I have fallen down the mountain a little ways, yet I am standing. 'Though my feet are bruised and broken and my hands are scarred and blistered I will continue to climb. By the grace of God I made it through the valley, and by His grace I will press on. He has carved out this path, and although it is rough and narrow I can still see the Light at the end. With His strength and the help of His hand I will make it to the other side of Jordan, and by His grace I will never give up. May Truth and Charity continue to march on before me. Amen.

*A/N* Mature thematic content such as mentions of drug use/mental illness.

It smelled like sweat and drugs when he got home. The apartment that he and his mother shared was small and dark. The lamp had fallen over, shards of glass sprinkled across the floor. His mother was passed out in the fetal position on the musty grey couch, fresh needle marks on her right arm, her white shirt stained.

Wonderful counselor, almighty God;
Beginning and ending: creator of time.
You are the comforter and the rod;
Yet your punishment is deserved by far.
Your grace reaches farther than I imagine,
Your truth will be upheld through trials.
Though your truth threatens my life
I will remain true, by your grace I will stand.
I want to feel Your peace, know Your love,
I want to understand Your grace,
To use my life for Your glory; to save a life,
Lay down my liberty, if I need to.
When I think of the murder of babies,

Come to me at the old oak tree,
Where the ravens dawdle and play.
Come to me at the old oak tree,
When the world has gone black and grey.

Remember there, the old oak tree?
As children we played and laughed.
Remember me, at the old oak tree?
The day I died and left.

Forever, you promised at the old oak tree.
"Forever! Beyond!" you would say.
I cry as I wait at the old oak tree,
For the love lost in a day.

Love is patient, love is kind,
It is not a word, not a mime.
Love is not a feeling, big, or small,
It's something more, if I recall.
There is no greater love than this:
What?! To die? Not give a kiss?
T'was with a kiss Christ was betrayed,
Soon before He His true love displayed.
It was on a cross that my Lord died,
T'was His love for me that pierced His side.
God sent down His only Son,
And He the victory has won.
The dove was the sign sent from above;
The sacrifice was His destiny of love.

IF YOU HAVEN'T READ EITHER GREATER LOVE OR A STRONG FAITH THEN DONT READ THIS UNTIL YOU HAVE. :D

“Just let me eat my lunch in peace,” Jake murmured to the girl sitting on his left. Amélie smiled mildly and took a long drag from her cigarette, then threw her head back and blew the smoke up into the air—her signature move. “I’m a dragon,” she always used to say, and then she would laugh at her own joke. She didn’t speak this time—Jake didn’t think she could.

I. Just a Girl
Get back over here
Don’t talk to her, talk to me
I don’t like the haughty way
She held her head when she
Told you to come closer
I don’t like her
Heavy red lipstick
I don’t like the way
She reached out and
Hugged your shoulders
I don’t like
Her
Flirting with you.

*WARNING* Some mature thematic content. There is mention of drugs and other forms of abuse, which is obviously not put in a positive light. It's a pretty dark storyline, but the story itself is not particularly dark, if that makes sense.

I. Happy
A couple got engaged
on top of the rock where I
celebrated my birthday.
They picked up the rose petals
that he had laid down for her,
and when I walked by I saw them
looking at each other as if
no one else had ever existed,
and I have never seen
a person look at another person
quite like that.
It made me want to
build something beautiful
like they did.