It is to bad books are worth nothing now unless you know the author and it is signed. Going through this stack today keep the signed an the rest go down the garbage chute
“I Thank God Alone” MBR
I thank God alone for the blessings He’s shown,
For the seeds of grace in my heart He’s sown.
For the quiet souls who lend their hand,
Not seeking praise, just following His plan.
I thank Him for words that flow when I speak,
For strength to stand when I am weak.
For the gift to write, to teach, to serve,
For a purpose far greater than I deserve.
When shadows fall and I sit in the dark,
He lights the way with a gentle spark.
He sends the right soul, in the right time and place,
To lift my spirit, to show His face.
I thank You, Lord, for all You provide,
For food, for shelter, for love that abides.
For the work You’ve given, the path so true,
May everything I do bring glory to You.
So I’ll serve with joy, both humble and bold,
Not seeking fame, nor silver, nor gold.
My thanks is shown in the deeds I pursue
I thank You, Lord, in the work I do
C-PTSD and depression can sometimes be more painful than all my other health problems combined. I can deal with the physical pain. I've learned to live with it, push through it, and find ways to manage it. But it's the C-PTSD and depression that really drive me nuts. It's a different kind of pain, one that you can't always see, explain, or simply push through. Physical pain hurts the body, but mental and emotional pain can wear down your mind and steal your peace. Some days, I wish people understood that the battles nobody can see are sometimes the hardest ones to fight.
“I Walked Alone” MBR
I have walked alone, and I’ve fought the hounds of hell,
Through fire, pain, and stories too dark to tell.
For many years I wandered a ghost in my own skin,
Sometimes in body, sometimes within.
From Alabama’s dust to Newfoundland’s shore,
I carried my burdens, heavy and sore.
A load on my back, a load on my heart,
Trying to finish what tore me apart.
I walked alone through addictions’ haze,
Each step a blur in a drunken maze.
I walked alone when I lived rough on the street,
I walked alone when the gangs did meet.
I fought wars and battles most won’t understand,
When the life was drawn from many a man.
I walked through jails and hospital halls,
Heard the echoes of my own dark calls.
I grew hard as iron, tough as nails,
But inside, the spirit quaked and wailed.
Then one day, through the thunder and storm,
A light broke through fierce, bright, and warm.
I found my Lord, and with weary stride,
I walked out of darkness, with Him by my side.
No longer do I fight that same old fight,
For His hand guides me toward the light.
He picked me up from the cold, hard floor,
And showed me I was never alone before.
Though I still may stumble, still may fall,
I hear His whisper above it all.
And when my heart begins to sing His song,
He walks beside me, where I belong.
many many years ago when i first started painting i took the laptop i wrote my first book on an i tore it apart and made this with it you could walk up to it plug in your headphones and listen to my favorite tunes you can see the mp3 player on it. ..the bottom is just a print of the original on the wall
Very frustrating! I used to have so much energy, especially after a nap. Nowadays, I wake up from a nap feeling like I need another nap just to recover from the first one. It's not laziness. It just takes so much more physical and mental energy to convince myself to get the things done that actually need doing. Half the battle is getting out of the chair, and the other half is remembering what the hell I got up for in the first place. I'm beginning to think my body has switched to an economy mode without consulting me. Somebody needs to find the damn off switch!
“Don’t Call Me a Career Criminal”..MBR
Don’t call me a career criminal,
that title died long ago.
I buried it with the rage and pain
that once ran my blood’s cold flow.
I never sat and planned a thing,
no schemes, no grand design
just a man on fire, lost in hate,
reacting every time.
Crimes of anger, crimes of hurt,
crimes born from a shattered soul.
A storm that had no steering wheel,
just thunder with no control.
But years have turned, and so have I,
I’ve walked through ash and flame.
I’ve carried crosses ‘round the world
to cleanse my bloodstained name.
I’ve spoken words to heal the hearts
of those who walk that line
from pain to peace, from chains to choice,
from chaos into divine.
Yet still the headlines write me wrong,
still scripts refuse to see
not “former,” not “forgiven,”
just career criminal, that’s me.
But that’s not who I am today,
that chapter’s done, erased.
My street degree taught me to fall,
my God degree, His grace.
I am a writer, artist, poet,
a defender, a warrior reborn.
My sins are scars, not shackles now,
my faith outlived the storm.
So if you must introduce this man,
then speak the truth, not blame:
I am saved by grace, not trapped by guilt,
a soul no longer the same
When the Nerd Became the Beast
MBR
As a child I was wonder, mind wide as the stars,
Tinkering with time, chasing thoughts afar.
History and science spun worlds in my head,
Ten steps ahead of my peers, but always misread.
I dreamed of machines, of words taking flight,
But the world had its shadows, it stole my light.
Evil found me young, and I gave it hell,
Learned to fight to survive in the places I fell.
The spark turned to smoke, the pen to a blade,
The dreamer went missing, the beast was made.
My brilliance was buried in battles and scars,
Streetlights my candles, jails my memoirs.
I thought I was fighting the world outside,
But it was me, the man I’d tied and denied.
The nerd was captive, chained by rage,
Locked in a corner, while the beast took stage.
Years in the wild, I roared just to breathe,
Built my armor from anger, from the hurt underneath.
But no war with the world ever set me free
The true war raged deep inside of me.
Then faith broke through like a dawn untamed,
And whispered, “Son, it’s time you changed.”
God reached in and shattered my chain,
Washed off the violence, the venom, the pain.
Now the beast is caged, and I hold the key,
The man reborn through grace and mercy.
The nerd walks free, the thinker, the poet
The child I was, I finally show it.
My mind still races, but now it’s clear,
Fueled by faith, not by fear.
The beast may stir, but he bows in defeat,
’Cause with God at my side
I keep my foot on his head beneath my feet