Loss of a loved one

We all have tasted the loss

Of a loved one

Be it a mate

Parent, child

Sibling

Friend

The loss at the time

Cuts deep

Into the very heart of you

It is hard to fathom

A day without them

In your life

But you do move on

Going from one day
To the next

They eventually blend

Into a year and the hurt

Isn’t so deep

But every now and then

Something reminds you of them

Be it a smell

Or a song

Or a place

Something seems to crop up

That brings them right back

Into your mind

Renewing those deep times

That tears were shed

And the loneliness that followed

But it is only for a fleeting moment

And it passes by

Only to be rewound again

With another memory

Time just doesn’t seem

To erase the memories

Of the good times

The loving times

Those times are so

Embedded in our mind

And in our heart

Does it ever get better

For each memory

Is a special time

Which you shared with that one

And they have moved on

Whilst you remain

To conjure up in your mind

The times that you shared

With that so special one

If only we can bring that one back

For only a moment

Just a moment

To see and touch them

Would that satisfy me

Perhaps

But maybe not.


Gail Adams

Where Is The Lord

There is no where
That the Lord is not
He is the soil we tread upon
The waters of the great oceans
He is the air that we breathe
And the clouds of the skies
He is the stars that shine
And the planets of space
He is the sun and the moon
The flowers that grow
He is the food that I eat
And the animals that roam
He is me
And He is you
He is the great I Am
For He is all
That we see
All that we feel
He is in all
And is all
There is nothing
That He is not
For He dwells within every cell
Every molecule
He is within the smallest of measurements
And the greatest
He is seen in all things
And dwells within the unseen
His Word brought all things about
And by His Word
All things will become new
He brings breath to the newborn
And is there to welcome
The dying one
He is so great
So powerful
So wonderful
So gentle
So patient
So kind
So loving
He is my Lord.
Amen

Gail Adams

Rushing Your Life Away

You are racing down the
Highway of life
Swiftly passing by
All of the beauty
That has been placed before you
You are quickly passing by
Those that you should meet
Those that would give you love
And those that would teach you much
You rush here
Rush there
No time to slow down
You are rushing
Down your life
Each day
Quicker than the day before
No time for doing the things
You have wanted to do
No time for even yourself
For you have a deadline to meet
And you quickly rush toward it
Passing by so much
That would bring you happiness
You are passing by
All the wonders
That you should see
You have no time
For you want to reach
Your destination
Before it is too late
And your only destination
Is your last breath
And then what.

Gail Adams

Wheel of Life

We step into the threshold of time
Taking our slot on the wheel of life
We move in sequence to others
Sharing the same slot in time
We take on the ways of that generation
Listening
Speaking
With the vocabulary
Of others
Sharing the same circle
Our ways
So different than
Others in another time slot
We dress different
Music is different
Our beliefs
Unless taught
From those before us
Take on another viewpoint
And we bend to those
That we believe
Are wise
Wiser than ourselves
We are so different
From generation to generation
And our children
Will move in another time
Different than ours
How to blend the ways
Of those before us
And those after us
We circle the wheel
Getting on at one point
Stepping off at different points
Those entering at the same period as us
Will leave not on the same scale
Some before us
Some after us
Yet, we all are the same
All desiring to be loved
All desiring companionship
All desiring to become
Stronger
Better
Than those before us
We all have the same spirit
Of life breathed in us
From our great Father
What we have done
During our time on the wheel
Will be different than another
Different cultures
Different parents
Different beliefs
All planted in us
Changing us
To who we are
But our end will be the same
We all will leave this earth
As we entered
Bringing nothing in
Taking nothing out
And another plane
We will step into
One that will keep us
Forever
And ever
It is that place
That life is all about
For that zone
If you so choose
Will be ready for you
That place
Made room for you
But, oh
Another plane churns away
It will also take you
Through eternity
Which zone did you choose
Which will have your name implanted on it
To take you
And implant you
For eternity
For one day you will step off
The moving wheel of life
And another place
Awaits its new member.

