Love Embers

L. Jerry Bernhardt

Description

LOVE EMBERS Unrepeatable miracles—moments in time—captured as a memory….. Memories, triggered by the fragrance of a rose, a lingering whiff of perfume, the musk of a lover’s shirt; the touch of an infant’s blanket, grandpa’s corduroy coat, or grandma’s silk scarf lying forgotten in a treasured chest; a love song; the sight of a firefly weaving through the woods, a butterfly gliding over a field of bluebonnets, a tangerine sky at sunset, a rusty pick-up truck, old photographs, locket of hair… all unrepeatable miracles, LOVE EMBERS, tucked away under protective ash, hidden within our souls, awaiting the opportunity to roll out and rekindle remembrances that wash over us reviving moments in time. Remembrances of love’s first kiss, baby’s gentle breath, summers long past…life’s tragedies and triumphs—all lie waiting for the winds of a dream to fan the flames tall. This collection is at once an ode to the natural world and the beauty and support of family and friends, a life-long observation of time’s passage, and a testament to the power of love until death do us part. Bernhardt’s belief that love is eternal takes us on an emotional rollercoaster of life.

Sujets

• Inspirational
• Themes
• Subjects
• Religious
• Poetry

Informations

• Publié par: Outskirts Press
• Date de parution: 16 novembre 2021
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781977250179
• Langue: English

Extrait

Love Embers Poems and Remembrances All Rights Reserved. Copyright © 2022 L. Jerry Bernhardt v4.0
This is a work of poeticized non-fiction. The opinions expressed in this manuscript are solely the opinions of the author and do not represent the opinions or thoughts of the publisher. The author has represented and warranted full ownership and/or legal right to publish all the materials in this book.
This book may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means, including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without the express written consent of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Outskirts Press, Inc. http://www.outskirtspress.com
ISBN: 978-1-9772-5017-9
Cover Photo © 2021 www.gettyimages.com . All rights reserved - used with permission.
Interior origional artwork © 2021 Dawna Hasara. All rights reserved - used with permission. Author photo © 2022 Robyn Arcia. All rights reserved - used with permission.
Outskirts Press and the "OP" logo are trademarks belonging to Outskirts Press, Inc.
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Dedicated to my younger brother,
Barre’ Thorne Bernhardt,
March 4, 1951 to July 26, 2020
who taught me that

if the cash register did not balance,
it didn’t matter.
If we had fun and made others happy,
the tape may not show it,
but the balance sheet of life, joy, and love
tilted in our favor.

It was an honor and a privilege to
have been your big brother for your 69 years
as we pulled, paddled, and peddled.


Guess which one is my brother Barre’
Contents
Family and Friends
Love Embers
Beside the Bay
Cast-Iron Pots
Silver Spoon
You’ve Turned Ten
No Bother at All
The Songs I Spin
Flipping, Clutching, and Dancing
Happy Saint Patrick’s Day from the Rocker
Heaven’s New Dance
Bonita
Then There Was My Best Friend
Then There Was My Brother
Then There Was This Voice
Then There Was My Dad’s Hand
Mom’s Hands
Till Death Do Us Part
Waves from Heaven from Behind the Storm Door Glass

Life Observations
Two Chairs Sit Empty on a Hillside
Bells
Back to Normal
That Special of Days
Patchwork Quilt
Through the Weeds
A Hill With a View
While You Were Gone
I Was Their Teacher
Pulling Nails
Pizza
Trick or Treat
Be My Eternal Valentine
What-A-Valentine
Now I Guess It’s My Turn
Armed Forces Day
What So Proudly Do We Hail?

Longing
Treasure Chest
A Rose
Deep Inside
Do You Feel It
Driving By
Enough
Old Songs
Stuff It
Tennis Shoes
Unlocked Door
Life’s Migration

Nature
Sunsets and Wine Take Me Back Again
Life Is Good with My Dog at My Feet
Scissortail
The Finch on the Porch
Leaving the Nest
Jump Back Peaches
Hackberry Tree
Dragonfly
The Horse and the Green Grass Snake
Drought
Thirsty Cow
The Wave and the Sandpiper

Seasons
Winter Solstice
Spring, Envied of All Seasons
Feels Like Summer
Oh, Hot Summer Day
Summer Sunshine
Summer Rain
Fall, Here We Go Again
As the Leaves Change

Time
If I Had One More Day
Spring Forward /Fall Back
I Am Thankful
Harvest Time
Anniversary: A Moment in Time
Three grand essentials to happiness in this life
are
something to do,
something to love
and something to hope for.

