Doris Ada Mary Lawrence

Weoley Castle, Birmingham

I was born on 25th August 1935 in Birmingham. Although I have never married, I am an aunt and great aunt. I live with my mother whose family has its roots in Ireland and I think I have inherited their literary talent. I am involved in the Legion of Mary in our local parish which means I do a lot of visiting the sick and housebound. My hobbies are playing the keyboard, reading and sometimes composing melodies as well as writing poetry; also studying the Spanish language. My spiritual poems come from meditation and I have had one poem put to music by a publisher in Nashville.

The Prodigal Son

Luke 14:33
There was once a rich man with two sons he
held dear, when one day the youngest one
said: "Father let me have my inheritance
and I'll be on my way"; to this the poor
Father's heart bled. But the Father's love
was greater than self and the bargain he'd
already agreed; so the boy with the coin
unwittingly went to dwell in the land
of the obscene.

In the den of iniquity he squandered his gain
and when his purse was empty of gold
The hearts that had warmed to him when he
eagerly paid, found those same hearts had
turned on the cold.

Because of his riches he had no trade at his
hands, and now he was short of the bread.
In the sty he would lie with pigs, as
companions nearby and with relish eat off
their locust of fed.

In his misery and loneliness his thoughts turned
to home and he said to himself: "What a
fool I have been. Even my Father's servants
have more to eat than I" and so decided to
vacate that scene.

In the heat of the day he went on his way, his
clothing all tattered and torn, To return
to his home no more would he roam was the
Prodigal Son all forlorn.

When he was some distance from home
his Father did see the form of his Son
in his sight; with a heart full of joy
he ran to the boy, for he knew that things
were alright.

"Forgive me, " he said to his Father. "For
I have sinned against heaven and you;
With tears in his eyes and love in his
heart, his Father replies to the servants
within sound, "Go quick and kill the
fatted calf for my Son who was lost has
been found!"

From the fields he returns, the eldest boy
learns, that his Brother has decided to
come home; without much delay in an uppity
way, straight to the Father he goes for a
moan.

"Father" he said "I am with you all the
time, yet you kill for me no fatted
calf, but you do this for that wastrel
Son of yours on his behalf!"

"My boy!" the Father replied. "You are
with me always and everything I have you
own. It is only right that we should
rejoice and celebrate because your
Brother who was dead has come to life
and come home."