Stand at the doorway--
("wait your turn!")
Poised to run--
("Look out!")
Dashing off,
headlong down the hall--
("here I go!")
One giant leap,
arms outstretched to each side,
eyes closed,
Whump!
Open your eyes,
("I did it, see?")
Hop off the chair again,
("Now you try")
And scurry back down the hall,
to continue to practice
this very important skill.
Then Mom comes in,

I will be nineteen years old tomorrow.
This past year has probably been the most intense year of my life... Me and myself at eighteen have been through a lot together - both brokenness and beauty. Such beauty...

Sitting in the sanctuary,
I close my eyes;
Anticipating the rush of song,
that is sure to come.
Right on cue,
The choir starts singing.
My skin tingles as a soprano
soars up to an exceptionally high note,
And as a bass,
goes so low;
The room seems to vibrate.
Estatic, I lean back futher, half asleep.
I am suddenly jolted from my reverie by the
sound of thuderous applause.

While all the earth lies restful
And the lands lay under cover of sleep
Awake the watchfulness of peace sounds
Awake the awareness of God surrounds
Awake the love of His heart resounds

When the wetness of morn’s dew gathers on thin grass blades
On your heart a hand bades you rest, on mother Mary’s breast
When the moon rises and the stars gather sparkling in the sky

I feel the sun catch the tops of the trees before I see it. Turning, I see through my window the oaks aflame with the last of the dying light. For a moment I am still, dazzled with the flash of gold. Then I rise, abandoning my study without a second thought. In some deep corner of my heart I know I will not be able to live with myself if I don’t go to the hilltop.