Young Girl In Blue

Young Girl In Blue

Man

Lovely girl dressed in blue,

what now grows inside of you?

Though they say you know no man,

how are you now fertile land.

Surely you have known his touch,

in the shadows you did clutch.

In the darkness you must hide,

sin that you now hold inside.

Little girl don't be afraid,

no one hears what we now say.

We will end this thing in you,

I have come to mentor you.

Girl         

 Evil one you speak a lie,

all I hold is love inside.

It is true I know no man,

yet God made me fertile land.

The only touch I have known,

is love from God's very throne.

Here I pray within His sight,

in the shadow of His might.

Evil one you surely know,

from God's sight we never go.

When the darkness covers me,

His bright light does help me see.

Evil one can you not see,

God's own very life in me.

Inside me God's very son.

Inside me the Holy One.

God is king of all we see,

God has blessed each fertile seed.

In each life God breathes His breath.

God does conquer sin and death.

(Pray for Life!)

From "Poems in the Shade of the Tree of Life"  by Dan Strizak

Copyright 2016 Daniel Strizak

Rachel, Rachel

Rachel, Rachel

Hush, hush your little beating heart,

they seek you now to tear apart.

Still safe within this God blessed womb,

soon it will be a stone cold tomb.

You little one, you have no name.

Your Father loves you all the same.

Your mother, Rachel, won't forget,

her bitter tears are flowing yet.

Rachel, she still calls out in pain.

She knows and calls your unborn name.

And God will hear her weeping voice,

His gift of life is not our choice.

Rachel, Rachel please weep for me,

for what I did not do, you see.

For all the times I did not speak,

for when His will I did not seek.

Rachel, Rachel, remember me,

and all those broken hearts near thee.

With tears of love you shower all,

as rain from God forever falls.

Hush, hush be still and hear Him call,

that still small voice within us all.

No man born can extinguish it,

that light of love is always lit.

(Pray for Life!)

From "Poems in the Shade of the Tree of Life"  by Dan Strizak

Copyright 2016 Daniel Strizak

Goodbye, Goodbye Arizona

My wife and I live in Mobile, Alabama while my immediate family live in the Phoenix, Arizona area. My wife and I visited them many times yet my family only visited us on a few occasions. We would visit them only every few years because of the long distance involved. My mom and dad are now passed away but I can still remember the last time I visited them.

My sister had called and told us my mom was dying. We arranged a trip by car to Arizona to see her. She recovered before we started our trip but we still decided to visit anyway. Mom had been on the verge of death and the doctors had considered her recovery a miracle. My mom had a stroke many years earlier and could not talk well. The lord put it on my heart to talk to her. I held a certain amount of bitterness inside for things concerning both my parents. I spent a lot of our travel time thinking about what to say to my mom. I was getting nowhere and I kept hearing God say don't worry I'll help when it is time.

When I got there I saw my mom in the hospital and she more or less seemed her old self. The next day when I visited I decided to talk to her. I was about to talk when all of a sudden a memory from years ago popped into my mind out of nowhere. It was a memory of my uncle funeral in Chicago. I had driven my mom and dad to my uncle's funeral. Afterwords my mom wanted to visit her parent's grave that was in the same graveyard. It took us a while but finally my dad found it. My mom no longer attended mass regularly and I was shocked when she knelt down and placed her hand on her daddy's grave. I heard her say two words that were clear despite her stroke. "Thank you" This blew me away. I knew at once what was happening. My mom probably had never said this to her dad while he was alive but she had wanted to. I knew now what I needed to say. God was giving me a chance to say the same thing to her while she was still alive. I looked my mom in the face and told her about this. I told her very clearly "Thank you" As I said this all the bitterness evaporated from my mind and I felt my heart lightened and at peace. I could only remember good things. Since my mom couldn't speak well I did not receive a response but I knew she heard me and would hold this in her heart.

Right before we headed back to Alabama my wife and I drove my dad back to his apartment from the hospital. When we got there I felt God telling me "OK, now your dad" My dad and I were on different pages. If he said something was white, I would say it was black. We argued a lot and he always seemed closer to my siblings than my self. I felt I could never do anything good enough for him. I told him we needed to talk so we went into his room. When we got there I knew what to say. I looked at him and I told him "Thank you" He grabbed me and put his arms around me and told me he loved me.

For the first time I felt perfect acceptance and love and was closer than I had ever been to my father. Of yes, and to my earthly father too. It was the last time I saw my mom or dad alive. The last time I saw them we were at peace. What a wonderful gift my heavenly father gave me.

Copyright 2016 Daniel Strizak

This Dark Night

This is a poem about the death of my Aunt and Godmother.

This Dark Night

I stand here now on this dark night,

as one by one they leave my sight.

Family now gone beyond my view,

ones who I loved now passing through.

Ones who had kissed me on the cheek,

ones who stood firm when I was weak.

When I was young they towered tall,

and stood near You O Lord of all.

To each You gave a special gift,

and blessed them with a holy kiss.

Each a reflection of Your face,

they hold for me a special place.

