Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep - From Cradle To The Grave

I don't often give away the backstory for my writing but I am. So I was in the shower, thinking about a tattoo idea I have. I want to do a child kneeling in prayer while held in a pair of hands on my calf. And Then I thought it would be great to do an old man praying in a pair of hands on my other calfs. And then I was inspired to write this.


"A little child lays his head on the pillow
Offering a simple prayer to God above
Thankful for mommy and daddy
And to keep the monsters out of his head
Faith so innocent, so pure
A picture that one wishes they could capture forever
Knowing all the while that age will bring the weight of the world
And this simple faith will be push, tested, and in some cases destroyed
The lessons learned from simple bedtime prayers will travel a lifetime
Carrying us through our darkest hours and disappointments

A man kneels at the side of his bed in tears
The job he's placed his security in is gone and his marriage is headed in the same direction
He cries to God for some sign, for some peace
Life has not turned out how he'd imagine as a kid
The world has not been kind and life doesn't seem worth living
A cry for peace, for understanding for anything echoes off the ceiling
Has God heard the words he's screamed night in and out
Or have the words gotten chopped by the fan, never making it out of the room?
But a still small voice touches his heart
"Have no fear my son. I've got it under control."

An old man sits up his deathbed
Twilight has come and his family is gathered around him
He bows his head and offers a silent prayer
Thanking God for a blessed life
Gathering his family around him, he kisses them one last time
Ready to go meet the Father"

In the Midst Of...

We are all just broken people leading each other off the cliffs of madness
Searching for a hint of gladness
We dance like the crazed generation they proclaim us to be
We have hope in the unseen
Belief in a God who fixes our inner most beings
We get lost trying to make our own way
Stuck in the forest of life without anyone to guide us along these darkened tree lined paths
We have searched from sea to sea only to discover that God was before us all along and our searching was in vain
We dream through restless sleep as our spirit cries for more of you
Please don't withhold your Spirit from us as we desire to dig deeper into you
Our ship has found it's captain and You've steered us back on course
Guide us through the storms and the droughts as we navigate this world by Your word
Our merciful Father, we who are weary come to you
Let this desperate need for you not be vanquished