"I am scared and I know everything's going to go wrong," Eleanor says.

Nell, I wish you knew how strong and capable you truly are.

Instead, I say, "Don't be afraid.  I believe in you.  Have faith in yourself."

I hug her close and whisper, "Everything you ever need is inside you, dear friend.

"Everything you ever wanted and everything you are.  Don't let fear leave you bare"

I cried last night because a man's words had ripped my heart to shreds.

My dog curled up beside me and in her eyes I saw "Don't cry.  There's no need.

"You're stronger than you think.  I believe in you.  It is time to believe in yourself."

I buried my head in her fur for but a moment; then, I stood and walked to the sink.

Cleaning my face, I met my own eyes and said, "I believe in me and I believe in hope."

We are fragile and we are strong.  We are unprepared and we are battleready.

We are of love, faith, hope, compassion, strength, and belief.

We are more than we will ever realize and more than we can begin to understand.

We are pray-ers and we are doubt-ers.  We are feel-ers and we are fight-ers.

We are survivors because we are believers.  We believe in ourselves and the strength of

      others.

What Is Beauty?

Beauty is faith and the road untaken.

It is family, love, and playfulness.

Beauty is precious memory and nostalgia.

It is time, creativity, and greetings.

Beauty is unpainted face and treasured journal.

It is dormant, alive, and productive.

Beauty is love of a dear pet and welcome.

It is meditation and humming chimes.

Beauty is favorite passage and sentimental sachet.

It is bounty, sweet, and loyal.

Beauty is lavender sprigs and dream achieved.

It is belief, power, and hope.

Top Fifteen Songs That Make Me Happy:

15.   "Every Little Thing" as performed by Hawk Nelson

14.   "I Love You" as performed by Martina McBride

13.   "Happy Face" as performed by Destiny's Child

12.   "Rock Island Line" as performed by Bethany Yarrow

11.   "Extraordinary" as performed by Liz Phair

10.   "Spice Up Your Life" as performed by the Spice Girls

09.   "True" as performed by George Strait

08.   "Wunderkind" as performed by Alanis Morissette

07.   "Delicious Surprise (I Believe It)" as performed by Beth Hart or Jo Dee Messina

06.   "Where Did I Go Right" as performed by Hilary Duff

05.   "Just a Ride" as performed by Jem

04.   "Whenever, Wherever" as performed by Shakira

03.   "Play" as performed by Jennifer Lopez

02.   "Random" as performed by Lady Sovereign

01.   "Feels So Good" as performed by Melanie B.

Melanie B. also known as Scary Spice in a photo taken from "The R

Stripped

A stripped woman before the crowd

They know not how she arrived

They care not why she came

She remains silent as they wait

She has no fragile words to whisper

Inside she screams as her world tears

Outside she remains still and unknown

Just one more lost soul on a road to nowhere

Can Heaven yet offer her salvation

Only the Father knows and only He cares

She is the soul within the mind wrapped in the flesh

She is me and you and a thousand tears cried

She is anger frustration sorrow hope pain terror faith

Bare the soul and gift her ease of her torment

She is stripped pained lonely mute scattered

Yet she is still tough brave capable ready

A stripped woman stands on her own strength

Curiosity

"What makes us human?" the girl wonders.

"We have souls and life after death through the Son."

"How do we know that we are the only ones?" a boy asks.

"We don't.  Without knowing the mind of God, we can't."

"What makes us human?" the girl asks again.

"We are thinking beings prone to questioning our existence."

"How does that make us human?" she ponders.

"Animals know they exist in this world and in this moment."

"And humans don't know they exist?" the boy chimes in.

"No, humans know they exist, but they question that existence."

"That doesn't make sense.  Why can they know and still question?" the boy argues.

"How can we know the consequences of sin and still sin?"

"But how do humans question their existence?" the girl interrupts.

"We question our purpose, the meaning of life, life after death, concepts such as love."

"So intelligence makes us human?" the boy considers slowly.

"Animals are intelligent.  We are philosophical."

"How does philosophy make us human?" the girl insists.

"Does a deer question the presence of a tree?  Or a cat ponder why he is chasing a

       mouse?"

"Of course not.  The deer knows its home and the cat follows its instincts." She answers.

"Yet we question why we are here and why we do the things we do."

"So curiosity makes us human?" she gathers.

"Curiosity and the capacity to follow our questions through to the end.  Animals do not

     stay curious."

"So we seek answers for everything and stay curious about what we can't answer?" she

     concludes.

"We are curious and we seek knowledge.  We question ourselves and our existence.  We

     are human and this is our sole nature."

A Name

Speak my name and I will answer.

But how can you speak it if you do not know it?

And why speak it when you do not know me?

What name is written on your soul?

My name is not the same as what I am called.

My name consists of my emotions, experiences, and faith.

At times my name has been Grief, Sorrow, and Mourning.

At times my name has been Hope, Love, and Optimism.

I ask again, what name is written on your soul?

Does your name change daily or is it ever-the-same?

Does your name express what you are in the moment?

Has your name been Faithless, Tearful, or Fear?

Has your name been Happiness, Faith, or Dreamer?

If I speak your name, will you answer?

When I speak it, will you recognize your name?

If never we meet I will speak your name and listen for you.

Hope

I am the stranger with a smile on your bad days

And the assurance that tomorrow will be better.

When night covers your bedroom window,

I am the moonlight trailing across your sheet.

I am the last sip of water in your canteen

And the prayer you whisper for the morrow.

When you let the water slip over you in your shower,

I am the sweet melody on your lips.

In a room full of skeptics and users,

I am the Dream pushing you onward.

In the grip of a nightmare's terror,

I am the cool hand soothing your forehead.

When you wish the world would end,

I am here to cradle you in my arms.

I am the idealist in your concrete world

And the spinner of fantastic creations.

When your heart has been pierced by love untrue,

I am your healer and your new beginning.

In the sorrowful loneliness that comes to all,

I am the presence that leads you back home.

When you fear, despair, suffer, or weep,

Look inside yourself for me and I will ease your pain.

Early Morning Storm

The melody of the rain trickles into my dreams,

Lulling me back to consciousness as droplets pelt my window.

It's 2:43 a.m., and the wind slaps branches against my glass.

The leaves are stripped and released into puddles--plip, plop, plip.

Thunder growls in the background as lightning briefly illuminates the drenched landscape.

I yearn to stand outside and let the water flow over my pale flesh.

For the moment, I will be contented to lie in bed listening, listening.