The Path to Calgary

He taught with mirth and showered with love,
Preached to all about the one above,
Performed miracles, healing body and soul,
And pray to the Father, His name to extol.
But still, they would not listen!

He healed the leper, cured the blind,
All earthly possessions he left behind,
Forgave them all, both Sinner and Saint,
But still, they could not escape the taint
Of their collective sin from long ago.

He rode triumphantly through Jerusalem's gate,
And set in motion what was forever his fate,
He built a whip with a leather thong,
Upturned the carts, chastised the throng.
But they would not repent.

He prayed in the garden that his cup would pass,
But the Father told Him to show them at last,
So he carried the cross up Calgary Hill,
God's mission in mercy he had to fulfill.
And after he had arisen, some listened and believed,

Growing Old with Boots the Dog

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He is old now but once he was young,
Our Bernese-Chow Boots with the big red tongue,
We got him the day when I was really sick,
So, my wife and daughter said we better get him quick,
Because Dad won’t notice while he is asleep,
We can bring him in the back while he is snoring deep.

Later that day from my slumber I awoke,
And from surprise and pneumonia, I thought I’d choke.
I said what’s this dog that looks like a bear,
And when he sheds, you’ll need to clean up his hair.

But Kendall begged to keep our dog-bear Boots.
“I need a friend since Kyle is leaving, and isn’t he cute?”
I said OK, but keep him out of my way,
Because at that time I was all work, and no play.

But later I found that Boots was just like me,
We both loved my wife and the family,
And I was overweight and looked a bit like a bear,
We both had heart problems, so we had to take care.

My wife took us for walks, last chance workouts, we called it,
Because both Boots and I had to get fit.
And as we trained and struggled, we both got better,
Boots in his long hair and I in my sweater,
And I came to love that dog who was just like me,
Who loved nature, birds, and especially trees!

The years grew long and both of us got old,
Our joints got creaky, and our noses cold,
But Boots had one last lesson to teach,
One of patience and love, that we often preach –
But Seldom Do.

For you see Boots is now older than 102,
But his love is pure, and his heart is true,
He circles the house to grasp one more day,
And sometimes barks, when it is not OK.

But I have grown to love him and feel blessed,
To have one more day to clean up his mess,
With our dog Boots, who is just like me,
A cherished member of our family.
Don Grier

The Master Upstairs

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I wrote this poem upon my brother’s passing. May it bring comfort as we remember all the saints and souls who have gone before us.

The poem tells the story of what the dogs my Brother David and his wife owned were thinking about in his absence.

Dogs Looking For their Master — Where is my Master?

Zooey looked at Sis,
in that mischievous way,
Where is our Master?
I want to go out and play.

Our yips are a little less yippee,
Our yaps a little less yappy,
What happened to our Master,
Who always made us happy.

He gave us kisses and never fleas.
He let us do our business on his trees.
What happened to him? Where did he go?
And what happened to our Mom,
She is moving rather slow.

Alvin pawed at Jasmine ,
And echoed what Zooey said.
Where is our Master?
who always patted our head.

He gave us snacks,
And it was always a treat,
When he let us wrestle,
At the boots on his feet.

Where is he Jasmine?
Where is he now?
We got to help Mom,
And find him somehow.

Then Sis looked at her siblings,
And said with a sisterly grin.
You can’t look for him outside,
You have to look within.

For like our brother Ranger,
He went to his Master above.
Who entered the world one December,
And showered it with love.

And he waits for us in Heaven,
Again, leading the way.
Where there will be no more sorrow,
And all good dogs get to stay.

Then all four dogs were silent,
As they turned inward and prayed,
And in their souls they saw our Master,
And again with their Dad David,


They yipped and yapped and played!

Exploring Christian Sonnet Poetry: Discernment

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I am working on writing Christian poetry in sonnet form. While I am not William Shakespeare or Malcolm Guite, the form is good practice. Here is a Sonnet I wrote after facilitating a LifeTeen class on discernment.

Discernment

We wander while we wait for a pathway,
To guide us on and make directions clear.
A mission true, from which we will not stray,
A purpose strong, a goal to hold most dear.
But life obscures the place and final plan,
That makes our hearts leap high, and souls rejoice.
We struggle onward, lost in the hinterland,
Until we stop to hear God’s quiet voice.
Not shouts nor cries, but whispers in the night,
Instructing us with wisdom from above.
A path revealed, aglow in gentle light,
To lead us forth with purpose and with love.
So listen close, in stillness, let fears wane,
And follow where He guides, the path made plain.

