Jenny Grace's Poetry and Creative Writing Techniques

Childhood

brown wooden armchair on brown wooden floor — Photo by Marcelo Jaboo on Pexels.com

CHILDHOOD

Chair in the corner of the dining room,

and Daddy sitting in it, and only the orange glow from the ashes,

and gray puffs of smoke,

gave any signal of human presence.

Otherwise it was just the darkness and a chair in the corner,

otherwise it was just daddy in the dark and all alone.

I watched the firelight from the cigarette, as a child,

and wondered why the night was so black,

and why Daddy was so alone, and why voices rang out in the night.

I thought of Mama in the next room sleeping,

and I wondered why I was so small, and why Mama and Daddy never laughed.

And I felt like the night, cold,

and like Daddy,

and like Mama.

so all alone.

My poetry book “Life at the End of the Rainbow” is currently available at Amazon/Kindle. I would love to hear any feedback about my poetry. Thanks.

-Jenny

Make it Make Sense

What to do with suffering?

Some say it brings the sufferer closer to God.

Some give a scientific reason for it.

Some blame the sufferer; the sufferer must have not eaten enough fruits and veggies during their lifetime.

Some blame generational trauma; others say it’s God’s wrath. Some say it’s God’s will, that he allows suffering so that the sufferer will draw closer to Him.

As I sit here in front of my computer screen on this gloriously sunny April day, with a bright blue cloudless sky outside my window, I struggle to find an answer for suffering.

Why do people suffer horrible diseases of both the body and mind?

Of course, there are biochemical reasons, as well as societal/economic reasons. Et cetera. Et cetera.

But, I am not sure if knowing the why would change the devastating impact of the pain that suffering inflicts on the sufferer and those who witness the suffering.

Perhaps I am babbling in this post; I just am trying to make sense of these past few months.

Well-meaning friends have sent me Bible verses to comfort me; they have sent me uplifting Christian music videos to let me know I am not alone, to remind me that God is with me.

Truth is, I never have doubted God’s love and protection.

Problem is, perhaps I am the problem, I just don’t get it. I just don’t understand how one minute a person can be healthy and strong and then the next decline to the point that all their energy deserts them.

I have cried. I have pleaded with God for understanding. I have come up empty-handed for the answers.

Maybe there aren’t any answers.

Maybe it just is. Maybe life is just so fragile that eventually it shatters no matter how careful we are with it. Maybe we weren’t designed to last.

In the meantime, I am going to just accept that which I cannot change. I cannot change the trajectory of any of this.

But, I can still step outside in the sunlight and walk along the beautiful river, and be thankful to God for one more minute that I can enjoy this fragile life.

I urge you to be thankful for the beauty of this life, tell those whom you love that they matter to you, share love with abandon, be kind.

Be kind.

And remember that this life is so fleeting and so very fragile.

So very fragile.

When Hope Is Lost. . .

The past few months have been gut-wrenching.

I have questioned if I have the fortitude to tackle the seemingly impossible obligations in front of me.

I have learned many things in the past months. . .

It is what it is. Prayers can be sent up to God who loves me. . .but, it is what it is and God’s will be done.

I didn’t get the world I wanted; I got the world that I got.

The only effective strategy is to walk through the fire. Just walk.

The worst advice I have been given is “Be encouraged.”

No, I am not encouraged. . .it is indeed grim and I must face it.

I have sat in hospital waiting rooms these past few months and gotten a front row seat to human suffering. I have stopped turning my eyes away. I look and acknowledge the fragility of life and then I acknowledge the time that we waste with petty grievances. Time can never be recouped. Use it wisely.

In the end of this life’s journey we just need to feel our loved one’s hand in ours.

I have placed my hand in my loved one’s hand and prayed to God in heaven; I have pleaded for a different outcome.

I am a stubborn, bull-headed sort of soul. I do not know how to give up. I beg God on a nearly hourly basis. He, after all, is my father. I beg God to change the trajectory of this.

And, I will always believe in miracles.

And, a miracle is needed for my loved one.

God will walk me through this fire. God will keep His hand upon me. God will.

God’s will be done.

I cannot change the trajectory of any of this.

Please pray for my loved one and for all those who are suffering, especially those who are alone without anyone to care for them.

This is the hardest thing I have ever had to do.

But, I believe in God with all my heart, mind, and soul. He has made promises to be my strength and my fortress and to always comfort me.

Now, in the silence of my soul, I just need to sit and rest, and look at the blooming pink petunias in my garden and trust that God is with me.

Please pray for a miracle.

Thank you.

Quiet Sunday Morning: Wild Senna

These yellow flowers are called Wild Senna. I planted them early last spring, 2022. They only recently reappeared. The branches had seemingly scorched and blackened during the oppressively hot summer. I snipped some of the branches in early September in hopes they would regrow, and finally one morning I stepped out on my patio and saw the beginning of small yellow flowers.

