Love Never Fails

Twenty-Eight years in
Carefree they were not
pain at times was unbearable

Love NEVER FAILS
Is what I had heard
Sorting through pieces of past

I knew I had vowed
Eternal support
Quitting was not in my heart

My best friend lashed out
With words and with looks
Driving me further away

God, what can this mean?
How can he forget?
All the meaningful memories
We shared

“It has nothing to do
With you
IT IS ME!”
the wrestling match began

Space was now needed
For you and for me
To survive
A baptism of fire

Christmas time
I knelt at the cross
In a small church
In our community

Marriage, Dennis
Dreams and LOVE
Were nailed to that tree that day
Broken and bruised, time would tell
If hope could ever return

I moved out
took not a dime
There would be no excuses
Or facts for lies

You didn’t know how
To say what you needed
Thank God for the spirit
Leading the way

Hitting that nail
I gave it all up
No idol
Were you anymore

I honestly died
On the inside and cried
After twenty-eight years
Of one breath

Would it work out?
Was it too late?
any chance that we would survive?

The process was brutal
As blinders were lifted
Dysfunction was our way of life

The plea that I made
Moment to moment
So I would not lose my mind

Father, I wept
Let me see what you see
your hands extended
was all I could be

Love  never fails
was the promise you gave
trust joined patience and time

I gave you the gift
Of finding your way
Which made me grow
through and through

The fire refined us
But neither gave up
As others watched in dismay

What? How could it be
That the suffering and pain
Was a gift to grow closer at last ?

It wasn’t just you
Needing to change
To learn unconditional love

My prayers increased
And I found what it meant
To leave not one man behind

Three months or so
I completely let go
And with shock
Joy came to you and  me

I will wait forever
You wrote in your letter
If only there might be a way

To undo the damage
Repair all the wounds
When your ready to
Come home to me

That’s when I knew
Your heart had changed
I was not the enemy

Together we walked
Fifteen more years
When heaven became your home

These were the greatest
The price was so dear
worth every pain, worth every tear

We lost a few battles
Yet we won the war
One breath, one heart
eternally

My three sons
Their wives
Grandbabies nine
I’ve plenty to do
Until that time

I may not have marched
Joined bootcamp or signed
Metals were not meant for me

Trusted I was
To love you with wisdom
Knowing we neither were God

Grateful is now
My daily word
For all you gave to me

Steel sharpens steel
Gleaming we ARE
Can’t wait for the moment
Together we’ll be
Laughing and loving
Through eternity

______________________________

For 43 years, Dennis and Diana Nickell shared their lives, passion, and hearts. Dennis, a Vietnam Combat Veteran who dealt daily with the aftermath of his 14 months in-country, spent his later years reaching out to Veterans, their loved ones and tried to help share why you should never give up. Sept, 12th, 2021 Dennis joined his brothers in arms in heaven, who never had the chance to have the life he fought for daily, and his wife Diana still carries on the mission of educating, enlightening, and encouraging those who have paid such a heavy price for freedom. 

Dedicated to ALL, first responders, and heroes, Diana has found peace in the wealth of her family and her faith. YouTube series Surviving Vietnam can be accessed freely at https://www.survivevietnam.com/

“Quiet Place” first appeared in Breaking Chains, written by Dennis Nickell.

All rights are reserved, for created content shared about their amazing journey, including original poetry by Diana. Feel free to contact Diana at dnickell1955@gmail.com with any questions or concerns.

As the Voice of the Veteran Community, The Havok Journal seeks to publish a variety of perspectives on a number of sensitive subjects. Unless specifically noted otherwise, nothing we publish is an official point of view of The Havok Journal or any part of the U.S. government.