Women

---

MATTIE RUTH

Mattie Ruth is my true close friend;
Our forever friendship will never end.
Mattie is Black and comes from the South.
I am White and was born in the North.
Enemies we really should be,
but God's Love and Nature ...
the truth He made us to see.

To paraphrase the two Great Commandments:
Thou shalt love Almighty God with thy
whole heart, thy whole mind, and thy whole soul.
And likewise ... your neighbor and all creatures.

In my life, Mattie was the missing link.
Her true devotion to Holy God
made me think and think and think.
Mattie had owned a Christian Store for five years.
(a lifelong dream)
Along the way there were lots of tears ...
"How am I going to pay this month's rent?"
(but The Lord she trusted all the way)
For the first three years,
the people God sent.
Then no one came into the store anymore to buy.
Though His different blessings He did pour.
Many little ones came to talk and to cry.
Mattie listened to our every sigh.
For you see, I was one of them
and Mattie was our loving God-like gem.

I remember walking by Mattie's store
and through the door ...
when I peeked inside,
there was our Mattie on her knees in
prayer to Father God.
He is her ALL on this pilgrimage's sod.

Her store called "The Gift of Life"
had to close
and back down South she goes.
The Evil Ones -- our many foes ...
try so hard to hurt Father King.
Yet the bells still ring ... and
the beautiful Hymns the people still sing.
The Evil Ones can never take
The Almighty One away.
He is the One who makes unfurl our every day.
He makes possible each and every
golden sunshine's ray.
He has the final say.

He is in charge of our varied seasons ...
-- the wind -- the rain --
-- the sun -- the snow --
-- the flowers -- the leaves --
-- the rainbows --
He has His reasons.

He is in charge of you and me,
and in our lives what comes to be.
In sickness and trials,
He is there to give us aid.
For our many blessings,
of Happiness and Joy that He's made ...
He awaits our thanksgiving and our love ...
for ALL HIS LOVE FREELY GIVEN.

The Lord God brought
Mattie Ruth and Diane-Lynn
together as two sisters in Christ's love ...
to walk hand in hand and teach others
that no matter the land of our birth,
the color of our skin,
the history of our peoples ...
we can follow God's Commandments
and our hearts can become one under
His varied Church's Steeples.

Instead of division and subtraction,
when it comes to His people and His creatures,
take HIS LOVE and learn
addition and multiplication.

Mattie is no longer in my State of New Jersey.
North Carolina has its beautiful Saint back.
Mattie told me when God takes He always replaces.

MATTIE RUTH SIMMS, I love you, and NO(!) for me
HE WILL NEVER REPLACE Y-O-U !!!

In humble Faith, Hope, and Charity,
and In Universal Love,

/s/ Diane-Lynn Broda

copyrighted: lifelong

---

PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE