God dreamed me up in His heart.

God dreamed me up in His heart you know
Well that's what I read today.
It made me feel sort of warm inside
And I wondered if that was the way
That God created all of us
By dreaming us up in His heart
What a great imagination!
However would you start
To dream up a whole, new person?
To make them entirely unique
To decide on their height and the colour of their eyes
And the way that they'd laugh or speak

God dreamed me up in His heart you know
He decided I'd simply be me
He must have thought that there was a gap
for a Karen, a vacancy.
He put each part of me altogether
With a generous helping of fun
And he added some serious thinking as well
To complete that which He had begun.
And He does it so many times over
Creating us all perfectly
We are none of us here by accident 
We were dreamed of and made beautifully.

Karen Holmes
March 15th 2014

The written word.

I wish that you could see how much I mean each word I write
If only you could witness my joy, my great delight
In putting pen to paper, in sharing thoughts with you
telling you all my hopes and dreams, the things I long to do.
I wish that you could feel my peace in sharing little fears
the feeling that I'm not alone, the safety through the years
Of having one who knows it all yet never fails to care
A knowledge that each secret's safe, yet someone's now aware
of fragile strength and fearful hope and certainty oft doubted
And often known by just a look, not spoken, never shouted

I wish that you could feel the smiles, the echo of my laughter
For I'm not sure that they remain once posted, and then after
the journey from my home to yours, the waiting to be read
I don't know if they come to life or turn to dust instead.
I don't know if my letter's reach you, all intact and full of fun
But rest assured that's how they started, how each one begun

The writing flowed, the thoughts all crowding, coming fast and pushing, shoving, wanting to be heard, and felt and known by you.......
by you, the one I write to most
who reads the letters that I post.

Karen Holmes
March 12th 2014

A Day out with Wellies!

A true(ish) story!

Helen and Christine went out for a wander

They thought that they'd visit the ducks over yonder

There'd been lots or rain and the ground turned to mud

But they were determined to go, if they could.

So Helen decided her wellies she'd need

So the mud wouldn't thwart them, the ducks they could feed

She got out her thick socks for cozy, warm toes

For wellies let chills in (as everyone knows)

Now Alfie (the dog) kept an eye on proceedings

Whilst Taylor (the cat) feared where this might be leading

When human's go out, they're not there to serve

in the way that all felines demand and deserve.

Helen pulled on her wellies and waved them goodbye

Alfie and Taylor gave a deep, heartfelt sigh.

Helen met up with Chris and they chatted at ease

Set free by her wellies Helen felt really pleased

She could wander through puddles and trample through mud

The ducks thought that they'd get some too if they could!

But the ducks also witnessed the best fun of all

And always with laughter this day they'll recall!

The moment when Helen decided that she

Would remove muddy wellies then go home for tea,

There was no room for movement, the welly was stuck!

And finally Christine came over to look

Well they pulled and they struggled the boot to get free

It almost became a full emergency!

They feared they'd need professional aid

But finally, happily progress was made

The wellington story will always bring laughter

Today and tomorrow - and many years after

Whenever it's muddy or starting to rain

We'll think of poor Helen and her wellies again!

Karen Holmes

January 12th 2014

God of Real things.

Based on a true story :-)

I knocked my nativity set over
It had been neatly set out and displayed
I bought it a number of years ago
So it's a little bit old I'm afraid

But, each year I remove all the wrapping
And I take out each small wooden shape
The stable doors are opened
And a nice little scene I create

There's a star on the top - it slots into the roof
But each year there's a little less straw
I felt sad when I knocked it all flying
And Joseph fell onto the floor.

Two of the wise men fell over
Though the other remained on his knees
As he offered a gift to the baby
and the donkey looked on, none too pleased.

Yet Mary seemed quite unaffected
And that's how she's often portrayed
Incredibly calm and collected
In clean, uncreased clothing arrayed.

The reality though would be different
With noises and smells all around
and numerous people milling about
in a strange, unfamiliar town.

Mary would surely be tired
And Joseph a little concerned
by the angels and wisemen and shepherds
and the strange revelations they'd learned.

In all of that chaos, a baby cries
God in human form
In amidst the discomfort and disarray
Our Saviour, our King was born.

And it's often in our darkest times
That God is really found
When we're frightened or we're struggling
When there's no-one else around

He steps into our chaos
Our disrupted lives, our mess
He's there right in the midst of it
To ease our pain, our stress

Let's not pack Jesus away again
When Christmas has passed by
You can't wrap him up and hide him
No matter how hard you try.

He's a real God, for real life
For whatever you're going through
And He wants you to believe in Him
He wants to be real to you.

Karen Holmes
21 December 2013

The Ghost of the snowmen

This is a poem written for the Penny Black which I frequent regularly.  They have had problems during this year with the plumbing and water pouring through the ceiling - here is the real explanation.

Twas the night before Christmas at the Penny Black
Two snowmen and penguins dropped in for a chat
They stood at the bar and gulped down some beer
They seemed in fine spirits and full of good cheer
There was mischief afoot though, a glint in their eyes
For they planned misadventure, an awful surprise!

