Sunflowers are Glorious!

 From my garden last summer.

SUNFLOWERS

Lafayette, New Jersey, September 1, 2001

 

God’s abundance wows me

from a sprawling field of sunflowers

which tower above

on thick woody stalks

 

They lift great ochre heads

framed in ragged haloes

of yellow gold

to shine sunrays upon me

like God’s own radiant face

amid a communion of saints

and I must smile back

 

Their leaves

are big green hearts

In their midst

my own heart

grows and greens

 

How God loves me!

He astonishes His child

with wondrous whimsies

 

Soon, when the season ends

they’ll just nod their weary heads

and shed their golden haloes

on the ground

 

and bequeath their gift of seed

to ravens of the air

which will feast festively

upon God’s abundance

unto them

 

Maude Carolan

 

God's Square Mile...

 

Great Auditorium, Ocean Grove, NJ

CAMP MEETING WEEK

 

An hour and a world away

is a charming place we love to stay,

where time stands still a little while,

in fact, some call it, “God’s Square Mile.”

 

Our spiritual retreat vacation

at this gem within our nation

is where we find more than we seek,

at Ocean Grove, Camp Meeting Week.

 

The Great Auditorium’s surrounded

by quaint tent houses, abounded

by flower gardens, every hue;

coral, magenta, lavender blue.

 

Great preachers come from far and near,

expectant pilgrims come to hear

the preaching and angelic choir

as the great pipe organ sends its fire

 

of resounding music through the air,

inviting all who will to prayer.

All this takes place beside the sea

in a grove of sweet tranquility.

 

Stroll tented lanes in ocean breeze,

past tabernacle, B & Bs;

Victorian landmarks give a show

of “painted ladies” row on row.

 

Visit eateries, little stores

and take the garden trolley tour.

This Jersey shore town gives to each

respite, chapels, sandy beach,

 

a quiet boardwalk and pavilion,

where perhaps, more than a million

over the years have stopped and heard

Gospel concerts and God’s good Word.

 

So come, find more than you may seek

at Ocean Grove, Camp Meeting Week.

 

Maude Carolan Pych

 

 

Sunflowers in the Storm

I didn't plant sunflowers this summer,

but here's a photo & poem from August 2019...

In my sunflower garden, 2019.

SUNFLOWERS IN THE STORM

 

My sunflowers lift their faces to the sky

Haloed in golden splendor

they imitate the great orb of light

that shines down upon them

and reflect back its glory

for all they’re worth

 

They stand stately and tall

Beautiful. Confident

swaying with grace

almost dancing in place

day after sunny day

 

and then a storm rolls in

 

Clouds emerge and darken

The rain lets go its fury

pelting them without mercy

The wind blows wildly

 

Pummeled to the ground

the sunflowers spring back

over and over again

They can take it

 

Watching, I wonder

that their slim stalks don’t snap

as they are knocked about

 

Next morning, the sky is blue

the sun shines brightly

and the recovered golden heads

smile at the orb again

 

 and I know

sometimes I am a sunflower in the storm

sometimes I’m a sunflower in the sun

 

Maude Carolan Pych

 

Rev. EJ Emerson, Pastor & Poet

 IN MEMORIAM

Rev. EJ Emerson--1950-2020

My dear friend, Rev. EJ Emerson, went to be with the Lord, Friday, August 7. She was a Jewish believer, who went to Bible college, was ordained in 2005, and presently served as pastor of the New Utrecht Reformed Church of Brooklyn, NY, one of the oldest Reformed churches in America. EJ also was a poet.

One of my delights each December has been to be featured with EJ and two other poet/friends, at The Ant Bookstore & Cafe in Clifton, NJ, for a special evening of holiday poetry and music. 

For years, EJ wrote a psalm a day. She created a manuscript of psalms and published it. I often called her a wordsmith for her wonderful use of language in her poetry.

In her memory, I will feature a poem from her book, Psalmistry, available at http://Amazon.com. The poem is titled, "Grieving."

GRIEVING

It seems impossible even as I say it, Lord,

But I thank You for mourning and grief.

Thank You for the passion that connects people:

The love that crafts friendship, fellowship, family;

The complex cloth loomed over time

Strand by strand

With meticulous care by Your Weaver's hand.

And when a strand is severed

Or a knot tied off

Thank You for allowing us the grace to weep

The ability to feel the anguish of loss

The freedom to shout our anger, our pain.

Thank You for taking our screams

Our pummeling fists

Our protests of injustice

Our pleas to reunite the broken threads.

Thank You for the process of grief.

It reminds us we are mortal

It reminds us we are interdependent

It reminds us we are unique

It reminds us that love is part ache...

It reminds us that You,

Creator of the universe,

Ransom for the lost,

Sanctifier of the sinful,

You weep;

You ache;

You grieve, too,

Whenever we break away.

EJ Emerson

A Very Good Deed...

Emelia, having her hair measured to donate.

ONCE UPON RAPUNZELS

First, it was my granddaughter, Emelia

whose flowing blonde tresses

whipped the air long and loose

during tae kwon do maneuvers

or was up in an elegant bun during dance recitals

or pony-tailed on the basketball court

or neatly French-braided in the classroom

A fifth-grade girlfriend came to school

one day sans her long dark hair

and when Emelia asked why she had cut it

her friend said she donated her hair

so a child with cancer

could be given a wig of natural hair

Emelia was so impressed

about what her friend had done

that she told her mother

she wanted to cut hers also, but

twice she made appointments

and twice she canceled them

because cutting such pretty hair

that took so long to grow

was not a simple decision

Still, Emelia knew she wanted to do it

wanted to make a sick girl smile

with the gift of her golden locks, so

she made another appointment

and this time, she kept it and bravely

allowed the hairdresser to cut

When her younger cousin, Alana, saw her

sporting an adorable blonde bob

and heard the story about why

Emelia cut her hair, Alana decided

she wanted to do the very same thing

Alana’s hair was even longer than Emelia’s

and Alana’s parents really liked

their daughter’s long hair long

and were reluctant

to set up the appointment, but

Alana kept reminding them to call

One day Alana exclaimed:

Mommy, donating hair is much nicer

than having hair like Rapunzel!

Her mom picked up the phone

and called the salon

As Alana sat in the chair

the stylist separated her tresses

into four braids, took the scissors

and cut each braid to the exact

specifications the charity required

Then she packaged the hair carefully

for mailing to “Wigs for Kids”

Alana flipped her new, stylish

shoulder-length hair this way and that

and smiled at her reflection in the mirror

pleased and hopeful that somewhere

some little girl who lost her hair

due to cancer treatments

would receive her donation

and that the little girl would be happy

and the cancer would go away

Maude Carolan Pych

Emelia Thompson