Sandra Heska King

daring to open doors

  • Home
  • About
  • DISCLOSURES
    • Amazon Affiliate
    • Book Reviews
  • Published
  • Contact
  • Blog
    • Commit Poetry
    • Dared

31 Days of Coming to Grips with My Age ~ Day 23: When I Consider How My Life’s Been Spent

October 23, 2012 By Sandra Heska King

A couple years ago, I participated in a Random Act of Poetry for The High Calling where we were asked to select a poem that had an impact on us–and then write a poem about it.

I chose this poem by Milton.

When I Consider How My Light is Spent

When I consider how my light is spent

Ere half my days, in this dark world and wide,

And that one talent which is death to hide,

Lodged with me useless, though my soul more bent

To serve therewith my maker, and present

My true account, lest he returning chide.

“Doth God exact day-labor, light denied?”

I fondly ask, but patience, to prevent

That murmur, soon replies, “God doth not need

Either man’s work, or his own gifts, who best

Bear his mild yoke, they serve him base: his state

Is kingly; thousands at his bidding speed,

And post o’er land and ocean without rest;

They also serve who only stand and wait.” ~John Milton (1673)

Milton gradually lost his vision between 1644 and 1652

 

And this is the poem I wrote.

When I Consider How My Life’s Been Spent

When I consider how my life’s been spent

Up to this point in trying hard to meet

The expectations man laid at my feet

And Martha work wore thin this fragile tent,

I long for years that I perceive long lost

While secret passion lay unclaimed, unused

And time that’s given all I fear abused

I didn’t take the time to count the cost.

Then focus clears and now I see anew

My days within His loving hands He holds

My Mary heart finds rest, my burden rolls

I am allowed to be before I do. ~Sandra Heska King (2010)

Share this:

  • Email
  • Print
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest

Filed Under: 31 days 2012, poetry, stories and reflections

Comments

  1. Diana Trautwein says

    October 24, 2012 at 1:59 am

    I cannot even begin to put into words how much I love this post. The pictures, the words from Milton – and your wonderful poem. Thank you, thank you. And thank you for your words of grace in the sometimes painful conversation over at ADS today.

    • Sandra says

      October 24, 2012 at 6:59 am

      You and Em–so much braver than me. Conflict makes me cringe.

      And thank you–though I’m sure this poem could use a little help from Julia.

      • Sandra says

        October 24, 2012 at 6:59 am

        That would be–braver than I. 😉

  2. Barbara Isaac says

    October 24, 2012 at 5:24 am

    oh, so strong@

    • Sandra says

      October 24, 2012 at 7:00 am

      Oh, so many thanks. 🙂

  3. JoAnne Potter says

    October 24, 2012 at 7:40 am

    Oh, Sandra…As I read this I wonder whether your time of being has at last given way to your time of doing that thing for which your heart has yearned…

    • Sandra says

      October 26, 2012 at 10:44 am

      In several cases, yes. In some, I’m still waiting. In others, the yearning has waned. 🙂

  4. ~ Patricia says

    October 24, 2012 at 8:13 am

    Love, love, love this, Sandra. Truly. And you. Much love, Patricia

    • Sandra says

      October 26, 2012 at 10:44 am

      Love coming back to you. xoxo

  5. Nancy Franson says

    October 24, 2012 at 8:49 am

    Okay, so I am decidedly not a poetry person, but this line from Milton just stopped me in my tracks:

    “God doth not need Either man’s work, or his own gifts, who best Bear his mild yoke, they serve him base:”

    He doesn’t need my work. He graciously invites me to participate in his work, using the gifts he gave me. And, as you said so beautifully, I am allowed to be before I do.

    • Sandra says

      October 26, 2012 at 10:48 am

      I think my favorite line is the one that seems quoted the most, the last,”They also serve who only stand and wait.”

      We’re serving even when we’re still and waiting, waiting still.

      And of course, how He can use us in spite of and *because of* of flaws and perceived disabilities.

  6. Martha Orlando says

    October 24, 2012 at 11:39 am

    Your poem is amazing, Sandy! Beautiful! And, I love that you give yourself permission to “be” just like Mary.
    Blessings to you!

    • Sandra says

      October 26, 2012 at 10:49 am

      Thank you, Martha. It’s taken me a long time to become comfortable with just being–and moving with His flow, not man’s. At least I’m learning…

  7. JOYCE says

    October 24, 2012 at 1:49 pm

    I am a poetry person. I LOVE Milton!!! YOUR response, Sandra, was beautiful!!!
    God gives us identity, and choices. Where we go from there is strictly up to us. Thank goodness there is forgiveness for sin!!!
    Sometimes that is the only way we learn from birth ’til death……

    • Sandra says

      October 26, 2012 at 10:49 am

      Thank you, Joyce! And thank Goodness, yes.

  8. Lynn Mosher says

    October 24, 2012 at 3:40 pm

    You dove deep on this one! Oozing with deep beauty and truth. And the photos are wonderful! Thank you!

    • Sandra says

      October 26, 2012 at 10:50 am

      These are the houses from the family centennial farm. The current owners have done nothing to save them. They are beautiful in their dying, but it breaks my heart.

