Gemspirations: Praise Poems
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About this ebook
Many people influenced my desire to write poetry. My mother wrote poetry and set a good example. My father was a language professor at a university, and the major discussions during our meals concerned words.
My musical training made it natural to think of poetry as the music of words and to see the rhythm and rhyme in the use of words. Several poems were written while I was growing up, but serious writing came later.
Years later, while on an automobile trip with my husband and children in the western U.S., we visited with many of our friends and relativesI wrote thank-you notes to them in poetry. Other inspiration came from lifes experiences, such as watching wildlife, meeting other people, being with family, and seeing the effects of aging.
One poem was inspired by talking to a Japanese lady about forgiveness, love, and acceptance. After fifty years of marriage, many people asked for marriage advice, which I explained in a poem called Marriage Advice.
My poems have appeared in the yearly publications of the International Library of Poetry, as well as in the World of Poetry anthology. A music publisher in Nashville, Tennessee saw some of my poems and has set some to music and put them on CDs. One of the latest is Marriage Advice, which says to put Jesus in the center of your life and pray.
My first book of poetry, entitled Reflections, was published in 1994 by
Carlton Press.
Rowena Stenis
Rowena Stenis was born in Norman, Oklahoma in 1922, and she attended The University of Texas, where she met her husband, Tom. Mr. and Mrs. Stenis have four children, fourteen grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren. She is beloved for establishing “Camp Gramps,” an annual week of family fun.
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Gemspirations - Rowena Stenis
Copyright © 2014 Rowena Stenis.
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ISBN: 978-1-4908-2616-5 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-4908-2618-9 (hc)
ISBN: 978-1-4908-2617-2 (e)
Library of Congress Control Number: 2014902568
WestBow Press rev. date: 3/25/2014
Contents
Acknowledgements
Foreword
Preface
Adventures
A Wish For You
Alaska Trip
Celebrating
Fantasy Airplane
Fourth Of July Parade
God Guards
Hold On!
Not A Scratch
Ribbons And Patches And Ants
Rough Water
Where Am I
World Microcosm
Wren Inside
Amusing
Absent-Minded
Bells
How To Vacation When Retired
Hugs
Hurry! The Maid’s Coming!
Mechanics And Dentists: A Riddle
Pet Names
Predicament
Retirement
The Face In My Mirror
The Siren
Too Sick
Wash Day
What to Eat
What We Say
Wrestling Match
Faith
Bouquet Of Eden
Cracked Pots
Creation
Escape
Five Seasons Of Life
Garden of my Heart
God Loves Each One
God’s Greatest Gift
Guilt Crossed Out
Heaven
Let Go and Let God
Marriage Advice
Marvelous Creation
Satan Laughs
Smile; Don’t Complain
The Lighthouse
The Sun Stood Still
Trouble = Opportunities
Nature
Butterflies
Copperhead!
Dog Apology
Doves
Hamsters
Handicap
Lost Iguana
Majestic Eagle
Man’s Best Friends
Music In Nature
Springtime Is Fall
Tiny Helicopters (Happy Hummers)
Toad’s Spaghetti
Velcro Pup
Philosophy
Agape Love
Birthdays
Center Pole
Children Are Loaned
Days Of My Life
Forgive!
Never
And Always
How God Loves Us!
Mother To My Parents
Only One
Sonflowers
This Too Will Pass
Unique
Wise Parenting
Worry
About the Author
Acknowledgements
Poetry is the Music of Words
I would like to acknowledge my dear husband Tom B. Stenis and my brother Llewellyn Smith for their honest criticisms of my poetry, and their unwavering support as I search for inspiration in everyday life.
I would like to acknowledge my children and their constant reminders of my life’s mission: to help spread the love of Jesus throughout my life’s work.
I would also like to acknowledge my many grandchildren and great grandchildren, for showing me that love and an endless supply of fun can always bring a smile to a face and a hug
to our hearts.
A special thanks to my grandsons, Paul and Luke Stenis, for their touching presentation in the Foreword and for helping gather the finishing touches to this book.
And last but not least, I would like to extend a special thank you
to Gavin and Lauren Goodrich for their endless support and help in creating this book of inspirational and encouraging poetry with their computer and typing skills.
I would also like to give one last Thank You
to all of God’s children and creatures for helping inspire the poet inside me along my journey through life.
May the Lord be with you,
Rowena Stenis
Foreword
by Paul and Luke Stenis
Rowena Stenis, or as her grandchildren fondly know her as Mom-R (pronounced mom-mer
), has been a powerful influence on her