Final Childhood

 Poem #09 for the year. The prompt was "moments." 

The child encounters life with joy!

The world, not yet reduced to inconsequence,

Looms as an immense mystery.

 

The wandering brook in the backyard

Needs no label;

It is as big as the Mississippi!

He fords it with daring and

Emerges a conqueror.

 

The dead willow nearby

Needs not be cleared away or disregarded.

It invites exploration.

He climbs,

Perches in the crook,

Surveys his kingdom below.

Finds a hole,

Secrets away his treasures.                                                                                                              

 

The child has no need for public acclaim.

He has the sky!

The masses, self-presenting and petty,

Conduct their insignificant business far below.

While he finds humble comfort and concord with nature.

 

Now growing old, I draw near to childhood again.

Outside my notice,

Public players, foolish and tedious,

Fill the world with discordant noise.

Empty souls boom, loud as kettle drums.

Strident sound by people who dread the silence.

 

Returning to childhood,

I learn to pray again.

I retire to the world God made,

To the memories of people who’ve gone before.

No longer attending the croak of the unnatural frog,

Fat and ugly and unmeaning.

I rest in the lapping of lake water on the shore

And the laughter of children.

 

 

Inspiration by:

Psalm 43:4

Anthony Esolen “The Final Childhood”

 

A Fond Fairwell

 (Found 10/23 in my old writing notebook. I wrote it in 1990)

Fairwell to Varnell UMC

I am not the speaker in the family, but I could not let this occasion go by without telling you all what you have meant in my life and in the life of our family. Knowing that each of us is formed by who and what touches our lives, I want to thank each of you for having had the opportunity to know you for the last 3 1/2 years. Having grown up in a minister’s home and having a basically slow to get acquainted nature, I always hated moving and said that I would never marry anyone whose job required frequent moving. Of course, I ate those words when I married a Methodist preacher.

But over the last 26 years I have learned some important lessons about moving. I have learned that God's people are everywhere. I have learned that, even though I painfully leave wonderful friends in one place, God provides other wonderful friends in the new location. I used to think that I was to be pitied because I had to constantly leave situations just as I was beginning to feel at home in them. Now I know that I am blessed to have had the opportunity to make friends, true Christian friends, all over Georgia.

Had we not had the painful experience of leaving close friends after 7 1/2 years at prospect, we would not have had the blessing of living near my parents when Daddy had his first heart attack and being able to be there for my family during those rough times. Had we not had the painful experience of leaving Newman springs after six years, we would not have had the unequal joy of fellowship and support that we have experienced among this body of believers.

Now we are again going through the moving trauma. While we are fearing leaving you whom we have learned to love and who have helped us grow in the last few years, we don't know what other joy and opportunity for service awaits us. We do know that now we have friends in the Dalton area, we know that God's chuch is alive and well here, we know that each of you has friends in the Atlanta area now.

I want to say ”Thank you!” to Varnell United Methodist Church. Thank you for showing me Christian love in action through the long hours of work and the money needed to provide the community meal, local mission activities, and foreign mission support. Through the ministry of concern shown by the entire congregation when there is an illness or death in someone’s family.

Thank you for showing me Christian unity through the way everyone works together at Prater’s Mill, and through the way everyone pitches in to make a success of whatever is attempted: the nativity scene, the turkey trot, the sweetheart banquet, the children's programs, and many other instances of teamwork.

Thank you for showing me real Christian dedication through the absolutely unequaled music program which is attained only through dedicated time spent in practice, through the hours obviously spent in preparation by five of the best adult Sunday school teachers I've ever been taught by.

Thank you for being the church here for us and for the rest of this community

Please don't think me presumptuous, but I'd like to close my remarks by reading some words which Saint Paul wrote to friends when he left them. You know he spent his ministry making friends and then leaving them; so in that way, I can identify with him. The scriptures I want to read come from his letters to his friends in Philippi, Corinth, Thessalonica, and Ephesus. I'd like to use the plural pronouns to include our entire family and read them now to our friends here at Varnell.

“We thank God every time we remember you. In all our prayers for you we always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the very first day until now, being confident that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. It is right for us to feel this way about all of you since we have you in our hearts; all of you share in God's grace with us. God can testify how we love all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.”