  9. Cecilia Marie Pulliam says

    October 24, 2012 at 9:54 pm

    Another beautiful poem with the most gorgeous photos. You do make our hearts, cry, rejoice and question

    • Sandra says

      October 26, 2012 at 10:51 am

      Thanks so much, Cecilia.

  10. Diane Stortz says

    October 25, 2012 at 10:50 am

    Sandra, I’m not sure how I connected with your site a few weeks ago, but I’m so glad I did! I’ve been enjoying this series, and this post especially!

    • Sandra says

      October 26, 2012 at 10:51 am

      So glad to connect, Diane. Welcome and thank you!

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Meet Sandra

I’m Sandra, a camera-toting, recovering doer who’s learning to be. still. Read more…

Get updates from the stillness by email

Your personal information is safe and will never be shared.

Archives

Categories

Instagram Inspiration

sandraheskaking

“Truly, we live with mysteries too marvelous to “Truly, we live with mysteries too marvelous to be understood. . . Let me keep company always with those who say “Look!” and laugh in astonishment and bow their heads.” ~ Mary Oliver in “Mysteries, Yes”
🌱
No way could anyone ever convince me that this world in all its beauty and creativity and mysteries is here by accident.
Food truck night with a newcomer—@crepstick. So Food truck night with a newcomer—@crepstick. So yummy! I hope they come back.  But maybe not too often or I’ll have to do double time on the exercise.
“Embrace this day knowing and showing the world “Embrace this day knowing and showing the world that your God is more than enough for you.”
🌿
@tamiheim @tonibirdsong 
In @stickyJesus: How to Live Out Your Faith Online
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the str My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion.” Psalm 73:26 (ESV)
🌿
I’d almost forgotten what quiet mornings on the patio were like. (Quiet except for the birds and the sound of the neighbor’s AC.)
So yesterday I saw my cardiologist. It was the fir So yesterday I saw my cardiologist. It was the first time he wanted to see me in 6 months instead of a year. He said my aortic stenosis had gotten worse. Like on the cusp of moderate to severe. 😬

So the first thing he asks me is, "How's you daughter?" Wait. Isn't this supposed to be about ME?

Then he asks if I've had any symptoms. "Well, I don't know. Maybe. I felt a little dizzy out of the blue a couple times. And felt like I couldn't catch my breath. I wouldn't have paid any attention if I didn't know I was supposed to be watching for symptoms. I DID walk all over Israel and up a bunch of steep hills, even all the way up to the Golan Heights--against the wind--without anything but normal fatigue.

He laughs. "I created a monster." Ummm, yeah.

"Have you been exercising?" 

"Well, yeah. We walk a couple miles a day. I'm back on my Nordictrack Strider." I didn't tell him I'd been lifting some light weights and some very heavy boxes and other items during this renovation, though I was told in December not to.

So he listens to the beating of my heart. Then he says, "Well, I don't think the valve is ripe yet. I don't expect you to have symptoms for three or four years. You don't need to come back for a year."

Wait! So you ask if I have symptoms. But you don't expect symptoms--yet. And when I do have symptoms, someone is gonna do something. And then I'll be older and maybe weaker. Or what if I have some sudden and silent symptom and boom! And now I have to worry about that. 

(In other news, my oldest grand texts me the other day, and our conversation runs like this...
Last weekend we were in northern Michigan. And the Last weekend we were in northern Michigan. And there were lilacs. They even shook their heads over tornado-induced devastation. Look for the beauty and sweet scents in the midst of the mess. I miss the lilacs.
Yesterday’s morning view. We haven’t seen the Yesterday’s morning view. We haven’t seen the sun all day today.
When the folks in my hometown of Gaylord, Michigan When the folks in my hometown of Gaylord, Michigan ate their breakfast Friday morning, they had no idea what terror and devastation they'd face before dinner. Everyone has a story. You've probably seen pictures.

If not, take a peek at @mlivenews .

My great-nephew, not quite 12, had just gotten home from school when the EF-3 came down the street and left its mark on every home. My niece frantically tried to find her way from work through debris and blocked roads. My sister was 30 miles away visiting my dad in rehab. I don't want to know how fast my brother-in-law drove. 

The house and yard took a hit, worse than some, not as bad as others. A mobile home park was demolished--two deaths there. I heard one person is still missing. So many injured. So much awful. But the town is coming together for each other. Pray for them.

We plan to fly up Thursday--already planned to celebrate my dad's 95th birthday. 

Also, if anyone feels led to help, the Otsego Community Foundation and Otsego County United Way are accepting donations. Note “Tornado Relief.” Beware of any other fundraising requests.
Cutting tonight’s walk short. Stupid blue jay. N Cutting tonight’s walk short. Stupid blue jay. Not this one. A different one. But still. (My niece believes blue jays are a visitation from Grandma—my mom.) 
My shirt says “Walk in love. But I’m not feeling very loving. And if it WAS my Mom AKA Mother Mary Esther of the Order of Perpetual Birdwatchers, I’ll bet she’s having a good laugh. A passerby said she heard it was good luck and I should buy a lottery ticket tonight. In other news, I also banged my hip bone against our bed’s footboard and gave myself a mighty bruise. Then I burned my arm on the top of the grill. I did manage to wash all the knives without cutting myself and didn’t start any fires. So how was your day?
And now… “From the rising of the sun to the pl And now… “From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised.”
The world’s a mess, but His mercies are new. The world’s a mess, but His mercies are new.
When we were in Israel last month, we visited @yad When we were in Israel last month, we visited @yadvashem - the World Holocaust Center in Jerusalem. There wasn't enough time to spend nearly enough time. 

