Spiritual Things Matter

_{Photograph by: Ryan Eng}

At the heart of our loss is gain
Unseen, and yet eternal.
At the heart of our gain is loss
Through too much knowing.
At the heart of our joys are mysteries
That remain untold.
At the heart of our tears is wisdom
Embracing the cycles of life-
Thus, finding stillness and peace within.

~Viola M. Jaynes
Nov. 2008

^{Photograph by: Sandy Carlson}

Quite suddenly there comes a time
When someone enters our life
Who so changes all that we are.
They invade our mind, our thoughts;
They find a direct path,
Piercing with such precision
Into the very center of us.

It is frightening
As the heart throbs with such passion.
Frightening,
As the mind races with unending longing.
Maddening, so maddening
As all else fades into a distant backdrop,
Leaving one utterly dumbfounded with confusion.

Such encounters are never forgotten.
Their presence etches a mark
Deep into our weeping hearts.
Perhaps with a cry, pleading to flee as far as possible,
Or, perhaps our tears long to heal its bitter parting;
For surely this rare encounter fades into a foggy distance
Never to be embraced again.

Viola Jaynes
Feb. 2009