The Gate of the Year

by Minnie Louise Haskins, 1908

I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year,
“Give me a light that I would tread safely into the unknown.”

And he replied, “Go into the darkness

and put your hand into the hand of God.

That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way!”

So I went forth and finding the Hand of God
Trod gladly into the night.
He led me towards the hills
And the breaking of day in the lone east.

So heart be still!
What need our human life to know
If God hath comprehension?

In all the dizzy strife of things
Both high and low,
God hideth his intention.

   

At the turn of the year, in the midst of yo-yoing between cities, the Christmas rush, seeing family and friends, New Year’s Eve parties, sales and plans, it is important to take stock of the year passing, to put aside what needs to be put down, but not to lose the perspective of ‘who’ is taking us onward into the unknown with its opportunities, possibilities and uncertainties and the ripples of things begun and started that have within them power to transform the next chapter

I discovered this poem at the beginning of last year. ‘The Gate of the Year’ was written by Mary Louise Haskins in 1908, yet it seems so relevant and significant, that having pondered it through 2011, it feels right to carry on mulling it over and gleaning from it into 2012 too. This is the first poem written by someone else on this blog. I hope it resonates and connects with you as it has and continues to do so with me. There are a couple of verses in Psalm 139 that this poems brings to mind,

“If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.” (Ps 139:11-12, NIV).

Despite a lack of posts lately, mainly due to being a yo-yo across the country through November and December), I have written quite a few poems recently, so look out for them over the coming weeks and months.

Whatever this year may bring and however dark and unknown it may look, I pray you will see God’s faithfulness, his power to bring in the dawn and breakthrough in things seeming impossible and his hand at work; holding, renewing, refreshing and equipping you for the coming year.

Happy New Year! x



Tree from the Rocks

 


'Tree from the Rocks', Acrylic on Canvas



It's about rocks like a tomb, trapping a tree, 

Blocking the light, but the tree bursts free.

Pushing the slab of rock aside,

I don't think I could if I tried!

The dark is too dark

How can you survive

Hope is so small

but it is alive.

Life has strength and power

and Hope does not die.

A tree stands firm like a tower,

from a seed of faith buried on a hillside.

When the power of heaven join and face

The struggles and darkness of this place

Hope goes hand in hand with reality!

Rocks like a tomb, but the tree bursts free!



Inspired by a tree discovered off the beaten track in the Lake District, while I was on a walking trip with my Dad and stepmum the weekend before Easter 2011. I took a photo of this prophetic tree and decided to paint it for the June Project Art Space and up sprung this poem while starting to write the blurb to accompany it!   



Original sketch: water colour pencils





When I wrote this in June, poetry was not something that I considered to be 'my thing'; particularly as I'm dyslexic, it was quite the opposite. I always struggled getting thoughts and ideas on paper in anyway other than a mindmap or picture! (Although, I did used to write very long letters- that only occasionally made it to the postbox!) 

So I was quite surprised and totally amazed at how natural it seemed to write, and how easily this poem had appeared like a new spring!

Hope you like it! :-)