The True Meaning of Christmas Eve – Love’s Everlasting Kiss

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Picture of Mount Olivet with Philippians 2:5-11

The True Meaning of Christmas Eve

This Christmas Eve, we wait expectantly for God’s Love Incarnate. Not the gooey-eyed love we experience on a porch swing and a first kiss, but rather the long, hard-fought, victorious love that endures past a last kiss at the cross. The love of a God who so loved the world that he gave his only Son. The Love of our Lord who in the dungeons of Caiaphas, the agony of the Garden, and nailed to the Cross loves us, dies for our sins to be resurrected and gain us a path to Heaven.

The Love of Mary agrees to bring God into this world and stands there at the foot of the cross. She takes that hard-won love with her to the house of John, where she leads the apostles until she is assumed into Heaven and crowned its Queen. The love of a God that endures in the church and the sacrifice of the Saints. Despite our faults and sins, the Love is returning to the Mount of Olives!

This Christmas Eve, we wait expectantly for the incarnation. St. Paul in Philippians 2:5-11 speaks to the emptying of God, which in Greek is called Kenosis. For more insight on Kenosis and poetry on the topic, click this link to read Kenosis by Lucy Shaw with insights from Malcolm Guite.

In closing, the poem I wrote a few years back on the passing of a loved one is appropriate today. My brother went on to the next life today during this last week of Advent. I look forward to meeting again and holding him in my heart.

Love’s Everlasting Kiss by Don Grier

Love does not come easy,
it’s built-in trials,
minute by minute,
day by day.
It is built on sorrow,
As much as hope,
Tears and hardship,
As much as laughter.
It does not flit,
It does not float,
It is SOLID,
and it ENDURES!
Why love then?
It is our purpose and mission,
What we were built for,
What God designed!
Because love does not last,
for a minute or an hour.
It lasts a lifetime,
and through eternity.
So, drive on through the pain,
And strive through the sorrow And with one last kiss,
Reach for the tomorrow.
And, remember in waiting,
Not the words left spoken or tears,
But the smile and loving eyes,
That resound through the years.

My Wandering Path to You

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I am not worthy, but I'll try, 
Moving forward till I die, 
Though I misstep along the way, 
I get closer day by day, 
To life as you meant it to be, 
Loving, blessed and Holy, 

I don't deserve it, but I'll call, 
To catch me when I fall, 
To bring me home again, 
In your presence, out of Sin, 
With a heart meek and true, 
In your paradise anew. 

Jesus please hear my plea, 
Remove the darkness, and let me see, 
The path that I should take, 
And the one that I should forsake, 
On my wandering path to you, 
And the mission I'm meant to do.

Unfettered Wings

There was rain in the forecast for Duluth,
the day after our glorious trek along the North Shore,
spying Lake Superior from a hill near Gooseberry Falls,
seabirds floating over the inland sea.

We decided to find an indoor attraction,
longing for rain, we still did not want to get wet,
since so much time had passed,
and we feared being soaked so far from home.

The aquarium was just this side of the Aerial Bridge,
where barges from around the world,
floated unrestricted into their temporary home.

The fish and aquatic life in the tanks mirrored those,
swimming freely in the depths of the Greatest Lake,
Lake Trout, Walleye, and Sturgeon, some that lived over 100 years.

We had finished the first floor and were moving to the second,
when something curious caught our eye.
There, in the gift shop,
was a solitary, plush Eagle.

My wife said, “Oh cute. Can we get it?”
But I thought, Eagles are majestic birds of prey,
Not to be sold as toys.
Eagles must fly!

We proceeded to the second floor
until, at the last corner,
a lone Eagle with a heavy beak and piercing eyes.

It perched on a miserable little limb,
staring wantonly through a screen at the wooded hills outside.
It never turned toward us but only looked dejectedly at its former home,
where we had roamed just the day before.

Eagles are meant to fly, to soar up toward the sun!
To carry us to freedom and spread the word.
What would St. John or Moses say
to see nature’s herald trapped behind such a paltry barrier?

You can’t put God in a box, nor an Eagle behind a screen.
Eagles are meant to fly!

Eagles are not meant to be behind a screen

Good for the Soul, Good for the Body – Part 1.

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This is the first of two in a blog series on the importance of mindfulness. You can also hear this blog read and sung on Episode 17 of our Change Well Podcast

There is a definite connection between body and soul. Be happy, feel better. Share kindness, win friends, and feel good. On the other hand, when you are stressed or miss your workout, it is not always easy to turn the other cheek. Common sense confirms recent studies that caring for others improves the well-being of those you helped and your own!