A Easter morn, a Christmas Day,

a family barbecue in May.

The smell of chicken on the grill,

as if all time was standing still.

God bless this soul now passing through,

hold her now in Your arms near You.

Bless now each life that she did touch,

and know we loved her O so much.

Copyright 2016 Daniel Strizak

Tiny One

Tiny One

Tiny as a mustard seed,

dancing like a tumbleweed.

Out of sight and under foot,

just where will you set your root.

Tiny one you are so small,

dreaming of the sky so tall.

Visions way beyond your sight,

ever reaching for that light.

Wind and water, drought and rain,

test you yet you still remain.

Bursting forth you set your root,

sending out a tiny shoot.

Time and time and time again,

towards the light you grow and bend.

Tiny shoot now muscle bound,

spreads your shadow all around.

Giant one with majesty,

king among the other trees,

what then will you leave behind,

what gift is it we will find?

As I look upon the ground,

there a speck is barely found.

What has fallen near my feet?

Just another mustard seed.

From "Poems in the Shade of the Tree of Life"  by Dan Strizak

Copyright 2016 Daniel Strizak

My Grandmothers Hidden Gift

This is a true story about a hidden gift that my grandmother on my mother's side left for me. I didn't know about it until many years after her death. It was a special gift, an inheritance, more precious than the finest gold, yet she probably never meant it to see the light of day.

I have received several inheritances before from people I loved. I am not rich but comfortable, never expecting any money from anyone. In most cases I received these gifts well before my loved ones died. They were special gifts.

From my mom and dad I received my Catholic faith which anchored my love for God and peace of heart. From my grandmother on my dads side I saw a deep appreciation she had for Jesus, the Holy Spirit holding and rocking me at night when I stayed at her apartment. My great aunt on my mother's side opened my eyes to see and help those nearby me who were weaker than myself. My great uncle left me the analytical problem solving skills that I have used over the years to make my living. My mother-in-law and father-in-law always welcomed me and showed their love openly. My father-in-law was also a close friend who always shared his wisdom. These are just a few that come to mind.

My grandmother on my mother's side showed my siblings and I a special tender love. She was the first one to stand behind me when I was young and first setting out on my own. Years after she died my father found a prayer hidden inside a holy statue she had left behind. It was a prayer written to Mary and Jesus. I will show this prayer but first I must explain a few things about Catholic beliefs.

Mary is a prayer partner who is a powerful intercessor and is always close to her son. (see my post on Mary, Who and Why - July 6, 2016). My grandmother's prayer was to Mary as intercessor and Jesus as God and savior.

Holy statues are not idols that we pray to anymore than we would pray to a pictures of our family. Holy statues are reminders of holy people, places or events, representing a sculpture's three dimensional prayer frozen in time. When I was young my family visited the New York worlds fair and we saw "The Pieta" by Michelangelo. I was not into art then but when I saw it I was blown away.  It was as if Mary was holding her dead son in front of me and suddenly someone had frozen them in time. This prayer is still etched in my mind.

The first question I have asked myself is why would someone place a written prayer inside a statue? Once the prayer is prayed God will receive it and remember it for all time so what is the point? Maybe she left this so she could join her prayer with the sculpture's prayer. Then every time she saw the statue she would remember her prayer. Maybe it is a message in a bottle, scattered into the world for someone to find. A message for someone to discover when God deemed it was the right person and the right time. That person was my dad who shared this with me. Below is my grandmother's prayer:

"Dear Blessed Mother, Dear Jesus. Thank you very much. I must not grumble. Take care of my dear ones. Protect them always. Keep them all safe and well, both my families!
Thank you, dear God."

My family is full of good God loving people but they are human. My family, on both sides, has ethnic and religious divisions. This prayer by my grandmother asks God to breach all those divisions with his love. She did this out of pure love and this prayer now stands as a blessing for every single person in my family and in my wife's. Every time I see a breach healed I know I am seeing this prayer come to life, just like I saw the Pieta come to life. I stand and remain blessed by my grandmother's prayer.

Now you may ask what is the gift that I will leave? I too will leave a hidden gift, a message in a bottle. I will leave my words, my posts, my written pictures of God I have seen with my earthly dim vision of him. May these posts bless my family on both sides. May they bless anyone who finds them. May they bless me but once, but everyone else to their last generation.

May God bless all of you!

Copyright 2016 Daniel Strizak

Heart of Blue

Heart of Blue

My badge, my gun, my heart of blue,

so firm and tall I stand for you.

When trouble stretches out its reach,

there I will be to fill the breach.

I will stand for you.

I do not care just who you are,

I'll cover you from near or far.

I'll run to trouble, blind from fear,

my beating heart I will not hear.

I will stand for you.

If my last efforts fall and fail,

if I fall short upon my trail,

know that you will not be alone,

my brother blue will stand as stone.

He will stand for you

Brother who fell I weep for you,

brother my hero, heart so true.

Brother before God standing tall,

brother for me he gave his all.

I will pray for you.

Dan Strizak