"Until Then"

The following poem "Until Then" is a repost from 2007...

Watching Whitley sing now, in 2025...

Still causes tears to roll...

I no longer claim to be a Christian "believer"...

But I still hold a tender spot in my heart...

For the possibility of a benevolent, compassionate, all-knowing Being...

That most people refer to as God...

And many Christians refer to as Jesus...

My current beliefs about this possibility are not rigid...

If I have to label myself currently, it'd be...

Agnostic Chrisitan Universalist...

To this label Son replied with a chuckle...

"You got all the bases covered, Mom..."

I chuckled with him...

Maybe Jesus chuckled too...

~*~*~

 "Until Then"

(Written 06/05/07)

Pristine notes, words of praise

Age-old hymns bestow God's light
The dark-skinned man bellows deep
Sings with all his might

Causing my heart to swell

He sings of endurance
He sings of joy
He sings of pain in the temporal now
He sings of everlasting streets of gold

Causing my tears to roll

Well, is it true O God my Lord?
Will there someday be
This home of peace, of bliss, of joy
A place of forever harmony?

Causing my soul to cry fervently

Surely 'tis true that all shall see
Face to face and eye to eye
Surely 'tis true there'll be a time
All wrongs to be made right

Causing my spirit to yearn

Until that day, O God, I pray
Allow my heart to stay tender
My eyes to see beyond hostility
And never evil for evil to render

Your boundless love, God of Life,
Causing my breast to hope eternal

june 5, 2007
judithpiper

~*~*
In May 2007, my husband and I watched a televised presentation of the dedication of the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA.  Wintley Phipps sang the hymn Until Then with so much joy and life and exuberance; it was thrilling to watch.

At the time I was deeply struggling with my own beliefs as far as God, the Bible, Jesus Christ, who I was, my marriage...just a lot of things. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I embraced the words coming from what I felt/feel to be a man with a giant heart of grace and love.

Regardless of one's spiritual beliefs, songs like this which bring relief and hope and joy to the soul, can help us each to continue to strive for a better day...now and in the future.

Until Then was a favorite of mine while in The Way.  I recall when Rev. Cummins used to sing it at certain occasions.

Wintley Phipps singing Until Then...

 

"Furr..."

Today, Magic happened...

I became one with Wolf

Exhilaration, freedom, fully-sensed

Running unencumbered through the wild

Pausing as my instincts direct

I smell the deep, dark, pine forest 

I howl in primal connection

Aware but not afraid

I was created for this romp

These woods, wild

These woods, raw

These woods, real

These woods, home

Following a trail, blazing a trail

I live, I thrive in these elements

Purpose, navigation, sacred connection

Heeding the call to which I was born

Today, Magic happened...

~*~

The title of my poem (but not the stanzas) is borrowed from Blitzen Trapper's song,

Furr...

~*~

Link: 14 Spiritual Meanings of Wolf: Divine Significance

Link: The '06 Female (aka 832F): She did it all...

Link: Painting by Jackie Morris 

Too much...

I am a limited being

So is every other temporary life form

Animal, plant, rock, stellar, and cellular

To acknowledge these limits is vital for protection

To question limitations is vital for growth

Can I develop abilities beyond my obvious limitations?

Stability on one hand and change on the other

Too much stability can yield stagnation

Too much change can result in chaos

Remember To Look Up...

 Cult / Anti-cult...

The topic arises again for me...

With the current political landscape, it's always around...

Sometimes up close and personal...

Sometimes in the distance...

I can be standing in a clear calm

Yet away off in the horizon I see a storm

The storm never reaches me

I simply witness it from afar

And when the sun shines afterward

A rainbow

Will the same happen in the nation where I live?

Will we see a rainbow?

Will it appear to everyone?

It could.... 

But one has to be looking up... 

To catch the majestic display...

~*~

Prompted by a couple essays I received via email in the last few days.

~*~

Big Iron Vat

A scripture asks...

Can a leopard change his spots?

Can an Ethiopian change his skin?

Two rhetorical questions

But can a sociopath change?

Can the abuser change?

Can a narcissist change?

Can the abused change?

I believe that yes, we can

But it isn't easy 

It's like cleaning a giant vat

Filled with molded stew

Broken hearts

Broken souls

Broken bodies

Decades of collection

The stew is toxic

The mold can kill

Do I wear goggles and a mask?

What about a hazmat suit?

Once shielded from toxic vapors

Light a fire under the vat

Hot enough to simmer the

Contents 

Stir and mindfully extract what I can

Pausing to honor each broken piece

That floats in the simmering

Collection

Once the stew has boiled down

Fire and iron having cooled

Climb inside and scrub

Mindful of that which once was

Despite the hazmat suit

Take in a deep breath

Climb out and sanitize the vat 

Preferably with sunlight

Once sanitized

Discard the protective garments

Breathe in fresh scents

Feel the warmth

Bow my head and honor what was

Knowing this is an ongoing project

Visit it regularly to

Acknowledge and let go

Before losses pile up 

Before the toxic mold sets in

Acknowledge the expansiveness of life

No longer confined to a vat