To accomplish your goals, you may just have to ask for help. Do not miss your opportunities because you are too prideful or fearful to ask for help. Everyone needs help in some way at some point in time.

When you are trying to accomplish positive things in your life, you will notice that a lot of negativity will also surround you. Do not get caught in the trap of comparing yourself to other people. Everything happens at different times and stages for different people. That’s the way life is. Do not surround yourself with negative people who keep you from seeing the positive things in life. What you should be hearing are words of encouragement that will inspire you to keep doing the right things in life, and what you should be doing is progressively working towards your goals. Do not be afraid to filter out the negativity, because if you don’t…it will only bring you down.

Do not confuse helpful advice with words of negativity. Helpful advice may sometimes get on your nerves, but it is actually meant to help you progress. It may come in the form of, “You really need to get a job so that you will be able to better support yourself and your responsibilities until you can get to where you really want to be.” Or even, “You really need to go back to school so that you will be better prepared for what the future has to offer.” Getting a job may certainly be a hard task to accomplish in this day in time, there’s no argument about that…however, the suggestion itself may be one that is true even though it is hard. Negative words are words that want you to stay in the ‘not so great’ situation you’re in. Negative words do not encourage you to move forward. They either encourage you to stay in the negativity you’re in or they encourage you to go backwards.

Learn to be determined and learn to be patient. Just because your goals are not working out when you want them to doesn’t mean they never will. You have to continue to water your goals with faith and place them in the sunlight of hope. This may prove to be hard work, but it’s better than not accomplishing something wonderful.

Do not give up on your goals. Many of the successful people that we watch and read about today faced long, hard roads of rejection and failure before they ever accomplished anything. Failure teaches you the importance of succeeding. There are so many lessons to learn from failure itself, but you have to be willing to learn from them, and to get back up, and try again. You may have to try again several upon several times before you succeed, but don’t ever allow your soul to rest itself upon the disappointing cement of failure. Let it rest in the soft and beautiful open field of goals accomplished.

Keep watering your goals with faith, and keep them in the sunlight of hope. One day your faith, courage, and determination will produce something beautiful.

I was going to write about something else, but then…this came to mind. I was working on this situation that had all of the formalities of not going anywhere at all. For a long time, all I heard regarding this matter was complaint after complaint after complaint. I tried to offer hope and encouragement in order to create a better viewpoint for this situation. I oftentimes suggested giving it time—things would change for the better. The situation would not always be a negative one. Still, complaint after complaint rolled in one right after another. However, sure enough…with prayer, strategy, and hard work, this situation began to turn around. The light of hope could be seen. Positive things began to happen. The situation was looking good, so you would think that the people who did all of the complaining would be joyous and relieved, right? Let me just answer that for you…WRONG! Today I heard the words, “this is not a good situation.” After all of the positive things that were happening, it still wasn’t enough to make people happy. No situation will ever be perfect, and that leaves the door open for people to constantly complain. That’s what happened. After walking through several positive doors, there were people who could still only see the closed ones.

Reality is you cannot please everyone. No matter what you do, no matter who you are…you cannot make everyone happy. There are people in this world that will go from one complaint to the next without hesitation. This may cause you to want to give up. You may say to yourself, “What’s the use?” It may frustrate you to keep hearing one negative thing right after another. You may even dreadfully begin to give into the complaints of others.

You keep doing the positive things you were created to do! You will not always be able to please people, but that doesn’t mean to let them hold you back from doing things that will better yourself and possibly the world. When people around you can only see the closed doors, YOU focus on the opened ones! You keep your heart set on the positive things you have accomplished and you will accomplish! You keep moving forward!

Do not hold contempt in your heart for those you are unable to please. It will not do you any good. It will cause you to focus on the wrong thing and will create hatred in your heart. Hatred is a burden that destroys everything it comes in contact with. It is not worth your time. No, it’s not easy to be kind to them always, but don’t let them consume your mind and heart with their negativity! It is better for you to put forth a kind effort than to drop to their level of negativity.

