Life and Death at the Water's Edge

I live at the end of the road

Literally.

I live at the far end of an island

Where the land gives way to water

And that water stretches far and wide.

First through a gulf

Then to a sea

Onward into an ocean.

Every day I watch that water

Lap at the sand,

Break onto the rocks, and

Rush over my feet

I think a lot about where those waters come from

And where they're going.

They make me think of my own origins,

My comings, my goings, and my destiny too.

In that ebb and flow

I hear all the possibilities

I see all the beginnings and ends

I feel all life and death

Especially my own.

What have I done?

What have I failed to do?

How much more time do I have?

I would give anything for people to know

How much I love God

How much I love them

How much I hate that I am a disappointment.

I will give everything

To do what I know God calls me to do next

To share that vision more boldly and

To ask for help because I cannot do it alone!

This is my deepest longing...

To serve

To sacrifice

To pray and

To share peace

This is life and death for me.

HOLY SILENCE