20071121

Who’ll Stop the Rain



Long as I remember
the rain been comin' down.
Clouds of myst'ry pouring
confusion on the ground.
Good men through the ages,
try'n' to find the sun,
and I wonder, still I wonder,
who'll stop the rain.”

John Fogerty

In the silence of the world the air fills with the sound of the whip as the flesh is torn from my back. Only the weak of heart seeks a dark apology for the wrath of pain that anoints our soul. The strong and virtuous admit no destiny in kneeling before adversity, nor shall I. Courage is not granted by the almighty but is earned by the necessity to withstand the winds of the tempest as it approaches. My eyes are affixed and my resolve steeled as I await the struggle. A sturdy staff fashioned of faith shall be my only protection as the eye of the storm once again passes over what I cherish. Standing naked before the fury I shall not waiver, for my strength and determination will withstand the onslaught or I shall forever be swept away.

On the eleventh anniversary of my father’s passing and the eve before Thanksgiving the mystery of my wife’s weight loss is discovered. A scan has revealed a massive tumor in her abdomen. We shall once again await the holiday in silence gazing at the storm on the horizon.


There are times when God asks nothing of his children except silence, patience and tears.”

C. S. Robinson

“The eternal silence of these infinite spaces fills me with dread.”

Blaise Pascal (1623 - 1662)