New life; new hope.

It got me thinking that when it appears that all is lost, there is always hope. Deep within the soil God has provided each and every plant all it needs to survive and to thrive no matter what the difficult environments it may encounter.

Of course, some inevitably wither to never return, but I believe that remnants of that plant always remain because of the seeds that birds and insects have grafted and transported on the wind and into the soil.

Such it is with humanity. No matter how destructive this life can be, there is always hope that we will rise from the ashes of destruction. It is in our DNA. We carry the remnants of who we are, who our ancestors were, within our very blood.

We are forever rooted in this very earth upon which we exist.

We leave remnants of who we are to our children and our children’s children until infinity.

So, what to do with our short time on this earth? What shall we leave as our time in the sun fades?

Like the Wild Senna, we bloom for a short time, but even after that short time, our roots re-emerge and can branch out and blossom.

We never truly leave this earth. We leave behind whispers of our broken and discarded dreams; we leave behind our maddening hubris; we leave behind scars that mar future generations.

What for?

This life is temporary, but our actions reverberate through the milennia.

Yes, on this quiet Sunday morning in late November, I stand at the window and look out at the beautiful cluster of yellow Wild Senna and ponder the decades ahead and wonder if in the fall of 2053 who will find a tiny yellow flower poking through the sidewalk and ponder how it had blossomed there.

Such is this life; such is the remnants of humanity.

Mama said to me long ago, you reap what you sow. It comes from Galatians 6:7 in the Holy Bible:

“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.”

As 2024 looms on the horizon, ask yourself what you want to sow.

Do you want to build up others, or do you want to destroy others?

Do you want to plant seeds of love, peace, and joy, or do you want to sow seeds of hate and destruction?

Each word that proceeds from your mouth can either destroy or comfort.

What remnant do you want to leave in your short time on this earth?

Never forget that God is still on His throne and will be forever. God will not be mocked.

We reap what we sow.

So, in the coming year 2024, ask in prayer how you can leave this earth in better condition than you found it.

How can you be the change for love, kindness, and peace that you want to see?

Rather than tear down, build up.

Rather than hate, love.

God is, after all, love.

Love.

Plant seeds of love, beauty, and peace.

After all, what you leave never leaves this earth.

We are forever rooted here.

God bless. Pray for peace.

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/14-year-old-invents-soap-for-treating-skin-cancer-and-wins-top-honor-as-americas-top-young-scientist/

While it appears that the entire world has lost its mind, there is some actual good news to be celebrated. I enjoy reading .https://goodnewsnetwork.org because I am an eternal optimist and cannot accept the thought that the world is void of good people and good things. God, after all, is in charge, so there has to be some goodness in the world.

I wanted to share with you this incredible story about a ninth grader named Heman Bekele. He attends W.T. Woodson Highschool in Annandale, Virginia. He is the Winner of the 2023 Young Scientist Challenge for his invention of a soap for the treatment of melanoma.

A young American student has won an honor for his research and invention of something that can help cancer patients.

I wonder how many media outlets have picked up this positive story about a young American.

Usually, all the media reports is negative stories about American youth.

Well, I would like to say congratulations to Mr. Bekele for his aspirations to help alleviate suffering among those who have cancer.

Please take the time to read about good news. While there is bad things going on in the world, never forget that God always shines a light in this world of darkness.

Mr. Bekele’s accomplishments in the field of cancer research is a fine example of how human goodness does exist.

American youth need to be encouraged to aspire for greatness.

We can all aspire to greatness.

Be kind. Be compassionate. Find the glass half full rather than half empty.

And thank God for the beauty that is in this world.

And, never forget that there are good people doing good things.

In spite of what popular media wants you to believe.

So, be inspired and go out and do good things for people.

Blessings.

Early Morning Thoughts

I woke before the sun came up this morning. This has become my routine since adopting a Pomeranian puppy in June. Let me back up; it’s her routine to wake before the sun is up; she has merely changed my routine. And, for the the best, I might add.

While she’s frolicking in the garden, chasing little insects that dwell in the grass and beneath rocks, I take in the changing hues of the sky. Pinpoint stars twinkle like diamonds high above the earth’s canopy, the moon shines like polished pearl, a bright beacon in the wide, lonely expanse of darkness.

Far off flutter of red-tailed hawks’ wings ominously resurrect ancient fear of dangers that lurk in darkened shadows. My puppy perks her ears up, pauses, looks around, and listens with me. Together, we stand in the darkness and turn our eyes upward to the sound of the fluttering hawks’ wings, the gentle buzzing of bees, and the rustling of squirrels scampering from their hiding places in the grove of oak trees.

As if to ease our fears, God lifts the shadows of darkness and slowly fills the horizon with light. A slow shimmer of light spreads across the dark horizon, lightens to a pale gray, then pale pink, then soft blue and cottony white.

Light.

From the fear of darkness to the calming comfort of light.

