Why Did We Need to Move?

by Cheryl Merrick
For clean dry air to breathe
For a warmer winter
For not needing to shovel snow
For not worrying about slipping on ice
For not being snowed in during the winter
For sunshine and clear skies
For a newer, fresher, one floor home
For great cooling and insulation
For not having a floor which out-gassed or mold in the walls
For being able to paint our walls beautiful colors
For the kitchen we always wanted with pull out shelves
For good kitchen and home lighting
For a large pantry and laundry room
For a large master suite with an ample walk in closet
For a Great Room with high ceilings

The Road

by Cheryl Merrick

Those on the road
rush home each evening
to waste their time,
either sitting mesmerized in front of their TV,
 or flitting from post to post,
caught like moths in their computer's glow.

Each morning they arise and begin another day
stuffed with fast food, rush hours, throbbing music,
appointments, lessons,  work, and shopping
till their closets bulge with unneeded things,
their heads spin and their eyes glaze.

Secure

by Cheryl Merrick

Chilled by the cool night air as we travel,
a lone car,
across the Nevada desert.

Surrounded by the comforting bulk
and lulled by the vibration
of our 1950 Pontiac,
we speed toward my grandparent’s home
in Pocatello, Idaho.

I awake, roused by the discomfort of sleeping
on hard, lumpy suitcases tucked in our foot space,
to see Dad driving and my mother and brother sleeping.

Peacefully secure,
I raise my five year old eyes heavenward,
and embraced by quietness,
gaze in wonder into a sky filled
with sparkling stars.

11/15/07

Kindred Spirits

by Cheryl Merrick

I thought I was alone
in my beliefs,
a creative, inquiring spirit,
lost in a troop of practical souls,
then I met you,
my ancestors.

You fled to this new land
to live your principles.

You knew the old ways
needed changing
and looked to the Lord
to restore His truths.

When He did,
you embraced them.

Warmed by the strength of your convictions,
I feel a new sense of family support
from you,
my kindred spirits.




11/25/07

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

Mapleton Pioneer Day 2012

by Cheryl Merrick

Awakened by police sirens, we begin our holiday.
My husband joins the runners gathering at the city building.
Sun not yet over the mountains, the races begin.
Young men, competing with each other,
are encouraged by family cheers.
Fathers, pacing to shorter legs, allow their children
to just beat them over the finish line,
Mothers running pushing strollers,
Children struggling through their first race,
and gray headed men and women,
are all cheered as they cross the finish line.

Hearts Grown Cold

by Cheryl Merrick

In a world becoming dark,
The love of many has grown cold.
No longer do they promise even
 to love until “death do us part”,
but instead only until that person
ceases to amuse them or make them happy.

In a world of where selfishness is ennobled
as “self fulfillment”,
Where “your needs” and “your career”
come before all else,
It is not surprising that marriage
 is seen as temporary.

Changing Times

by Cheryl Merrick

Growing up in the 1950's,
I enjoyed a slower paced world.
Fathers worked all day.
Mothers were home,
and children had time to play.

Yes, woman had few career opportunities
and were totally dependant on their husbands for their support.
There was prejudice against Jews and Blacks,
nitrates and colorings in our food, and
DDT was seen as a heaven sent prevention for malaria.
We had to share our phone line with many people,
and clothes were dried outside on a clothesline.
Families had one car,
and colored TV was a green, yellow, and blue piece of plastic
taped to the front of the screen.

Thirty-ninth Wedding Anniversary

by Cheryl Merrick

On a sunny August day thirty-nine years ago,
We peacefully stood on the Oakland Temple* gardens
Full of faith we gazed across the San Francisco Bay
Enjoying our family’s supporting presence around us

Years pass
We live in a small trailer while my husband finishes his degree
Four children join our family
We move into our home in Mapleton
and serve in the Church
Illness and Work
Hopes and Dreams
Struggles and Joys

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

Letting Go!

by Cheryl Merrick

I thought my husband wouldn’t want to do it.
I thought it was all my responsibility,
and feared failing in my duty if I didn’t do everything myself.
Pridefully, I thought only I could keep up our home;
that only I knew what needed to be done and how to do it.

Filled with a desire to feel competent, independent, 
in control of my life, and needed,
I despairingly compared my efforts 
with all the cumulative accomplishments of other women.

In between Age

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 have not.
So till then, 
I stay in between.

Wanted - Homemaker

by Cheryl Merrick

Salary - none
Hours - every waking hour seven days a week
Position - middle management
Work Environment - home
Retirement - none
Vacations - none; work harder

Home

by Cheryl Merrick

Home
     a place for family and friends
     to gather, eat, and share.

Home
     a quiet retreat
     for gathering thoughts.

Home
     a puttering place
     for hobbies and projects.

Hidden Costs

by Cheryl Merrick

Encouraged by glib assurances of
“You can afford it.”
“Your family deserves it” and
“Besides it will increase in value”,
they sign the contract for the luxury home.

As the years pass, the “hidden costs”
begin to appear.

The Path to Happiness

by Cheryl Merrick

From the movie screen and acclaimed authorities
oozes glitzy, golden promises.
They confidently claim
the path to happiness
will be found in acquiring more:

Fulfillment

by Cheryl Merrick

Encouraged by society to
“Seek her fulfillment”,
the mother leaves the 
“Stifling environment of home”
and enters
”the liberating work force.”
Where she is promised
“stimulating adult communication”,
“recognition of her abilities”,
and “money to buy all the things she wants.”

Emerging

by Cheryl Merrick

Like a butterfly emerging
from its dowdy chrysalis
our home is emerging,
Though essentially the same
it now has a new form
Comfortable and safe
Simple and beautiful

Distracted

by Cheryl Merrick

“Encumbered much”
the woman busily
rushes through
her day.

Her home hectic,
she confuses
mere movement
with purposeful action,

And thus is surely led
far from the eternal course
she was seeking.

Happiness

by Cheryl Merrick

Is in the giving
not the getting
Not in having
but in sharing
In offering help
instead of snatching for yourself
In concern for others
instead of self absorption