Do not try to accomplish your goals for the sole purpose of pleasing other people. Yes, we all may want to say…Look, I did it when you thought I couldn’t! Sure, prove them wrong but don’t let that be the ONLY reason for your success, because people will continue to think whatever they want to think. Succeed because it is in you to succeed. Succeed because you should want something better for yourself, and succeed so that you can have a positive impact in the lives of others.

Focus on the positive things in life! Don’t let the negative things destroy you!

Okay, I already know that talking to yourself is seen as a rather odd thing to do, but what about the moments when you really need a pep talk and there is no one around to give you one? Have you ever experienced a moment where the only cheerleader you have seems to be yourself?

These last few days have taught me the value of talking to myself. No, I don’t always physically move my lips (sometimes I do), but I mentally give myself a pep talk. I do this because the last person I need to give up on me is myself. When you give up on yourself, you will undoubtedly travel down a long road of depression and heartache. There are moments that I have to pause and say, “You can do this. You will succeed. You are important. You will make it!” Sometimes life wants you to believe that a hard task is impossible. Sometimes life wants you to believe that you will not make it. There are people who may try to convince you that you’re not smart enough or good enough. All kinds of negative things may come your way.

When you begin to believe the negativity, you will begin to fail. You will encounter many negative situations and personalities, but hope and faith have to remain in you enough to continue on. You have to be able to say to yourself, “Self, you were created to do positive things, and regardless of all of the negative things that are happening to you and around you, you are someone important and you will succeed.” You have to have courage.

Personally, I first and foremost depend on my faith. I like to say little prayers throughout the day, and of course I do not count this as talking to myself. But I do also give myself pep talks throughout the day so that I will make an effort to remind myself that life is not all negative. It’s not all sad and pitiful. There is beauty in life, but it is up to us to open our eyes and see it. It is obvious that life is hard. It is obvious that there are personalities out there that are hard to handle. It is obvious that terrible situations occur. But we cannot allow the negativity of life to convince us that there is nothing positive to see and to believe.

This very moment is your moment to realize how important you are to our world. This is your moment to be grateful for the beauty in life. This is your moment to inspire someone else.

Best wishes to you!

The needles of faith and hope can draw inspiration out of the veins of every situation even if it seems impossible. What inspiration can come out of a simple road trip to Orlando, Florida? It’s all in the way you look at life. It’s how you attempt to analyze and learn from everything and everyone around you.

First of all, we had an excellent…very close to perfect driver! However, that doesn’t mean that there were no mishaps and potholes in the road. In fact, when we hit one of those merciless potholes it traumatized the air conditioner, and the heat came through like it had some sort of hatred against us all. The driver had to stop at a rest-stop and nurse the air conditioner. It finally came back on, and we were back on the road. That’s the way life can be. No matter how perfect it may seem, at any given moment we may find ourselves experiencing a very unfortunate situation. Life has its mishaps, and it seems like the heat of our troubles is so severe…we just can’t go on. Sometimes, we do have to stop for a moment to gather ourselves—our emotions and our thoughts. But, we can never give up hope. Although we may have to rest, we can never let go of faith. We must continue on, and the fresh air of joy, peace, and comfort will return to us in due time.

I only knew a few people. Have you ever been in a situation where you just don’t really know that many people around you? Part of me wanted to shy away into a corner and just remain silent throughout the whole trip, but what would that accomplish? I looked at every person I didn’t know as a potential friend. I tried to be welcoming, and I also tried to keep a kind smile on my face. I made several new friends this way. The awkward thing about life is that regardless of how kind you are, reality is…not everyone is going to be your friend. This doesn’t mean that you have to turn into a bitter person. What it means is that you are to offer every positive piece of who you are to our world, and the people who are supposed to take you up on that offer will. Not everyone will want to, but do not stop being kind. Simply be aware of the fact that you cannot help everyone because not everyone will want your help and not everyone will accept your kindness. Offer what you can so that you will have done your part to make your surroundings a more positive place for someone.

