Cutting Apron Strings

by Cheryl Merrick

Oh! The pain!
Doesn't she love me anymore?
How can he just ignore me?
Why doesn't she even call?

We were so close.
Have I done something wrong?
He passes by me as if I wasn't even there,
and spends his time with others.

Nurturer of Spirits

by Cheryl Merrick

With inspiring thoughts
and encouraging words
I nourish spirits.

Wayward Child

by Cheryl Merrick

My heart aches for you
as I watch you
learn from your own experience
that wickedness never was happiness.

Feeling you suffer
the consequences of your acts,
I long to comfort you
but I cannot,
for in your quest for freedom
you have willfully stepped
off the only path
that could have brought
you happiness.

Training Wheels

by Cheryl Merrick

The training wheels,
barely touching now,
as you move farther away
into a home of your own.

The days of us shouting encouragement
and, occasionally, steadying the bike
are nearly over.

You now glide along as a couple.
On two wheels
you whiz around corners,
ably maneuvering the challenges of life.

Just you two,
growing stronger together,
as it is meant to be,
no longer needing
training wheels.

To Young Mothers

by Cheryl Merrick

My table stands trim in its neat tablecloth.
  Its usual covering of books and half eaten food
now only stale memories.
My floor extends out in an unbroken expanse.
The toys which once dotted it
long since broken, or stored in the attic.
Walls, cupboards and sinks gleam in pristine whiteness,
no longer muddied by small industrious hands.
Coats hang conscientiously on their hooks,
instead of massing in huddles on the floor.
Shoes remain steadfastly with their mate,
having given up their earlier mischievous ways
of hiding behind sofas and beds.
At last, my home has become a place
of peace and order.
A place to be envied and aspired to
by the harried young mother.
I smile serenely, knowing that in time, she too,
will achieve this state of grace
when her children, like mine, are grown.

Thirty

by Cheryl Merrick

Thirty years ago
on a cold March night
our youngest daughter
hesitatingly
joined our family.

I remember holding her.
Her beautiful dark hair
framing her face
as she blinked and
calmly looked around.

Now, so many years have past.
Years full of joys and struggles,
of sharing her life,
of watching her grow into a
lovely, competent woman
the age I was that March night;
Thirty



3/8/2010

If Only

by Cheryl Merrick

If only I’d been watching
If only I’d trusted him more

If only I’d said something
If only I’d kept my mouth shut

I only I’d thought of that
If only I hadn’t remembered

A New Family is Born

by Cheryl Merrick

Mother soft with love

Father proudly protective

Baby cuddly and helpless

United in nurturing

A new family is born

Tempered Hearts

by Cheryl Merrick

With hearts softened
through long lonely nights
of caring for sick babies,
of drying toddlers tears,
and of struggling to teach children
to live the Gospel,
then anxiously watching
them as teens 
choose their own paths,
The heart slowly 
becomes tempered,
creating within
a greater capacity
 for love.

New Tack

by Cheryl Merrick

The days of steadying
a new young couple
are coming to a close.

My time of teaching children
is contained in
a few short hours a week.

The load of child raising responsibilities
are nearly gone
as baby books are recorded and childhood pictures preserved.

New Paths

by Cheryl Merrick

Young, I stepped away from the security
of my family’s small road.
Taking a path yet untried.
I ventured out, full of fear and excitement 
on my path to college.
Meeting the right young man,
we announced the formation of a new road,
And so a small family began 
becoming larger with the addition of each child.
Hurrying to appointments and  programs,
Our family speeds along.
I feel a sense of fulfillment in  constantly being needed,
and thrive on motherhood,
a road which never seems to end.

In Between

by Cheryl Merrick

I’m at that in between age.
Though being a teen
is something I’ve not recently seen,
I am in between.

My children have grown,
and nearly all flown.
But married they’re not,
and grandchildren I haven’t got.
So till then, 
I stay in between.

A Woman's Afternoon

by Cheryl Merrick

The frantic, morning pace has ended.
She gazes proudly at the vigorous growth in her children’s gardens,
established and on their own now,
no longer needing her constant attention,
The satisfaction becomes a growing discontent
as she realizes,
the intense dependency is over.
She, the nurturer of gardeners,
finds that waiting only to give advice 
not enough to fill her afternoon.
And so,  time stretches out in barren, emptiness.
A quiet, piercing  voice commands,
“Look to your own garden.”

First Child

by Cheryl Merrick

Arrival

Excited and nervous
     we await your arrival.
Will we be good parents?
How do you take care of a baby?
I’ve never even held one before.
We attend classes.
I make maternity and baby clothes.
Your father sands and paints the crib yellow.
Small clothes are washed and diapers are ready,
     but are we ready?

Mantle of Motherhood

by Cheryl Merrick


It begins with nausea and tiredness
  which turn into smiles as small kicks assure 
  of a healthy baby growing within.
Having passed through the birth ordeal,
you feel a new depth of joy as you
hold your child tenderly in your arms

Midst of Mothering

by Cheryl Merrick


Ever busy
Days crowded with spilt milk and lost shoes,
baseball games and dance lessons.
Evenings spent helping with homework at the kitchen table
and enjoying seeing your child in a school program.
Someone always needing your help--
Ever counseling, guiding, and teaching.

Mothering

by Cheryl Merrick


Knowing that mothering
is more than just giving birth,
but an expression of the heart,
She reaches out
to teach youth at school
and in the Church
to invite neighborhood children
to share her cookie jar and talk,
to guide young student teachers,
and to nurture her sister’s children
during the summers;
Til one day she is called to the General Young Women’s Presidency,
and proudly declares,
“My daughters!”





My memories of Sister Ardeth Kapp who was never able to bear or adopt children of her own. She was my student teaching supervisor in 1971 in Bountiful Utah. Later she became the 9th General President of the Young Women organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

Always a Mother

by Cheryl Merrick


They’re on their own.
You cheer them on as they manage their own lives-
getting an education, choosing a mate, 
making a living, and raising a family.
You share in their triumphs and sorrows.