What Have I Chosen?

by Cheryl Merrick

Rushing through the day, 
I exclaim, 
"There is so much to do--
Meals to prepare,
Kids to take places,
Errands to run, and
House to clean!"

At the day's end,
I collapse into bed,
tired and discouraged,
waking only to face,
another day of the same.

Wearily, as I plead through prayer
for the strength to do all my tasks,
the words, "But one thing is needful:
and Mary hath chosen that good part",
come to my mind,
leaving me to consider,
"What part have I chosen?"

Seasons

by Cheryl Merrick
Seasons
(Read by one person)                 (read in unison)                          (read by other person)

Winter

Hobbling                                                                       Hopping
                                           to the window,
the old man                                                                   the young boy
                                           definitively declares,
“Too cold out there!”                                                   “Great sledding!”
                                           and so, with one last               
chilling glare,                                                                longing glance,
the old man                                                                   the young boy
settles back in                                                               rushes from
 his chair,                                                                      the room,
                                            thinking
                                            of snow,
                                            and hoping it
will soon                                                                       will not
                                             melt.

Too Many and Not Enough

by Cheryl Merrick

Too many changes
Too many questions
Too many new ideas
Too many problems to solve
and not enough time for him
to recharge

Not enough time to study
Not enough time to write
Not enough time to ponder
Not enough time to relax
Too many details consuming her
time and energy

So Small

by Cheryl Merrick

Concerned over a late
     spelling test,
She asks how I can
     remain so calm.

How can I explain
     how small it seems
when I am only a pill
     away from stepping
     through the veil.

Counting Starfish

by Cheryl Merrick

Like the man
picking starfish up
from the beach
and throwing them back
into the ocean,
I must not focus
at all that yet needs
to be done,
but instead at
all that has been done,
content in counting
those I have helped,

Balancing Opposites

by Cheryl Merrick

Relaxing in the sun,
but getting something done

Nurturing my spirit,
but exercising my body

Starting many projects,
but completing them

Focusing on eternal goals,
while not neglecting daily necessities

Providing rest for my body,
but also my mind

Lost Sunsets

by Cheryl Merrick

Wearing her busyness
as a badge of importance,
she spends her days meticulously
tending her possessions.

A woman of responsibility,
she rushes and bustles from thing to thing,
all the while complaining
that there is never enough time.

She hardly notices as sunsets and seasons
disappear into a speeding blur
of furious activity,
til in her winter season,
she is left to ponder her lost sunsets.

Too Busy

by Cheryl Merrick

If I’m too busy
to ponder the scriptures,
to learn new things,
to meditate on goals,
and think through thoughts,
then soon,
I have nothing left to give.

The Deserving Few

by Cheryl Merrick

Instead of asking where to keep it,
     I ask why keep it?

Instead of how to care for it,
     I question should it be cared for at all.

Some possessions are given away,
      and others stored in the attic.
Remaining are only a few things giving daily ease,
     but requiring little care in return,
     the deserving few.

Settling

by Cheryl Merrick

Faster and faster my thoughts spin;
     so much to do,
     so much unfinished -
Where do I begin?

With heart yearning to support;
     a friend who’s son died in a car accident,
     a teacher under going cancer treatments,
     a young unwed mother and child,
     a woman with teenagers,
     the high school music program,
     the stake newspaper,
     and local politics,
I stretch further and further.

If?

by Cheryl Merrick

If my health no longer confined me to quiet pursuits,
What would I change?
From a day full now,
what would I give up
to join the bustling crowd?
Would my scripture study,
or the time to listen to a friend
become lost in the quest to accomplish even more?
Would a busy day of cleaning and baking
fill me with the same satisfaction
I feel now as I prepare Temple work for my ancestors?
If I could wait on my family,
Would my husband be more thoughtful?
Would my sons make better husbands?
If I didn’t need to rest often,
would I notice the leaves becoming golden or,
see diamonds in new fallen snow?
Would I be content knowing I’m making good speed,
even if, for me, the road is wrong?

Work!

by Cheryl Merrick

What I do well and choose to do
is WORK.
It is necessary toil
and MUST be done.
It is essential activity
that contributes to
the well-being of society.
It is what all
SHOULD be doing.

What Makes a Good Day?

by Cheryl Merrick

To some that may mean
traveling to distant places
To others staying home
and “Getting things done!”

Adventurous souls might trill
spending a day river rafting
While others are satisfied
just to sit doing needlepoint

Some, reveling in reality,
fill their days with
gardening, home repairs
cooking, and errands,
While others become
completely immersed
in a world of imagination.

Barred Door

by Cheryl Merrick

Once, I knocked hopefully on the barred door.
As I waited, basking in the glow of the aged,
        hardwood doors, and impressed by the
            multitude of ornate locks and bolts,
I pondered such indications of responsibility.
Surely, within this massive bastion of tradition
lay the exciting world of  adult possibilities.

Content

by Cheryl Merrick

I look at this woman,
   noting the many changes 
   the years have brought.
She has lost her chin,
   but gained several bulges.
Her hair is naturally “frosted”. 
Her face carefully etched 
 with a record of her joys and sorrows.

No longer frustrated 
  by forgetting something,
  but joyful in remembering anything, 
  she passes through her day.
No longer traumatized 
   by a small facial blemish,

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.

Rejection

by Cheryl Merrick
Interpreting love
only in the language of hugs and emotional response,
the young man feels rejected
by his father.

Never seeing his father’s many attempts