And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: That your Father also 

which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. 

Mark 11:25

ABANDONED

Utterly abandoned to the Holy Ghost!

Seeking all His fullness at whatever cost;

Cutting all the shore-lines, launching in the deep

Of His mighty power–strong to save and keep.

Utterly abandoned to the Holy Ghost!

Oh! the sinking, sinking, until self is lost!

Until the emptied vessel lies broken at His feet;

Waiting till His filling shall make the work complete.

Utterly abandoned to the will of God;

Seeking for no other path than my Master trod;

Leaving ease and pleasure, making Him my choice,

Waiting for His guidance, listening for His voice.

Utterly abandoned! no will of my own;

For time and for eternity, His, and His alone;

All my plans and purposes lost in His sweet will,

Having nothing, yet in Him all things possessing still.

Utterly abandoned! ’tis so sweet to be

Captive in His bonds of love, yet so wondrous free;

Free from sin’s entanglements, free from doubt and fear,

Free from every worry, burden, grief or care.

Utterly abandoned! oh, the rest is sweet,

As I tarry, waiting, at His blessed feet;

Waiting for the coming of the Guest divine,

Who my inmost being shall perfectly refine.

Lo! He comes and fills me, Holy Spirit sweet!

I, in Him, am satisfied! I, in Him, complete!

And the light within my soul shall nevermore grow dim

While I keep my covenant–abandoned unto Him!

–Author Unknown

Little Girl Waiting

 Little Girl Waiting

Copyright by Dianna Renee Jackson

Somewhere deep inside is a child;

Wounded, waiting;

Waiting for the woman 

She struggled, fought, battled to become,

To peel back all the pain,

Peer behind the curtains of her failures,

Lift the blinds on her own attempts at hiding

The hurting little girl waiting, 

Waiting. 

Waiting deep inside 

for her to start

Tearing down the wall 

The wall of brick hurt

That circles round about her.

Brick on brick, brick on brick,

Hurt on hurt, ugly word on ugly word, 

Slander on slander, 

Slap on slap, abuse on abuse, 

Reject on reject, 

Brick on brick. 

There she waits the wounded hurting little girl. 

Waiting as the woman she has become

Tears down that wall, 

Lifts up those blinds,

Peers behind the curtains and 

Peels back the layers 

To set her free 

From deep inside and 

Giver her what she's longed for 

So long:

A hug from the woman 

She has become and a 

Whisper in her ear that says

"I love you as you are, and 

I will never allow someone to hurt you 

ever again!"

Dear Mrs. Townsend

As a teacher, you offer comfort often, but when a student reaches out to offer comfort of their own during your own difficult times it touches the deepest part of teachers heart.  It is a witness to the bond the develops between student and teacher when love is shared in meaningful ways throughout the learning process.  A junior student gave me the following poem when I was going through a difficult time.

Mrs. Townsend, 

This world may be a cruel place,

Some of the people are too.

But know that God is out there, 

Watching over you. 

He doesn't care if your're strong, 

Or falling apart today

He'll be there, by your side, 

Or carry you all of the way. 

I know this because He has carried me, 

More times than I can tell

His grace has always been enough

His love and endless well. 

I also want you to know, 

That I care as well. 

I'm always eager to give a hug, 

Even after the bell. 

With a Smile

Grace G.