Given a choice,
Give me grace
That I might choose
Your Holy Will.
by Joann Nelander
Lord, You have been growing me.
It’s been 75 years plus a bit, since my conception.
All those years and not one day without love.
Not one day without the play of wind,
Or warmth of golden beam,
Or sustenance given though unseen.
Not one day without a kiss of sun,
Or breeze,
Or butterfly.
Not one day the more or less than You decree,
Simply the glee
Of being me.
Lord, You have been growing me.
I count my days blessed and witnessed from above,
The stuff as given and mysterious as stars.
When I am fully grown,
Incline to lift me from the earth,
And with Mercy’s parting splendor,
Render one last touch.
© 2016 Joann Nelander
“I Saw You Under the Fig Tree.”
All our yesterdays are forgotten
With the rush of Tomorrow.
All the words fade away.
Images are fleeting.
All praise passes into oblivion.
The compliments lost,
As unrecorded history.
All things are sand
Falling through the fingers of the Future.
None endure the winds of Time.
So, what of me?
What is the why of me?
Why do You long for me?
I feel your desire pleading
In all about me.
“I saw you under the fig tree.”
What did you see of me, O Lord?
Did you see my yearning?
Were You witness to my sin?
Did you hear the prayer I whispered,
The call of my heart.
Did you see resolve written on my face?
Did you see the love
Swelling my heart?
What did you see of me, Oh Lord,
Under the fig tree?
Because You saw me
Under the fig tree,
My heart opens to see You.
You reveal a world and love
Beyond all that is matter,
Beyond all that once mattered,
Surpassing all that is,
A world of God ,
A world of God in all,
And for all,
Dying to live in all.
I didn’t see You,
Until now,
This precious Now,
Surviving my mortality,
With the reason of my being,
With the holy vision of Thou.
© 2016 Joann Nelander
–
I live because You died,
Not in guilt,
But in the freedom of Love.
Choices are arrayed before me,
Multiplied by the days of my Life.
With the breaking
Of each New Day,
I rise forever
To choose You,
With the breaking
Of the Bread,
With the Lifting Up,
With the Cross before my eyes
I am a witness
Of the Resurrected One.
You Christ upon the altar,
You, Christ, living anew
In me,
Walk the Earth again
Leaving now my footsteps.
©2012 Joann Nelander
“A young boy who was born into a life of drugs, extreme poverty, danger and destined for a bleak future is defying stereotypes in the most remarkable way. And his latest encounter at a grocery store is bound to open your eyes, widen your mind and capture your heart.
To truly understand just how incredible this encounter was, you need to know some history.Devonte Hart entered the world 12 years ago with drugs pumping through his tiny newborn body.
By the time he was 4 years old he had smoked, consumed alcohol, handled guns, been shot at, and suffered severe abuse and neglect.
He knew only a handful of words, including fuck and shit, and he struggled to identify with the names of food, body parts and every day objects. Devonte was a violent toddler and his health was weighed down by a heavy list of disabilities.
It was a life with little hope and a future that seemed over before it began.
That is until Jen Hart and her wife Sarah entered Devonte’s life and adopted him and his two siblings seven years ago.
Jen says the day she met Devonte was frightening and traumatic.
“That night, after we finally got him to sleep, I cried harder than I had ever cried in my life. I felt like there was no way we could raise this child, and the five others we had adopted.”
Yet, she says, there was something inexplicable pulling at her heart.
“I felt more connected to this fragile little boy more than I had ever felt to anyone in my life.”
With their unconditional love, nurturing natures, patience and acceptance, Devonte defied all odds and has grown into a young charismatic man with a heart of gold.
e“He inspires me every single day. He has proven doctors, psychologists and teachers wrong. His future is most definitely not bleak, he is a shining star in this world. His light shines bright on everyone on his path.
“People always tell us how lucky he is that we adopted him. I tell you, we most certainly are the lucky ones. Yes indeed he is living proof that our past does not dictate our future.”
via Meet Devonte, the little boy with a big heart – Paper Trail.
Immaculata-Patroness
Joann Nelander Studio 