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| Billie Silvey |
| August 2007 |
| I prayed. Over and over again I prayed for the desire of my heart, For a home by the ocean, For the crush of sand beneath my feet. To contemplate the blue sea Flowing far away, Falling over the horizon. You heard my prayer. I prayed And You gave me a home with a view of the ocean, Where I could sit, protected by locked glass doors, And watch the ships in the harbor, Sailboats on weekends, The colored lights of ferry boats Giving visibility on black ocean nights Inspiring me. You granted me rest. Is this not what You have called me to? The ocean is my heart’s desire, My refuge, a place of peace, Filled with Your Might, Teeming with life, Much of it below the surface where I cannot see. I prayed And I walked along the surf, And the breakers rolled in and lapped around my feet, Sometimes the swells returning The debris of man’s castoff refuse. And as I prayed Slowly the ache in my heart subsided For You were there in the whitecaps, In the fish jumping, In the dolphins playing in the sea, In the birds dancing in and out of the saturated sand. You were there in the power of the waves crashing, In each pattern as the water spread into thin foamy pools Eventually washing clean the scars imprinted on the beach. I prayed In the loneliness, For time with my children. And they came. We played in the water, my family and I, Spray across our faces, Kimberly and Rachel princesses in sand castles; Joshua at one with the water showing us how to body surf, To swim out and allow the waves to roll us back in, Heather tumbling and spinning Giving the unborn Sophia a roller coaster ride The water carrying her where it would, Shawn laughing as Rachel pulled Heather back to shore. I prayed And you awoke me early one morning To savor Your sunrise, The sky filled with cotton candy pink clouds The sun rising over the horizon beneath, The heavens reflecting pink light Spread across the water Like a pool of melted crayon, Four stadium lights on a solitary ship Creating golden paths across the shimmering pink harbor. I prayed On the day of the storm. You showed me the ocean a mighty force, The waves crashing over the barrier The wind whipping across the balcony Rain knocking against my locked glass doors Bulging them inward, A subdued hint of Your Power In the water, in the wind, in the storm. I prayed And you gave me a home, Where family and friends may come, Where physical and spiritual healing is possible, Where I have seen Your Everlasting Lovingkindness. And like the waves, Father, You carry me where You want me to be And You call to me. I walk along the shore and I ask, Although afraid of what You might say. You have given me the desire of my heart; What is it You ask of me? 07/24/07 Nancy Ellen Dodd |
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| The Mighty Ocean |
| A writer and editor with many voices, Nancy Dodd received her Master’s in Professional Writing (MPW) from the University of Southern California with a concentration in dramatic writing/screenwriting and her MFA in playwriting at the USC School of Theatre. She has received awards for her writing and her short stories have aired on public radio. Her journalistic career includes publishing more than 125 articles in local and national publications. Currently on faculty at Pepperdine University, Nancy teaches screenwriting and serves as editor of the Graziadio Business Report, an online business practitioner’s journal. The photo above is Nancy's view from her oceanfront home. |