To my sister who neither the near- simultaneous deaths of her son and husband or Hurricane Ivan could deprive of joy.
To live in the presence of God is to experience the present as life worth living and eternity. It is to experience the joy of living irrespective as to the circumstance. James, a half-brother of Jesus, admonishes us to "Count it all joy."
Despite the death of your youngest sister's son who you were a surrogate mother for from the time of his birth until he became an adult and despite that less than a week later your husband of fifty-three years who you loved deeply an cared for faithfully died, during my two-week sojourn with you before, during, and following your late husband's funeral that occurred just prior to Hurricane Ivan's visit to Mobile, Alabama, caused you and me to flee from your home and take refuge in a neighbor's basement, I found you to be strong, confident, and trusting God as the Supreme Source of Wisdom. You neither questioned God's actions or lamented the separations from you of two loved ones.
I am confident that in faith you will continue to trust God, love powerfully, and live with the aliveness of a blossoming rose.
Gertrude, let me take this opportunity to say that I am glad that you are my sister. I sense that our mother and father are looking down on us from Heaven gleefully and with a smile. Across the years I have drawn strength from you. Thank you for being you. Without you my life would be different.
Attached to this message is the "Prayer of Guidance" by Saint Benedict. Here is a portion of this prayer that begins, "O gracious and holy God, Give us wisdom to perceive you," and ends with, "and a life to proclaim you, through the power of the spirit of Jesus Christ our Lord."
I love you.
In his love,
Uriah J. Fields (U.J.)
Your Brother-by-Blood
To contact Uriah J. Fields, write: P. O. Box 4770 Charlottesville, VA 22905.
(My new book, "God With Us," by Uriah J. Fields, and an earlier book, "Inside the Montgomery Bus Boycott - My Personal Story," by Uraih J. Fields, may be purchased On-line. Visit either of these booksellers: publsihamerica.com, amazon.com, or bn.com).
I met Jerome on a busy city street in Baltimore, Maryland, when he was forty-five years old. On that particular day, I was out and about, enjoying a much-needed day off from work.
I wanted to purchase a sukiyaki sub. I parked my car in an area of
A collection of love poetry both relatable and unique.. Poems both joyful, playfu , yearning and romantic. The Poet has exposed his heart and soul in words of love and admiration. Take a journey through the thoughts of a Contempary poet of love. Poet
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