Seeing What I Have

by Cheryl Merrick
Seeing tender love in my husband's eyes,
Feeling the warmth in friends and family's hearts,
Experiencing opportunities to love in return,
to teach, counsel, and inspire,
I feel loved.

My words of gratitude
reach upward as
His love fills
my soul.

Some People

by Cheryl Merrick
Some people feel that,
"Life is a banquet, and most
poor suckers are starving to death!"
They pack each moment with as much
"livin'" as possible for,
"There's music to play, places to go,
and people to see!"
Their parties are filled with good food,
and the laughter of many people.
These are the enjoyers of life.

Other choose the quiet path
"less traveled by".
Deeply breathing in the scent of fall,
they savor the soft crunch of leaves under foot
 and the distant call of birds,
as they walk along absorbed in contemplation.
These are those who search for the meaning of life.

Boundaries

by Cheryl Merrick
Boundaries quietly
define who I am:
What I like
and what I don't;
What I can do
and the things I can't;
What tires me
and what energizes me;
What drains me
and what fulfills me.

Boundaries
garner my time
and energies,
and allow relationships
to deepen,
as they provide stillness
to restore my soul.

2018 Thoughts

by Cheryl Merrick
I simply state the obvious, but God has given me the gift to state it well.

What Do I Long For?

by Cheryl Merrick
I long for time to rest, 
time to think and ponder,
and time to enjoy nature.

I long for time
 to build relationships,
 with God, my family,
 and with friends.

I long for time to grow,
time to study, write,  
and care for myself.

I long for time to serve,
time to tend grandchildren,
time to send encouraging notes,
and time do family history.

Most of all,
I long to be still
and have the time 
to live a simple life. 

Simple Lessons

by Cheryl Merrick
Some lessons are simple:
"You can't take more
out of a bucket,
than you put into it",
and "You can't reap what 
you have not sown."

Logically I understand,
but when it comes to
patiently and slowly
filling my bucket,
or carefully sowing
and nurturing my field,
my understanding vanishes.

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.