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Jean Mcloughlin Poem
The Gift of Forgiveness
I don’t remember going to sleep that night
But I remember waking up
To the awful racket going on inside my head.
Bad thoughts and feelings raged
As I twisted and turned,
And roared and cried.
Just when I thought that it would never end
And that I would never be able to forgive and forget,
Time stood still
And the world seemed to fade away.
While before everything seemed so hopeless,
Now there was only love and light
And a sudden knowingness that something was missing.
‘My sister*’, I remembered, ‘I haven’t been very nice to her either’.
With this the light started to grow brighter and brighter,
And, recognising** her light come towards me,
The love grew stronger and stronger
Until it filled me completely.
I fell asleep knowing
That through the grace and mercy of God
I had finally found
Forgiveness.
by Jean McLoughlin 07/01/2016
* My Older Sister
** British Spelling - Cambridge Oxford Dictionary
P.S. My older sister has not passed away but we will always have a strong soul connection.
Winning 2nd Placement in Eve Ropers 'When Older Siblings or Younger Step in...' 01/15/2016
Note from the Author
This is a true story.
It happened the night before Christmas Eve a couple of years ago.
I went on to make up with my sister on Christmas Eve.
We hugged and said sorry, and had a lovely Christmas.
My poem 'My Beautiful Encounter' follows on from this.
Thanks for reading.
From Jean
Copyright © Jean Mcloughlin | Year Posted 2016
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Jean Mcloughlin Poem
EPIPHANY - Acrostic
They came from the East, the three wise men,
Following a star that Prophesied a King,
A Shepherd of Israel Immanuel his name, in a
Stable in Bethlehem Precious gifts and adoration.
'I'd like to worship!', Herod declared.
Until in a dream the Astrologers were warned.
God’s gift of love for New Year, as foretold,
is Christ the heart of Yuletide and light of the world.
by Jean McLoughlin
Copyright © Jean Mcloughlin | Year Posted 2016
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Jean Mcloughlin Poem
Forgiveness
Hold on to unforgiveness
Or be with Jesus...
Forever? Which would you choose?
by Jean McLoughlin
Copyright © Jean Mcloughlin | Year Posted 2016
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Jean Mcloughlin Poem
You Never Cease to Amaze Me!
You never cease to amaze me!
I know I haven’t been thinking much about you lately
I’ve been so busy, what with studying and being sick,
I didn’t think you even knew or cared about all
That I’ve been going through;
The aches and pains, the severe lack of money,
Slight disappointment verging on disillusion
On why I haven’t been able to produce anything
Other than the occasional fourteener or haiku
While enjoying the marvellous writing of so many other poets
I’m glad now I didn’t let anything worry me too much
It's funny the way it happened but
Looking back it’s easy to see that you
Were working away behind the scenes for me
I love the way you led me
To learn something new about yourself
When I thought I knew so much already
This gift was such a surprise
It still makes me smile when I think about it
And came when I least expected
But at just the right time for me to understand
That God makes 'the ordinary extraordinary'*
And uses 'the simple things to do great things'*
You never cease to amaze me God!
And may you never cease to inspire
And reveal the mystery of you to me
Through others.
by Jean McLoughlin
*Paraphrased from 'Learning from Jesus: If we feel that out lives are too simple or too boring' by Mark Frank.
Thank you for inspiring me with your wonderful words Mark!
Copyright © Jean Mcloughlin | Year Posted 2016
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Jean Mcloughlin Poem
The Christmas Star
Oh Beautiful Star of Bethlehem
How brightly you did shine!
Yet how you pale in comparison
To child Jesus' light divine.
According to Christian tradition, the Star of Bethlehem, also known as the Christmas star, revealed the birth of Jesus to the Magi (often translated as “wise men” but more accurately translated as “astrologers” or “astronomers”). According to the Gospel of Matthew, the three wise men were inspired by the star to travel from the East to Jerusalem. They knew from the star that the man whose appearance had been foretold had come into the world. They met with Herod to ask where the King of the Jews had been born saying ‘we have seen his star’. Herod was troubled because the magi told him that a king of the Jews had been born and gathered his chief priests and scribes together to find out where the Messiah had been born. His advisers quoted from scripture, the prophet Micah, and answered ‘Bethlehem, the birthplace of King David’. Herod gave this information to the magi but also determined from them at what time the star appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem to search for the child and to bring back word. The Magi departed “and the star which they had seen in the East went before them, until it came and stood over where the young Child was". (Matthew 2: 7 – 10)
The magi were warned in a dream not to return to Jerusalem so they left for their own country by another route. When Herod realised he had been tricked, he ordered the execution of all male children in Bethlehem two years old and younger, based on the information the magi had given him concerning the time the star first appeared.
by Jean McLoughlin
Copyright © Jean Mcloughlin | Year Posted 2016
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Jean Mcloughlin Poem
My Beautiful Encounter
I’ll never forget the first time I met You.
It was at Mass on Christmas morning.
You were there and so was I.
I’d seen You at Mass before but we had never really met.
This time I happened to notice You looking at me.
At first I couldn’t understand why You were gazing at me so intensely.
I looked away and back again but You were still there.
I looked over my shoulder to see if it was the person behind me You were looking at.
But no, it was definitely me.
It was like You were standing directly in front of me
Looking down into my face
So that I couldn’t help but see Your eyes.
Except You didn’t just stand there.
You hung there on the Cross in Calvary.
And in Your Agony Your eyes spoke only of love and compassion.
So much so that I felt compelled to look deep into them.
And then it dawned on me.
How blind was I to not see what was right in front of my eyes?
How close I came to not understanding that it was You.
You healed me.
You forgave me.
It was all thanks to You.
I’ll never forget the first time I met You Jesus.
It was at Mass on Christmas morning.
by Jean McLoughlin 12/01/2016
Winning 15th Place in Rob Carmack's Competition "One of your Best" 01/07/2016
Winning 10th Place in SKAT A's Competition " New Years or Christmas" 01/13/2016
A Message from the Author.
This poem is the true story of my divine encounter with Jesus on Christmas Day a few years ago.
This poem follows on from the story in my poem 'The Gift of Forgiveness'.
This poem describes a vision that became real.
At first I hid from His gaze, then later felt very guilty about this.
Please read my poem 'Jesus' Eyes - A Sedoka' for a description of Jesus' eyes.
Thank you.
From Jean
Copyright © Jean Mcloughlin | Year Posted 2015
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Jean Mcloughlin Poem
On Jesus’ Birthday
Gifts He does not ask
While we get all the presents
All He wants is us
by Jean McLoughlin
Copyright © Jean Mcloughlin | Year Posted 2016
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Jean Mcloughlin Poem
Eternity - A Fourteener
It occurred to me today that I might live FOREVER!!!
(Hopefully it will be in the good place!)
by Jean McLoughlin
Copyright © Jean Mcloughlin | Year Posted 2016
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Jean Mcloughlin Poem
God's New Covenant - Fourteener
'The birth of Jesus brings salvation to ALL of mankind'.
by Jean McLoughlin
Copyright © Jean Mcloughlin | Year Posted 2016
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Jean Mcloughlin Poem
In Awe of God - Haiku
The power of God
The innocence of a child
In baby Jesus
by Jean McLoughlin
Copyright © Jean Mcloughlin | Year Posted 2016
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