Letting Go

by Cheryl Merrick

The time has come
for letting go
of hopes, dreams,
and yearnings
for a relationship
which can not be
in this life.

The time has come
for letting go 
of old lingering hurts,
for ending the manipulation,
and for ceasing to enable 
another to demean me.

Making Whole

by Cheryl Merrick

Though I sorrow 
for the prison you are in
and know you did not choose it,
I am powerless to release you.

Only by opening the door
to Him who stands and knocks
can you be freed.

Only He has the power
to make you whole 
and heal your broken
heart and mind.

I'm Here At Last!

by Cheryl Merrick
Though, it has taken six months; 
the fog has finally lifted.
The constant, crushing fatigue is abating.
No longer am I stumbling around:
dopy, confused, and jittery.

Relishing the ability to think, 
 remember, see, and move; 
 I care for myself.
Hopeful that my hard earned
 ability to make competent decisions
 will ensure continued health;
 I face each day. 

My "Healing"

by Cheryl Merrick

Viewing both my body and spirit as weak,
I endured poor health.

I prayed for decades to be healed,
only to finally realize that
the "healing" I wanted
would have meant changing
who I am, my very nature.

In great wisdom, the Lord,
instead, has led me
to see myself
as He does,
and to be what He knows
I can become.

Why Wasn't I Healed?

by Cheryl Merrick
I pled for healing,
but it didn't happen.
I had children. They grew up,
and now I'm a grandmother.
Was I ever healed?

Yes, the Lord is making me whole,
but not by correcting some
defect in my body.
Instead, He is healing my soul,
by helping me understand
and accept who I am.

With this understanding,
I can set the limits I need,
avoid becoming over-stressed,
and, at last,
be healed.

The Empath

by Cheryl Merrick

Open to the energy around me
     I feel both others warmth and their joy,
     and their fears and anxiousness to be loved.

I cringe in pain
     when I see an animal hurt or
     a tree with a branch broken.

Cruelty, selfishness, and violence
     are incomprehensible to me.

Feeling others pain, suffering, and stress,
I yearn to heal them.

Second Chance

by Cheryl Merrick

Who would have thought,
after 50 years of illness,
that I would have a second chance?

Instead of being confined to my home
with headaches, nauseousness,
achiness, and extreme fatigue,
most days I'm out walking.

No longer am I restricted
to a few rooms in my home,
but roam hillsides and parks.

Desert Adjustment

by Cheryl Merrick

Seeing miles and miles of desert landscape
stretching out desolately before me,
I cringed.

Could I be happy here?
With a heart longing for 
refreshing green canyons,
cool rushing water,
and towering trees arching overhead,
I began my new life in the desert.

Now a year later,
my eyes are soothed 
by the many greens of the desert shrubs,
and my heart gladdened by the exquisite beauty
of even the tiniest desert flower.

An Afternoon with Diana

by Cheryl Merrick

Seeing your eyes bright

and following movement,

You responding to sounds, and

Your relaxed stretching out

instead of clenching into a small ball,

I know you are getting stronger

and will be all right.

Inside I feel my grandmother’s heart healing

as I hold you lovingly in my arms,

cherishing these special moments

we have together.