How important it is that our daughters know this!
My mama passed away May 14, 2014. I’ve been thinking about that for a few days now; that date is coming fast. It hardly seems possible it has been almost two years! I am so thankful that I got to repay her in her last days in a small way for her care and love for me throughout my life.
We had an impromptu party for her 90th birthday and many friends came to the donut shop, her favorite place, to wish her happy birthday. She loved it. She didn’t have the energy to do this the next year when she turned 91. I’m glad we did it when she could enjoy it! Here is a poem to honor this special lady in those last few months.
MAMA’S LAST MONTHS
She walks slower now,
unsteady unless she has her walker.
She forgets to use it;
I watch carefully so she won’t fall;
She talks more quietly,
so it is hard to follow her thoughts.
She doesn’t understand when I ask her
to clarify what she is telling me.
Her attention wanders more easily;
The Waltons doesn’t hold it as well.
Her favorite place to go is the donut shop.
She wants to order two donuts,
even though she doesn’t even finish one,
and only drinks a couple sips of her coffee,
even though they are favorite foods.
Arthritis pain assaults her neck;
it is her constant companion.
Time seems a blur to her–
who came and when, it puzzles her.
It seems it is time for her to go home,
but God hasn’t called her yet.
She feels her life has no purpose now,
I must admit I don’t understand either,
but God has His mysteries, dealt in wisdom.
And in His wisdom, He has me here,
caring for her, teaching me through the pain of love
that He does indeed care for her.
SPRING DAY IN APRIL
How nice to have a spring day in April! We have looked for it all winter!
OOPS!
THE REASON
There is a reason for Good Friday and the Resurrection Day we call Easter! Praise God, He provided the way for us to life!
SEEKERS
Fallen from a world of grace,
they turned their faces from God’s face.
Their future dim, no hope unless
they turn to one who wants to bless.
The wrath of God which man deserved
is poured on one who came to serve
the very ones who turned away
so they could find their own desired way.
A God of wrath extends his hand
to draw men from the devil’s land
to life through one who gave His Son
and rose again—the victory won.
HOSANNA!
Palm Sunday, the 20th, was the time when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. Imagine, a king riding on a donkey! The people thought he came to set up an earthly kingdom and they greeted him with the cry “Hosanna,” looking forward to their freedom from the Roman rulers. But Jesus’ kingdom at this time was one of the heart. He came to die. But it didn’t end at the grave. His Father raised him up to life on Easter and one day soon he will return to take his rightful place as ruler of all. Until that day, we worship him as Creator and God, waiting for his glorious day when he will rule as a physical king!
HOSANNA!
“Hosanna! Hosanna!
Our King comes.
Spread your cloaks!
Lift your branches!
Praise the King.
“Hosanna! Hosanna!
Our King comes
In the name of the Lord!
The Son of David!
Praise the King!
“Hosanna! Hosanna!
Our King comes
To deliver, to save!
Lift your voices!
Praise the King!”
“Father!
They celebrate.
They thought they knew peace,
But it is hidden from their eyes.
“Father!
They celebrate
They do not know
My kingdom is not of this world
“Father!
They celebrate
But they do not know
I came to die.”
FORGIVENESS
As I look forward to the celebration of Easter, I remember that without the cross, there would be no Resurrection. The cross is about forgiveness, for through it, I am forgiven and I celebrate new life.
FORGIVENESS
Come walk with me in fields of white,
in heaven’s place of glorious light,
where dark clouds part and souls wash clean
in Jesus’ blood. Come–see the scene
when He was killed and took my place.
Look close and see His pain-pierced face.
Hear his words, “Forgive their deeds.”
Those words for them beneath the tree,
are meant for us, yes, for all men–
the word of grace men’s hearts to mend.
The stain of sin is washed away,
the darkness gone. Come walk in day.
Come walk with me on paths of light,
cleansed with His blood, our souls washed white.
EASTER!
To my followers, I apologize for being so absent. My schedule got very hectic and kept me from doing a lot of things! It is good to be back.
Easter is soon here. What a glorious holiday. Here is a poem to honor Resurrection Sunday!
HE IS ALIVE!
It seems like just an Easter thing
when Jesus Christ defeated death.
But it’s for every day beyond;
it calls us to believe.
He died but death could not contain
the one that lay in garden tomb;
he broke the bonds that held him there
and many saw him in that time
before he went to glory.
And so he is alive today
to share his life with all of those
who will confess, believe in him.
He is a Savior who left death’s hold.
that we might also defeat death.
Darlene Estlow©2015
A TRIBUTE TO TREES
SILENT PRAISE
They stand straight and tall,
arms outstretched and reaching
into the heavens, to God,
their silent voices praising their Creator.
They never more except when the wind
blows and they respond to the rhythm
of the wind. No matter how life has bent
them, they stretch toward heaven,
their praises shouting in silent voices,
heard only by those who listen.
They fulfill their mission, assigned
by their Creator: refuge for the birds,
shade from the heat, life of oxygen
from their leaves. In winter and spring,
they show that life comes from death, and
even when their lives have been cut short
and they exist only as a stump,
new life forces its way from the soil
into life. Death proceeds life, for a seed has to fall into the ground
and die before it will truly live.
Season after season, through death to life,
they serve their creator, drawing life from
the water in the ground and returning their silent praise.
DEMENTIA
In honor of my mom who passed away in 2014.
DEMENTIA
From adult mind to child,
from doing to only receiving.
Into the valley of need
rather than sufficiency.
Not understanding,
not remembering
what she had done for years.
I held my children,
I taught my children,
but dimension took that ability from her.
But she is who she is,
even in spite of her regression.
Darlene Estlow©2013
THE LIGHT OF CHRISTMAS
THE SON ROSE
The darkness was pierced,
the shadows pushed aside
and light filled the world
for the Son had risen.
Darkness gave way to light,
the sky glowed in color
for morning had come.
The Son had risen.
Darlene Estlow 2013
As I looked at the picture, the sun’s rays touching the ground and the neighbor’s pond glowing in the distance, I thought of the light Christ brought into the world when He came as a baby. But He didn’t stay a baby. He died for our sins, and He rose that we might have light in this dark world. May God bless you this season with His light from above.
darlenescorner 