Published by the National League of American Pen Women
in their Fall & Winter 2011 Magazine

Rows of Artwork

From observing rows of field corn and fields of ripe amber wheat in Michigan,
            I moved on to college in another state.

There I was surrounded by rows of stately buildings

            and the largest library I’d ever seen . . .

            with rows upon rows of books to peruse.

Next I embarked on my first teaching position.

            The rows there were comprised of students sitting at their desks.

            Debate teams and drama productions completed the landscape.

 Marriage, too, officially began with rows . . . of pews holding family and
                                                                                        friends
            and a long aisle to walk as I committed my heart to Ron.

Later, motherhood brought with it stacks of diapers, bottles of formula, 
            and rows of little boy toys.
            It also brought new arms to hug us and sounds of laughter to savor.

Which exhibit was next?

The thoughts of another continent hadn’t been on our radar.
            Everything in Liberia was in random clusters—huts, rice fields,
                                                                                        outdoor markets.             
            Warm handshakes and savory rice and soup were part of the
                                                                                         experience. 
            But in the interior . . . rows of rubber trees completed the canvas.

In Florida, coastal seas and rows of palm trees greeted us. 
            A warm reminder of Africa.

Years later, the rows . . . and peaks of the Smoky Mountains saluted us

            as we moved into their midst.

God’s canvases of landscapes and climates have been a profound venue.

            We’ve enjoyed our trip to the best art museums in the world—

            beholding the work of the Artist of the Universe.