God’s love is not a fleeting thing, Not bound by what tomorrow brings. It does not fade when skies turn gray, Or turn its gentle face away. It lives within the broken heart, The soul that’s slowly torn apart. It finds us when we’ve lost our way, And gives us strength to face the day. God’s love is not reserved for saints, Or only those whose faith remains. It reaches down through guilt and shame, And whispers softly, "I know your name." It doesn't ask that we be strong, Or punish us for getting wrong. It sees the scars we try to hide, And takes its place right by our side. When prayers are met with silent skies, And tears are all that fill our eyes, When every answer seems unknown, God's love reminds us we're not alone. It does not promise skies of blue, Or roads where sorrow can't break through. But even when the mountains fall, His love remains beyond it all. And when we kneel beneath the weight, Of dreams that died and wounds too great, He doesn't count the times we've cried, He simply stays there by our side. For God's love isn't something earned, A prize for lessons we have learned. It's grace that meets us where we stand, A father's heart, an open hand. By Jason Strickland 2/8/1999

And I only had to spend one night in the hospital. They corrected one blockage with a medicated baloon but did not place a stent this time.

I am going in to have an Angiogram by way of catherization so they can see what state my heart is in. This will be on Friday morning Arizona time 8:30 am. I have been through this proceedure many times but it is always under some risk. I only ended up in ICU one time as a result. Please pray for me. Thank you.

I met @Jason Strickland through his community "The Art of Poetry". He is truely one of the best poets I have ever come across I will let him share his story with you all but I am so pleased that he has joined us. Please welcome him to the community. Jason feel free to share here and introduce yourself.

Hello every, and thank you Zane my friend and brother for creating this group. I'm not that good with introductions so this is who I am. I wrote this going through one of the toughest struggles in my life. I lost my wife and best friend of 30 years unexpectedly. So 30 years and I'm 51 years old so we got together our freshman year in highschool. Ever since she has passed I've been writing poetry daily. I believe God has blessed me with words as a way to express my feelings and emotions. I didn't write any poetry since college so 1998. I guess you could call it life was to.busy or writers block, ever since my wife passed 7 years ago I can't stop writing. Sorry to ramble on but I'm excited about this community. My Faith Won't Bend or Break I have stood in storms that knew my name, that leaned in close and whispered doubt, that rattled every window of my heart and tried to blow the light right out. I have carried nights like heavy stones, each one engraved with loss and fear, stacked so high upon my chest I wondered how I still stood here. But somewhere under shattered prayers, beneath the questions, raw and loud, a quiet ember held its breath a stubborn spark inside the cloud. It didn’t shout. It didn’t shine. It didn’t promise perfect days. It simply stayed when everything else went searching for an easier way. I bent my knees. I bowed my head. I argued with the dark awhile. Still, something in my ribcage said, Get up. You’re not done walking miles. My faith isn’t glass. It doesn’t glitter. It’s iron warmed by open flame scarred and tempered by the fall, stronger every time it’s named. It has fingerprints of grief, dirt under every hopeful nail, and yet it grips the morning tight when all the proof says I should fail. I’ve lost the map. I’ve cursed the road. I’ve limped through chapters torn and thin. Still heaven hums inside my bones Begin again. Begin again. Let thunder roll its brutal drums. Let oceans rise and cities shake. I’ve met despair. I’ve lived through worse.