A Poem For My Mother

**I want to share a poem I wrote for my Mom quite a while ago. I wrote it in 1996 and gave it to her as a Mother's Day gift(or maybe it was her birthday...hmmm, can't recall!)**

Mother's Love

A terrified girl

On tan, slender legs

Stands unsure of

Her way home.

Through a veil of tears

She recognizes the sure stride of Mother.

The sight eases all fear.

Mother is there.

A sad young woman

With a broken heart

Stands fearful of her future,

Uncertain of her way home.

Through hurt pride

She sees Mother,

A sturdy shoulder to lean on.

Mother is there.

Now a woman

Strong, yet timid with each step,

Stands proudly next to Mother.

She knows her way home,

Thankful for all her love and help.

Mother is there.

By Sommer Sorenson(1996)

New Addition to the Poetry Corner

As Spring is fast approaching, I thought it would be nice to update my Poetry Corner. While enjoying one of my poetry books, English Poems(selected and edited by Walter C. Bronson-Professor of English Lit., Brown University, 1915 printing and originally published in 1908), I came across some poems by William Blake. I especially liked The Echoing Green. I thought it fitting to the season and so, I am sharing it here for you all. Please enjoy this month's addition of the Poetry Corner..which you can find on my sidebar to the right :-)

I don't know about the rest of you, but I find that poetry can often be food for the soul and it is something that I find very lovely to read. After feeling a bit gloomy off and on the last few days, this poem lifted my spirits. I do so hope you enjoy it!

Blessings,

Sommer

Just wanted to pop in and say that I've updated the Poetry Corner! I'm loving the Christmas Hymns right now :-)

Blessings,

Sommer

I just wanted to say that I updated the Poetry Corner over on my side bar. I chose a selection from The Children's Book of Virtues, edited by William J. Bennett and illustrated by Michael Hague. This is a lovely book of poems and stories that aid in teaching your children right actions. I really love it!

Hope you enjoy the new selection :-)

Blessings,

Sommer

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

I arise to-day
Through the strength of Christ's birth with His baptism,
Through the strength of His crucifixion with His burial,
Through the strength of His resurrection with His ascension,
Through the strength of His descent for the Judgment of Doom.

...

I arise to-day
Through God's strength to pilot me:
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me,
God's hand to guard me,
God's way to lie before me,
God's shield to protect me,
God's host to save me
From snares of devils,
From temptations of vices,
From every one who shall wish me ill,
Afar and anear,
Alone and in a multitude.

...

Christ to shield me to-day
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
So that there may come to me abundance of reward.
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every one who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

**These are portions from Deer's Cry, by St. Patrick. The whole of the hymn is lovely, but these portions especially speak to me today!

Happy St. Patrick's Day to you all!!

Something New in the Poetry Corner

Just wanted to let you know I put a new piece in the Poetry Corner. It is a poem included in the book Daughters of Destiny by Noelle Wheeler Goforth. I really love this book and some of the poetry is just lovely and so encouraging/uplifting!

Hope you enjoy:-)

Blessings,
Sommer

Something for the Season in the Poetry Corner

Just wanted to let you know that I've put up a new post in the Poetry Corner. It is a Christmas song that I very much like and wanted to share the words with you. I hope you enjoy

Lo, How A Rose E'er Blooming

Things of Note

I've made a few updates to the sidebar of my blog and thought I'd just let you all know:-)

First of all, I wanted to let you all know that Mrs. Chancey over at Sense and Sensibility has transferred several of her patterns over to e-patterns. So now you have the option to purchase the pattern and download it immediately(as well as order paper patterns)! This is just wonderful, as you can inexpensively replace patterns you may have lost and also have them in an easy, access format! All the Regency Patterns have been transferred to this and she will(as time permits) transfer all her others. I hope you will take the time to stop by and see for yourself Mrs. Chancey's selection of lovely patterns and enjoy the ease of downloading them:-) I am also pleased to be an Affiliate as I just LOVE her patterns! Please take a peek at my sidebar and visit the site:-)

Secondly, I have changed the poem in my Poetry Corner. I do hope you will enjoy it and let me know what you think. Let me know too, if this is something you enjoy on my blog. I try to update with a new poem every couple of months or so, but would like to do it monthly if time permits and if my lovely readers would enjoy it. This particular poem is by William Cullen Bryant and it is a lovely poem about mothers. I hope you enjoy.

