The Dan River

Flowing peacefully

Past abandoned fabric mills

Over dams and under bridges

Geese with goslings

Turtles and cormorants on the rocks

Dead trees washed up on the banks

The people are all gone

The slaves that built the giant factories

The owners who lived in Victorian mansions

We stroll thru time

Down walking paths along the Dan

And wonder why some things never change

Spring

In a world where

news is often annoying

and sad and frightening

Spring comes

and it's beauty

takes my breath

and makes me smile

And I am comforted

by the faithfulness

of seasons

the colors of the earth

The knowing of

God's love and care

Fear and hatred

drain the world of

beauty and peace

While my heart

is touched and grieved

by all that bile

I step outside

and breathe and breathe

and draw into my soul

the peace of God and

Pray his hand upon us

and His Kingdom come

to earth

Reparations

I wonder if that Revelations crowd

Standing in front of the throne

Those surviving the great ordeal

Those whose tears will be wiped away

And whose sorrow shall be over

I wonder if those are the people of color

From around our earth

Whose lives have been only suffering

Pain and heartache

Trials and tribulations

I wonder if they're the ones

The Father will gather to his bosom

If they're the ones who will receive

The robes, the crowns and the mansions

It would only be fair. 

This past Sunday the New Testament reading was from Revelations 7:9-17. As the lector was reading these verses, I was overwhelmed with the vision of people of color from all around the world standing in front of the heavenly Father, and he was promising them that the great injustices done to them over the centuries were over, and all the promised rewards were now theirs. Maybe it's just my way of making myself feel better...I don't know.