“And this is our prayer that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ. And God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Pray also for us, that whenever we open our mouths, words may be given to us so that we will fearlessly make known the gospel. Pray that we may declare it fearlessly, as we should. Finally, brothers and sisters, goodbye. Aim for perfection, live in peace, and the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every day.”

New Year's Resolutions

 In today's The Catholic Think newsletter, Michael Pakaluk made this interesting and valid insight into New Year's resolutions or any attempt we might make at self-improvement. "If I resolve not to eat between meals, or to put away machines when spending time with my family, I am making a merely 'corrective' resolution. If I am successful, I simply put myself back to where I should be. I don’t improve myself but keep from getting worse." He goes on to expound on how to make "additive" resolutions

or changes that add step upon step to make a cumulative improvement to one's situation. This would be something like "saving $10 every week." Then Mr. Pakaluk proposes making "compounding" resolutions - those that lead to increasing skills or knowledge. Perhaps running half a mile each day, likely increasing the distance as proficiency and endurance increase. Then he mentions "Provocative" resolutions - those that lead to other changes. He suggests several determinations or resolutions we might make that would meet this criteria. These would likely be changes that include our giving up some control of our lives. Resolving (determining) to work our way through a spiritual book with an open heart and mind might call us to make changes in outlook and give new direction to our lives. He suggests setting a regular schedule of meeting with a spiritual mentor or setting up a system to track spiritual insights and revelations - perhaps a scheduled nightly review of your conscience in light of God's grace.

The Love and the Gift of Christmas

Christmas is so often misunderstood in our society. People, even those in the church, sing about JOY and GIFTS without realizing what true joy is or what the real gift of Christmas is. In this morning's readings, I read this truth. #TruthMatters

"authentic joy ...fills the heart freed from sin. Sin carries a sadness with it that leads us to close ourselves up within ourselves. Grace brings with it the true joy that does not depend on having things but is rather rooted in the most intimate, deepest part of the person, and that nothing and nobody can take away...Christianity is the proclamation of the victory of grace over sin, of life over death. . . .It is necessary therefore to learn to say no to the voice of egoism and to say yes to the voice of authentic love." Peter M.J. Stravinskas

So the JOY of Christmas is the freedom to be truly ourselves without the burden of sin - this freedom is ours because of the GIFT of God's grace in providing us a way out of our sin and the heaviness it has put into our lives. I hope and pray that each of us will truly receive the GIFT of God's grace into our lives so that we can experience the true JOY of the season.

God, Grace, Gratitude, and Gravy

 I would like to be able to see my father and mother face to face this morning to thank them for the multitude of loving things those two young people did to provide a good life for me, a child they had when they were themselves barely more than children.  Alas, Daddy moved beyond our Earthly reach in 1986 at age 67 1/2; and Mother made that journey in 2021 at age 98 1/2. My six aging siblings and I are in the process of liquidating and distributing the last of their belongings and settling the last of their business. 

I woke up 11 mornings ago.  I woke up. While I had slept, two small blood clots had broken loose in my bloodstream. Had they traveled a different path, I might not have awakened that morning. Or I might have awakened a paraplegic or a physical shell without mental capacity. As it was, I woke up blind in my right eye. One small clot had passed through the central retinal artery and lingered long enough to deprive my right retina of oxygen. It was without oxygen long enough to leave that retina unable to interpret light. The other clot apparently just kissed a spot in the front of my brain and left a tiny footprint there. 

In the ten days since this life adjustment, I have been repeatedly aware of how a great a gift my parents gave me by raising me in a Christian home. A Christian home in the truest sense of those words. Mother sang hymns as she worked around the house. She made sure we knew how important it was to live in accordance with God's desires for our lives; we were constantly reminded in words as well as actions that God has desires for our lives because He loves us so much.  Daddy made a point of spending time alone with each of his children, and that time was often spent in the car as he traveled between different responsibilities of his own or delivered us to one of our activities. In the car on the way to whatever, we  had meaningful conversations and even often sang and discussed hymns or Bible passages. He always seemed very interested in hearing my thoughts on whatever the topic was. He was seldom in lecturer mode. Without fail, when we arrived at our destination (meeting, visit, class, whatever) he would thank God audibly (or ask me to do so) for our safe travel and for our relationship with Him and each other. I took all that very much for granted. It was just our lives. 