Gail Adams

THE WONDERS

Do we take time out to see the wonders
Of our Creator
To see His good works
In all that He created
Have we really looked into the skies
And stood in awe at the heavenly bodies
He placed each one
Gave each star a name
He spoke
And oceans and great seas
Came into being
He set out boundaries
For the great waters
He created living matter
That has a seed
To reproduce
Everything
Has a seed
He formed man
And breathed His spirit
Into man
He formed us perfect
And with a will
So that we can love Him
For who He is
This seed that multiplies of itself
Can also produce in the spiritual world
The words we speak
We can produce
Both good and evil
We are created in His image
We are able to produce
That which we speak
What a wonder we are
God dwelling in us
Oh, how powerful we are
Do we realize that what we speak
We can bring into existence
Either life
Or death
With our words

Gail Adams

Sound of Trumpets

The sound of trumpets
Broke through the silence
Across the upper heaven
The number
I could not count
Then
Came the sound
Of harps
And violins
Followed by
Every musical instrument
That ever was
The flow of the most joyous sound
Resonated from one end
To the other
I then heard singing
Of thousands
Upon thousands
Of voices
The stars joined in
And brought in
Their own musical sound
The music filled the heavens
Overflowed
Out and over the entire universe
From universe to universe
There was no end
Singers came from afar
Those that played the instruments
Were brought in from the most
Distant place
All came to worship the King
All came to bow down
And worship the Lamb
All continued to flow
Music unto the Most High
For He is so worthy
He is so worthy
He stands before them
He the conductor
He the One
The Most High
The Lamb of God
He is the great I Am
He and only He
Is to be worshipped
He is the One
That all of earth
All of those below the earth
All of heaven
Will bow down
And worship the Most High
They will worship the Most High
And the Lamb of God
For He is so worthy
Of our praises

Gail Adams

THE KEEPER

I lift my hands toward heaven
To where my keeper dwells
He is the keeper of my soul
He keeps me at all times
When times are rough
And during the good times
He keeps me when I am lost
In a sea of people
And when I am alone
He keeps me when I am poor
And when I am rich
He keeps me when I am sick
And when I am well
He keeps me when I wander
And when I am found
He keeps me when all things are right
And when things are wrong
He is the keeper of my family
And of all that He has given
Unto me
He is the keeper of all that I see
And have not seen
He is the keeper of all the heavenly bodies
And of earthly ones
He is the keeper of all things
Good and bad
He is the keeper of all plant life
And the animals that roam
He is the keeper of the fish of the sea
And the birds that fly
He is the keeper of the things that crawl
And those that walk
He is the keeper of my every thought
And of thoughts to come
He is the keeper of all
He is the keeper to the key of life
And the keeper of death
He is the keeper of all things living
And all things dead
He is the keeper of the key to heaven
And the key to hell
He is the keeper of every breath
And keeper of every breath to come
He is my keeper
Keeper of my health
And of my every walk
Keeper of my going
And my coming
My lying down
And my rising
He is the keeper with the key
The key to life
And to death
There is no other
That holds the key
For He is the key
To all
And in all
From all
To all
He is the keeper of my soul
Yours and mine
He is our keeper
Our Lord
And Master
Our King
Our ruler
Our Saviour.

Gail Adams

The Beggar

I passed by a beggar on the street
Beside him was a shopping cart
Filled with odds
And ends
He held a sign up
That read
Money needed for food
The printing was sloppy
And printed in pencil
Barely readable
I watched as people passed by
A mother quickly pulled her little boy
In fear of the man
I watched, too
As well dressed men
And women
Swiftly walked by
Eyes straight ahead
No one looked his way
Everyone in such a rush
Moving to and fro
The old beggar
With torn clothes
And a light jacket
Looked down into his container
I watched as he placed his hand
Down into the bottom
And pulled out a few coins
Barely enough
To buy a cup of coffee
The old beggar
Continued to hold his sign up
Turning the sign in the direction
Of the next pedestrian
The odd coin was thrown his way
One such coin bounced out
And rolled across the sidewalk
The beggar dropped his sign
And hurried over to fetch his coin
Before someone else got it
My heart went out to this poor man
I wondered why everyone just passed him by
Perhaps thinking that he would spend the money
Foolishly
Do we know the beggar’s circumstances
Do we know his story
For he has one
We all have one
We could be that one
Standing
Begging
For our next meal
We could be the one holding up the sign
Need money for food
And what happens
When we stand before our Lord
And He will say
I was hungry
Did you feed Me
I was thirsty
Did you give Me drink
I was cold
Did you give me warmth
Will we be able to say
Yes, Lord
Yes, Lord
We always will have the poor
Before us
It is not for us to judge
If he will use the money for food
Or not
It is not for us to decide
If his motives are right
It is up to us
To step out of our comfort zone
And give to the needy
Give to those that are so in need
Of food
Water
Warmth
And love
And forgive me, Father
For I am guilty
Of passing by the lone beggar
I am guilty before, You
My Lord.

