Sunday, April 22, 2018

At the Garden Tomb, Jerusalem

This week I am featuring
a poem, as usual
and suggesting a few books
you may want to read...

The poem is about a blessing I received at
The Garden Tomb, Jerusalem
Photo credit: youtube.com

A VERY PERSONAL BLESSING
Israel Pilgrimage—2006

Bob and I sit meditatively
on a bench in the pastoral garden
in view of the Garden Tomb—
Our pilgrimage is almost over
In a few hours, we’ll prepare
for the long flight home

I catch a glimpse of a bookstore
and am jolted into remembering
that one of my poems
Extraordinary Matzoh
published in William Francis’ book
Celebrate the Feasts of the Lord
may actually be for sale, here
at the Garden Tomb

so we go inside—
and sure enough, see it
beckoning to me from the shelf
among so many other
interesting and inviting holy books

I reach for a copy
even though I have one at home
(except this one
has a label printed in Hebrew
and a price tag in shekels)
So, whether it is silly or frivolous
I approach the cashier to pay

and swipe my hand across
the smooth russet cover that depicts
a glowing hanukkiah and a scroll
then flip through pages
to find what I know
is on page 31…my poem
introducing the chapter
about the Feast of Unleavened Bread

Oh! It blesses my soul
to discover my own simple words
here at this sacred spot
Truly, it blesses my soul to know
even when I return home today
books that contain this earnest poem of praise
will remain as my gift of blessing to the Land

Maude Carolan Pych
















I'd like to recommend books written by my friends..."Psalmistry-Reflections of Praise" 366 daily psalms to encourage, enlighten, amuse, challenge and uplift readers by EJ Emerson, and "Walking in the Spirit-There's Power in the Wind" a practical guide about experiencing the spiritual gifts that God gives us, by Evelyn Lang. Both books are available at Amazon.com. I'll also take this opportunity to mention that my 411-page memoir in poetry, "Wonderhoods"  is available to order through this website. Scroll to the bottom of this blog for details.

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