IN ABBA'S HOUSE by Cheryl Anne

Though I attended Catholic school as a child, and have spent most of my life in circles and services wherein the Divine is presented and spoken of primarily as "Father"; and I have prayed what is probably the most recognizable prayer of Christianity; The Lord's Prayer, also known as the "Our Father", thousands of times; I honestly don't know that I have ever felt a genuine closeness with a fatherly presence of the Divine.

My natural inclination (in the sense of the Masculine) has always been toward the Presence of Christ, as Lover/Beloved, Brother, and Friend. I also naturally strongly sense and engage Feminine Spiritual Presence. This has at times made navigating Christian community rather challenging. The following piece was written many years ago, at a time of such struggle; feeling estranged from the notion of God as Father.

IN ABBA'S HOUSE

In Abba’s House

there are many rooms~

the oft-told mansions in the sky,

love-lit and inviting;

this abode, this aboveness,

so seemingly removed.

And we here below

in mist and muck,

perfume and greenery,

mountain and meadow;

melodious ocean’s roar,

dove’s winged peace~

seabirds guard the heights,

keep watch and warn

the gentle golden dawn

of some ill-tempered god’s

stealthy approach.

Mother, may I

take three giant steps

toward the sane strains

of wind-whispered lullabies;

cleansing the air of war

and the dissonance of hatred?

May I dance

in the Third Heaven

with my Christed-Love;

silken cords binding

hands and hearts

filled to the full,

spilling kindness

like moonlight to blanket

uncertain shores?

My Shining Lady

and my Warmest Love,

should either of You

this night visit Abba’s House;

tell Him please, for me,

that I am finding it hard

to dance on my knees.

Cheryl Anne finds joy in the simplicity of sacred, ordinary life. She is deeply grateful for the brilliant, beautiful Persons and Presences; Celebrations and Solitudes she is blessed to encounter and engage with daily in Realms of Heart and Soul; Earth and Spirit. She is a great believer in Divine/Human Tenderness, Justice, Peace and Compassion. Her greatest joy is found in being with those she so dearly loves, and in the embrace and beauty of Nature.

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