Our daughter Justine was asked to write a poem about a photo that she had chosen as a class project at teachers' college in New Zealand. She chose a family picture!!!
See below her ode to us...
Family Portrait - Ode to Mum and Dad
They stand
Frozen images
Smiling at the myriad of faces that will one day pass by
Some may stop and stare
Analyzing the features and familiarity between the smiles.
Interwoven flavours
Chords
Strings from life
Contributing to the over-all tapestry
Of our family
Lines
Wrinkles that trace the laughter,
The hurts
The time of weeping
The bursts of joy
The pauses of worry
The pleasing presence of peace
Wrinkles that speak of wisdom that accumulates underneath
Ready to outflow from the mouth or hand
The twists and rhythms of their past
Come together to make a new song
Their song has played for over 26 years
It has had seasons of jazz
Verses of blues
Stages of rock
And bridges of opera
But the chorus stays the same
The duet of their lives singing a testimony of their response to the love and presence of their conductor
Who has orchestrated each note being played
The song surrounds the family
Strengthening the unseen connection of love
That ties their lives together
It’s not perfect
They sometimes lose the rhythm
But the beat is always rediscovered
During the times of heartache and pain
They didn’t realize that they were being watched
Their actions imprinting their character on our hearts
Teaching us how to carry the hardships and scrapes
That life pushes into our hands
They won’t always be there
To wipe the tears
To pour into our situations the wisdom that they have absorbed from the years that have passed them
They don’t have an endless fortune
Providing for every thirst
But they’ve given us something that is eternal
Something that endures when we feel wrung out
Twisted
Split apart
Torn from the seams
Catapulted from comfort
Dazed from inconsistencies of our journeys
They’ve given us a performance of a story
A story that steps out in faith
Blind to its consequences
With unflinching fear
They step out into the unknown
Knowing that their conductor has orchestrated their symphony
Adding a new verse to their song
They know the beat of our Father’s heart for them
They know His scent
His passionate pursuit of them
Witnessing that
To be apart of their audience
Surpasses my generation
And comforts every thirst
I would ever have.
See below her ode to us...
Family Portrait - Ode to Mum and Dad
They stand
Frozen images
Smiling at the myriad of faces that will one day pass by
Some may stop and stare
Analyzing the features and familiarity between the smiles.
Interwoven flavours
Chords
Strings from life
Contributing to the over-all tapestry
Of our family
Lines
Wrinkles that trace the laughter,
The hurts
The time of weeping
The bursts of joy
The pauses of worry
The pleasing presence of peace
Wrinkles that speak of wisdom that accumulates underneath
Ready to outflow from the mouth or hand
The twists and rhythms of their past
Come together to make a new song
Their song has played for over 26 years
It has had seasons of jazz
Verses of blues
Stages of rock
And bridges of opera
But the chorus stays the same
The duet of their lives singing a testimony of their response to the love and presence of their conductor
Who has orchestrated each note being played
The song surrounds the family
Strengthening the unseen connection of love
That ties their lives together
It’s not perfect
They sometimes lose the rhythm
But the beat is always rediscovered
During the times of heartache and pain
They didn’t realize that they were being watched
Their actions imprinting their character on our hearts
Teaching us how to carry the hardships and scrapes
That life pushes into our hands
They won’t always be there
To wipe the tears
To pour into our situations the wisdom that they have absorbed from the years that have passed them
They don’t have an endless fortune
Providing for every thirst
But they’ve given us something that is eternal
Something that endures when we feel wrung out
Twisted
Split apart
Torn from the seams
Catapulted from comfort
Dazed from inconsistencies of our journeys
They’ve given us a performance of a story
A story that steps out in faith
Blind to its consequences
With unflinching fear
They step out into the unknown
Knowing that their conductor has orchestrated their symphony
Adding a new verse to their song
They know the beat of our Father’s heart for them
They know His scent
His passionate pursuit of them
Witnessing that
To be apart of their audience
Surpasses my generation
And comforts every thirst
I would ever have.
Comments
Nicky B