I have struggled to learn this lesson. I am naturally an intense person and a bit of a curmudgeon—a person who is sometimes not kind to others, particularly myself. Driven to achieve, I occasionally drive other people out and beat myself up. This often leads to regret, guilt, and, more often than not, an eating binge. A happy person is a healthy person, and vice versa.

That is why when I started on my weight loss journey, it was just as important to cleanse my soul as my body. I took several measures to help me improve my disposition and, correspondingly, my health. This is what I did.

Write in my Kindness Journal – I journal six minutes daily in a Kindness Journal. It sets my daily goals for being a better person and helps me envision the person I want to become. It also provides me a place to recognize those items the day before for which I was most pleased (being kind to myself) and reflect on those who were kind to me. Lastly, I set my intention on one kind of beneficial act that I will do to make the world better for others. I use this particular journal, but you can use another Kindness Journal
Record happy thoughts in HappyFeed – In addition to writing in my Kindness Journal, I record three things I am so glad about each day using the iOS application HappyFeed. You do not always have to write something earth-shattering. Sometimes, I write something like, “I got 8 hours of sleep last night!” The key is to dwell on what makes you happy rather than what makes you stressed.
Pray, Meditate, and Give Thanks – There is no room for worry when thankful. You feel better about yourself and also those around you. Also, the Power of Thanksgiving can break through even the darkest hour. I spoke about this in the following blog. The Power of Thanksgiving
Help Others – Helping others benefits those you help and others. First, when you allow others, you focus on them, not the issues you face. Also, you are so preoccupied with the task at hand, whether it is building a house for Habitat for Humanity or walking to raise funds to combat cancer, that you often do not have time to overeat.
Smile – The simple act of smiling lightens your mood and that of others. Better yet, laugh; it is the best medicine, as they say.

Working on your heart and soul can make you a better person and help you lose weight – a double whammy (ok enough with the W’s). I have glorified this concept by establishing my most sacrosanct scheduled time of each day – Body and Soul Time. If you look at my calendar, you will see 6:00 – 8:00 AM each day, blocked out as Body and Soul time. This is when I do a weekly set of body and soul combos, combining mindfulness and prayer with exercise—more on next week’s blog.

But for now, let me close with, of all things, the importance of being third. A few weeks back, when thinking about Dr. King’s legacy and other selfless people like Gandhi and Mother Theresa, I tried to find the common thread that pulled them all together. And I realized it was because they were each Third – behind their religious beliefs and their care for others. I then thought about how hard it is to be Third in my life and thought of that classic song – “It’s Not Easy Being Green.” So, I decided to write this song/poem to the tune of It’s Not Easy Being Green. I hope you enjoy it. My thanks to Kermit!

It’s Not Easy Being Third

It’s not easy being Third,
Putting yourself behind our human family and God’s word,
And people tend to pass you over,
Because you’re not in the latest fashion,
or have cool toys like some other guys.

But Third’s the purpose in your life,
And Third can help end earthly strife,
And Third can change the course of a nation,
Or build bridges to others, or define history.

When Third is what you are meant to be,
It could make you ponder why, but why ponder?
Why ponder, I am Third, it’s written on our Souls,
And it is where we are meant to be.

The Lost Coin: A Lesson in Redemption

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“Or what woman having ten coins^* and losing one would not light a lamp and sweep the house, searching carefully until she finds it? Luke 15: 8

Nothing is lost forever,
Where shines the light of God,
For He came to save the lost,
And free those downtrod.

Looking for the sinner,
The lost, broken, and lame,
The rich man and the poor man,
He treated just the same.

A shephard from the heavens,
Not one of his flock is lost,
For He protects and defends us,
Without regard to cost.

And with Word and deed unnumbered,
He swept our sinful souls clean,
Finding the coin of redemption,
Until His time unseen.

We must follow in his footsteps,
Following the lessons that he taught,
Being kind, forgiving and thankful,
Helping those that humanity forgot. 

Copyright 2024 Don Grier

Lost But Found

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We wander our lives,
With purpose unknown,
Our minds half-formed,
Our souls half-grown.

In a foreign place,
That is far from home,
We seek the forgotten,

Untethered, we roam.

God is watching us,
But we refuse to see,
The person and blessing,
We were meant to be.

We seek but are lost,
Oh, the games we play!
Where we’re going, what direction?
Not one of us can say.

So snatch us, Lord,
from the jaws of death,
Give us new life,
Give us new breath.

Help us to seek,
So we can be found,
Our sins all broken,
Our hearts unbound.

And with Your help,
It is not too late,
To find the good,
Forgo the great!

So Stop! Listen!
Forget the strife!
Find your purpose,
Breathe new life,
Find the person,
You were meant to be,
With soul unfettered,
With our spirit freed!