He is the All-Glorious!

He is the All-Glorious!

And I am but a drop
A tiny seed who's potential has not even begun to sprout
A lamp so shrouded, it's light barely shines
A mirror so dusty, it barely reflects the sun's rays

He is the All-Glorious!

The ocean of His Words is my sustenance
The soil of His Love my comfort and succour
The light of His Will my inner guide and compass
The warmth of His Manifestation my life force

He is the All-Glorious!

To Be Alive

Empty parchment, dusty strings
Lost in the quiet that summer brings

The pressured air, the exhausting heat
I barely feel my heart beat

I miss the winter's grace, her music fair
Singing life into me with her crisp clear air

A whispered wish, softly flows to the shore
To greet this moment and feel alive once more

The Struggle to Fly

I'm edgy, rough, shaky
Confused by the feeling
Judging myself for breathing
For speaking, for thinking

I feel myself sinking
Back down to the material world
My wings sullied by forces of destruction
Pulling from within me

Screaming to be set free
I fight to stay still
Few inches gained, but also
Few inches lost against my will

I will never stop fighting
But will I ever make strides
I beg to draw closer
To where Your essence resides
I am fighting the darkness
Your distant light my only guide

My Promise

I will take your hand and walk with you
Through this world of anguish and sorrow
I will lead you to a place you cannot picture
Though you dream about tomorrow

Though I know I've failed you many times
I will not fail you now
You will never again feel alone and abandoned
We will learn together somehow

I will be here with you through your hurt and sadness
Guide you when you've lost your way
Comfort you through your fear and doubt
And help you to bask in the light of each day

We will grow and learn hand in hand
Two pieces of one soul
Until someday this fragmentation is healed
And we again become one whole

Forever

Today, 03 June 2014, will be 5 years I have been blessed to serve here in Haifa, Israel. I wrote this song in March of 2010 after I had been here about 9 months and it is as true now as it was then.

Adele Dodds is playing the piano.



I wanted to pick one photo for each year to share with you.... But that was impossible.... Here's the best I could do :)

Five years in Haifa:

August 2009 - Shrine of Baha'u'llah

December 2009 - The Negev

March 2010 - The Seat of the Universal House of Justice

June 2010 - Ben Gurion Avenue (photo taken by Adib Roy)

June 2010 - Baha'u'llah's Prison Cell Window in Akka

June 2010 - Paths of Stone

December 2010 - Sunset on a Haifa beach during the Carmel Forest Fires

April 2011 - Bahji Visitor's Centre through the flowers

June 2011 - Monument of Bahiyyih Khanum

June 2011 - Pilgrimage

January 2012 - Staff Entrance to the Seat of the Universal House of Justice
I had the amazing bounty of serving in this building for over 4 years. 

May 2012 - Flowers on the Hillel Stairs
(I lived on these stairs for 4 years) 

June 2012 - Mazra'ih 

July 2012 - Archives Building and the Shrine of the Bab

November 2012 - A bird cloud and Haifa Bay

March 2013 - The Shrine of the Bab from a view point behind the Seat

May 2013 - The Shrine of Baha'u'llah on Ascension night

October 2013 - Bahji at sunset

March 2014 - The Shrine of the Bab

May 2014 - House of Abdu'llah Pasha in Akka

May 2014 - Bahji

May 2014 - Bahji

The Essence of Who I Am

I remember sitting on your lap as a child

There was no place safer in the whole big world

Your arms around me, held me close to your side

And my heart and soul were yours

I remember sneaking into your bed at night

When my mind would race, you'd hug me tight

I'd fall asleep in your arms, safe an secure

And my heart and soul were yours

     My soul responds to the beauty of your light

     The gentle love in your crystal blue eyes

     Your smile, your laughter, your voice in my heart

     You are the essence of who I am 

I remember Saturday mornings, sneaking out of the house

Taking in the sun, two morning birds just you and me

I treasure each and every memory

And my heart and soul are yours

I remember walking through airports, through trials

Giving each other the strength to move forward

We walk this world together, no matter the miles

And my heart and soul are yours

     My soul responds to the beauty of your light

     The gentle love in your crystal blue eyes

     Your smile, your laughter, your voice in my heart

     You are the essence of who I am

Though separated by great distances

Our hearts never stop beating as one

We will walk forever as we always have

Mom and daughter, hand in hand

     My soul responds to the beauty of your light

     The gentle love in your crystal blue eyes

     Your smile, your laughter, your voice in my heart

     You are the essence of who I am

You Are Light

This isn't exactly a poem, but I've been writing music for the last four or five years. I don't have that many songs to my name, but I thought maybe it is time I share some of my songs on my blog :) I wrote this one last night. It is very poorly recorded (haha my first experience using Garage Band), no idea what I did to make it so echo-y, but you get the idea :)


