Thursday, July 31, 2008

A Tribute to Emily


Emily Carole Harrison
4/19/1977 - 9/29/2001


Emily, the youngest daughter of my sister, Carole, suffered brain damage at 12 years of age as a result of a terrible accident. After spending 12 years recovering from these injuries, she suffered another tragic accident on September 12, 2001, which eventually ended her life.

The following poem was one of my earlier poems and can be found on page 175 of the book, My Sister, Emily. Emily's sister, Belinda Harrison Jockisch, wrote this book and it tells the story of Emily, a very special and remarkable young lady.

Emily

Though little in body
she was strong in mind,
ready to witness
to all mankind.

She had a zest for living
those who knew her admired,
an inquisitive spirit
that never tired.

Her smile could light up
any gloomy affair.
She wasn’t beyond
accepting a dare.

She never cursed,
a true lady was she.
“Yes Ma’am,” she spoke
with complete sincerity.

Although Emily’s life might
be thought short by some,
the number of lives she touched
is really quite awesome.

I’ll always believe
that Emily was sent from above
with a special job
and the gift of love.

Her Lord called her home,
so now we are sad.
We miss that special smile
that Emily had.

But don’t you cry
or shed your tears,
rejoice that we had her
for twenty-four years!

Now she is up
in heaven above
watching over us
with her gift of love.

Monday, July 21, 2008

Secrets

We all have our secrets
hidden deep inside
Our shame and embarrassment
The private thoughts we hide.

We find it difficult to open up
And let our buried feelings out
We keep them concealed inside
Secrets only we know about.

Why we haven’t told
It’s difficult to say
Maybe we fear reliving
The memories from that day.

Or possibly we feel embarrassment
And hope the secrets will disappear
If we don’t acknowledge our secrets
And things we’ve grown to fear.

Nobody will ever know
Of the crosses that we bear
If we continue to hide them away
refusing to talk about our despair.

But is this a healthy way of life
Keeping thoughts hidden deep inside
Maybe we should just open up
And address these secrets that we hide.

Monday, July 14, 2008

The Demon Inside of Me

I’m fighting a demon
that lives inside of me.
He scratches and claws,
trying so hard to be free.

I must keep on my toes
and not give in to his tricks,
but he’s so crafty and sly
and his talk is so slick!

He tries to take over my life
and lead me astray.
He makes me lose focus
throughout the night and day.

I’m fighting hard
and trying to be brave,
but the demon inside me
just doesn’t behave.

But today is a new day,
and now I’m much wiser than he.
With God’s help I’ll chase away
the demon who lives inside of me.

Friday, July 11, 2008

In the Middle

I’m caught in the middle
between the two of you.
Whom do I side with?
What should I do?

I try to remain neutral
and keep my thoughts deep inside,
but my impulsiveness gives way
and my feelings I cannot hide.

Then I begin to question
whether I said something wrong.
Did I choose the wrong words?
Did I ramble on too long?

I guess I’ll find out tomorrow
when I meet you one on one.
Did I get my point across
by the things I’ve said and done?

But I only have to answer
to my Maker up above.
Please Lord curb my tongue
where I won’t hurt the ones I love.