shot
down
shot
down
shot
down
shot
down
a thousand tears
fall
down…
a minute of hate
and a life of misguided pride
and false fear of others…
takes our breath
and renews grief
and triggers pain
to bring a throbbing
ache back into our hearts
but will never
break us
or blow out
the candle
of hope
or stop love
or still our dance
or quiet our song
because we will
stand
up
shout
out
love
more
find
hope
end
hate
rise
up
bring
change
now
When a General Conference tries to tell you otherwise, remember:
You Are
you
you are
it’s who you are…
you are love…you are loved…
you are seen…
your funny smile when you are
up to a little mischief…
your hand movements
when you are anxious…
your downward glance
when you know you have been judged…
your amazing artwork that hangs in your home…
your quick steps when you are excited…
your huge grin when you surprise someone
with a gift always perfectly chosen…
you are invaluable…we all need…
your ability to light up a room with your smile…
your talent when you play
the saxophone with the band…
your ability to handle a
complex accounting problem
without feeling stressed…
your compassion when you
sit with a dying hospice patient…
your hope when you wait for answers with a friend…
your patience when you teach in the schools…
your style when you dance across the stage…
your creativity and vision
when you design and invent and build and plan…
you are heard…
your laughter when it fills a room…
your voice when you speak out against injustice…
your song when it heals a broken heart…
your call to others when they lose hope…
your statement when you testify to truth…
you are queer…trans…gay…bi…lesbian
you are pan…asexual…questioning…straight…
you are young…old…
you are male…female…you are nonbinary…
you are black…white…
one of a thousand shades between…
you are Hispanic…European…
you are Asian…African…American
you are an islander…a native…
you are an immigrant…a refugee
you are a blend of people who came before…
you are love…you are loved
it’s who you are
you are
you
–Chris Pepple ©2019
I was honored to recently have a glimpse into a room that held a lot of memories of a family I have known for a few years. I wrote this because I was so touched that I was allowed to glimpse into the room and share the memories for the moment.
Memory Room
It’s the small room
tucked upstairs
out of the view
of most visitors
but I linger there often
sometimes staying busy
with a task at hand
but sometimes
just remembering
the hands who had
touched all that
I filled this room with…
a grandmother who
dusted the top of the chest,
the young girl who
tugged at a dresser drawer,
the mother who lifted
the lid of the wooden chest
to fill it with keepsakes
and memories for me
to hold dear…
so, when I am here
in my memory room
I am surrounded by
the touches of
generations before me
who placed pictures on
dressers and folded clothes
for the drawers and laughed
and cried over items that
were shared and treasured
over time and I add my
touches to each piece and
leave behind my treasures
on the wooden surfaces or
hidden deep inside and
I place items for my
daughter within her reach
and put treasures just
out of reach of my
first grandchild and I
wonder who will dust
these next after me
and who will open
a drawer and smile
at what was left inside
and who will be the
keeper of the memories
I have inside my memory room.
–Chris Pepple ©2019
