A Woman in Winter

by Cheryl Merrick

Shut in her home,
the woman huddles
in her ever darkening room.
Cold and lonely, 
she spends her days lost in viewing 
old photo albums and scrapbooks;
memories of summer;
a time when she basked 
in the warmth of having
her husband and young children
surrounding her; needing her. 

Now it is winter,
her husband, long dead,
has left her to continue alone.
Her children, now grown and far away,
have little time to spend with her
for they are busily raising their children
and enjoying their own summer.

Leading

by Cheryl Merrick

Will I choose to lead the way
back  to our heavenly home,
or will I follow others
aimless ramblings?

Will I set a righteous example
as I strive to follow the Lord,
or will I simply demonstrate
mindless obedience?

Will I soar through the clouds,
or become lost caring for things?

Will I bury my talents,
 or share them?

Which do I choose?
Fulfillment or suppression?
The choice is mine.

Soaring and Rocks

by Cheryl Merrick

Like a bird soaring
high above the ground,
I see patterns below me
and am warmed 
by the light from above.

Not built for rock moving,
I collapse in exhaustion
beside my the pitiful pile
-- my full day's work.

Having chosen the earth
where his strength is needed,
the powerful draft horse
sees my plight.

In a few hours he has
all my rocks neatly piled
where they need to be.

Satisfied with his accomplishment,
he listens to my tales
of the view from the sky. 

Grateful for Weaknesses

by Cheryl Merrick

Blessed with an astounding intuitive ability
to see and foresee patterns of human behavior, 
I feel humbly grateful.

Preferring intuition over sensing
also makes me astoundingly weak
in handling the many details of life.

This weakness has brought me 
tears, frustration, embarrassment, 
and finally to my knees 
humbly begging God for His help
in coping with the small things
that others do so easily.