T'is So Much Joy

This poem by (guess who?) Emily Dickinson caught my eye today and I decided to post it   Sometimes, we all need to take heed of the joy in life because we never know when it will be cut short.  Well, today is my day to be reminded of that…and who better to do this than my all-time favorite poet!  Hope you enjoy and have a great weekend!

’T is so much joy! ’T is so much joy!
If I should fail, what poverty!
And yet, as poor as I
Have ventured all upon a throw;
Have gained! Yes! Hesitated so
This side the victory!

Life is but life, and death but death!
Bliss is but bliss, and breath but breath!
And if, indeed, I fail,
At least to know the worst is sweet.
Defeat means nothing but defeat,
No drearier can prevail!

And if I gain,—oh, gun at sea,
Oh, bells that in the steeples be,
At first repeat it slow!
For heaven is a different thing
Conjectured, and waked sudden in,
And might o’erwhelm me so!

Emily’s Garden

As you all know, the enigma of Emily Dickinson always fascinated me, even as a young child.  Like her poetry, her love of her garden is certainly a well-known aspect of her life.  During these hot, summer days; I always wonder about the poetic musings she had while she worked in her garden; planting and pruning over a hundred years ago.  She certainly experienced the hot, blazing sun at her back while she tended lovingly to her plants.  Today, as I re-read some of her poetry, I marveled at how she captured nature’s beauty and described it on paper.  I feel honored to see the same sun’s brightness as she and to witness God’s great beauty every ephemeral summer day that passes.  It is comforting in a way to know some things change, while others stay the same; that we can always see and feel God’s unending love in His magnificent creations, knowing our journey does not end, only changes in its form.

Fanny Crosby

 

This week, I learned about Fanny Crosby, a visually impaired poet and lyricist who lived in the mid-1800s.  We sing her songs at most of the Mennonite gatherings I intend.  Needless to say, my curiosity finally won over and I began researching more on her life.  To my astonishment, she wrote almost 9,000 hymns!  It amazed me to imagine a person who lived with a disability thrived in that society so long ago.  I think of it as a true testament of what a person can overcome if they truly believe!

On that note, have a great weekend everyone!

The Perpetual Flyer

Here is a blast from the past.  This is a poem I wrote over ten years ago, but I thought you would enjoy reading entitled The Perpetual Flyer.  It gives me pause to think I could write so well at an early age, as I prepare to embark on my second internship with United Cerebral Palsy.  I’m so excited.   

Have a fabulous weekend!

Sometimes in slumber, one dreams that all bodily limitations are cast away with the wind.

Feeling no physical restrictions that inhibit the body in the waking hours, the mind is free

to float through a labyrinth of uninhibited passageways all through the mystifying trance

of sleep.  One cannot describe the exhilaration.

that one feels actually flying.

It is as if the soul is free from any bondage it encounters in life.

Air whistling close to the ear, the cool sensation of air flowing over the body and the

overwhelming sense of freedom is all part of this fantastic experience.

Free from the body garb that hinders one in waking hours, one can feel what it is like to

be so alive in spirit.

It is a refuge from daily physical barriers that one encounters.  This feeling is to be locked

away deep in the heart of hearts and cherished for a lifetime.

--January 2, 2002

Hemmingway and Me

Below is a part of an essay I wrote a few years ago for a writing class.  Although it’s been in my archives for years, I think it signifies life’s journey: not only for me, but also for all.  Enjoy!

                                                                                                                      July 19, 2008

Dear Diary,

        Today is a day I think I will remember for the rest of my life.  Imagine me—a published poet!  It’s a great milestone for my 27^th year.  It’s hard to believe my thoughts and emotions are packaged with those of other poets in a book for the entire world to see.  It’s hard to wrap my mind around the magnitude of it all—and to think the poem was borne out of my spirit’s despair!

        I vividly recall how the poem first took seed in my mind.  About a month or two ago, I was feeling really low about my life, and about how it seemed I had made little progress.  The pace of my journey seemed so slow.  I pondered my fate as a writer, a college student, and as a human being in general.  “Where will this journey ultimately end up,” I asked myself.  I wondered if my trials and hard work would count for nothing and lead nowhere.

        Then, I began to remind myself of how very far I had come, just in the past two years.  Why was I in such of a hurry trying to accomplish my goals in such a short period of time?  I still have time. I have the rest of my life!

        Right now, the last stanza of my newly published poem echoes in my mind:

Hemmingway failed in

Life’s adventure.

Not Me.

Never me.

It was another awakening—just the beginning.  This summer has added another layer to my spirit.   I guess I’m ready and eager for life’s next adventure—no matter what it may hold and where it leads.