I felt inspired to write a poem about my thoughts and experiences over the last several weeks with the whole lockdown situation. It's called, "The Empty Milk Jug". ❤️
Here are the lyrics:
“The Empty Milk Jug”
Sunlight fell upon my eyes
And woke me out of bed;
Then came those four glorious words
“We’re out of milk” they said.
Showing me the empty jug
My children seemed to know;
That lately nothing excited me more
Than having some place to go.
I floated to my closet
Wondering what I might just wear;
Who knew that going to the grocery store,
Could be such a grand affair?
It had been too long since I’d used a brush
Or put color on my face;
I almost forgot how it felt to wear jeans
As sweats had taken their place.
Grabbing my phone, my keys, my purse
The moment was finally here;
Then something caught my train of thought
A reflection in the mirror.
It was just an empty milk jug
Sitting on the floor;
But that sorry, empty, milk jug
Was my ticket out the door.
That precious golden ticket
Worth more to me than cash;
Had me feeling remorseful
When I put it in the trash.
I pulled out of the driveway
Feeling so alive;
My opportunity for freedom
Had finally arrived.
The music on the radio
Was honey to my soul.
I drifted off to a happy place
Almost forgetting where I needed to go.
Justified by a need for milk,
This came with much potential;
I now had a reason to be on the road
A reason deemed essential
In pursuit of detours
And trusting every feeling;
Never thought I’d see the day
Where construction looked so appealing.
Avoiding every short cut,
Doing ten in a twenty-five;
If driving to the store consumed my whole day,
I don’t think I would ever mind.
When I pulled into the parking lot
I had to rub my eyes;
So glorious was that grocery store
Choirs of angels filled the skies.
Now, I didn’t need a shopping cart
But I took one anyway;
And soon the cart began to fill up
In an unexpected way.
Were we out of lemons? No.
But today they looked so pretty.
And the watermelons were 30% off
Bought enough to feed the city.
Things seemed to be going quite well,
But something didn’t feel right;
The people were all so far away,
And seemingly so uptight.
Eyes looking to the ground,
Carts turning the other way;
I longed so much for a hopeful “hello”
But nothing came that day.
Not even a friendly, “welcome,
Are your finding everything okay?”
Or, “Thanks for coming into our store,
We hope you have a wonderful day.”
Searching for a smile,
Never felt like such a task;
Every face that filled that place
Was shrouded in a mask.
And though I did my best,
To elevate the mood;
It seemed as though my efforts
Were being wrongly viewed.
As an elderly woman struggled
To reach a jar of pears;
Her needs went unnoticed
As people were caught up in their own cares.
So, I kindly intervened,
And handed her the jar.
Among disapproving stares,
From both near and far.
Now, I wasn’t wearing gloves,
And I didn’t don a mask.
But you’d have thought that being kind
Was an impossible thing to ask.
Concerned about their safety,
And focused on their lists;
It seemed that for a moment,
Compassion didn’t even exist.
If just one person took the risk
Of acknowledging another;
Choosing to see them in the light
As their sister or their brother.
To show the world around them,
That love trumps fear;
And it starts with the reflection
Of the person in the mirror.
Because in our conditions,
We see what’s consequential;
But we’re blind to the facts
That kindness is essential.
On our shopping lists,
We’ve checked off eggs and cheese;
But what’s written in our hearts
Is the only list God sees.
Have we checked off charity?
And love for another?
Have we checked off smiles and hugs?
And service to another?
It’s clear to see this strategy,
The enemy has planned;
To hide our face is to hide our light,
Which surely darkens the land.
The enemy says, “wait, stop!
Get back in your place!”
“You are such a hazard
By not covering your face.”
“Yes, you are dangerous,
When you shine your light;
I want you to stay quarantined.
You must stay out of sight.”
“Keep those hands tucked away,
Who knows what they’ve touched;
Do not use them, not one bit
Thank you very much.”
His plan in place, he sits and waits
And watches anxiously;
As the human race, hides away,
And has no place to be.
The days pass by and then the weeks,
And soon we all forget;
Just how it feels to shine our light
That flame no longer lit.
The human connection cut off,
Because handshakes and hugs are vital;
So, by keeping us all apart,
Our hands might become idle.
And if we are to be God’s hands,
To lift His children up;
And testify to a fallen world,
That He drank the bitter cup.
Then our hands must stay busy.
Never letting a day go by;
Where we haven’t used them tirelessly
To bring more souls to Christ.
Because when His loves consumes us,
We are freed from fear and hate;
And all of our former struggles,
Seem to quickly dissipate.
Bitterness has no value,
And prejudice takes no root;
Uniting in love, with our God above,
Becomes our only pursuit.
We can conquer the enemy,
One smile at a time;
And break the bands of bondage,
As He heals our heart and mind.
That’s what freedom truly is,
And what it will always be;
When we surrender all we have,
To be at the Master’s feet.
Well, as I loaded up my car
And made my way back home;
I felt a sudden renewed purpose
And didn’t feel so alone.
My mind wandered back,
To the reason that led me here,
The reason that I left my house;
Was now becoming so clear.
It was just an empty milk jug
Sitting on the floor;
But somehow that empty milk jug,
Became something so much more.
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