I developed a terrible headache that was determined to ruin the fun I was having. I believe the heat was trying to continue its hateful tactics against me. Sure, I had to relax for a moment, but I remained grateful for the wonderful adventure I was on, and I knew I would get to finish it. Sometimes things happen in life to cause us pain, despair, and heartache. These forms of sorrow try very hard to ruin our joyful moments. There will be times when you will have to stop and perhaps grieve. That doesn’t mean to give up. There is a brighter side, and the sun will shine again. It may not always feel like it. It may seem like you’ll always be in pain. Life does hurt sometimes, but you will always have a purpose…and your purpose will bring you joy. Never let sorrow destroy you.

It is always a good thing to laugh. There were many moments of laughter during this trip. There were also many elderly people who decided to come along. When the coordinator for this trip wanted to play a game, they were all for it. The coordinator would ask if anyone had a random object on them, and the first person who had that object would win a prize. She asked, “Okay, who is the first person who has some floss?”
After a moment of silence, a little elderly lady said, “Honey, we all wear dentures so there’s no need for us to have floss.”
I found that to be humorous, and I enjoyed the laugh. I enjoyed the whole trip, especially the tour of the Holy Land experience. It was wonderful! It was a great time to experience several moments of inspiration!

I heard something about a trip to Canada next year. Count me in!

Hello, Friends: Road Trip

Hi, Everyone!

Well, it’s that time again! I’ve decided to spend a few days in Orlando, Florida. I know a few of the people who I will be traveling with, but the majority of the crew remains a mystery. To add to the suspense, I know one person that I am rooming with. I have no idea who the others are. I look forward to meeting these new people. Florida is a beautiful state, and I plan on enjoying this nice little (somewhat local) get away. In the mean time, keep your head up, keep the inspiration going, and do not give up on your dreams and goals. Wake up each morning with your purpose in mind, and never forget that our world needs every positive thing you have to offer (and we all have something)!

I’ll see you, Saturday, June 11th with something inspirational that I’ve learned on my little trip!

When I wrote “The Torture of My Soul,” I had to allow my emotions to become unguarded. I had to just let them go in the moment and allow them the freedom to scream, and to shout, and to cry, and to hurt. I wanted my emotions to just …go. So, “The Torture of My Soul” is a release of honest emotion, of personal emotion, and of emotion I have seen others suffer from. I always try to write based upon that combination.

This poem is an understanding of deep-rooted sorrow that offers a moment of inspiration.

“The Torture of My Soul”

(A simple poem dedicated to many)

Forgive me as my soul does have
A melancholy tone,
But this bitter world
Gets even darker
When you’re forced to cry alone—
And I can only walk through life
On a distant, wayward road…
And hope someone will understand
The footsteps of my soul.

I travel down a darkened path
Of a tear’s old weary street
And see my peace as broken glass,
As fear with stomping feet
Begins to make a dreadful noise
As sorrow beats its drums—
The haunting voice of trembling doubt
Slowly begins to hum…
slowly
slowly
Taunting me
With cruelty so cold
slowly
slowly
Playing still—
The rhythm of my soul…

The shadows with a stubborn stench
Of grave like fumes of pain
Hold the burn of heartache’s poison
And pierce me with their fangs.
My veins are heavy with the flow,
My plea is, “HELP ME PLEASE!”
I cannot bear the agony
So I fall down on my knees.
I scream the sound of misery
For that’s the story
That has been told,
And so the title has been written—
“The Torture of My Soul.”

The story’s told within my eyes,
The tune is in my voice—
My lips, they long to form a smile
My heart wants to rejoice
But the jury
Of vengeful
Sorrow’s court
Says I’m GUILTY in this life!
Therefore,
The judge
Of misery’s seed
Says I’ll have NO LIGHT!

Weeping is the melody
Of a damaged soul like mine;
A battered tune of scattered notes;
The ticking of lost time…
All chiming in to play my song
To tell me of my woes…
To say that I’m a tortured soul
With nothing left to show.

But they don’t know.

And so…

In the fog of disappointment
In the traps set by shame
In the woods of misfortune
Through the graveyard of pain,
Past the thorns of mistakes
Beyond the fire of my dread
Somewhere there is light,
So I’ll march on ahead,

As I’m tortured
And I’m weary,
I’m damaged,
And I’m battered,
My soul may be torn,
My peace may be shattered,
My burdens may be heavy
And I…
I’ll have to crawl
But I’ll get there…to the light.

I’ll make it through it all.

~T.S. Wilkins~

Whatever you may be going through, you can make it!

There is a common theme in Eighth Row Blog, and that’s never to give up. The reason why you may see this subject appear several times is because so many of us are on the edge right now. Not everyone is able to just pick up the pieces and move on. There are some of us who are truly trapped in devastation, grief, and depression and there may be the feeling of no escape. It is important to talk about never giving up for the simple fact that someone is about to give up right now.

We have to do all that we can do to inspire others no matter if it may seem like we’re saying the same thing over and over again. We have to try!

When the road of life gets hard to travel, life may not always seem worth living. Each step becomes harder to take, and your destination to wherever you want to be in life seems too far away. Situations seem to be all out-of-order. Life just can’t seem to go as planned. Things just keep happening to destroy your peace and happiness. Hope feels too hard to believe in. The road is too long, too bumpy, too tiresome, and too difficult. Your goals are too hard to accomplish. It feels like you don’t have the strength to keep on going. Every day, you have to face your mistakes, your sorrow, your emptiness, your pain. Other people just can’t seem to understand what you’re going through. Sometimes you can’t find inspiration or encouragement. Faith is too hard to hang on to. A solution seems impossible to find. It feels like you’ll always be trapped where you are. You’re not receiving answers to your many questions. Nothing really makes sense anymore.

The list of emotions and thoughts can go on and on and on.

The first thing you should know is never to lose faith. When your faith leaves, hope leaves with it. You are not alone in life, so do not isolate yourself. It may seem like no one understands, but someone always does. Never convince yourself that you’re the only one who is going through a difficult time in life. Regardless of what it may seem like, you’re not the only one grieving, suffering, depressed, and having a hard time.

You are very important. You are important because you have a purpose. Don’t ever let your circumstances convince you that you do not have a purpose. Don’t ever give up on yourself to the point where you feel like you are worthless. As long as you are alive, you have worth. You are worth your purpose, and your purpose is in some form to use what you have been given to help others and to inspire others. Everyone has been given something. It’s up to us to put forth the effort to discover it and use it. Never think that you don’t have anything positive to offer the world. You certainly do, but you have to choose to find it and to share it with others.

Yes, sometimes things in life just don’t work out like we think they’re supposed to. Terrible and unfortunate things happen every day that gives birth to tremendous grief and heartache.  Sometimes we find ourselves in some very heartbreaking situations. It’s not easy to simply overcome. It’s not easy to just get back up and go. However, you’re still living…and you’re still living because there is still a light that is shining on the inside of you. You may feel dark on the inside, but there is still a light. You still have a purpose. Always know that.

Yes, goals are hard to accomplish. It is disappointing when things just don’t go the way you would like for them to go, but you cannot give up. Your goals may be a part of your purpose and life was never guaranteed to be easy. So, the road is going to be hard to travel, but not impossible. It feels impossible, especially when nothing goes right, but it’s not impossible. Just keep going and you will find the place where you need to be.

I wrote a poem several years ago titled, “March On.” It’s a very simple poem, but it’s one of encouragement. I would like to share it with you:

March On!