The Valley of the Communities was very moving. It's a labyrinth of stone from which there seems no way out. Our guide said It gives an idea of the endlessness of the horror. His parents emigrated from Vilna (the Jerusalem of Lithuania), before the Holocaust. In 1935, thirteen of his family members still remained there. By 1945 only one--an uncle--had survived. He wrote a book about them from a bundle of old letters. "One story out of millions."

"This memorial commemorates the Jewish communities destroyed by Nazi Germany and its collaborators, and the few which suffered but survived in the shadow of the Holocaust."
#Israel2022 #HolocaustRemembranceDay
“From my favorite spot on the floor, I look up a “From my favorite spot on the floor, I look up at the blue sky and the bare chestnut tree on whose branches little raindrops shine, appearing like silver, ” Anne Frank wrote in the Diary of a Young Girl. Watching the tree change through the seasons her family spent in hiding in an attic gave her hope. The Holocaust Memorial Center is one of only eleven sites in the United States to receive a sapling from that tree. I stand at “her” window and imagine hanging hope on a tree.

"It happened, therefore it can happen again: this is the core of what we have to say. It can happen, and it can happen everywhere.” ~ Primo Levi

From a post I wrote for @tspoetry after a visit to the @holocaustcenter.

https://www.tweetspeakpoetry.com/2016/07/27/regional-tour-holocaust-memorial-center-farmington-hills-michigan/
Stunning tree I parked near at Bible study yesterd Stunning tree I parked near at Bible study yesterday. I was in a rush and failed to snap the whole tree. I need to run back before the flowers fall. I think it’s a jacaranda? I want one.
Speaking of birds... bluejay in my backyard this a Speaking of birds... bluejay in my backyard this afternoon. I thought he was hurt, but I think he was just trying to cool off. (Maybe it's a young one.... unless it's the light?)
Someone should do something about that dog. She’ Someone should do something about that dog. She’s yelping and carrying on like she’s in some awful pain.
“Now in the place where he was crucified there w “Now in the place where he was crucified there was a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid.” ~ John 19:41

“But the angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay…’”~ Matthew 28:5-6

Many wonder if this tomb, which lies just a few yards west of Golgotha could be the place where Jesus lay and rose. I wish we could have lingered longer here in this garden and in the tomb itself. It was easier for me to imagine the events of that weekend happening here than in the heavily incensed, decorated, dark and crowded Church of the Holy Sepulchre… though my hairdresser said her old boyfriend “got chills”’when he entered that tomb. We did not go inside that one because the line was way too long. 

At any rate, the most important thing is that he tomb is EMPTY and HE IS RISEN!

HAPPY EASTER!
#Israel2022 #GardenTomb #Easter
 “Peter said to him, ‘Lord, I am ready to g 
“Peter said to him, ‘Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death’ Jesus said, ‘I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day until you deny three times that you know me.’” ~ Luke 22:33-34

The Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu (rooster crowing) built over what tradition says was the house of Caiaphas where Jesus was brought after he was arrested. Perhaps he was imprisoned in one of the underground crypts while awaiting trial. 

“On top of the church, higher than the cross—I loved this—stands a golden rooster! I’ll never look at a weathervane the same again. How would you like to have a church commemorate your weakest moment?” ~ Wayne Stiles in Walking in the Footsteps of Jesus

#Israel2022 #GoodFriday
The olive trees here are ancient… some carbon da The olive trees here are ancient… some carbon dates to the 12th century, according to my Eyewitness book on Jerusalem. “DNA tests have shown that eight of the trees grew from cuttings from the same mother tree—perhaps taken by Christians who believed the tree to have witnessed Jesus’s agony.” 

Gethsemane means “olive press.” Jesus was pressed to his very depths that night.  He knew what was ahead. He could have run far away. But he went where he knew Judas would look for him. 

“And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, ‘Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.’ And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” ~ Luke 22:41-44

Garden of Gethsemane and Church of the Nations

#Israel2022
A "blue preacher" right outside my door, nearly as A "blue preacher" right outside my door, nearly as tall as I am. I wonder what he's wondering. Is he finding the answer blowing in the wind?

"Watch, now, how I start the day
in happiness, in kindness." ~ Mary Oliver in "Why I Wake Early"
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Get the Mug

Embrace the life you have t s poetry mug

Privacy Policy

Full privacy policy is available HERE.

I Read Light

TSP-Red button

bibledude-net



Sponsor a Child

Join the Compassion Blogger Network

[footer_backtotop]

Copyright © 2022 Sandra Heska King · Site by The Willingham Enterprise, LLC on the Genesis Framework by StudioPress · Log in