Gift idea: Inspirational Poetry

A few months ago, Kathleen Melton Sihlanick came to speak at the Leesville United Methodist Women's meeting at my church. She is a lovely lady who has been through difficult times.

When she was 40, she and her husband lost everything and had to start all over again. She has also been through life threatening illness. Through it all, she has only grown closer to God. She discovered she had a knack for writing and she has put together some books of poetry in the hopes that her words would help others during difficult times. Regardless of whether you are in difficult times or not, her poetry reaches out to the soul and makes you take a moment to slow down and look around.

I was given her book A Kaleidoscope of Life from a friend that night because I didn't have money to buy my own, my husband was between contracts. Her words lifted me up and if you know someone in your life who is in need of inspiration and hope, this would be a wonderful gift for them.

Here is an example of one of her poems:

How Do You Catch The Sparkle in a Dewdrop

How do catch the sparkle in a dewdrop?
It never comes to stay,
It glistens and glimmers in the sunlight
But once touched, it runs away.

How do you gather moonbeams?
There's nothing to hold on to,
You close your hand to pick them up
And nothingness comes back to you.

How do you seize a ray of sunshine?
A vibrant piece of light
That travels millions of miles ot greet you
And then disappears every night.

How do you pull colors from the rainbow?
These are God's promises in the sky,
Resurrecting forgotten dreams,
Arousing faith one can't deny.

How do you harness a gentle breeze
And keep it for a day?
You have no control o'er how winds blow
Nor where the winds will stray.

How do you trap an hour of joy,
Of peace, or friendship true?
You cannot see these things at all
And possession depends on you.

How do you emit compassion?
How do you know when you're in love?
Are these gifts received via evolution
Or from a Heavenly Father above?

As I see it...these are all intangibles,
Not one of them of the sod.
We're allowed to partake of their beauty and joy,
But they all belong go God!

Kathleen is a Lynchburg resident and her number is listed in the phone book. The 332 page book runs about 18.00 I believe.