Live life in the hands of faith.
Dwell not in the hurt of pain,
For everything within this life
Is here to lose or gain.
Survive the raging storm of strife!
Dwell not in its trap of sorrow,
For you know not what the future holds,
Peace may come tomorrow.

Believe not that death is the answer,
For death is an easy end
That preys upon a vulnerable mind
With a cunning deceitful grin.
Say not to yourself that you cannot make it,
Stand up when you fall
For if you stay upon
The hard,
Cold ground
You won’t get anywhere at all.

March on through the thunder and lightning!
Live life for what it’s worth
For eternity was never a solemn promise
Upon this sinful earth.
Stare not into the darkness!
Hold not to its misery!
For beyond the dark is the light;
The symbol of victory!

~T.S. Wilkins~

I am also including the links to the poem “Don’t Quit” (Author Unknown) and to the song, “Faith,” by Jordin Sparks.

Don’t Quit: http://youtu.be/VkCFeNeqyHk

Faith: http://youtu.be/4B_gKqT8XQk

At the end of my Business Law course, my professor gave us some words of advice. He sent his wisdom to us in a list of encouraging words. In that list was the following sentence:

“Sing. Forget that you have no voice…sing.”

This phrase in particular reminded me of a country song that I heard one day while flipping the channels on the television. The inspirational lyrics of this song caught my attention. It was Martina McBride singing, “Anyway.” The lyrics are below:

“You can spend your whole life building
something from nothing

One storm can come and blow it all away … build it anyway

You can chase a dream that seems so out of reach

And you know it might not ever come your way … dream it anyway

God is great, but sometimes life ain’t good

And when I pray it doesn’t always turn out like I think it should

But I do it anyway … I do it anyway

This worlds gone crazy and it’s hard to believe,

That tomorrow will be better than today … believe it anyway

You can love someone with all your heart, for all the right reasons

And in a moment they can choose to walk away … love ‘em anyway

God is great, but sometimes life ain’t good

And when I pray it doesn’t always turn out like I think it should

But I do it anyway … yeah, I do it anyway

You can pour your soul out singing a song you believe in

That tomorrow they’ll forget you ever sang

Sing it anyway … yeah, sing it anyway yeah, yeah

I sing … I dream … I love … Anyway”

How many of us quit when things do not go the way we want them to? How many of us give up when our dreams fade away? How many of us silence hope and love based upon what we see happening in the world, or perhaps based upon the bad things that have happened to us in life? How many of us become afraid when we see the road ahead and feel that we are not capable of traveling it? How many of us turn around out of fear and go the other way?

Things do not always turn out the way I hope they will. I am not a perfect person. I don’t always please every one on my journey. I have had some of my dreams to shatter in my soul. I have been hurt while traveling the path of love. Things in my life have gone tremendously off track before. Still, I will always dare to dream. I will always dare to love. I will always dare to sing the tune of my goals in life, and to sing it boldly.

Why?

If you lose your dreams, your ability to hope and to love, and your ability to sing your song of greatness…you’ll lose your passion for life. We cannot always experience sunny days, but we can believe in them any way even when it’s raining. It takes a lot of strength, faith, and courage to go on in life and to believe in the positive when there’s negative all around you…

But there is always something beautiful in the world, and you will always have a purpose to fulfill. When the road gets tough, and the way is hard…dare to travel it anyway. You can and you will make it! Never let your struggles steal your passion for living. Live anyway!

I am posting this somewhat early for Mother’s Day, but I
couldn’t help but to sit down and write about the thoughts that eagerly came
into my mind. Flashes of certain women in my family began to illuminate the
dark corners of my mind, heart, and soul with joy. The positive attributes of
these women reminded me of treasures buried in the deepest parts of the sea.
Their positivity was, is, and will always be like jewels embedded in the
deepest part of my soul.

