Daddy.

He speaks, He moves
mountains.
Every breath taking flight
to heights beyond arms reach.
Withering time, silver-gray lined.
Weary hands clasp,
knees crush the earth,
eyes birthing tears.
And mercy reigns, or rains,
restoring sullen hearts.

Bernie.

A friend died last week.. A man I was so blessed to know, a man who was so close to the Lord that his testimony brings me to my knees in humility.. I remember the first time I saw him- He was sitting, alone, at a small coffee house I quite often frequented.. He wasn't dressed to impress, in fact, his clothes were dull, he was unshaven, his head was down, and the way his hand curled his warm mug seemed almost hopeless.. I distinctly remember my first thoughts of him, "oh that poor homeless soul, it is so nice they gave him a free cup of coffee." It wasn't more than a few weeks that I started a volunteer job at this small cafe and within my first hours there I came to meet this man... He walked in very briskly, so quickly I thought he might forget to stop... I met him at the counter and he thrust a dollar or so into my hand and grabbed his own cup.. Again my thoughts were "homeless, hopeless"... I asked one of the girls about him "Oh, thats Bernie" she told me, "He is a disabled veteran whose dad passed away and left him a fortune and he doesn't work so he comes in here for coffee everyday- throughout the day." I was floored... I learned a huge lesson about first impressions that day... It didn't take him long before he started telling me stories about himself, his life... I came to see the beauty in Bernie, I saw a light that was only explained to be that of Jesus... I sat in the crowd at his memorial yesterday and could really only smile at the memories of him, the stories that were told about the impact he made on our lives, the lives Jesus touched through him...

Rest in peace Bernie my friend, enjoy the java in heaven, and tell Jesus hi for me....