Days gone by

I was cleaning a few weeks ago and came across a notebook from years ago. Some of the pages held old notes I had written while listening to sermons at church, two of the pages held designs for a wedding I never had (don't feel bad, we're all better off with who we have), prayers from my heart, a short story, and a poetic "song" of sorts. I have decided to share these words with all of you. Keep in mind, I was single and had just been through a lot. . . Song: I am lying wasted in the pools of despair, shackled by the confines of a world gone wrong. Oh, come and rescue me from the pit so dark and cold. Lift me from the prisons of my mind. Give me some hope on which to hold. Broken and bruised a mere shell that used to have a life of promise and success. - - - Raise me from the shadows in the spaces that light has never seen. I see visions of people dancing on the water and swimming in the fountain of youth. - - - Fragmented moments laid to ruin by choices made without thought. Souls lying dormant and stale unable to feel the chaos that is around them. People seeking serenity in a lifeless dungeon without refuge in sight. Savages removing the last bit of light left in my eyes to make way for a sea of glazed distance. - - - Raise me from the shadows in the spaces that light has never seen. I see visions of people dancing on the water and swimming in the fountain of youth. - - - Faint from the pain of loneliness and loss I am flat on my back. It's getting colder and I can no longer scream. Out of the cold and quiet darkness there is movement. You pick me up as I began what seemed to be my final breath. As I was being lifted, the shadows became faces, the darkness became light. Then I saw clearly. - - - I was raised from the shadows in the spaces that light has never seen. I was dancing with the people on the water and refreshed as I swam in the fountain of youth. Short story: Springtime air rising from the shadows of the trees. Songbirds are welcoming this new and glorious day. How do we as people overlook these things? I am reminded of the finest lesson I have ever learned. I learned this lesson in a most unusual way, and I learned it from a man I never met. Every day I would pass through a small town on my way into the city. I would always drive too fast and let my mind wander. Always trying to plan my day to eliminate surprises. Weeks went by like this. One day I passed an elderly man riding a three wheeled bicycle. I nodded and waved at the gentleman. I noticed his ashen face light up as he raised a wrinkled hand and waved back at me. The next day I saw the same man, riding the same bike. We again greeted each other in the same polite fashion as the day previous. Weeks went by with the same cheerful greeting. After a while I realized something. I realized that I must have been passing this man for many weeks without ever noticing him. Without so much as a glance. Not seeing his soft eyes, or his welcoming smile. How could I have turned this sweet man into a faceless shadow for so many weeks? How do we as people take all of our blessings for granted? If we could just slow down for a moment and smile at somebody we may find our lives a little more rewarding. Not just that but we can also touch others in ways that we may never understand.