This coming week I hope to share with you a doll dress I made for my Brenna's 6th birthday, as well as some simple Thanksgiving decorations I've made in the house. I also will share plans with you for Christmas and perhaps you all will be willing to share some of your ideas and plans for the coming holidays:-)

May you all have a blessed Lord's Day tomorrow!

Blessings,
Sommer

Poetry and Old Books

This afternoon, I decided to update my blog a little. One of those things I updated was my Poetry Corner(you'll find this on the side bar). I always enjoy thinking about and choosing the poems I place there. Sometimes they are mine, sometimes my Grandma Gloria's and other times they are from a favorite poet or ones I've never heard of.

Today, I chose a selection from John Greenleaf Whittier called Trust. A lovely poem..I do hope you will enjoy it. I happened to find it while leafing through my volume of Whittier's Poems. It is a beautiful book with flowers all about it and a butterfly in the center with a gold area for the title. I'm not sure exactly where I found this book..some antique store or an old book shop I use to frequent...it is a treasure to be sure. The book is 124 years old and in amazing condition. These are his complete poetical works. I thought I'd share it with you:



Inside the book, there are marks from the folks I bought the book from..I only paid $18 for this! I think that is an exceptional deal considering the condition this book is in.(I paid much more for my Byron which is in the same condition) Also, there is a lovely inscription to the owner of this delightful book. The picture is very fuzzy, I'm sorry. It says:

"Mother"

from Joe and Maggie,

Christmas 1884

I have a passion for old books! And even more so when they contain some personal memorabilia in them. I have books that have writing(like this one here) and also ones that have clippings and stationary pressed within the pages. Those make them all the more special. I am not one to remove the clippings from their pages..I keep them just where they are and admire them from time to time:-)

I hope you enjoyed looking at this little book and I hope you enjoy the poem in the Poetry Corner!

Blessings,

Sommer

New Poem in the Poetry Corner

Every once in awhile I like to put a new poem over in the Poetry Corner on my sidebar. I love poetry...to write it as well as read it:-) Today's selection is from 1,000 Years of Irish Poetry: The Gaelic and Anglo-Irish Poets from Pagan Times to the Present. I found this to be a sweet, flitting poem and since I see so many blackbirds during this time of year, I thought it was fitting!

Hope you enjoy!

A Favorite Poet and Author

To Any Reader

As from the house your mother sees

You playing round the garden trees,

So you may see, if you will look

Through the windows of this book,

Another child, far, far away,

And in another garden, play.

But do not think you can at all,

By knocking on the window, call

That child to hear you. He intent

Is all on his play-business bent.

He does not hear; he will not look,

Nor yet be lured out of this book.

For, long ago, the truth to say,

He has grown up and gone away,

And it is but a child of air

That lingers in the garden there.

Robert Louis Stevenson

I just love his work! Robert Louis Stevenson(IMO), is a master of the imagination. I was introduced to his writing when I was in middle school. It was The Black Arrow and it was a lovely read:-) I suppose it wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea...but I did enjoy it so.

Now, I have had the pleasure of reading his poems from A Child's Garden of Verses, it is such a lovely experience. He had such an ability to bring you into the poem, into the picture he was drawing with his words.

When I read the above poem, I could just see him as a boy, long ago....so sweet that he wanted to share his childhood and dreams with future generations.

If you don't already have this book, I highly recommend it. It is worth reading for yourself as well as your children:-) I have another poem of his on my side bar at the "Poetry Corner".

Enjoy,

Sommer

Poetry Corner

Good Morning Friends!

I just wanted to let you know that I have posted a new poem over at the Poetry Corner. You can find this on my right sidebar as you scroll down.

Today I am showcasing one written by my dear Grandma Gloria. She is my Dad's Mother and we lost her about a year and a half ago. I did not get as many opportunities to spend time with her as I would have liked in my life, but what we did share was a love of poetry...reading and writing it:-) She was a prolific writer, starting as a young girl. I know that one of her poems was published when she was but 12 years old. However, she didn't have any of her poems all in one book until she was quite older. Sadly, this past winter the home where my Grandma lived was lost to fire and all that was in it was destroyed. There were many poems that were probably never looked on by others, that are now lost. But, I am not totally saddened by this because I have a copy of her published ones:-) I will always have her memory and what she meant to me in my heart.

I hope you will enjoy viewing her poem...it gives me great pleasure to share it with others.

May your day be blessed....

Sommer