The first flash that came to mind was of my mother. Now my
mother is quite a character. Many people know her as “Tudy.” She doesn’t like
that nickname, but she cannot get rid of it no matter how hard she tries. She
has a sense of humor that ushers in laughter during the darkest of moments, and
she has decorating skills that can make any little house look like a fabulous
mansion on the inside. She loves to be around people, and she loves to shop. My
brother and I are never able to stray too far away from her thoughts. It seems
as though she is ALWAYS thinking about us. She loves us very much, but is quick
to put us in our place regardless of how old we are. She holds her head high
and refuses to let what other people may think about her ruin her style and
grace. In fact, she taught us to be confident, bold, and brave. Boldness is the
jewel my mother has embedded in me.

Then comes Grandma Lee who is my mother’s mother. She’s a
short little lady filled with the sweetness of a kind heart, but also the
sassiness of a lady who has been independent for nearly her entire life. She
likes for things to be done her way, and she will let you know if you’re not
doing it correctly. She’s known for her good cooking, and in my
opinion…biscuits are her specialty. Suffering from congestive heart failure
does not keep her from being strong. Although she has to have assistance, she
can give orders like she is commanding troops. My mother calls her “Lee
Boonch.” None of us know what a “Boonch” is. My mother said that one day, my
grandmother had made her so angry that she just started calling her the made up
name, “Boonch.”  My grandmother doesn’t
mind. She’s determined to just be who she is. Determination is the jewel my
grandmother has embedded in me.

I cannot forget Aunt Dora Mae, who was also known as Aunt
Dodie. She was my great-aunt (my grandmother’s older sister). She was a gentle
lady. Her door was always opened to anyone who needed a place to rest. There
was always a seat at her table, and she always would greet you with open arms
and a kind word no matter who you were. She always said, “The best way to get
along is to mind your own business.” –And that’s exactly what she did. She
never asked you any personal questions. She just welcomed your company and
offered you all she had. The spirit of welcoming others is the jewel Aunt Dodie
embedded in me.

Aunt Louise was another great-aunt of mine (another one of
my grandmother’s sisters). She always made me laugh! She could make anyone kin
to anyone. In fact, I believe she considered everyone other than her children
and grandchildren, her niece or nephew in some way. She was also able to make
every person a cousin in our family. When conversing about preachers, Aunt
Louise said, “Well, I tell you, some are called and some are sent, and some
just picked up their bibles and went.” She was a devoted Christian, who loved
God, the church, and family reunions. She was a soft-spoken lady who would
softly let her opinion be known. Even in her sickness, Aunt Louise continued to
live life with as much joy as she could. Living with joy is the jewel Aunt
Louise embedded in me.

Aunt Francis is another sister of my grandmother (there were
many). Aunt Francis always greets people with a calm demeanor, and a kind word
of encouragement. In fact, I don’t believe I have ever heard Aunt Francis raise
her voice. Even when she is correcting someone, she is kind and soft in doing
so. She has a comforting and soothing nature that just makes you want to sit
down and listen to everything she has to say. She’s never in a hurry. She lives
each day as if to be walking through the park. Despite all of her health
problems, she manages to never give up on a day. She gets to where she needs to
go even if she has to go in pain. She appreciates each day. Appreciation is the
jewel Aunt Francis has embedded in me.

Now, Aunt Lizzie used to be married to my great-uncle (my
grandmother’s brother). She is also my god-mother. She is well-known for her
cornbread, cabbage, and coffee cake. She is also known for her style. Aunt
Lizzie is dressed to impress at all times! When she walks into a room, you
cannot help but to notice her. She walks in like a celebrity on the red-carpet
showing off her fashion statement. She is “The Liz.” She can also decorate any
place to perfection! Her style is second to none. The importance of having some
sort of style in life is the jewel Aunt Lizzie has embedded in me.

