God Hears

College as a whole was an uncomfortable struggle for me. I didn't have a home or a family close by, which I now know, feeds me. I wasn't grounded. I went through periods of rebellion (or complete stupidity). And then I came back to a place of faith, but was scared and overwhelmed with how far I had wandered. I was 23, a young 23. So here's my simple cry out in the dark from way back then. I met my husband about 3 months later. And it all worked out. Adolescent angst. :-)

God Hears
12/18/97
by Teri VanLieshout

When I was a young girl, feeling sad and afraid
I went to my church and I knelt down and prayed

I prayed for an answer to fall from above
The sky to tear open and pour out God's love

I wanted a voice, a hand on my shoulder
But all that I felt was the room getting colder

      It's easy to think that God doesn't hear
      When we ask and expect things like magic,
      But if we look back again at our life taking course
      We see our prayers being answered

Frustrated, empty, lost and alone
I left the church thinking I'd wasted my time

God doesn't hear me, I said to myself
He's got more important prayers on his shelf

So I went down the street for some coffee to drink
Sat down at a table alone to think

      It's easy to think that God doesn't hear
      When we ask and expect things like magic,
      But if we look back again at our life taking course
      We see our prayers being answered

At the table I sat and thumbed through some books
Nothing looked interesting, nothing quite took

And then a tap on my shoulder, as if from above
The man one seat over started talking to me

About hometowns, and majors, and jobs and the like
Finding one's path and direction in life

      It's easy to think that God doesn't hear
      When we ask and expect things like magic,
      But if we look back again at our life taking course
      We see our prayers being answered

He offered his thoughts and shared his frustrations
There were no clear answers or new revelations

But I left feeling heard and much less afraid
As if God really heard me when I knelt down and prayed

Life is a struggle, yet one thing is clear
God knows our thoughts and really does hear

      It's easy to think that God doesn't hear
      When we ask and expect things like magic,
      But if we look back again at our life taking course
      We see our prayers being answered

Fragile Ties

Fragile Ties

By Teri VanL.ieshout

2/14/2005

For my husband, Josh, with love

Spider’s web
And silken thread
Soft and fragile
They can break with a whisper
Or in woven strength
Hold like girders of steel.

Our hearts are bound
In the magical thread
Of trust, hope, honesty
Patience, forgiveness,
Laughter, resilient warmth
And compassion.

Love

In the cocoon of marriage
Is our shelter
Our strength
And our foremost labor.

To tend to these fragile ties
That can break in isolation
Or, in union,
Bear the insurmountable weight of the world,

To tend to these fragile ties
Is a foundation
For a rich life
Shared with each other,
Our children,
And our children’s children,

Building a legacy
That can span generations
Made first of intimate love,
Blossoming into creative service
That can go far beyond
Our individual lives
To benefit the world.

I give you my affection
My respect, my support,

My love

The best of me

To share in this tender union
That is our life together
And is a reflection of the Eternal
So gently placed
In the silken framework
Of our hearts.

I wrote this for Josh a few years ago. And back then, I didn’t know how much we’d face together even in 5 short years. As we grow in our marriage, I can say the love grows stronger and the respect grows deeper. My husband loves well, even when I’m far from perfect. And I hope I reflect that back to him, too. Truly blessed. I love you so much, Josh. You’re the best!!

Neonatology by Elizabeth Alexander

Giving birth is like jazz, something from silence,
then all of it. Long, elegant boats,
blood-boiling sunshine, human cargo,
a handmade kite —

                                 Postpartum.
No longer a celebrity, pregnant lady, expectant.
It has happened; you are here,
each dram you drain a step away
from flushed and floating, lush and curled.
Now you are the pink one, the movie star.
It has happened. You are here,

and you sing, mewl, holler, peep,
swallow the light and bubble it back,
shine, contain multitudes, gleam. You

are the new one, the movie star,
and birth is like jazz,
from silence and blood, silence
then everything,

jazz.

by Elizabeth Alexander, from her latest book
"Crave Radiance" page 143 (excerpt from 153)

Fecund Offering (a revision)

By Teri VanLieshout
original 3/5/97, this version 1/25/11

Love is not
       like magnified

It is showing appreciation
     for life
       through commitment
    to others
           and shared vision of what is good

Experiencing joy
   comes with
     sharing
         life’s good work
                                        together

Hard work
   strengthens calm

Peace comes
  in the wake
     of a steady push forward
 
Comfort
   is satisfaction
     in knowing you’ve done your best

Souls are kept
   by passing love on,
     sharing in the triumphs and pitfalls of life

      fecund offering

Kitchenette Building by Gwendolyn Brooks

"Kitchenette Building"
by Gwendolyn Brooks

 We are things of dry hours and the involuntary plan,
Grayed in, and gray. "Dream" makes a giddy sound, not strong
Like "rent," "feeding a wife," "satisfying a man."

 But could a dream send up through onion fumes
Its white and violet, fight with fried potatoes
And yesterday's garbage ripening in the hall,
Flutter, or sing an aria down these rooms

 Even if we were willing to let it in,
Had time to warm it, keep it very clean,
Anticipate a message, let it begin?

 We wonder. But not well! not for a minute!
Since Number Five is out of the bathroom now,
We think of lukewarm water, hope to get in it.

Time

Time
by Teri VanLieshout
5/24/11

Time
A river I chase
Running alongside
With bare feet
And painted toes

I wade in shallow pools
Catching treasures in jars
To save
And set free
  Later

And I stand on the bank
Where the rapids run
Wanting to jump
Suspended in the mist
  Catching you with both hands

Meandering river
Rushing river
Your course, your aim
Through my fingers and painted toes
Never standing still