He Is My Friend

WHO IS HE, ANYWAY?


I didn't pick him, and he didn't pick me,

But somehow through God's gratious workings, it happened.

He doesn't always make a very good cast when we fish together,

But he casts his net and touches the souls of thousands.

He doesn't have a lot of wealth, but he would give all he has to save me.

He's not the most brilliant person , but his wisdom is profound.

He's not the most handsome person on the planet,

But he is radiant in his love for others.

He is not the most eloquent in the nation,

But he has no trouble conveying his love for others.

He doesn't hear well anymore, but you know he's listening.

He has less hair, and its more gray,

But with his smile, he stands out in a croud.

His joints now creak like many of us, but he is there when you need him.

His eyesight is failing, but he always sees your pain.

What makes our friendship so great?

I need him. And he needs me. There is no hidden agenda.

Who is this profound person I call when I need someone?

He is Bob Haynes. And I love him, because -

He is my Friend.


Don Cohagan, Christmas 2005

My Physician's Prayer

THIS PHYSICIAN'S PRAYER



Heavenly Father, I praise you and glorify your Name.Thank you for loving me and directing my life in every way. I thank you for giving me the talents and opportunity to serve you by using me as a vessel to heal, to guide, and to give totally of my heart to all those in need. Thank you for letting me hear your Word in the rustling of the leaves, the whisper of the wind, the roar of waterfalls and the stillness of your heavens above.

I love You and I have followed your beckoning to serve You and my patients as you would guide me. In all my humanness, I may fail your laws and the laws of man, but by your grace and mercy, I am redeemed by the blood of your Son, if only I ask. I know you love me in my strengths as well as my weaknesses. Help me to ask your forgiveness when I realize I am less than perfect, and to praise your Name when my heart exceeds my reach with joy. You are my rock, my strength, and my peace. In You I have found life, and in You I will find rest.
.
Direct my hands and my decisions through every hour, so when I lie down and when I rise up, I will praise your Holy Name. I am your servant, Lord. Use me until I can be used no more, and I will sing your praises and glorify your Name forever more.

Amen


Donald L. Cohagan, MD
February 19, 2000

The Sycamore

You stand there alone, but others surround you.
But why does my eye fix only on you?
All your neighbors are significant, and beautiful in their own right,
Often taller, more splendid in their outreach. But you are special.

You alone are the one who survives when the going gets tough.
You reach within yourself to seek the source of life.
Then you display yourself in grandeur for all the world to see,
Robbed in white when others look so drab.

You alone survive when others fail,
For you know the very secret of survival.
You dig deeper than all the others to find the source ,
The secret to endure, where others fade away.

Your unique display is God’s way of beckoning others.
We all need what you know, so we should seek you out,
Come to you as you lead the way to what we need.
Your shimmering white gown is the beacon for our thirst.

You are the giant Sycamore.


dlc 3/2006

"Write a Poem for Me" She Said.

“Write a poem for me!", she said. “It will be beautiful, as always!”.


But where does the human spirit search for the ability to put into words
that which will seem beautiful to another?

We must look to the heart, into the very depths of the soul to find
Sufficiency for another. We are too inadequate in something so spiritual, so Beautiful, something that has no clear verbal explanation for that emotion
Which is born when two hearts are combined as one.

Perhaps turning again to Nature is the clearest path,
and the only natural path, for the Spirit.
The rain is falling again, making huge puddles in the yard and gushing rivers on the roads.
Such a sudden revelation of God’s Nature, to provide for us, to sustain us.
But the darkness, the coolness, the wetness makes the spirit of the heart long for the comfort,
The companionship, the things most longed for in the past, and even the present.

The patter on the roof. The warmth of the open fire. The softness of the favorite couch.
The sweet aroma Of that special soap, or perfume. The gentle caress of the human hand.
The strength and safety of The surrounding arms. The gentle breathing of relaxation, and the quiet throbbing of the contented heart.
There are those few precious moments in time when unconditional love is present, and even time stands still.

It is all-consuming, like the birthing water from which we came. Where life and sustenance are provided by another, Without asking.
These are the moments when shared hearts can be free, and open, and willing, and Unrestrained and consensual. They are special because they are freely given,
Freely taken, and freely shared. The heart is open, and Vulnerable, but is Unconditionally protected, and safe from all the sadness and wickedness of a voracious world.
Because it is real, and eternal, and Blessed, and shared.

These are the moments that give hope - when all “special people” and “things”, fail us.
These are the moments that restore Faith - when even truth seems unobtainable.
These are the moments that restore confidence - when all our personal abilities seem to fail us.
These are the moments that give passion to living and loving - when nothing resembles real beauty, or truth.
These are the moments that give birth to creativity - for they open the window of the mind to the universe of the heart.
These are the moments that are shared with another soul - for they give life to its meaning and purpose.

These are the moments that give the last vestige of joy to the human heart - for the memory of them
Gives that last, warm smile to the lips of the one who,
Long ago, knew true, unconditional love.

And remembers it well

- - at the very end.

dlc 4-29-2006