Gail Adams

Written for my Aunt Hazel on her 88th Birthday

Written for my Aunt Hazel
Feb. 17, 2012

The days that God has given me
My eyes have seen much
And my feet have taken me to
Places I never dreamed of going
I have had the good
And the bad
Pass through my life
Bringing me much happiness
And some sadness
I have been blessed
With healthy children
And have lived
To see my children’s
Children
I have been blessed
Beyond what I expected
I have had a long
And successful marriage
Going through
Many hardships
And some triumphs
Not all my days
Were joyful
For there were days
That at times
I wished
That things could have been
Different for me
But I climbed that hurdle
And found
That the sun shone
Once again
Bringing me hope
And a knowing
That a new day
Had dawned
And I can again
See above the clouds
My life is nearing the end
Of my allotted days
And I can say
That all is well
My children
And my children’s
Children
Will say of me
That I was to them
All that I should be
And I can lie my head
Down and rest
Until we meet again.

Gail Adams

We All Have A Story

We all have a story
Of what has passed
For us
Stories of sadness
And sorrows
Of joys
And of exalted times
Times of reaching our goals
Times of failing
Times when parents failed us
And we failed them
Times of miracles
When we just missed
Being hurt
Or killed
And there were times
When troubles hit
Troubles enough to knock one down
And to some
It did
To others
They crawled back up again
To face that which took them down
There were times when our teachers
Failed to teach
And times when we failed to listen
Times when we chose for ourselves
A partner
One of our choosing
And against all wisdom
Of parent and friend
We felt what we had was love
True love
Only to find out they were right
And we were wrong
There were times when death
Stepped in
And took our love away
And there were times when
The birth of a child
Brought us such love
There were times of sickness
That riddled the body
And times of healing
Times when everything
Goes wrong
And times of wonderment
We all have a story
That has made us who we are today
The paths we took
The joys
And the sorrows
All helped to make us
Who we are
We can wallow in self pity
For what our past has done
To us
Or we can step out into a new world
And walk with our heads held up
For there is One who watches over us
Watches over the good and the bad
And with Him we can know
That everything is going to be alright
Everything will be alright.

Gail Adams

The Sun Will Rise

The sun will rise
Upon that day
When bride and groom
Stand side by side
And a mother
Giving birth
Life is ceasing
And life is beginning
Alarms clocks
Ringing
People moving
Vehicles going
To and fro
Seagulls following fishing boats
And the hawk
Swooping down on its prey
Squirrels are furrowing
And cows being milked
People working
Others sleeping
The antelope running
The lion in pursue
Does the air we breathe know
Do the oceans know
Does the earth know
Who knows
Who knows
For great will be the day
And mighty will it be
When our the Lord will arise
To take a stand
He will come upon
A unsuspecting people
People going about
Their daily life
Unawares to the happenings
About to happen
For in the closing of the eye
He will come within the skies
Breaking forth in wonder
Oh, are we prepared
Are we prepared
For what is about to come
Are we ready
Don’t be caught with
Your eyes shut
Keep alert
For the day I speak of
Will come quickly
Are we ready

Gail Adams

Under the Sun

Father God
You bring the sunlight
To all the earth
You cause it to shine
On the good
And the bad
Father God
You cause the crops to grow
On the good
And the bad
You see the storms that rage
And the lives that are lost
On the good
And the bad
Father God
You see as sickness
Riddles a body
And their life is snuffed out
Of the good
And the bad
Father God
You see the mother
As she gives birth
To the lifeless babe
Of the good
And the bad
Father God
You watch
As hateful men
Take a life
Of the good
And the bad
Oh Father God
Is there any difference
What goes on under the sun
Of those that love You
And adore You
Than those that curse
Your Holy name
Is there any difference
Father God
No, Father God
There is no difference
For You love us all
You love the good
And the bad
For the good
Already know You
They already have
Placed their hope
And their love
In You
On You
And, Father God
You see down the line
And You await
The call of the one
That does not know You
You await their cry
Unto You
And You will look upon this little one
No matter how evil they are
You will look upon this one
That was so lost
So evil
And Father God
When You hear their cry unto You
You will forgive
And forget
And they, too
Will come into Your family
And You will welcome them
You will open Your arms
And forget all their sins
You will cast away the memory of their evil ways
And bring them into Your family
And so, Father God
Though the sun shine on the good
And the bad
And we wonder why You do not
Separate Your love from those
That love You
And those that don’t
It is because You love us
All of us
Both the good
And the bad
And Father God
It is not You
That brings sadness
And heartache
It is not You
That brings about
Hurtful things
For You are love
You are love.

