The first spring flowers appear yellow gold along the creek. As I looked closer, I saw a tiny ant crawling on a petals. I wonder what drives ants. Is it simply instinct or do they actually think about what they are doing. Are they just robots of the creator, or do they like we, think beyond themselves and wonder, “What else is out there?”
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Photo: Dwight L. Roth
On Good Friday Christians reflect on the death of Christ on the cross, and what his sacrifice means for us. The human side of Jesus suffered unspeakable physical pain. Some say that God will give you strength in your time of need. But it is my experience that when that time comes, it is very difficult to feel that presence. Even Jesus cried out on the cross, wondering why God had forsaken him in his darkest hour. Pain and rejection seem to be Siamese Twins! It is very hard to have your whole world collapse and not feel rejected. This is why it is so important to have persons who will walk with you and help you regain your perspective once more, understanding that God loves you even when you don’t feel it.
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Painting: Dwight L. Roth
Photo: Dwight L. Roth
At d’Verse, Bjorn asked us to face our present reality of quarantine along with our reflection of past epidemics and the Black Plague of years gone by. Today we are writing a poem using the prompt plague!
Join us at: https://dversepoets.com
In this time of uncertainty we soon find out who we really are as people. Some go into a tail spin and become fearful of every little thing. Others try in vain to stock up hoards of stuff to satisfy their manic tendencies. Some believe God is in control and all will work out in time for our good. For many, happiness is gone; replaced with anxiety. I am sure we all experience some of these tendencies. How we approach a crisis is much the same as we approach our every day life. Happiness is like the weather; sunny one day and raining the next. Joy goes to the core of our being and sustains us through the bad weather that will come in our lives. Remember what is important in life.
I posted this back in December, but feel it might be helpful to post it again.
Photo: Dwight L. Roth
There are times in our life when things happen the we don’t understand. Life can be put in a turmoil, making us feel like we have completely lost control. It makes us question everything we thought we believed or planned for our life. But in time we see those things were just bumps in the road. I thought perhaps this poem I wrote a couple of years ago might give us a little perspective.
Photo: Dwight L. Roth
Is it knowledge and understanding that keeps me strong
Or perhaps the intellectual freedom
To pursue my thoughts and expand my mind
Some say knowledge is truth and nothing more
But for me it is faith that sustains me
For most of us perspective is truth
Those things we heard from our mother’s knee
The sermons preached from the Holy Book
Or perhaps the trauma and turmoil of life
Eats and gnaws its truth into our soul
But for me faith is what sustains me
Many believe they have a handle on truth
And all others are wrong who disagree
How small heaven must be
How few there must be who find the way
But for me my faith sustains me
To believe in God’s unfailing Love
Beyond knowledge and understanding
To see that Word made flesh in human form
Sharing His love all around me
It may be truth or it may be perspective
But for me it is this faith that sustains me.
Photo: Dwight L. Roth
Photo: Dwight L. Roth
This evening is open link night at d’Verse. Join us at:
“Where were you when the earth was plastic?” This is what God asked Job, in answer to Job’s complaint about his woes and sorrow. Obviously this is more of a paraphrase than a quote. I love to think about the time when the earth was in its formative years. The beauty of geological time is written in the rock layers all around us. I can’t imagine the tremendous forces that lifted and bent these rocks. Once mud on the ocean floor, these rocks are now part of the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Fossils tell of a very different time. I have broken open rocks and found perfect fossils in them. I have cracked geodes open to find amethyst crystals that grew as lava cooled millions of years ago. So when you complain about your situations in life, I ask, “Where were you when the earth was plastic?”
Photos: Dwight L. Roth – taken at the Linville Falls in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina
I am posting this for open link night on d’Verse Poets Pub.
Join us at: https://dversepoets.com
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Photo: Dwight L. Roth
Appreciating the blessings of life reminds us that it is not the things we have but the people around us who bring out the love in our hearts. As our families gather, let us celebrate those in our life who have made a difference, both those present and those who have passed.
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Photo: Dwight L. Roth