And of course, as a Christian family in the forties, fifties and sixties, our lives centered around church. That entailed four church contacts every Sunday - Sunday School, morning worship, evening children/youth activities, even worship service. During the week, a Wednesday night meeting was a minimum of other church contact. Each of these instilled important words/concepts in my mind and memory. Bible verses heard, explained, discussed, memorized. Hymn and song lyrics sung, repeated, memorized, pondered. 

All that background work, done by two young parents through the years, has risen up and proclaimed its value in my life during the last eleven days. Since this huge change in my lifestyle, since I can no longer read or write or paint for any length of time, I have been very grateful for all the "words of life" planted firmly in my head by young parents who loved God enough to parent beyond their human capabilities. 

My entire childhood experience is of parents ages 18-35! That is an amazing realization for me! 

• When I was 3, my mother was the age of Ethan (Lyn's youngest.) 

• When I was in Junior High (long before the advent of Middle Schools), my mother was the age of Rachael (Steve's oldest.) 

But, back to my main point of interest this morning: My mind is fully stocked with important words of life. While concentrating on not coughing or moving during my MRI last week, my mind recited the prayer of confession from the old Methodist Communion Ritual. I've always loved those beautiful words of confession. I am grateful that they are mine on demand. "We acknowledge and bewail the manifold sins and wickedness....."
So to twenty-something cotton-mill town Charles and Ruth Baird Shaw, from 60 years ago, THANK YOU! I LOVE YOU. I MISS YOU. You did right by your children. 

Spring Miracle

 Here is Mother's poem based upon Matthew 5:5 and the rewards of "the meek."

Spring Miracles

by Ruth Baird Shaw

I took a walk one April day

My world had turned to Spring.

And when I saw the countryside,

My heart began to sing.

For I remembered Jesus said,

“Blessed are the meek,

They shall inherit the earth.”

Oh let me join the meek!

My first draft; daffodils profuse

Flashing yellow gems, they shine.

To make of drab back gardens

A golden flower mine.

And lavender blankets of “Thrift”

With wild extravagancy

Have transformed barren slopes

Into a Springtime canopy.

Tulips, pansies, hyacinths,

With rare perfume they bring

Glorious resurgence and

Cheerful smells of Spring.

The Dogwood trees were blooming,

A blank check from the sod,

I draw up close enough to see

The signature of God.

Oh, I don’t need a written deed

To claim my legacy.

The flowering earth I hold in trust

All that I see belongs to me~!

My Legacy

 My Deadlines for Writers monthly poem is due today. The assignment was to write a sonnet or a villanelle.  I have come to love sonnets in recent years, so I chose to write a sonnet. Since Mother died last August I have reread of lot of her poetry and other writing; and her poem, "Spring Miracle" has long been a favorite of mine. So I decided to take some of her ideas in that poem to write a sonnet. Both Mother's poem and my sonnet are based on Matthew 5:5.  Mother's joy in the simple blessings of nature and family is one of my greatest legacies from her. Here is the sonnet I submitted this morning. 

Along my morning walk one April Day,

I gloried in a world just turned to Spring.

As I surveyed the verdant countryside,

My heart and all my soul began to sing.

 

For I remembered reading Jesus’s words

Of blessing for the meek, and of their worth.

That they shall have for their inheritance

The beauty and the joy of God’s good earth.

 

The golden daffodils danced in the breeze

Knowing that they’re mine at God’s decree.

They sang with pearly blooms on Dogwood trees.

While distant mountains rose in majesty!

 

My grant still grows secure in fecund sod.

And bears the very signature of God.

 

Based on

Matthew 5:5

Mother’s Poem “Spring Miracles”

9/11/2019

For almost 3000 Americans, 9/11/01 was simply a regular day. Some went to work expecting a routine workday. Some went to the airport in order to meet a business need or celebrate a family occasion. Some were keeping a routine appointment of some kind. Some were taken there in their mother's/father's arms to be cared for while their parents worked. All of them left home that morning not knowing that they had seen their loved ones for the last time. Their lives were needlessly taken away because of the evil plans of other people - and because of the action those perpetrators took based on WHAT THEY BELIEVED.

