Here and Now:

Finding God in the Everyday

Elizabeth D. Gray

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording,

or by any information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the publisher.

Copyright ©2012 Diego Beach Publishing

All rights reserved.

ISBN-10: 1482733110

ISBN-13: 978-1482733112

Oh, how much we miss in

Our seemingly unremarkable days.

God is there in each corner of our

busy lives, waiting for us to find Him.

And if we could only open the eyes of our hearts, we would see Him there

in the everyday, speaking to us

always and everywhere.

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Spring

The miracle began

On the first warmer day

And proclaimed itself therein

A sprout, a leaf, a bud

How had I before

Never given my eyes

The task and the feast

Of their appreciation?

The quiet voice of God

Just a whisper

And yet with the force

Of all eternity

Pushing forth renewal upon the earth

And I wept

At my own foolish ignorance

For ever doubting His existence

In spring

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My Cart Overflows

I rushed about

My cart near to overflowing

Rising frustration

For the time spent

At this mundane chore

And then

I scanned my surroundings

With clear vision

The bounty of blessings

Stacked upon shelves

That I might choose my heart’s desire

And fill my cart

For in the world

There are those

Who will never know the simple abundance

Of a cart overflowing

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Today

Today a miracle

I awoke

To one more chance

The sun filtered in

Reassuring

Oh yes, my Lord

There you are

How merciful

That I may yet try again

Today a miracle

I awoke

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Not a Stranger

A smile met me

From a face I did not know

Yet not a stranger

Was not genuflecting

No, “thank you for a sale”

