Friday, February 3, 2017

Poetry Friday: Angels Among Us, Angels Above Us

for this week's round-up of poetic goodness.  
Thanks, Penny, for hosting this week!

I'm a sometime poet and a frequent procrastinator.  A friend reminded me at church on Sunday that it was my turn to write the message for our monthly women's newsletter.  I assured her that it was on my schedule for Sunday, and I would get it to her soon. Somehow, Sunday got away from me, and Monday was spent laboring with my daughter at the hospital.  Then I found myself at home after grandson's arrival on Tuesday morning, needing to write the message.  Since I write the message once a quarter, I keep a file of ideas that I collect and refer to for inspiration.   As I flipped through the file, nothing seemed quite right.  And that's how I found myself composing a poem for the message.  I grew up with a mother who definitely believed in angels.  This is my meditation on angels.  

Angels Among Us, Angels Above Us

A December meal together,
angel decorations at each table.
But the most beautiful angels
decorating the room
are the sisters among us.

We celebrate angel actions,
blessings that come
as sister angels serve and
reach out to bless our lives
with loving care.

A January morning
I reflect on the spirit child
who will soon join our family.
I send a plea to my mother,
“Give him up, Mom.  Send him our way.”

I peer into Jack’s wide open eyes
and think of the spirit world
so freshly left behind.
I ponder the poet’s words,
“Trailing clouds of glory do we come . . . ”

I pick up the February Ensign.
The cover art,
She Will Find What Is Lost,
takes my breath away.
Angel hands reach out in love.

Our beloved apostle, Jeffrey R. Holland, confirms:
“Angels are still sent to help us. . . .
I testify of angels,
both the heavenly and the mortal kind.”
Angels above us, angels among us. 

- Ramona Behnke


She Will Find What Is Lost  (I'm not trying to sell the print, but I wanted to share the image I saw on the cover of our monthly church magazine, the Ensign.) http://www.latterdayhome.com/products/b-kershisnik-she-will-find-what-is-lost-framed-print-no-glass  I love what the artist, Brian Kershisnik, had to say about this painting:   "...many unseen forces are interested in you, love you, and work to influence matters for your profound benefit.  Most of what we all do is resist it, misinterpret it, or mess it up, but my experience indicates that these unseen efforts persist impossibly.  I thank God for that."

“The Ministry of Angels,” Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, October 2008
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2008/10/the-ministry-of-angels?lang=eng

11 comments:

  1. Angels above us, angels among us -- yes! I love how both intertwine throughout your poem.

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  2. Beautiful poem, Ramona...and we need angels now more than ever, don't we? Congratulations, again, on that grandson!

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  3. Beautiful, Ramona. And that print is so moving!

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  4. Wonderful, and the cover sends me shivers for how right it was for you at this special time. Love “Give him up, Mom. Send him our way.” And she did! Congratulations again, hope all is going beautifully!

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  5. I was looking for an angel poem today - I should have come here! We are reading the Watsons Go to Birmingham and are to the part where an angel saves Kenny in the whirlpool. Such a great book! Your post reminds me of the song, "I believe there are angels among us." Congratulations on your new arrival - a true blessing.

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  6. A beautiful, thought-provoking poem, Ramona. especially the line, "Angels above us, angels among us." I do believe we entertain angels unaware. Congratulations!

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  7. Ramona, what a wonderful poem and that image. Wow. A stunner, especially with those words by the artist, Brian Kershisnik. What a great church you belong to. Congrats on the new grandchild.

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  8. Congratulations on the special arrival! I often find that life just seems to run away on me - the days just seem to blur together sometimes!

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  9. This is beautiful. And a real keepsake for your family to remember this special time.

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  10. I put out my angel decorations and ornaments at Christmas, but believe that they are with us always. Thanks for sharing.

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