Poetry to Ponder: Good News! Hope for the Heart is a beautiful collection of poetry that will inspire readers and give them hope and a better understanding of God and creation. What was the inspiration for this collection of poems? 

My first book, Journey to Joy: An Inspirational Memoir, was published in 2016. Four years later, I felt it was time to attempt another book.  I wanted this to be a collection from the many poems I had written. As I pondered the theme, I had no idea what was up ahead. I began early in 2020, not anticipating how relevant this book would become in light of the dissension, division, and denial of reality that would project themselves to center stage in our country.

The mixed messages about the pandemic, the growing fear and alienation, the countless lives lost, the grabbing of political power by some elected officials wanting to eclipse our freedoms, the brutal murder of George Floyd and the ensuing eruption of violence and destruction clearly established the fact that humanity was in trouble. Peaceful protests against the wrongful actions of police were being undermined by more killing and destruction. Whoever thought that the response to social injustice would be more social injustice?

I thought the terror of the Corona Virus would cause people to pause and consider God, would urge them to reckon with their mortality and consider what is truly important in life. Instead, there was a segment of our population who believed that attempting to destroy our past or the memory of it, would make our future better. I believe it is the memory of our past and the acknowledgment of the atrocities committed that should inform our future and cause us to make better and sounder judgments in the present.

People, myself included, were terrified by the news being spewed from the airways. There was a widespread aura of doom and gloom. It was time for some “Good News!”

What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?

As I considered the poems for this collection, I wanted to remind myself of who God is and why I could trust Him amid the turmoil. I needed to bolster my own spirit as the daily news assaulted my ears. I also wanted to highlight the fact that people are not who we were created to be. The rebellion and anarchy in our society is a result of our fallen nature and need for a Savior. I purposefully chose poems that described creation, the nature of God, the fall of man and the provision for sin through Jesus who showed us how to love God and our neighbor. I wanted the concluding poems to express a triumphant resolution to the problem of evil, the hope we all long for when Jesus returns and when we will all give an account to Him for the deeds done in the body, whether good or bad.

What is one thing you want readers to take away from your collection of poetry?

The poems had already been written but the social maladies of 2020 informed my selection. My prayer was that the hope presented in Poetry to Ponder: Good News!–Hope for the Heart, would turn some hearts toward God, our only hope in the midst of the ongoing madness.

What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?

That has not yet been decided, but I am always busy writing new poems inspired by Bible Study Fellowship (BSF.) I have to wait and see what comes next. I follow the inspiration that God sends my way as to if and when there will be another book. I am still awed by the fact that I have 3 books under my belt. It is a daunting task to undertake considering my legal blindness.

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