Introduction

Introduction

You probably don’t really need an introduction to this blog site, but I tend to be one of those people who over analyzes and over explains everything, so here you go!


I have been writing some form of poetry from at least five years of age. My first attempts were usually silly songs I was perpetually singing. I often drove my older sister crazy with my constant singing descriptions from anything to a cat in a tree to a plate of spaghetti. I do not remember specific words or tunes other than two that my family still likes to sing back to me. I guess these two stuck either because I sang them the most, or because they had actual lyrics that made sense.

The first was about a toy metal car my parents purchased for me at a yard sale. I loved toy cars and gave them all names and personalities. This one was about three times the size of my usual Matchbox cars and I guess I must have been super excited about it because on the drive home from the sale, I immediately began to sing, “My jeep, my jeep, my tiny green jeep, my jeep my jeep goes beep beep.” Technically this toy car was not a Jeep., but more like a 1930's (not sure really) something-or-other, but I never knew the difference. Not a terribly profound song but still remembered 48 years later!

The only other song I remember was written around the age of six or seven. I have always been an animal lover, so one day I decided to sing, “I love horses, I love cats, I love dogs and even rats. I love all the animals in the world because God made them all, both great and small.”

I say I “wrote” these songs, but nothing was ever written down, and I certainly didn’t have any musical talent for composing (I still don’t). The first poem I think I actually wrote down (other than maybe for a school assignment which I do not remember) was when I was ten. It was about my favorite doll I had received as a Christmas present. This doll was my adventure buddy, and I created a lot of stories involving her. One evening, I sat down and wrote a poem from her perspective simply titled “Kimberly.” I remember how proud my parents were of that poem and it was circulated among friends and family. It would be awesome if I could now share that with you, and sorry for being anticlimactic, but unfortunately, I lost that poem as well as any others I wrote before 1991.

I am admitting now that I have never been a very good poet, and my poetry has not improved much since I sang about that green jeep. However, it has always been a form of catharsis for me, so I write mostly when I feel sad, frustrated, elated, or want to put thoughts down on paper in a more creative form than my journal.

To some, poetry may not seem like a particularly profound or spiritual thing to share. However, like the book of Psalms, I see poetry as a way to praise the Lord as well as being spiritually and emotionally healing.

I do not believe that God gives me ideas for poems to keep to myself, so even if I only help one person, I pray my words will inspire, uplift, and encourage others. The poems in this weekly devotional series will not be silly poems, but more of a spiritual nature with a few tame love poems I wrote for my husband, Mel.

I am still missing some of my more recent poems written in the last 15 years or so, but what I do have I will share and still search for the others.

This is a week-by-week devotional blog, therefore each poem will include a devotional, sometimes in the form of a short story to explain what I was going through when I wrote that poem. Again, as I said at the beginning, I tend to over-explain things!

Also, in a separate post, each week will also have additional material encouraging you to reflect on the theme of the week and give some suggestions on what to pray about that week.  On occasion, there may be bonus material such as an additional short story posted that week. 

These poems are not in any particular order, mostly chronological (unless that plan changes.) Therefore, though the title of this series is “Heartbreak, Hope, & Salvation,” the order of the poems will not necessarily tell a story in that order.

Oh, one more thing before I end this lengthy introduction.

And as far as the word “heartbreak” is concerned, these are not love poems written by a heartsick younger me, although I wrote plenty of those in my youth. The heartbreak is circumstantial such as loss of my father, and facing my own medical issues, etc. But praise God, I can also include hope and salvation in Jesus Christ to add joy to my poetic tale.

You are always welcome to share my poetry, but please be honorable and give me credit as the author.

To God be all the glory! Julie