Yellow roses in my garden come into view; sunlight shimmers along the golden petals. My puppy finds a stick, plops down and chews on it. I lift my eyes toward the gathering blueness of the morning sky and give thanks to God who always brings light, just as He has always promised He would do.

Words from scripture come back to me telling me not to be fearful, to not be afraid, that God is always with me, that Jesus is the light of the world, that joy comes in the morning.

Indeed, joy comes in the morning. Jesus is the light of the world. I am not afraid; I am not fearful because God is always with me. When my strength fails me; God will not fail me. He will protect me and be with me through out any darkness that I struggle to get through.

This morning, I watch the darkness change into the light.

No matter what goes on beneath the canopy of this earth’s sky, God is with us and we can rest in the truth that there will always be light after the darkness.

Jesus is the light of the world. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be afraid of the darkness. Don’t be fearful of what lurks in the shadows. Just call on Jesus to heal you, to protect you, to lead you from the darkness into the light.

Spend time in the early morning hours and watch the light gently gathering in the receding darkness and ponder God’s limitless love/

Procrastination: A Quote

“On the great clock of Time there is only one word: Now.“- Unknown

It’s early Saturday morning; this past week has been a very emotionally difficult one. I won’t go into the details here. I give my worries over to God and trust that He will protect me and provide me with the strength I need to face tomorrow.

Speaking of tomorrow, I was just flipping through the calendar book I keep on my desk and I saw this quote that I am referring to. It touched me, and so I wanted to share it with you.

People often say that tomorrow is not promised to any of us. Yet, we go about our days planning as if we will live forever. We schedule events weeks, sometimes years in advance. And then we procrastinate about pursuing and following up with those plans. We erroneously believe that we can do it all tomorrow.

Truth is there is no tomorrow. There is just now.

So, if you plan to give your loved one a phone call, stop reading this, and call that loved one.

So, if you plan to apologize for a wrong you have done to someone, stop reading this, and go and make that phone call. Don’t text it; texting is just another way to erect barriers between you and another person. Hearing a voice allows you to connect with emotions in a way that text cannot.

So, if there is a novel you want to write, or a painting you want to draw, stop reading this and go and do it.

Do it all now.

You will never have this moment in time again.

Tell the people you love that you love them.

Forgive those who have hurt you.

Ask forgiveness from those you have harmed.

People we love have a way of leaving us whether by death or other ways, so do not take them for granted.

In this life, there are no second days.

You only have now.

Please, please don’t waste a moment.

I will be saying a final goodbye to someone so very, very precious to me. I ache from the looming loss and I have cried almost nonstop since Monday. I have begged God to surround me with angels to get me through this. Honestly, I just don’t know how I will react to the final goodbye.

Please offer your prayers up to heaven for me and my family.

Now, go and tell the people in your life just how much you love them.

There is no tomorrow.

There is only now.

The clock is ticking.

Jesus

Savior in the storm

Arms wide open to comfort

Heals our brokenness.

This cloudy, cool Sunday afternoon in mid-autumn, I have a lot on my mind. Two people whom I love dearly are both facing health challenges. I am reminded that all I can do is pray, and God’s enduring love in the face of life’s storms is sufficient. This life is indeed a storm, and we all get tossed about by the tides that threaten to take us under, but, we must all remember that God is with His children, and although we may suffer, we do not suffer alone.

God sent His son Jesus Christ to this broken world to give hope to the brokenhearted. And, I think we all are brokenhearted about the events that have occurred this past week in the Middle East.

We all carry our own burdens and our own scars. This life hurts; this life is unbearable at times.

But, there is hope. There is Jesus. And, He stands with arms wide open to receive us and to comfort us in our suffering. He is a mere breath away. Simply call His name and He will embrace you and heal you in your suffering.

Jesus is the only hope in this broken world. He is love. He is God’s son.

Please join me in praying for healing all those suffering souls in the Middle East, and worldwide.

John 3:16 prayer:

God, thank you for sending your son into this world to us, a broken people, held captive by sin. Help us trust in Jesus Christ alone as our savior, and help us to spread your love by our actions.

Amen

Busy Mason Bee

Red zinnia sways in sunlight

Sky robin’s egg blue.

Photograph copyrighted Jenny W. Andrews 2023

Prairie Flowers

Petals reach for sky

Bathed in yellow majesty

Butterflies glide by.

Note: Yesterday, I spent an incredibly peaceful day just enjoying the outdoors. The oppressive heat is finally going away. It was pleasantly cool, so I went for a walk and snapped several photos.

I also stopped by my favorite coffee shop and wrote this haiku.

I hope you enjoy it and I hope you take some time away from your busy schedule to enjoy this beautiful world that God has blessed us with.

Jenny

Journey, 1981

Teardrop did not fall

Beyond caring what you thought

Chose my own journey.

Remembering When, 1983

Chandelier, faux glass

My handsome beau married me

Youthful rendezvous.