30 years ago...

A 20 year old college student wrote this:

"1-7-1974

The rain washed the world away.
Everything looks pale
Like a watercolor picture
the colors fade and run togeter
Leaving my world
dim and blurry,
Uncertain.

I am no exception:
My soul is washed & diluted
As I worry about untangling my world,
Redrawing the lost lines
Trying to clarify, seperate the blurs.

I am a child with watercolors,
Drawing stick figures and purple suns,
Crushed and wondering why they don't look real.

The Master Painter comes, and lovingly
shows the child a few of her mistakes.
He warns her,
'It shall be long before you will be able to correct these
But I will teach you as you are able to understand.
Now, let Me paint your world!'

He does, with the Master's touch
And with His fine, practiced stroke
He repaints me,
Brighter than I will ever be able."

Now, 30 years later, that college student has been happily married for 25 years and has two teenage daughters of her own. I'm the oldest of the two.

I found a notebook down in our basement full of writings from before, during, and after my mother's college years. As I read through it, I become more and more amazed at how much my mom experienced that I'm going through as well. All these poems, her heartcrys at the time, are the same things I feel and experience. For once I have a sympathy and an understanding and connection with my mom that I've never had before! It's amazing to see that, even though it's hard for her to understand now, she knew once what I am going through, and she personally experienced a lot of the same things herself. It's very encouraging to read her pain and joy and confusion and know that things turned out ok in the end.

"12-?-73

Trust in the Lord,
With all your heart...
There's so much to learn,
so many things I want to know---
now."