… Joseph Addison
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I want to thank my loving family and friends as well as the many wonderful customers at the winery who have encouraged me to continue to write and publish my poems. What began as a one-time reading of a poem at the first Sunset Concert on the Sunday before Memorial Day in 2006 has now become a Sunday ritual. So often after my poetry reading at sunset, customers and friends approach me to say how much they were touched and moved by my poem. So many have shared their related experiences and asked if they could have a copy of the poem. I have given away hundreds of poems read on those concert days.
For the process of editing this book, I have taken the advice of my high school English teacher, Mrs. Natalie Russell, to find someone to help me edit anything I write!
My first editors and supporters were Dr. Richard Griffin and his lovely wife, Ann. They have been so encouraging and willing to spend quality time editing my writings. Richard and Ann have been a significant part of my life for over thirty-five years. Richard was the superintendent of the Conroe Independent School District and hired me as an administrator in 1990. While working under his leadership as superintendent, I had to submit all my written administrative communications to him for review. He would highlight, scratch through, and punctuate my writings. I felt as though I was back in college.
My second and final editor is Olivia Allen. I met Olivia through her mom, Jenny, a winery customer who also lives in my neighborhood. I saw her on one of my morning walks, and we stopped for a friendly chat. Jenny asked if I was still writing and reading poems at our concerts, and I said that I was. She mentioned that her daughter had written and published her own book of poetry, then went on to explain that Olivia had been working in Ireland during most of the pandemic and had recently moved home. I immediately saw an opportunity and took it; I asked if she thought Olivia would want to work with me to edit and finalize my book. Jenny said she would pass on the word.
That night when I arrived home from work, I found on my front porch a book of poetry titled Homesick . Inside I found a note from Olivia expressing an interest in meeting to discuss the project. I stayed up late into the night and read all her poems. I felt an instant spiritual connection to this person I had not yet met. Olivia has spent tireless hours helping me correct spelling and the most basic of grammar. She has done all this with patience and grace. To give you a little peek into the window of her soul, I quote from her biographical notes at the end of her book: "I came to realize that this language of poetry is also the language of the human condition suffering, joy, praise, elation, and all. This collection of poems is inspired, in short, by the delightful anguish it is to love and live in a small corner of that human condition, and the knowledge that it is far from permanent." I found the right person at the right time to help me bring this book to fruition. Thank you, Olivia.
Olivia and I were assisted by a final read-through by Steve Scott and Kay Nauman. I feel fortunate to have so many wonderful customers-turned friends through the winery who have been so willing to support my writing dreams.
Steve Scott is a personal business coach, author, speaker, and consultant for organizational culture and leadership. Five years ago, Steve published a wonderful, inspiring, and motivational book titled Wings to Fly; Your Daily Lift-off to Soaring Heights.
Kay Nauman is a retired school nurse and a ferocious reader. Kay has been one of my main typists for a novel that I have been working on soon to follow for the past eight years.
I also want to acknowledge Father Timothy T. Cronin, the former priest at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in my hometown of Conroe, Texas. It was in 1962 that we moved to Conroe, where I entered the seventh grade at the parochial school at Sacred Heart.
What I remember about Father Cronin is that he reminded me of Santa Claus, but with an Irish accent and no beard. He was tall and round with high-waisted pants and white hair that was long and unkempt. He had a golden, soft tone when having a one-on-one conversation but could fill the country church with his resonating richness as if the heavens had opened. Now please keep in mind, this is the remembrance of a seventh grader writing this some fifty-eight years later.
I can clearly remember a beautiful spring day when Father Cronin walked into the classroom accompanied, as always, by his blond, unbrushed Cocker spaniel that was partially blind and always needing a bath. As we took our seat, from standing to greet him, he announced that we were going to begin a new series of lessons that he called philosophy. He began by asking a bunch of seventh and eighth graders (the two grades shared the same room as we were only a four-room school) whether we thought man was basically good or evil.
I recall sitting there and thinking to myself that of course man is basically good. But I sat in silence, waiting for some other classmate to speak up. We had never been asked such a question. I was sure that after the dramatic pause, Fr. Cronin would tell us the correct answer. Well, I remember all of us just sitting there in silence waiting for him to give us the answer. He continued to sit there quietly as well. Finally, he asked his question again before saying, "There is no right answer, so what do you think?" I cannot remember who it was, but I do remember someone offering a thought and Fr. Cronin asking us if we agreed. What is going on ?... I thought to myself.
The point to this remembrance is that this was the first time in my education that I was asked what I thought and discovered that there was no correct answer. It was at this point that Fr. Cronin introduced us to the concept of philosophical thinking. He introduced us to theologians and theological thinking, but, significantly, he introduced us to classical scholars as well. We learned of Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Confucius, and Buddha. Keep in mind that this was in a Catholic parochial school and I was in the seventh grade! Fr. Cronin certainly challenged my naive thinking that man was basically good by asking me why there are wars, killings, and stealing. How could man still be good in light of these things?
Again, this opened my mind to begin looking beyond my own thoughts and opinions. He then really blew my mind when he asked us our thoughts on eternity. I thought, What, don’t you have all the answers? Fr. Cronin then proceeded to introduce us to poetry and the