Songs of My Heart

By Lucila Rollins

A dream is a mysterious realm that has always fascinated me, and I have always been fortunate enough to receive a dream or two each night. They have always had an ethereal quality, impalpable and spiritual.

The Songs of My Heart are descriptions of dreams I have had that have stayed with me and provided a secret doorway, if you will, to the world of my childhood and then to an ideal place created by my heart. Having access to these sweet remembrances has gladdened my spirit, strengthened me in times of sorrow, and confirmed my faith and hope in Gods goodness and abiding love. My descriptions of these dreams are done in lyrical prose to portray and convey the essence of my dream world as I have known it.

The second part of this volume, Evensong, are poems of love and praise delineating the greatness of God and His omniscient presence in our lives. I have written of His kindness and mercy to encourage others who may not know Him yet, to come and taste the sweetness of the Lord.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: May 7, 2013
• ISBN: 9781449782146

Lucila Rollins

I was born during the bombing of Manila in October 1942. My family and I survived the war years in the mountain vastness of the northern Philippines. I grew up in Los Angeles and attended the University of Southern California, receiving a bachelor’s degree in sociology.  I proudly carry the heritage of the Powhatan tribe of Virginia, the hills of Scotland, the plains of China, and the towers of Spain from my intrepid ancestors, and no doubt their combined spiritual strength has contributed to my own esoteric and believing nature.

Book preview

I- Long Ago and Far Away-

Yet Love will dream…and faith will trust…that somehow, somewhere meet we must….

(J.G. Whittier)

The ocean was rough that day, the weather was blustery and at the horizon the rain clouds descended like a shimmering curtain, the color of a dove.

She spread her blanket on the sand, sheltered from the biting wind, and breathed deeply of the tangy ocean air. She gazed at the somber beauty all around her, as she listened to the shrill call of the gulls and the sonorous song of the incoming waves. She closed her eyes to etch the memory forever in her mind.

Hi, the voice she remembered so well and longed to hear for a lifetime came as her eyes were closed. She did not open her eyes for fear of dispelling the magic.

Hi, and this time he called her name, did you not expect me? She opened her eyes now and looked with her dreaming eyes at the face of her beloved.

He extended his hand to help her rise, and she smiled and said, I did not expect you to come but I am glad you did.

With her hand in his, they walked along the beach, remembering and sharing, complete in their happiness of being together. She was filled with wonder and asked, How is this possible, has time ended, has mortal life ceased?

With the certain knowledge of one who dwells in the ethereal world of dreams, he said We are here only briefly and only because He read your heart and blessed you with what He saw within it. Keep me in your heart and I will return again and yet again…wherever you want to meet…..

*  *  *

As she came over the rise of the hill, the sweet grass waved with elegant plumes. Her eyes were delighted with the pink and mauve rock crest clambering over and around, in every direction, proclaiming the permanence of their domain in every rift of rock and shale.

The golden sun flowers and black-eyed Susan grew tall and waved gracefully, looking down at the profuse pink carpet. The black basalt rocks provided a striking background for the colorful wild flora. She paused to catch her breath and drink in the beauty.

She looked down and saw the boat and the one she had hoped to find again….

Are you ready? He called out to her and she ran down the gentle slope, impelled by her joyous, singing heart.

I did not know if you would come again she said….

I will always come if your heart calls me he smiled and led her to the boat for their journey through the inlet to the waiting sea.

*  *  *

She drove through the quiet streets at dawn, heading north, to escape the city’s congestion and heat. By first light she was passing the rice fields and entering the provincial towns. She slowed down to look at the little tiendas along the way, selling early breakfast delicacies of coconut rice and native cakes, with the thick, aromatic cacao mixture steaming in tin cups. The food smelt sweet and inviting. She also caught the scent of burning leaves and the memories of her childhood came flooding back.

She remembered how the gardeners swept the leaves in the courtyard of her home early in the morning, then they gathered them up and burnt them beneath the mango trees to protect the budding fruit and flowers from the insects which would devour them. She loved the scent of the burning leaves and she always rose early to be there when the fragrant smoke wafted up through the tall trees. Now as she breathed in the sweetness again, she thought of her parents and she was