Norway, from the train!

THE BEACH...

The Beach

The sun was hot... the sand was hotter than the sun,
We went from sun-soaked sand to cool refreshing water.
You were our own personal life-guard,
Seriously studying the surging water...counting heads.

Ocean breezes caress our brows,
Memories flash and form in this love filled room,
Thinking back to that magical moment,
Every time I smell the Ocean.

You held my hand tight as we raced down the beach
So we would be the first to cross the imaginary finish line.
We slept on the way home...
Too tired to traumatize our siblings.

Those moments on the beach... frozen in my memory...
Like a picture-postcard! Precious...Inviting.
You made those moments possible,
And I am grateful.

The beach... not just a place...
But an encounter with time and tender thoughts....
An accumulation of memories of good times with you.
You wanted us to be happy... and we were...

And I am happy at this moment
as I see you smiling on the beach.

By Richard D Harris

This piece is a tribute to my mother... and to all mothers who did all they could to make summer memories for their children. Those memories live on... and fill our lives with joy.

Friends

Mary Jayne, Ingrid, Rick

We have a wonderful friend from Sweden who came to visit this weekend. Ingrid and her parents were a part of our church for many years before moving to Sweden. Ingrid is a talented lady who teaches in a local school in Sweden and has 4 handsome and intelligent boys, and a husband who is the typical quiet Swede with that dry humor. We don't see each other much, but keep in touch now and then. Two years ago my wife and I went on vacation with Ingrid and her mother, Irene, to Norway (where Irene's family is from), and saw the Fjords and all the other wonderful sights and sounds (and foods!) of Scandinavia. We had an absolutely wonderful vacation with our friends, and hope to repeat it someday.

I remember hearing that 'true friends can be counted on one hand'... and over the years, I believe that is very true. I believe it was C.S. Lewis who said that these type of friends are the kind that when you don't see them for a long time, and you begin to talk, it is as if you pick up the conversation where you left off. And that is what true friends are... they are people that you always have in your heart. You may not converse every day, you may not see each other for years at a time, but when you do meet up again, it's like you just saw them 'yesterday'!

Be glad you have a handful of friends!


(p.s., I think the C.S. Lewis quote is from "The Four Loves"... a literary scholars 'exposition' of the various Greek words for 'love.')

Poetic Insiration

Thoughts About Poetic Inspiration


The misty fog of sleep
Yields waking moments of inspiration.
In the darkness I wrote as best as I could between
The shadows on the paper on my desk.

A bit of poetry creeping through my mind...
A stray cat floats through my yard,
It sticks there, like the image in your eye
After a bright object scores your retina.

Stumbling around in half-sleep
Grasping for a pen to write down
Nobel winning words…
I must capture it before it floats away.

Finally my eyes focus on the paper
And I write in large hand
Hoping the words will be recognized
By a sane and fully awakened bard.

The next day, this dreamer wonders
If the dream is real… did I write it down?
Yes! It's there… barely legible
Waiting for a strong hand to bend the words.

The very event inspires me.
That a moment in time… takes on reality
And the words that came to me in the dark
Make a difference to the somnolent reader.


(somnolent= tired, weary)

by Richard D Harris

Another Jazz Event

It was a perfect summer evening in upstate NY and the church had a large tent they use for Vacation Bible School. They left it up for my event, and took down the dividers and put card tables up for an evening of music and entertainment. The church worked hard at advertising and 'word of mouth'. The tables were decorated beautifully by the Pastor's wife and crew. Although there were not as many as they wished, it was a wonderful evening, and everyone who came expressed appreciation for effort of providing the music and evening.

Some lessons learned:
1. Try to keep abreast of local events and things that might be a conflict with the church event.
2. Encourage people to be asking and reminding people about the event, and then make one last call to help them remember that they said they were coming to the event.
3. Don't worry about who is there or who is not there. Leave those things in the Lord's hands.... he is much better at it than we are!

On the whole the program I presented gave the church some ideas on how to do it 'next time', and tweek things to have things ready for the next event.

I love doing this, and I am gratified that the church family were so very enthusiastic.

Doing a "Spiritual Assessment"

Assessing a Soul

I pick up a tool…

An ethereal can opener

A holy pry-bar

To pop the lid off this Soul

I am allowed to see

…if only for a moment…

The shadows and faded pictures

Of a deeply guarded spirituality

What gives meaning to this Soul?

What thoughts are laid bare

In this Sacred Space

Afforded to me

Did I hear that cry…

Between the lines of Cascading words

Powerful emotions are covered

By multiple facades

Love, Hate, Joy, Sorrow

Jealousy, Pride, Anger

The spigot is pouring now

Splashing down on virgin ground

Do you pray?

Do you long to touch the face of your God?

Do you “lift up your eyes to the hills?”

Do you wait to hear a “still, small voice?”

I Assess a Soul

And that Soul Assesses me.

Anatomy of a poem

OK, Let's say you're sleeping soundly and then slide into that REM sleep thing, and you go down that sometimes bizarre road of disconnected ideas and images. Then you start to wake, and your thoughts get more rational as you enter the atmosphere.... That's how I describe some of my inspiration for writing my poetry. For example this last evening/morning, I came out of one of those "foggy rooms" and a phrase of poetry stuck with me. I woke up in the darkness and had this urge to write it down, so I grabbed a pen and wrote as best as I could between the shadows on the paper on my desk.

The phrase that just 'came' to me has to do with what we do as Chaplains (in my case Hospice). We must "assess" a person spiritually, to see how to help that person the best possible way as things deteriorate in that person's life. We call this a "Spiritual Assessment". So, I woke up thinking about my work, I suppose, and all the ways we have to get the person to talk about their spiritual interest (or not). We find things that are meaningful to that individual. Sometimes it may be a spouse or family member. It might be a church experience, or better yet a personal encounter with Jesus Christ. (Note: from the Chaplain's perspective, he/she allows the individual to tell the story of their own faith journey, and then we do whatever possible to encourage them to follow their own path, which may include true Christian faith experience.) (Note on this Note: Being a chaplain is somewhat more complicated than being a Pastor. I make no apology for being both.)

Back to POETRY.... Ok, I rub my waking eyes, and this powerful little phrase sticks with me:

I Assess a Soul,
and that Soul Asesses me.

I spent some time working my poem around that thought and will share it in my next post. But I thought you might be interested in knowing how those creative juices work... then again, if you are not interested, no harm done.... (it's my blog.....! )