Now those of the bar staff who worked Christmas eve
Had lost faith in Santa and scarcely believed
But still they had hoped that peace would prevail
They'd checked all the food - all was fresh, nothing stale
They'd had a new carpet for the mad, festive season
And felt quietly confident - not without reason

But the penguins and snowmen had wicked intent
They drank at the bar and then upstairs they went
They'd sneaked in some baileys and a bottle of sherry
And slowly, but noisily got rather merry
They sang Christmas songs at the top of their voices
(some customers left when they missed out their choices!)
The snowmen and penguins got drunker than lords
And threats of a ban were completely ignored.

The staff were so shocked as they showed them the door
They'd never had penguins behave badly before!
Then suddenly getting quite red in the face
The penguins all shouted "it's too hot in this place
Can't you turn down the heating? we're feeling quite ill"
Then they left and went dancing round Sir Rowland Hill!

But strangely the snowmen had quite disappeared
No-one could explain it, though all thought it weird.
The truth of the mystery is easy to tell
The snowmen got warmer and didn't feel well
They started to melt and they dripped on the floor
And the ghost of the snowmen remains evermore!

For once in a while, the ghost haunts the pub
It drips through the ceiling on customer's grub!
The staff blame the plumbing and say there's a leak
for of penguins and snowmen they're frightened to speak!
And, each night before Christmas by old Rowland Hill
The penguins still gather and remember them still
Then they glance towards Pennies, with a glint in their eye
As with two little drips, the snowmen say "hi"

Karen Holmes
14 December 2013

A Glimpse of Your Glory - The Transfiguration Luke ch 9 v 32

Have I fallen asleep on the job Lord?
Have I wasted a moment or two?
Do I take a day off when it suits me?
Have I lost my excitement for You?

Have I lost my initial enthusiasm?
Is my passion beginning to flag?
Am I finding it hard to keep going?
Is it all just a bit of a drag?

Have I grabbed forty winks on occasions?
Have I slept when I should be alert?
Have I grown just a little complacement
And persuaded myself it won't hurt?

Your disciples were sleepy one day as You prayed
They'd been very busy, they'd stood quite amazed
As people were healed, from bondage released
They'd heard your great teaching, seen stormy winds cease
The dead had been raised! The hungry were fed!
They'd gathered the baskets of left over bread.

But now they were tired and weary
Their thoughts probably drifted away
They went up the mountain with You Lord
And relaxed as You started to pray
Then somehow they kept their eyes open
And we're told in this wonderful story
That when they were fully awake
They saw You in all of Your Glory!

Don't let me waste precious moments
Nudge me and keep me awake
Challenge me out of complacency 
I don't want to make the mistake
Of missing a glimpse of Your Glory
Or a fragment of heaven's delight
Which could fan into life the flame of my faith
And cause it to burn again bright.

Keep me watchful, awake and alert God for You
Anticipating all of the great things You'll do
Fill me with excitement, a yearning to see
The power of Your Spirit, at work Lord in me.

Karen Holmes
18th June 2007

Lighten Our Darkness

Turn on the light, so I can see more clearly
the handiwork of God throughout this world displayed
The crashing might of waves upon the ocean
Each tiny flower so splendidly arrayed
The detailed edge of intricate, fine petals
The autumn leaves with brilliant hues ablaze
The evidence of God's artistic passion
All freely given in many different ways.

Turn on the light so I can gaze in wonder
at Springtime sights of blossom like a cloak
upon the branches previously so barren
A world unseen just waiting till you spoke
A new awakening, life unfurled, rebirthed Lord
If only I had wings on which to soar
If only I could dance, reborn like nature
I'm sure I'd grow to know and love you more.

Turn on the light, inspire my poor, dim vision
To look again with eyes that see anew
the truth that's visible to those who search still
To those who take the time to think things through
To those who cannot simply follow blindly
like some lost sheep who's brought back to the fold.
I seek to gain a fresh perception
A living meaning to the stories told.

But many like the depth of shadows
They feel secure in what they think they know
In hearts long padlocked, chained, held prisoner
They struggle with life's ebb and flow
So pressurised to have the answers
So desperate to yet make sense
of all the painful quirks of living
they've spun a web of deep pretence.

And I've been captive to their thinking
Afraid to move, afraid to breathe
And slowly I've become frustrated
And inwardly my heart has seethed
For surely if the son has set me free
He's set me free from church tradition
He's loosed the chains that held me bound
The cords of dusty, false religion

The light of God can't be diminished
He's closer than the air we breathe
He's not confined to one dimension
He's found by many who believe.
Our finite way of understanding
means that we cannot comprehend
that God exceeds our limitations,
no matter how long we may spend
in somehow shaping Him to our mould
In saying the truth is ours alone.
He moves through all the world unhindered
And speaks in languages unknown.

The light is shining ever brighter
For God and I remain entwined
But He removes the ties that shackle
The misconceptions that confined
The door's flung open, I am blinded
By the sunshine of His grace
By the power of Holy Spirit
chasing cobwebs from this place
Free at last!  as He intended
Free to worship as I ought
Free to turn from years of darkness
To the light of truth I sought.

Karen Holmes
23rd March 2009