Gail Adams

The Old Woman

The old woman
Moved slowly
As she wandered
From room to room
Carefully placing
One foot ahead of the other
For fear of falling
She would pause
And touch items
That meant so much to her
She makes her way to the kitchen
And prepares herself
A cup of tea
Slowly she makes her way to her favourite chair
That sits facing the front yard and street
And starts to go through
Old photos
Photos that are becoming
Worn with age
And handling
Daily she sorts through
Her pictures
Pictures of when she was young
And beautiful
Pictures of her husband
Long gone
She can barely
Remember how he looked
And her children
She sorts through the years
Their growing years
Their marriages
There children
Her eyesight
So diminished
She can barely focus on the faces
She gets mixed up
Which child belongs to who
She sits
With just memories
And old pictures
No longer does anyone
Stop in to visit
No longer does the phone ring
Perhaps the phone does ring
And she has not heard it
Or it is out of order
She makes sure that the phone is on the hook
Just in case
One of the children
Might call
She understands
They have their own life
They are busy
She remembers her own
Busy life
And does not think she is hurt
By their absence
She picks up one picture
She remembers the day
It was taken
She made sure that the children
Wore their best
For this was a family picture
She made sure
The hairdresser did her hair
Just right
Other pictures she picked up
Turning back the years
Recalling the very moment
The camera snapped the image
She looked about the room
Remembering the laughter
And the tears
She glanced over at the dining room
Remembering the meals
And the children all seated
Around it
No longer does anyone sit there
She sits and eats alone
Carrying a plate from her kitchen
She seats herself
In her favourite chair
And stares out the window
Watching the neighbours children
And the cars going by
One after another
The television is blaring
But she is not watching it
Just noise
Breaking the so silent room
She sits in her chair
With her memories
Was it Christmas
The last time
I saw the children
Perhaps it was
It seems so long ago
I think Easter
Will soon be upon us
And I will see them then
A meal here
Or a meal there
She leans back
Picks up the pictures again
She sits
All alone
In an empty house
With just her memories
And her pictures.

Gail Adams
Author of the books, ‘Heaven and Earth and In Between’.

The Young Girl

She was huddled inside the shelter
At a bus stop
Sheltered from the cold
And the wind
She appeared upset
And cold
For the clothing she wore
Was barely enough to cover
Her small body
Her look was distant
Really not caring
If the bus arrived or not
I wondered what her plight was
Where was she going
Where had she been
Her hair was dishevelled
And her summer weight jacket
Too thin
For the coldness of winter
Her thin legs
Covered with tight jeans
Ripped at the knees
Running shoes on
Seemingly too big for her feet
My heart seemed to feel
For this young lady
Who seemed to be
No older than sixteen
The time of night
Was not for a young lady
To be on her own
She did not appear
To be coming
Or going
To work
She seemed too young
And I wondered where
Her family was
Did they know of her whereabouts
Did they care
A young teen
Barely past ten
And now considered
Grown up
I pulled my car over
To ask if she needed help
Or a ride
I called from my car
But she paid no attention
Not even turning her head
She then stepped
Out of the shelter
And started making her way
Down the sidewalk
Appearing not to care
In which direction she walked
Just walking
Somewhere
No where
All alone
In a busy city
I watched as she made her way
Down the block and around the corner
And wondered if I had frightened her
And did she have plans to catch a bus
Or was she in the shelter
For warmth from the cold
I will never know
About this young lady
Never know what became of her
What she had planned to do that evening
Or where she lived
Or what her situation was
A young girl, barely over ten
Alone in the world
It seemed
Where would she sleep that night
And when was her last meal
And how many others are out there
Alone
Cold
Hungry
With no one to care
If they make it through the night
Or not.

Gail Adams
Author of the books, ‘Heaven and Earth and In Between'.