Not a stranger

But a messenger

And a message

Impeccably delivered

All timeliness observed

That smile met me

Its delivery accepted

And a smile yet returned

Such packages arrive

So that my doubts

May not take hold

How kind of you, my Lord

Your ever-present messages

Reminding me

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Child’s Laughter

From my window

Came the sound

Of a child’s laughter

And then another

Piercing within me

That precise of all targets

The remembrances of pure joy

Lost one day

When I woke to be

A child no more

But this moment

You bring me there

Accepting within me

The child that once was

And taking my hand

You return me to a place

Where all things are possible

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Best Friend

No pretense

There behind his eyes

Only the capacity

To be loved

And to love without condition

That tail

Speaking more eloquently

Than the most practiced speech

Of any important man

That little vessel

The purest form of love

How much have I to learn

From this beloved creature

Demonstrating with exquisite simplicity

How to love and be loved

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A Job Well Done

This simple task

Perhaps mundane to some

But oh, that I have the hands to do it

That my eyes remain my faithful companions

Offering this precious gift of sight

And as I rise and stoop and bend a knee

This simple task

Places upon my face

A smile lit by the fire within

For in the world there are millions

Who would gladly take my place

This simple task

Done today in cheer

For all the blessings it implies

By the simple virtue of its completion

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Late by Fate

My appointment set

I made my way

Setting out in haste

Before me obstacles

Forcing me to set aside

My well laid plans

And as I cursed the heavens

For the inconvenience

The calm of fate set in

For I cannot know the reason

But this much is true

I had been saved from harm

For the mangled crash before me

May have been myself

Had I not been late

For my simple journey

My curses transformed

To prayers of thanks

Never again to curse my tardiness

Henceforth

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Love in Many Forms

Love comes to me in many forms

Yet I have set aside so many

Desiring only that one

Which my heart tells me

Will fill this lonely space

That romantic prize

That spellbinding dizzy love

Bringing me the ache of regret

In its absence

But You, my Lord

Find so many ways to love me

Offering Yourself as a gift

From boundless sources

The unconditional loves

From friendship and family

And all manners of companion

Let me receive these forms of Thy love

That I might be filled with understanding

That such a gift comes in many forms

Not one source less than another

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Laughter

Laughter echoed deep within

Its magic melody awakening

Dormant spaces in my heart

Oh, to laugh with such genuine mirth

This simple human gift

Laughter

Gently healing the bruises

Borne by my weathered spirit

I offer no resistance

For this moment I am open

And by Thy grace

I receive this sweet reprieve

Laugher

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The Journey

I took a journey

Between the pages

Of the grandest adventure

Lived entire lifetimes

In a matter of hours

Was the hero

And the great lover

The conqueror and the poet

The recipient of timeless love

And the royal leader

In a mystical land

T’was through this journey

I was gifted with a reprieve

Setting my troubles aside

And freeing that endless

Inner sea of imagination

Thank You, my Lord

For gifting others with the talent

To take me on such journeys

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By the Sea

To live by the sea

I am healed

No greater salve to all that ails

Than the salty air

I swear I breathe it

Unto my very soul

And the rhythmic dance

Of water to earth

Again and again

Retreating but forever present

Not unlike my spirit’s dance

With immortality

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Lessons

There is delight

For I have not outgrown

The profound satisfaction

Of mastering some new lesson

A thing I was curious to know

A skill I thought too old to entertain

Perhaps the years

Have seasoned me

That I might now appreciate

The simple joy of unraveling

A new puzzle

For my Lord has gifted me

With a mind capable of renewal

And an ageless curiosity

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A Friend Called

A friend called

Their familiar voice

Touching within me

That deepest space of understanding

For although no subject

Of serious importance was discussed

My heart was lifted

To know another kindred soul

In this time on earth

One who will not judge

Though I be flawed and imperfect

A friend called

And within their voice a message

My Lord has sent me companionship

That I might be less lonely

While I am away from Him

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Shared Humanity

Broadcast on all manner of waves

The message came through

As tragedy struck our brothers and sisters

In saddened awe at these events

We gathered round

Taking it in

And wept

And though our agony

Bore the pain of our heartbreak

In its midst was also

The beauty of our shared humanity

Our undeniable connection

To one another

And for a moment we came together

Abandoning all judgments

That we might find comfort

In the embrace of our brethren

This family

Humankind

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Tender Flower

The tender flower was to be

But now just the tiniest green shoot

Stretching forth with all its might

Every ounce of strength

Pushing a crushing weight aside

To reach the sun

The tender flower

Fragile but with the power

To move the earth

So what of me?

Has my Lord instilled within me

Even a measure of this

Little flower’s tenacity?

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Ingenious!

Oh certainly there are

Grumblings and complaints

That too many things are new

Our inventions now complex

Our gizmos and gadgets

And new fangled entertainments

But how ingenious!

Our Lord has created us

To yet be capable of our own creations

How He must delight

As we explore the limits

Of our imaginations

For beneath every technical equation

Each human advancement

Is the purest form of humanity

Our curiosity

And that we are ingenious

I have no doubt pleases

The great inventor Himself

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The Arts

I heard in conversation

The telling of a tale

How an entire audience

Was brought to tears

By the magnificent performance

Of a talented cast

Transported to another place and time

And captured by the emotion

Of the tale

They cried

Bravo to the actors

Bravo to the artists

Bravo to those

Who show us the beauty

We might not otherwise see

And bravo to You, my Lord

That You created us

To be moved in such ways

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To Nurture

Do you not sense

Our Lord’s presence

Within your very being

While in the act of caring for others?

Do you not feel His embrace

Upon you

Whilst you embrace the one

Who needs you?

Do you not perceive

The pure intention of all creation

To nurture

Both the human brother

And the earthly mother?

Do you not sense

In the deepest of ways

Your Father moving through you

To bring blessings forth

Upon the vulnerable

With your nurturing?

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The Weary Walker

I drove past and could not ignore

The voice within

As the elderly woman

Struggled with her burden

Walking ever so slowly

Stopping to rest as she went

And as the gentle voice within beckoned

Other voices rose up as well

My long held cues from society

Mocking my silliness

And yet, the quiet voice prevailed

As I slowed to a stop

Extending my invitation

This tiny reprieve for the weary walker

And I knew in that moment

That to ignore that gentle voice

Would break the heart of

He who speaks to us in His quiet voice

That we might lighten the loads

Of those most in need

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T’was Not a Mistake

I longed for the sweet voice

Of a friend not seen for years

When the phone rang suddenly

Instant answer to my prayer

T’was not a mistake

A check arrived most unexpectedly

At the final hour

Making good my overdue debt

T’was not a mistake

An illness vanished

Most unexpectedly

Freeing my child of its clutches

T’was not a mistake

It is long past time for ceasing

To label such miracles

Coincidence and mistake

My Lord responded to the call of my heart

T’was not a mistake

T’was not a mistake

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We Masons

This single human life

This solitary voice

This timid self

But do not judge what your eyes alone see

For within, there are powers immeasurable

And while life continues

We daily choose our side

In the wielding of our power

In every instance of twist or turn

We take our stand

This awesome power

To build our world

Each brick, its mortar forged in either love

Or the sludge of indifference

For He has insured that

Not one of us is less than

The most skillful mason

Daily laying our bricks

And choosing from which material

They be wrought

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There is No Death

There is no death

Now what shall I do?

Delivered to earth for a spell

Each day an opportunity

To bring forth my expression

Upon the world

There is no death

Now what shall I do?

For if there be no judgment

Punishment for all my crimes

Set aside

What shall I do?

There is no death

The veil lifted

The lie exposed

Freedom from all bonds granted

There is no death

Now what shall I do?

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If You Listen

If you listen

It is there

After having spoken a word unkind

There was heard the gentle reminder

That you might try again

To speak more encouraging words

If you listen

It is there

The counter to your

Own self judgments

The encouraging voice

Accepting you without condition

Yet coaxing you

To find your better self

And though the noises

Conspire to distract you

If you listen

It is there

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Where shall you find Him?

Where shall you find Him?

He is breathing next to you

How far shall you search?

He dwells in the home next to yours

When shall He speak to you?