Don't tell me "It doesn't matter what you believe as long as you believe it sincerely." That is a HUGE fallacy. It DOES matter what you believe. It DOES matter when you believe that YOU should determine how others should live their lives or meet their deaths. It DOES matter when people allow some organization (be it the government or some religious/social hierarchy) to legislate their personal choices. God bless the thousands of His children whose lives were lost and the tens of thousands of His children who were negatively impacted that day because of the mistaken, but strongly held, beliefs of a few other people.

God give us the wisdom to use the lessons learned from that terrible day to build a kinder, gentler society. God give us the strength to resist evil in whatever form it presents itself.

Guard Your Heart

I was recently asked to name just ONE lesson my father taught me.  I thought about that quite a bit trying to narrow it down to comply to the request.  There are so many things good fathers teach their children. Some of the more important lessons I learned from him include: (1) Personal Responsibility: Each person is ultimately responsible for his/her own actions and outcomes. (2) Choices have consequences. (3) Mistakes made in love are usually forgivable. (4) Joy and Beauty are important in life too. (5) How to drive a stick-shift car ..........

There are many more, but the request was to name ONE.  So I collated, summarized, and decided that many of the lessons are condensed in the lesson of Psalms 4:23.  I don't recall Daddy's ever quoting the scripture in my hearing, but the essence of it guided his life and his guidance of his children.  "Above all else guard your heart for everything you do flows from it."  A pure heart, a loving heart, a thoughtful heart, a heart given into the care of Almighty God will lead one to make decisions that will steer the course of one's life away from the rocky shoals and into the deep waters and smooth sailing in life.

Every kink, turn, and twist in a person's life-line (good or bad) starts with a first step; therefore, I should always consider my steps to be sure they will lead where I want to go. Sometimes, when one is far enough along a route to realize that he/she is lost, the most productive steps will be backward until one can resume going forward on the right course. Innumerable passions in life wait for an opportunity to enter my heart. lead me down wrong paths, and distract me from my purpose in life: so I must remain vigilant so that each step I take in life is guided by a heart that has been given to God, nourished in His word and guarded from evil.

Cultural Literacy and the Bible - part 4

Since a few months ago, when I wrote four articles on the topic of cultural literacy's dependence upon some Biblical knowledge, I have continued to be aware of regular references to incidents or stories in the Bible as used in public speech and writing. I wonder how children growing up today with no contact with the church can understand the implications of references in what they hear and read.

Kids who grow up with no Bible knowledge cannot understand much of classic literature --which is filled with references such as: someone having the "patience of Job" or a situation being described as "a lion's den". They have no idea what it means to "cast your bread upon the waters" or what being "my brother's keeper" implies. They don't understand references to "the burning bush" or "the coat of many colors" or numerous other Bible-based cultural references in literature.

In addition, famous speeches of the past often drew attention to current political or societal struggles by using terminology from the Bible that was thoroughly understood and symbolic to their listeners. Many of today's listeners wouldn't understand a reference to "the handwriting on the wall" or "going the extra mile" or many other phrases that we take for granted since we have a background in Biblical understanding.

Here are some references I have noticed in my reading and listening in the last few months. In order to understand these references, one would need to understand.....

1. What advantage does a "city set on a hill" enjoy?

2. What is the "beginning of wisdom"?

3. What is the "root of all evil"?

4. What is "the fall of man"?

5. What is the meaning of "facing a Goliath" or "facing a giant"?

6. What is you opinion of a person if you believe that he/she "can walk on water"?

7. Who was this "Solomon" who was so wise that people talk about a person having the wisdom of Solomon?

8. Why is a loose woman referred to as a "Jezabel"?

9. What is a "coat of many colors"?

10. If someone is "just a Philistine", what does that mean?

Here are my previous articles on this subject.

http://daddysroses.blogspot.com/2006/04/cultural-literacy-and-bible-part-1.html

http://daddysroses.blogspot.com/2006/04/cultural-literacy-and-bible-part-2.html

http://daddysroses.blogspot.com/2006/04/cultural-literacy-and-bible-part-3.html

http://daddysroses.blogspot.com/2006/04/cultural-literacy-sidenote.html