The 60-Second Sabbath

Loss

  • The Mystery of Our Faith

    Christ has died.     I am lost in memory,    in the traditions of my family and faith,    in a past that both comforts and cuts,    that hounds and heals.    But the past is necessarily   … Continue reading

  • Good Friday, 2013

    Train mein the fine and necessary grace    of dying. Teach meto paint the watercolor wash    of my own decay,to draw in delicate detail    my inevitable deterioration,to compose my private melody    of loneliness and loss. Then I shall be ready    for resurrection,to be the me    imagined at the… Continue reading

  • Grace Waits

    They are the golden children,the ones for whom doors open,the ones who face few obstacles.And obstacles–when they do appear–can be stepped over or pushed aside,and turn out to be mere annoyancesthat barely impede their progress. And then, one day,the earth… Continue reading

  • Grief

    Tears flow.Run themuntil they run clear. Tearskeep moistthe wounds,speed healing,prevent scarring. Sadness hurts,sometimes feelsit might kill. But sadness heals.One must trust this is so.Allow it. Sadness is baptism,ritual cleansing and promise–enter these watersboldly. One dayyou exit the fontwith memory intactbut… Continue reading

  • On to Celebration

    Now is the time for celebration–yes, we have experienced loss,but we are not diminished. We have joined unsteady handsand pulled each other through. If not stronger, we are wiser,having found life in death,hope in sadness,God in one another. Yes,now it… Continue reading

  • No Warranty

    I'm sorry,but who told you,life should be easy? Clearly you have not readthe instruction manual. For the first two years or soit will appear is ifit's all about you,and those around youwill allow you this illusion.But from then on,you'll be… Continue reading

  • Surrendering

    I refuse to surrenderto a god I fear. I choose to surrender(most willingly)to a God I love. Text and image © 2013 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved. Continue reading

  • Pain

    Pain takes my hand."Come," she whispers."Let me lead you somewhere new.If you let me,I will teach you." Text and image © 2013 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved. Continue reading

  • Mom’s Birthday, February 28, 2013

    She would have turned 93,were she alive. Is it okay to say,"Today my mother turns 93,"or can one no longer say this,when the body is gone?In such cases,there is nothing to turn 93.A buried box of ashes?Even that likely no… Continue reading

  • Heaven, It Turns Out…

    How like Godto reverse our expectations: Heaven, it turns out,isn't something toward which we ascend.No, the journey to heavenrequires one to descend,in a steady, downward spiral,through countless convoluted passageways,as darkness deepens,and whatever baggage you've been clutchingscrapes awayas you squeeze through… Continue reading