Daily His lips call your name

For He has given Himself

To live among you

In each extraordinary instance of life

And that you do not find Him

And that still you search

And that you have not heard His voice

Demonstrates only that you must

Adjust your perception

That you might

See Him, find Him, hear Him

Daily

In this kaleidoscope of life

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The Collector

My Lord bid me become a collector

“Of what?” I asked

And He replied

“A collector

Of each artifact

Forged in love

Each work of art

Infused in truth

Of every painted miracle

Set forth upon the earth

Of every kind word

Spoken as a melody

Of trumpets and string

A collector of water color memories

For every act of kindness

A collector of each line of poetry

Spelled out in the stars

For such a collection surely surpasses

The value of any object

That might be collected by man.”

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Stand

When the day has taken you

To your knees and you have prayed

That tomorrow brings with it

A better day

Do your praying

And stand

When another needs your hand

And your own weariness finds you

On the ground next to them

Take your rest

And stand

When the lonely doubt

Of an unanswered prayer

Finds you lost

Ask again

And stand

For you are forged

In eternal fire

That you might always find the courage

To stand

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Sweetness

My Lord beckoned me to find

My better self

And I saw it there

Reflected in the smile of an infant

This gesture offered

Without knowledge of its potency

The sweetness

Of unadulterated joy

For I had forgotten

That I was not the sum

Of my problems and miseries

My checkbooks and accountings

My positions and advancements

All these things

I had wrapped myself up in

And announced them to the world

As my identity

My Lord delivered me that smile

That I might remember

Who I am

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Take Your Place

Take your place

Claim your rank

Upon the tree of achievement

That was our directive

But I talked with the Lord

And His instruction was a counter

To all that I had known

“Do not climb the tree at all,

For it is crowded with the mischievous

Stepping upon one another to reach the top.

Instead, set your place

In the shade of the tree

And take your meal with me

Have your walk in the sun

And I will join you

For all the climbing you might do

Will never lead you farther than

The topmost branch

Which oft breaks from the weight

Of all those who crowd it.”

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Channels

Have you heard

Some profound message

Spoken by a mere mortal?

How it resonates within you

As truth?

Yet we dismiss them

For how can one such as us

Be counted upon for such wisdom?

But perhaps we might

Have understanding

That these are His avenues

His channels

His little rivulets

Streaming from

The boundless sea

And when the truth is spoken

Its source is not the messenger

But the sender Himself

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School

A child sent off

To school for the day

Understands that there will be trials

And mesmerizing games

Playtime and imagination

And a child knows

That he will be returned home

When his lessons are learned

And the folly of recesses ended

And so should we know

That all life is but a school

With times for tests and discipline

Singing and friendships

All shaping us

To our better selves

To be returned once again

To the loving embrace of home

Upon our graduation

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Errors or Blessings

Is it conceivable

That the very things we

Judge ourselves most harshly for

Our errors and mistakes

Are perhaps among

The most valuable

Events we will ever know?

And is it too far beyond

Our understanding

To see that God

Is waiting on the other side

Of each failure and misfortune

Each error and mistake

To point us toward

A lesson

We would have otherwise

Never known?

Is it possible that every event

Borne in either light or darkness

Is a blessing?

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Light

A candle lit for one you love

A light left on for the late arrival

A bulb illuminated to chase out fear

A sunrise to birth another day

The promise of life

Calling forth the seedling to grow

Nurtured with an ever present

Promise that none is forsaken

For there will always be

Another chance

Another day

On our eternal quest

Let us find our comfort

When we cannot see the light

That we will never meet our end

There is no threshold

On which day we will be judged

But only unconditional love

As the light searches

And finds us once again

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Here and Now

My prayer

That I might know

That You are with me

Here and now

No more waiting

For a magic day

That miracle

Your entrance

But to know that

You are here

You have been with me

Yesterday

And will be tomorrow

And always

Here and now

You are with me

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No Nothingness

His calm

Settled upon me

To grant me the most

Profound of blessings

The simple truth

There is

No nothingness

For every essence of life

Is eternal

Every tiny

Every powerful

Expression of love

Lives forever

And we

Being born of its creation

Fly as well

Through eternity

There is

No nothingness

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No Convincing

I require no convincing

No preaching

No promises from a noble man

Reading sacred text

I require not

A promise of eternal life

In exchange for

Good behavior

To be judged by the mortal man

Who proclaims himself

To speak for Thee

I require no one between us

Only you and I, My Lord

I require no convincing

Beyond the voice

Of my own heart

Which tells me

That I am yours

Eternally

Table of Contents

Copyright

Spring

My Cart Overflows

Today

Not a Stranger

Child’s Laughter

Best Friend

A Job Well Done

Late by Fate

Love in Many Forms

Laughter

The Journey

By the Sea

Lessons

A Friend Called

Shared Humanity

Tender Flower

Ingenious!

The Arts

To Nurture

The Weary Walker

T’was Not a Mistake

We Masons

There is No Death

If You Listen

Where shall you find Him?

The Collector

Stand

Sweetness

Take Your Place

Channels

School

Errors or Blessings

Light

Here and Now

No Nothingness

No Convincing