Again, my 18-year-old son, Nathan, has composed a poem that I wanted to share with you here. Enjoy!
Seasons of the Soul

It’s Summer in my soul.
My smile reflects the vibrant sun that always seems to shine,
My heart is light just like the days, and everything is fine.
The warmth I feel in summer is a constant source of peace,
And I hope this optimistic Me will never start to cease.
Even in the dark of night my hope just can’t be quelled,
Firefly thoughts dance through my head, their light won’t be dispelled.
But nothing lasts forever, this truth we cannot bend,
This Season of the Soul will pass, for all things must surely end.
It’s Autumn in my soul.
A chilly wind sweeps through my mind and leaves: a reddish hue,
All my dreams begin to Fall, as dreams so often do.
No vibrant smile shines from my face, no happy thoughts glow bright,
The setting of the sun preceeds some dark and endless night.
Crimson trees bathed in blood from hopes too soon destroyed,
My spirit sinks lower as the dark takes over and fear is now employed.
No, nothing lasts forever, this truth we cannot bend,
This Season of the Soul will pass, for all things must surely end.
It’s Winter in my soul.
The darkness that surrounds me is as frigid as my heart,
The blizzard raging within me wants to tear my soul apart.
Buried under the weight of all my fears that pile like snow,
I’m trapped, my body’s numb, and now there’s nowhere left to go.
There’s a barren winter wasteland where the sun no longer shines,
And though my soul looks like it, there’s still hope for better times.
Nothing lasts forever, this truth we cannot bend,
This Season of the Soul will pass, for all things must surely end.
It’s Springtime in my soul.
From this barren wasteland Springs life that blooms anew,
The tender light of daybreak mingles with the morning dew.
Fresh thoughts of hope grow like flowers in my mind,
There’s life again inside my soul! I’ll never look behind!
For even in the coldest winter when everything seems lost,
Never stop hoping that things will get better, no matter what the cost.
Because nothing lasts forever, this truth we cannot bend,
These Seasons of the Soul will pass, for all things must surely end.
image from 123RF.com

Nathan Reeves is a senior at Colonial High School in Orlando, Fla., graduating on May 22nd. In the fall he will be attending the University of Central Florida’s Burnett Honors College, majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies with an Environmental Science track. Nathan hopes to be a park ranger in one of America’s beautiful National Parks after he graduates from college. Though he claims to not like to write, he has a poetic gift that makes his writer mama proud. He is an enthusiastic collector of swords and knives.
Some may think doing hard things isn’t worth it. Some may think one little Ugandan baby with developmental problems is too big a risk for a normal family from Maine. But Meadow Rue Merrill and her family felt differently. The subtitle for this beautifully written book is “Everything Life Takes, Love Restores.” All across the pages, this truth comes through.
“Can anyone really be happy if they’re not free?”
of the Five Armies.” The mob mentality of the citizens on the hunt for the beast reminded me sadly of how easily people are swayed by one charismatic person’s twist of the facts. Does the beast have claws? Yes. Does he have big, sharp teeth? Yes. Use those things to scare people and a mob is born.
My attention was captured today by the story of a painter on a high-rise building who was literally left hanging when his scaffolding collapsed underneath him. When I entered the scene via live video, a firefighter from Key Biscayne Fire Rescue was on his way down to the dangling man.
This lone painter knew he was in trouble the minute that scaffolding failed. Who saw him? Who called for help? Other white-clothed men talked to the rescue crew after the painter was safely on the ground. Were they co-workers? Comrades in color? Did they know his distress and call 9-1-1? What would have happened had they ignored his distress?