I Beg Your Pardon!

Work was long yesterday… It took a lot out of me, but I learned a lot and it ended on a high note, so that was appreciated.

 

 

When I get home, I try to relax a bit. I love hearing the sound of my children’s voices. The one problem is, for some reason they are under the impression they are at a concert and are continuously trying to over talk the cacophony of melodic tones. Well, it turns out that I am not wealthy enough to have a band playing live in our home at all hours of the day. “Hey guys, your faces are not that far from each other. Quiet down please.” A command they almost always oblige … for 12 1/2 seconds.

 

 

Ah, but we make it through dinner and have nice conversation over a delicious meal my wonderful wife put together. Blessed times! After dinner, my eldest daughter – some of you may remember her poetic debut on my blog last Spring – came over to me and was showing me cards she made after school. She is very artistic and made some cool looking cards.

On one of the cards, she had a white space surrounded by color. She went on to explain that she got the white space by putting tape down, coloring over it and then removing the tape. And this is where I made my fatal move – the asking of a question obvious.

“How do you get the tape off without ripping the paper?” The question seemed to take her little mind by surprise. She was taken aback momentarily and was uttered speechless for at least three solid seconds.

 

 

Then, the fire back, the quip, the answer that should have been most obvious. “You just have to have skills!”

 

 

Pow! I think: “Well now, excuse me ma’am for asking such a question. I beg your pardon!” As I sit and wallow in the shredding of my foolish question while sitting at table, laugher roars from the sink as my wife – so gracious and supportive – could not contain the bluntness and truth of this beautiful little girl’s realistic response.

 

 

And as I chuckle, this little one starts cracking up as well as she tries to justify her position. Oh, no justification necessary! You better get it girl!

 

© Joshua Curtis, 2020
(Yeah, that one, standing up between us…)

 

Aren’t kids great?!

I hope you all are having a good week.

Overcomer

 

Revelation 2.7, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers (overcomes) I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.” (ESV)

 

---

 

What I will miss most,
Are the stories your soul sings,
Filled with struggles, joys, blessings,
The overcoming of life’s stings. 

You bore an elegance of character,
An intellect sharp as a tack,
Joy flowing from your eyes;
The graciousness you extend had no lack. 

Your laugh was the best!
Joyous vibrations reverberating around,
Chuckles shaking your body through and through,
While the room’s atmosphere shook at the sound. 

 

 

Indeed, your stories joys and laughs,
Will truly be sorely and wholly missed,
And yet your smile lives on,
Through each soul your life kissed. 

Yet the greatest lesson that I have learned,
Is to double down in tenacity yearned,
To learn and grow no matter how life has burned,
To the righteous path, continued to be turned. 

Hardships can’t keep you down – this I saw in you,
As your soul sings, “And Still I Rise”, like Ms. Angelou;
And now, you are free, to Mt. Zion you flew,
And we look forward to seeing you when we’re all made new.

 

 

We carry your life within as we strive to win,
May we flee from sin and ascend the mountain. 

As we navigate dark days laden with haze,
Indeed, may we remember your laugh of joy, through the strife,
The truth; we are closer to God’s grace feeling ablaze, lost in maze,
So we, like you, shall be overcomers! Now GG, enjoy the tree of life!

 

 

Rest in the peace of His presence GG! Love & miss ya!

© Joshua Curtis, 2019