Thought for the Week of
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To my readers: Sunday, May 4, 2008 will be a special day for me. Three years ago I wrote the poem that follows. I recently printed up that poem together with some other things that I wrote in a little booklet that I gave to some friends. One of those friends, Linda Adsitt, came up with a tune to the poem. She gave it to my choir director, Emery DeWitt who arranged it into an anthem. We have been rehearsing it for several weeks and we are going to sing it at the 10:45 AM service at the Lancaster Church of the Brethren, Lancaster, PA on May 4th. I am personally very excited about this. It is always nice to have your own material performed, and it is especially neat to be able to participate in the performance.
- The Old ProfessorHow the poem came to be written:A number of years ago, my wife and I toured Switzerland. While she was doing something else, I sat on a bench by the Aar River in the city of Berne. An old woman came and sat beside me on the bench. She spoke no English, and I spoke very little German. Yet we were able to communicate with a few words and some sign language.
While sitting there, she pointed to the river and exclaimed, "Von Himmel, Von Himmel!" If you don't know any German, that means, "From Heaven, From Heaven!" In that brief German expression, she left a lasting impression on me. I have tried to capture that impression in the following poem about our relationship to nature. I hope you enjoy it.
The River Flows
|
| How long will it flow? |
Extending to the sea.
While fed by countless streams and rills
That flow through wood and lea.
The raindrops formed in clouds on high,
Fall softly to the ground.
They water crops in fertile soil,
Collecting underground.
This cycle goes on endlessly
And has since earliest day.
When once the rivers cease to flow
All life will go away.
Our fragile world is in our hands,
Its life we can destroy.
If we but live more simple lives,
Its wealth we will enjoy.
The river flows through endless miles,
Extending to the sea.
Salvation for this tiny globe
Is up to you and me.
Copyright © Jay D Weaver - January 7, 2005
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