“Don’t give up…”

I’ve been away from the news, and from social media, quite a bit lately. But I wanted to post this today, and ask for your prayers for continued healing for my friend.

Ten days ago my dear friend, EG Kight, was attacked by 3 dogs, while walking down the country road by her house, a road she’s walked for over 40 years…

I drove down the next day to help her in any way I could. Seeing the wounds, and hearing her recount the events, I’m amazed that she did all the right things to protect herself from further harm, and possible death, and how she seemed to have an invisible circle of protection around her. It is an absolute miracle that she’s alive…

http://www.13wmaz.com/news/local/east-dublin-singer-eg-kight-survives-dog-attack-it-was-just-so-horrific/518291457

As horrific as it’s been for her, she’s been overwhelmed, and often moved to tears, at the outpouring of love she’s received. She’s trying to keep up with the thousands of facebook comments, private messages, text messages, emails, and phone calls. And the cards and letters, and flowers and other gifts are still coming in…

In the midst of all this, I’m reminded of the power of faith, hope, and perseverance.

And I’m reminded of a song she wrote several years ago, whose lyrics hit so close to home right now.

DON’T GIVE UP
©EG Kight / Georgia Songbird Music (BMI)

I know it’s looking dark on your side of the road
And you need someone to help lighten your load
Don’t give up, help is on the way
It’s right around the corner, have faith, don’t be afraid

You may be feeling lower than a rattlesnake
You’re crawling in the mud, can’t seem to find your way
Don’t give up, help is right around the bend
It won’t be long till you’re back on your feet again

Just give it to the Good Lord, He knows what to do
To lift your heavy burden, and take care of you
No matter where you are, or where you’ve been
Just take Him by the hand and let Him be your friend
Don’t give up, let the Good Lord do His thing
Before you know it, your spirit will be soaring again

You can lose patience when you’re tired of the fight
And you don’t see no relief in sight
He knows that you’re hurtin’ and so confused
Just give it all to the Lord and turn it loose
Don’t give up, just let Him do His thing
Soon your spirit will be soaring again

Don’t give up, Don’t give up
Just let the Good Lord do His thing
Don’t give up, Don’t give up
Soon your spirit will be soaring again

EG loves to entertain, and inspire her audiences. Who knew that one day her own lyrics would lift her up, and remind her to not give up, and that “soon her spirit will be soaring again.”

Click below to hear her sing it.
https://www.reverbnation.com/egkight/song/21750895-dont-give-up.

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What are we thankful for?

It’s that time of year again, when we stop, step back from the weekly grind, and remember what we’re thankful for.
And it just seems fitting that I re-post something I wrote many Thanksgivings ago, because it still fits, and it’s all still very true…

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GRATITUDE

There is a day in this country set aside for giving thanks, yet every day I try to express my
appreciation for life and love and all that comes with it

My heart is full of gratitude for the friends who see me for who I am,
know my heart,      and stand by me as I stand in my truth

And I am grateful for the lessons learned from the disillusionment of
relationships that no longer serve me
and for each step of the unabashed movement toward my    higher purpose

I am grateful for the realizations in the aftermath that
nothing is as it seems
and that sometimes reality is merely an illusion

I am thankful for the liberation that comes with letting go, with no ill will
only appreciation for the time spent on that particular path
remembering that without honest and sincere communication –
the foundation upon which relationships are built        and maintained –
there is no real relationship

I am thankful for a year of dreams realized, of unimagined spiritual moments
shared with those to whom I don’t feel the need to explain

I am thankful for the journey to the mountaintop
for the extraordinarily breathtaking display of fall colors in Vermont
reminders of the beauty that is in and around us
humble reminders to keep open our eyes and our hearts

I give thanks for the compassion felt for those who don’t have the capacity
for those who can’t or won’t open themselves enough to truly love
and for the understanding that no one can love us until they truly love themselves

I am grateful for the true friends who love unconditionally
who love through it all and give of themselves expecting nothing in return

I am beholden to the men in my life who have caused my heart to flutter
and those who mangled it and left it for dead
for either way, they cause me to stop to remember the divine feminine in each of us

And I’m glad for the time I had with the most difficult of men
the ones whose anger and rage taught me what I will and will not tolerate

I thank humankind for the daily doses of pain and heartache that come,
sometimes relentlessly
teaching me, again,
that we all have an unlimited supply of patience, tolerance and love

I am thankful for the growth that comes from leaving behind old hurts
and frustrations and fears
old scars from childhood or wounds from recent battles
because it is in the tearing down that we are built back up

I am thankful for the voices of all humanity, and of those on the other side
who talk to me, in the daylight and in my dreams
whispering the secrets of the universe to me,
knowing I will carry them close to my heart

I am grateful for strangers, who upon approaching, aren’t afraid to make eye contact
who acknowledge the divine in me, as I do in them

I am grateful for the children, the tiny messengers of hope,
who reach inside me and touch my heart and awaken my soul in ways that
bring  me  to  my   knees

I am thankful for the memories of all my friends and enemies, here and on the other
side,
because the time they gave me and the lessons they taught me
will forever be part of me, part of who I am to be

I am thankful for the dark times and the tears that have come in the night
silently slipping out of their bottomless well, reminding me that I’m human

I can’t express enough gratitude for my family, who, though I don’t see them often
remind me of where this journey began, who recognize themselves in me,
as I do in them,
and who remind me of the innate potential in every moment, in every breath

I am grateful that I am never lonely, for there are always words to keep me company
words – the gifts given to us to aid in expressing our truest selves
and I’m grateful for the gift of freedom we have in this country to use those words

I am grateful for music, that sweet universal language that often speaks without words,
in times of intense emotion, reaching in and touching the very core of who we are

I thank the universe for the still, quiet moments
those fragments of time that allow communion with all that is and all that will be

And above all, I am thankful for
trust
and faith
and love
and knowing
for these are the things that sustain me
when all else
. . . . . . . . .. . . . . . .  . . f a l l s
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . a w a y

©Sunny Stephens  /  11-22-07

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