Blessing of the Pig

Curtis Parkerson-
Words of Remembrance

Mother's Day Poem-Sarah Uphoff 5/9/10
He picks me wildflowers,
Packs pocketful of rocks
Because he knows I love them
Explains the story of each one
Making sure I understand why
The ones he chooses are perfect for me

He never realizes he's perfection
That his creation was the beginning of my salvation
God knew this,
For me, he would be exactly what I needed
Nothing else matters, everything ceases to exist
Every time I look into his eyes,
Looking back to me with a face
So clearly resembling my own

Often people tell my sister and me,
You look SO much like your mother
And we do,
Its like my own blessing of 3
Cause if we look like her
And he looks like me
Then we are a most beautiful reflection of the family
God so distinctly created us to be

We 3 mother's are just a slice of God's divinity,
A minor sampling of maternal diversity,
Definitions are humanly constructed,
On this day, celebrate creations of women-
Not attempting to define what a mother should be
Embrace the meaning individually,
Family is deeply more than definitions of biology
Climb inside the comforts of what's given life to you,
I know for some this day may be bittersweet
Some may have birthed children,
Or struggled with infertility,
Mourning loss
Or fighting plights of judgments
if your choice of roles oppose status quo
Pressures from society that what most defines women is pro-creativity

My beautiful sisters,
Know this,
We are all mothers
Of life, love and ingenuity
Creativity and productivity
We birth nations of men, women and ideas,
Nurture tomorrows in possibilities and promise,
Create cohesion amidst division
With devotion patience and wisdom,
We weep among the broken and soulless,
Sharing the healing God's love births
Merely from the words of our lips,
The hugs in our arms.

We are all mothers,
It’s the most beautiful, painful, rewarding, unrecognized job in the world
It's our burden and blessing,
We give birth to the world in all its forms
I find it no coincidence it coincides with the Sabbath
So celebrate, today with each other,
And God, who created us all
Perfectly, in the images we were meant to be.

Mother's Day Poem-Sarah Uphoff 5/9/10
He picks me wildflowers,
Packs pocketful of rocks
Because he knows I love them
Explains the story of each one
Making sure I understand why
The ones he chooses are perfect for me

He never realizes he's perfection
That his creation was the beginning of my salvation
God knew this,
For me, he would be exactly what I needed
Nothing else matters, everything ceases to exist
Every time I look into his eyes,
Looking back to me with a face
So clearly resembling my own

Often people tell my sister and me,
You look SO much like your mother
And we do,
Its like my own blessing of 3
Cause if we look like her
And he looks like me
Then we are a most beautiful reflection of the family
God so distinctly created us to be

We 3 mother's are just a slice of God's divinity,
A minor sampling of maternal diversity,
Definitions are humanly constructed,
On this day, celebrate creations of women-
Not attempting to define what a mother should be
Embrace the meaning individually,
Family is deeply more than definitions of biology
Climb inside the comforts of what's given life to you,
I know for some this day may be bittersweet
Some may have birthed children,
Or struggled with infertility,
Mourning loss
Or fighting plights of judgments
if your choice of roles oppose status quo
Pressures from society that what most defines women is pro-creativity

My beautiful sisters,
Know this,
We are all mothers
Of life, love and ingenuity
Creativity and productivity
We birth nations of men, women and ideas,
Nurture tomorrows in possibilities and promise,
Create cohesion amidst division
With devotion patience and wisdom,
We weep among the broken and soulless,
Sharing the healing God's love births
Merely from the words of our lips,
The hugs in our arms.

We are all mothers,
It’s the most beautiful, painful, rewarding, unrecognized job in the world
It's our burden and blessing,
We give birth to the world in all its forms
I find it no coincidence it coincides with the Sabbath
So celebrate, today with each other,
And God, who created us all
Perfectly, in the images we were meant to be.

Mother's Day Poem-Sarah Uphoff 5/9/10
He picks me wildflowers,
Packs pocketful of rocks
Because he knows I love them
Explains the story of each one
Making sure I understand why
The ones he chooses are perfect for me

He never realizes he's perfection
That his creation was the beginning of my salvation
God knew this,
For me, he would be exactly what I needed
Nothing else matters, everything ceases to exist
Every time I look into his eyes,
Looking back to me with a face
So clearly resembling my own

Often people tell my sister and me,
You look SO much like your mother
And we do,
Its like my own blessing of 3
Cause if we look like her
And he looks like me
Then we are a most beautiful reflection of the family
God so distinctly created us to be

We 3 mother's are just a slice of God's divinity,
A minor sampling of maternal diversity,
Definitions are humanly constructed,
On this day, celebrate creations of women-
Not attempting to define what a mother should be
Embrace the meaning individually,
Family is deeply more than definitions of biology
Climb inside the comforts of what's given life to you,
I know for some this day may be bittersweet
Some may have birthed children,
Or struggled with infertility,
Mourning loss
Or fighting plights of judgments
if your choice of roles oppose status quo
Pressures from society that what most defines women is pro-creativity

My beautiful sisters,
Know this,
We are all mothers
Of life, love and ingenuity
Creativity and productivity
We birth nations of men, women and ideas,
Nurture tomorrows in possibilities and promise,
Create cohesion amidst division
With devotion patience and wisdom,
We weep among the broken and soulless,
Sharing the healing God's love births
Merely from the words of our lips,
The hugs in our arms.

We are all mothers,
It’s the most beautiful, painful, rewarding, unrecognized job in the world
It's our burden and blessing,
We give birth to the world in all its forms
I find it no coincidence it coincides with the Sabbath
So celebrate, today with each other,
And God, who created us all
Perfectly, in the images we were meant to be.

(The following poem written by Sarah Uphoff)

I Talked to God Today...

I beg of you
Kiss life back into me
Give strength to the backbone
You once architected from
sand
imagination
and love
Let it not crumble
Back into dust
Remind me why you blessed me with one
So that I might remember
Standing up straight
Allows me to be a little closer to you

Tell me again the story of my creation
How I bloomed so perfectly in your thoughts
That you couldn't wait for
My conception
Blended my essence in promise
Inherently wove beauty in my DNA
Present even times I wouldn't see it
Reminisce on my purpose
And whisper it to me
repeatedly
At bedtime,
Or lost times
Anytime,
When I seem to have forgotten it

Embrace me
Wrap me in your arms so I can feel it
Squeeze me tighter as I
Fall freely into giggles and tears
Intermittently as the pain and hope
Battle for front stage in my mind
Create so much space for comfort
Surrender is second nature
So I again can sleep soundly
Profoundly rested in the resilience
You raised me with
Assure me I'm not alone
When the silence seems haunting
Daunted by life's trials
Pile your love into me
Until I'm heavy with peace
Sheltered in strength so unshakable
Even earthquakes won't cause me tremble

Slip me the secret
That one day, Ill be flying
Outstretched arms will be replaced with wings
Just for now, my hands have work to do
Sit outside with me,
Draw me maps in sidewalk chalk
Ill sit beside you,
Color in the details
Behind your lead,
And when I wander off path
Distracted by something
Deceptively appearing more tangible
Or visceral
Or my own self doubt,
Twinkle me Morse code
With the North Star
Across star filled skies
Because you know I love them,
Gaze often,
Looking for answers,
And you among them

Please,
I beg of you.