POEMS
I’m Made Of
What I’ve Learned …
I’m made of strength.
I’m made of knowledge.
I’m made of wisdom.
I’m made of courage.
I’m made of fighting power.
I’m made of victories and defeats.
I’m made of the ability to thrive.
I’m made of boundaries and limits.
I’m made of yes’s and no’s.
I’m made of faith.
I’m made of letting go and holding on.
I’m made of getting through and moving on.
I’m made of healing.
How I’m made …
I’m made of beauty.
I’m made of good stock.
I’m made of big bones and cushy, soft brown skin.
I’m made of love from my Heavenly Father.
I’m made of nurturing and encouraging words.
I’m made of love for myself and others.
I’m made of laughter and jokes.
I’m made of logical thoughts.
I’m made of skills to lead.
I’m made of talent.
Where I’m Going …
I’m made of vision.
I’m made of beginnings and endings.
I’m made of fresh starts and new paths.
I’m made of new adventures.
I’m made of traveling feet.
I’m made of decisions and possibilities.
I’m made of “I can do it”.
That’s what I’m made of.
— IDS 3/26/24
The Abuser
Protecting the abuser is what I learned.
Abuse is to be accepted and not to be challenged.
Who says that?
Who does that?
I have.
I always felt like a victim of abuse with no defense against my abusers.
Thinking they would never change; I held my abusers hostage to my unforgiveness.
I wanted them to pay for the pain they caused me.
Pain from their abuse consumed me.
The Lord came to heal my abuse.
He came to help me set my abusers free.
He said, “They’ve been forgiven. So have you.”
“You can forgive them just like I’ve forgiven you.”
How can I hold them hostage to their sinful ways when the Lord has forgiven me of mine?
With the Lord’s help and lots of time, I forgave them.
I set my abusers free.
He told me, “Well done my child. You’ve set them free.
But there’s one last abuser I need you to see.”
He took my hand and walked me to the mirror of His reflection.
Standing there, He opened my eyes.
He showed me the last abuser was ME.
As I looked in the mirror, I saw the look of regret and sadness on my abuser’s face.
She was in chains.
I saw anger in her eyes and sadness on her face.
From her neck down to her legs she was bound in chains of self-hatred.
Her hands and feet were bound with chains of regret.
He said, “Set her free. Forgive her.
I died for her and forgave her too.”
If I can set my other abusers free, I can certainly do the same for myself.
With the Lord’s help and lots of time, I forgave myself.
I set my abuser free.
I saw her countenance change from sadness to joy.
Her chains of regret and self-hatred fell to the ground.
Peace covered her.
She smiled at me, waved her hand, and walked away.
I turned to the Lord asking, “Now what do I do?”
He grabbed my hand as He held my heart and we turned and walked away.
The abuser has been forgiven.
I forgave ME.
— IDS 10/24/23