In the morning
I bend my listening ear,
And I'll hear the voice of God
Coming near, coming near.
I'll hear His precious call,
And I'll set my every move
To follow the Lord through all.
I know He loves me,
I know He cares,
I know He hears my needs,
Listens to every prayer.
I'll follow in His footsteps;
Follow where He goes,
He knows my every motive,
My joys and my woes.
Patience in the heart of man
Loads of love, no demand.
Waiting silent, waiting still,
Teardrops on the windowsill.
Years of love, years of hate,
Only sinners congregate.
Time to use and time to waste,
Take a breath, slow down your pace.
A priceless virtue: attain it if you can,
Peace and patient waiting in the heart of man.
Chapter Four
IT TOOK HIM THE REST OF THE DAY to get to the border of the hunting territory. He scavenged for berries and holly trees before dark and gorged down roasted squirrel. He made a bed out of fallen willow branches and a bed of mossy rocks. Cad thought he wouldn’t be able to sleep until his eyes gave away out of weariness.
HAVE you ever heard of sluggard being famous? Probably not. Have you heard of someone who didn’t like to read but still became famous? Yes. Did a story cross you ear of someone who people thought nothing good could come out of? Of course! People such as Martin Luther King Jr., John Jay, Theodore Roosevelt, James Madison all became important milestones in the history of America. And all because of a book.
It was the Monday of Finals Week last quarter, and I had just about had enough. I sat in the empty break-room at work, trying to keep my sobs from bursting out, worrying and stressing out about how I was going to get everything done. It wasn’t like I had been dawdling – an emergency baby-sitting opportunity had cropped up on Friday night, and I had worked the entire weekend as well. Combined with the stress of studying for finals, I had already not been in the best of moods that morning.
A FEW weeks later Hanna, Nicky and Kari were sitting at Red’s Inn, which was owned by Fredrick Quinn, a man about in his late forties. Everyone called him either Red or Mr. Red.
They were all sipping milkshakes; Kari’s was a vanilla, Nicky’s coffee and Hanna’s was a chocolate. As they sipped their shakes, Red came up to them and asked, “So guys; how do you like your shakes?”
They all gave thumbs up and suddenly, they all fell off their chairs and landed on the floor.
“Ouch!”
“Owe!”
“Gaah!”
“Brain Freeze?” Red asked, grinning. The girls nodded.
FOR THE next few weeks, Hanna practiced harder and harder. While the team was on a break from practice, Hanna started making friends with the other girls—all except Kari. The girl acted like she didn’t have any friends and it made Hanna feel sorry for her.
This is based on a true story. I wrote this story for a friend of mine last year who plays soccer in college. She wanted to be 11 years old in this story because that's her number. She was also 11 when bother her parents were still alive. My friend's Dad passed away from cancer when she was 12 and her Mom from the same disease when she was 18. This story is dedicated to her Mom, a well known and loved woman. She was also a Mother figure in my life, I have to admit myself. I hope you enjoy Hanna and her story of soccer as my friend did herself. -J. Glen Pollard
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Ohhh, I've missed all you AP'ers! Here's a series of poems i've been working on, as always, nothing special!
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1. Understanding
Giver of all wisdom,
I don’t understand
Maker of my heart
I can’t seem to feel
Creator of all joy
Why can’t I feel it?
I think I am off
I think I am weird
I think I am different
I think I am wrong
Yes, Lord, I sin
Yes, Lord, I’m human
Yes, Lord, I wallow
Yes, Lord, I’m wrong