If ever a dream I've dreamed,
I dream here all alone.
I dream of things revealed,
Of happy hearth and home.

I make up castles in the air
Filled with voices that I love,
Feet pittering here and there,
Always stay, never rove.

Why are my dreems so sweet?
A hazy image with no face,
Children I may never meet,
Little house, cozy place!

If I wed my dreams will be reality,
No matter what face or home,
No matter what I see.
Oh! If it will ever come!

I. Bad, Bad, Bad
No, no, no, no
Not going down this road
Again
Friends are friends
It doesn’t matter
If they’re boys or girls.

II. What
Why is this jealousy
We’re not—
I’ve never even thought of you like—
Block my thoughts, don’t let them go
Any farther than they already have
“But seriously, she’s too old for you
She doesn’t even speak English,”
Laugh it off
But wow, I really don’t want you to
See this woman ever again.

"Because I'm obsessed with you,"
She says, we all laugh
"No, just kidding, that's Erin
I'll leave you two alone now."
And I am so grateful that you just
Let it roll off like you didn't hear her
Even though you probably know
She's right.

A river of tears flows from My eyes;
Because of your sin do I cry.
You do not heed Me, and often fall,
But I am still your All in All.

I will give you life
And
I will give you peace
And
I will be your comforting Hand.

I will be your strength
And
I will be your shield
And
I will be your own strong tower.

A river of life flows within Me.
The blood and the water run deep.
I will cherish you and wash you clean;
I will not judge you unjustly.

Is homeschooling a form of legalism? How about counter-cultural practices like courtship (i) and big families, which are common in homeschooling circles? Questions like these have caused me no small degree of confusion. I turn to my own family and many families that I have known, and confidently answer, "no." But then I find blog articles, comments of friends, and even reports on television which seem to credibly contradict my personal experiences. However, as I have repeatedly encountered these contradictions, I have also come across a probable explanation.

Billions flood churches, St. Peter’s Basilica is full,
Sitting in the services, humans ignore the painful.
Preaching prosperity, good feelings, and victory,
Churchgoers decide to ignore the appalling.

The world is fighting, and governments are abusing,
People are dying, without of Christ’s love learning.
All the while worshippers raise their hands, singing of His love forever,
Blocking out what’s in the newsstands, getting deafer and deafer.

I.
I don’t have a confidence problem
In fact, I am a little vain
I don’t mean to insinuate
That I think I am perfect
Because that is entirely untrue
However,
I like myself not just physically
But as a whole
And I don’t think that is a bad thing.

II.
I often wish that I could
Be eight years old again
Times were a lot simpler
Way back when

III.
I don’t have a best friend
Right now
I get a little lonely
But
It will get better

I’ve been waiting for you to do it-
I am excited for you and her-
Then everything just feels weird for a minute
Maybe now I can say what I want to but-
All of these memories flash through my head like-
When you laid the measuring tape on
The open floor between us and
It read your height (exactly six feet) and-
“So, if I laid down on the floor, I’d reach you,” and
You smiled in that boyishly charming way that
Only you can and now-
You’re telling a story from across the room and
Looking straight into my eyes and-

I’ll never forget the moment
I first told you that I love you,
thinking you’d be happy—
as happy as you’ve made me.
I can’t forget the fear inside,
watching your face fall instead.
Now you’re pushing me away,
telling me I shouldn’t stay,
telling me I shouldn’t love you,
that I’m better off without you,
certain I’d no longer love you,
If I only knew...

1. Unnecessary Sharing
He slides his eyes sideways to capture my reaction
I work hard to keep my face unchanged
It’s okay, no big deal
I didn’t ask for his opinion anyway.

2. Emote
Your face is an open book
You can transform into someone else
In an instant
I’m getting tired of trying to keep up
With your mood swings and changes
It’s too hard to help somebody
Who is so far gone.