(I wrote this to myself, but I think it's what we should all tell ourselves and each other)

A Lover's Persecution

The Bab's death left a hollow

No words can ever fill

And the horrors that would follow

Leave the ink of my pen still

In the torment of His lovers

One can find no greater pain 

Yet with each story one discovers

The heights of love we can attain

The years following that tragic day

Were filled with grief and confusion

And the actions of a few who lost their way

Ignited a new wave of intense persecution

Thousands were mercilessly tortured and killed

For believing in the power of His Blessed Name

Yet the goals of the clergy were never fulfilled

For their deaths only served to fan the Faith's flame

The essence of the love felt by each man who died

Could not but affect the hearts of those who observed

For their steadfastness and joy could not be denied

Nor their gratitude for the end they were served

These persecutions have not yet ceased

Though they've continued over one hundred and fifty years

But through the sacrifices of it's tormented lovers in the East

The Sun of His Glory continues to reach new frontiers

A Symphony of Light

A symphony and delight

The wondrous mid-day sky

A dance that fills our sight

Tween the sun and clouds on high

Without the clouds both grey and white

And the contrast which they each supply

We couldn't appreciate the glory of light

And see in tests God's loving eye

Upheaval

The ground is moving

Control slips through shaking fingers
The upheaval removing

Any barrier that stubbornly lingers

A light is in the distance

Foreshadowing a glorious fate

As the walls of resistance

Fall before destiny's gate

The ego's reign crumbles and collapses

As understandings meet and collide

Now the only thing left to do perhaps, is

To sit back and enjoy the ride

The Ripples of Existence

He stands by the rail

Staring out at the expanse of ocean

Contemplating the depth of humanity’s tale

The ripples we each set in motion

These temporary swells

That disappear into the vast calm sea

Are as the greetings and farewells

Of a moment with eternity

The water's ebb and flow

Forced aside by his journey's advance

Tell of distant shores where waves will show

The impact of their passage's dance 

For though we live for a moment's breath

And pass quietly through with no commotion

The effects we leave long after our death

Are a testament to our love and devotion

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The Bounty of Rain

As the clouds roll in

The air warms and my heart soars

The flowers reach out in longing and anticipation

For the flood of grace that will pour from the sky

The water falls 

Gently and beautifully painting the world with life

Showering existence with new energy and vigor

A gift of God, given to revive and restore

The earth sings it's gratitude

As the air is cleaned and purified

The dust and dross of this world washed away

All colors vibrant and glorified by the bounty of rain

Bahji in Bloom

Red and green paint my vision

Life and beauty a mural of grace

Between the soul and the world there lives no devision

When walking the pebbled paths of this place

The tension that lives outside of these gates

Slips silently away with the glorious breeze

And my heart's delight patiently waits

As I walk down the line of cypress trees

My feet never falter in their quest to attain

The Mystery entombed in that sacred room

And I would give my life to ever remain

On this path of His love, as the flowers in bloom

The Rose of Love

Within every person is the capacity to love
To reach outside their own selves
And be of service to others
Even in the depths of despair and terror
A rose can still bloom
And bring glory to misery and doom

From some of the darkest moments of our world's history
Blossom stories of courage and sacrifice
People willing to give their lives
Rather than accept injustice
And the suffering of others
Seeing in everyone their sisters and brothers

These stories bring me to tears
Touched by their sacrifices
I begin to see glimpses
Of the true reality and nobility of every human being
The glorious station we have been given
To transform and bring light to the world that we live in

Statue of Janusz Korczak at Yad Vashem
(the Holocaust Memorial for the World - in Jerusalem, Israel)

Home

The shadows of cypress trees,
On paths of stone,
Grass freshly grown,
Red geraniums in bloom,
Marble as white as the moon,
This is home.

A Haven of Beauty

I often seek solitude in nature
Mountains and trees
Eagles soaring high and free
Or the sun on my back
The feel and sound of the breeze

In these times of quiet reflection
I sit with my chin on my knees
Staring out at the sea
Introspective and pondering
The world that surrounds me

In these moments of calm thought
To another place do I transcend
I'm reminded that love knows no end
Mirrored back to me in the beauty of this earth
I find my truest and closest Friend