Grandma Evelyn was my father’s mother. She was also known as
“Ditter.” Now, I have to get straight to the point of Grandma Ditter’s smile.
She had the most amazing smile that would span miles upon miles in my heart.
When I would see the smile on her face, I would know that everything in life was
going to be okay in that moment. She had the brightest sparkles in her eyes
that would light up even more when she smiled that smile of hers! The greatness
of a smile is the jewel Grandma Ditter embedded in me.

Now we come to Grandma Georgia Mae…the most heart-warming
person I have ever met. She was my great-grandmother, my father’s grandmother. She
was also known as “Ma” because she was gracious enough to feel like a mother to
anyone that came into her home. Her and Aunt Dodie were alike in many ways.
Grandma Georgia Mae was a hard-working lady who was very influential in the
raising of my father. She had flawless skin, and kind eyes that eased your soul
when you would look into them. She was well-known for her sweet potato pies.
Every Christmas, and even at any random moment, she would give us a sweet
potato pie to take home. They were always soooooo good! I will never forget the
warmth of her kindness. A kind and beautiful heart is the jewel Grandma Georgia
Mae embedded in me.

These eight jewels sparkle brightly in my soul. It doesn’t
mean that there are not others. God has blessed my life with many influential
people; however, in this amazingly random moment…these were the eight jewels
that appeared. I feel that I am blessed to have had and to continue to have
these jewels in my life.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of you wonderful mothers! May God
bless you always!

Like many poets, I try to pay close attention to emotion. I try to paint a picture of my own sorrow through words as well as the sorrow and emotions of others. When I wrote “The Hope Within the Light” I thought about how life can be when you have to face your failures, and your grief, and your heartache. It’s really hard to do, and I wanted to capture that emotion and place it within a poem. Of course, following the path of inspiration, it had to include hope in it somewhere.

So, here’s my heartfelt emotion titled, “The Hope Within the Light.”

The Hope Within the Light

Beyond the flattering glimpses of hope,
Dwells the trembling reality of a fragile soul
Entangled in the chains of wishes gone astray,
Trapped in the deceitful realm of an unorganized dream
Too stubborn to come true,
Captured by the gloom of a lonely day
The whispers within their soul will say….

I understand you, Willow Tree—
How your roots are grounded in the soil of pain
As your soul drags on and tears remain
That constant burden and heavy weight
Upon the branches of your faith—
But still you must endure the rain,
The pulling of the wind’s disdain…
Pulling you away from the hope worth keeping,
Yes!
Yes!
I understand your weeping.

I know your sorrow, Silent Shadow;
Your happiness hanging on the gallows
Mimicking who you wish to be
But who can know,
And who will see
The tears that flow in darkness there
There beyond what you can bear….
Beyond the screams of misery,
Hidden in darkness silently?
Misfortune’s out to steal your life,
And rob you of your wishful light!
It keeps you in the darkness crying.
No one sees your soul is dying.
No one knows what sorrow’s taking!
No one knows how bad it’s aching
To shout the name of destiny!
I hear your haunted symphony!
I hear that dreadful tune within
The strings of woeful violins!

I feel your failure, Fallen Leaf—
How you fell down to
The ground of grief…
Fell down there
To be stepped on still.
I know how that failure feels.

For beyond my flattering glimpses of hope,
Dwells the trembling reality of my fragile soul
Entangled in the chains of wishes gone astray,
I’m trapped in the deceitful realm
Of an unorganized dream
Too stubborn to come true,
Captured by the chance of another day
The whispers within my soul will say….

Please understand my troubled soul
And the music it seems
That sorrow composed,
But know I want to live my life…
Know I still believe the light—

I understand the willow tree—
The silent shadow, the fallen leaf….
Though sorrow tells such constant lies
And the wind will witness my lonely cries

Know that life is in my eyes.

For I have to be the midnight moon,
I have to shine amidst the gloom.
I have to shine throughout the night,
For hope shall dwell within the light.

~T.S. Wilkins~