he was crying today
because he’s sick again
and he feels cheated
by the lack of sands he thinks
are left in his hourglass

all of his years of strength
and the cadence of his accomplishments
were reduced to his fear of loss
so hard to leave the known behind
in order to really live

he is a retired pastor and a man of God
his words used to rock the pulpit
and reach right to the middle of my soul
inspiring me to try to overcome
the hardships and disappointments
of our too human condition

he has always shown me love
he has always shown me grace
he has always shown me forgiveness
he has always been the great provider
of whatever it was that anyone needs

I was crying tonight
because he loves it all so much
the same way that I love him
and even in our moment of this weakness
I know he will be okay

he spent his life building faith in others
to have faith in the powers of the Almighty
to help them accept the possibility of miracles
and so, I claim one of healing for him
just like he taught me to believe-
that tomorrow, he will be smiling again

the cadence of his accomplishments. frosty, this is a remarkable testimony for your gramps. may he live on.

thank you, mitten.

A great tribute, Frosty.

Les

He sounds like the kind of person who has made religion tolerable for us non-blieves. Wish him well. He contributed to our frosty.

shalome,

Peter

indeed, that's how he is, Peter. I don't believe it all exactly how he does (he has a more fundamentalist viewpoint by far than I) but he has shown tolerance and offered himself to anyone in need. I have a great amount of respect for it.

thanks for commenting to both you and Les. You two and mitten are typically my only readers so I appreciate it!

so hard to leave the known behind
in order to really live

This is so true Frosty!! I love the passion your poem emits.

thanks, life. I'm glad you enjoyed.

a very moving tribute
the statement you made below speaks volumes about truely believing and practicing any religion.

"but he has shown tolerance and offered himself to anyone in need"

I enjoyed your poem.

marflow

so true, marflow. I like to think that I'm not "religious" because of all the condemnation, guilt, etc. carried with that word. I'm spiritual because I have a personal relationship with the Creator. I know who He is to me, but I believe He shows himself to people in different ways which is probably why there are so many diff. types of "religion". The way I believe it, eventually, we all find our way. Anyway, thanks for commenting. My grandpa is the coolest.

hi frost... bless you and your grandpa. Like i've said, never had a good look at all of my grandpas and grandmas. People say, they have the capacity to love and understand more than a father. I could see that in your poem very clearly.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/11/2021 07:22PM by AngelsFear.

thanks, Angelsfear. I'm pretty lucky.

Frosty:

Peter, Les, and Mitten are not your only readers. While I don't comment on everything everyone writes, I do read just about everything on the board.....and I never fail to read your posts because you willingly and unabashedly reveal your deepest emotions without being trite or mawkish...something I wish I could do better. This is an example of that...an emotional tribute to a wonderful man. Good stuff.

Joe

hey, Joe (jimi hendrix style) I appreciate you reading and writing too. I seriously enjoy the feedback I get, good or bad.

bump

thanks for the bump. I'd forgotten this one.