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    Opening the Door Just a Crack: A Poetic Peek at Surviving Everyday Life
    Opening the Door Just a Crack: A Poetic Peek at Surviving Everyday Life
    Opening the Door Just a Crack: A Poetic Peek at Surviving Everyday Life
    Ebook166 pages47 minutes

    Opening the Door Just a Crack: A Poetic Peek at Surviving Everyday Life

    By Christine J. Dieckhoff

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    About this ebook

    Hopefully, there are a few poems in this book with which you will connect and say "Thats exactly how I felt at one time or another."

    Kent E. Olsen, Author of Alone in a Pew

    Is everyday life intriguing to you? Opening the Door Just a Crack inspects the little wonders of life from the physical to the spiritual. Explore the authors innermost feelings and her relationships with the many people who cross her path. The reality of life with its ups and downs and joys and sorrows provides the perfect backdrop for this unique collection of poetry.

    Whether exploring the sun and the stars, angels, dreams and reality, or the promise of love, author Christine Dieckhoff shares her perspective of the world in which we live. We are not alone in our perception of the world around us, our feelings, and the greater community of humankind. There are no magical answers to having a wonderful life, but Opening the Door Just a Crack reveals how to seek out ways to survive and enjoy the events that unfold each day.

    Seeking Spirituality

    My Soul Knows Your Soul

    No matter where we are, I know we will remain friends,

    For our souls have met and touched,

    And now my soul knows your soul.

    When we meet theres hopeful anticipation for happiness;

    Our souls reach out to one another to make it so.

    When your soul soothes mine,

    I feel recognition and admiration,

    Comfort and contentment,

    Joy and peace.

    If we part, God will keep our souls together,

    Because souls can not be separated

    Once they have touched in His presence.

    They become as one,

    With a deeper knowledge of self.

    Forever.

    Whether exploring the sun and the stars, angels, dreams and reality, or the promise of love, author Christine Dieckhoff shares her perspective of the world in which we live. We are not alone in our perception of the world around us, our feelings, and the greater community of humankind. There are no magical answers to having a wonderful life, but Opening the Door Just a Crack reveals how to seek out ways to survive and enjoy the events that unfold each day.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisheriUniverse
    Release dateJun 27, 2012
    ISBN9781475932539
    Opening the Door Just a Crack: A Poetic Peek at Surviving Everyday Life
    Author

    Christine J. Dieckhoff

    Now retired, Christine J. Dieckhoff is a former librarian and schoolteacher who began writing poetry in high school. She holds a BA in elementary education from Concordia University in River Forest, Illinois. She and her husband, Wayne, have two children and five grandchildren. They currently live in Brodhead, Wisconsin.

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      Book preview

      Opening the Door Just a Crack - Christine J. Dieckhoff

      Copyright © 2012 Christine J. Dieckhoff

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

      iUniverse books may be ordered through booksellers or by contacting:

      iUniverse

      1663 Liberty Drive

      Bloomington, IN 47403

      www.iuniverse.com

      1-800-Authors (1-800-288-4677)

      Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

      Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

      Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

      ISBN: 978-1-4759-3251-5 (sc)

      ISBN: 978-1-4759-3252-2 (dj)

      ISBN: 978-1-4759-3253-9 (e)

      Library of Congress Control Number: 2012910256

      iUniverse rev. date: 6/19/2012

      Contents

      Introduction

      Staring at Everyday Life

      Celebrations

      True Optimism

      Does It Really Matter?

      The New Library

      Redeemed

      Obsessions

      The Lark

      Connections

      Powerful Women

      Confidence

      How Quickly Things Change

      The Fool

      There Is No We

      Anticipation

      Perfect Strangers

      A Fractured World

      Whispers

      Haiku

      Red Tape

      Sacrifice

      Observing Nature

      Ever-Changing Skies

      My Fantasy World

      Weeds

      Precision in Nature

      The Shelter

      Three Thirty-Seven in the Morning

      A Frosty World

      Seeking Spirituality

      My Soul Knows Your Soul

      Angel Star

      I Am Wheat

      Pure and Holy

      The Internal Conflict

      A Holy Slap in the Face

      The Power of Fire

      The Prayer Rock

      The Law, The Gospel, and Judge Judy

      Investigating Humor

      Karen’s Chili

      Granny, Stay Out of the Wave Pool

      Bets

      Optimist’s Highway Clean-Up

      The Secret

      Finding Friends and Family

      Unsung Hero

      Just Say No

      Beloved of God

      Parishioners’ Pain

      Praises for Alice!

      First Impressions

      Just a Friend

      Her Mother’s Story

      The Birth of Claire Nicole

      Baby’s New Birthday

      The Artist

      The Struggle

      Sons’ and Daughters’ Choices

      My Sisters and Me

      My Cousin Sue

      Loyalty

      Peeking at Patriotism

      Thoughts in the Kennedy Reflection Room of the Kennedy Library and Museum

      The Homecoming

      Memorial Day, 2010

      Mourning Glory

      Looking for Love

      Affairs to Remember

      The Human Touch

      My Special Angel

      You Kissed Me Well

      Missing Someone

      My Sweet Angel

      Forsaken

      Glancing Back and Remembering

      A Letter to Dad Upon His Death

      When I Think of You

      Someone’s Missing

      A Picture of Love

      My Sister, Nancy

      Curiously Regarding My Descendants

      Rekindling the Flame

      Summer Joy

      Lady Liberty

      Life Is a Roller Coaster

      Eye-Balling the End

      Do It for You

      Studying My Short Story

      Why a Short Story?

      The Elf and the Angels

      About the Author

      A Poet’s Blessing

      Good morning, Lord; please bless this day.

      Bless all I meet along my way;

      Bless those who read, where’er I look;

      Bless all who choose to read this book.

      Amen.

      To Kent, my brother in faith, my mentor, my friend

      9781475932539_TXT.pdf

      Introduction

      Ever since I can remember, Robert Frost’s Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening has been my all-time favorite poem. I have the last few lines echoing in my head much of the time, especially when I feel pressured to get things done. Those lines sooth me and help me to focus on the task at hand. I thought that perhaps I could write my own poetry, thus helping me in the same way.

      After my friend Kent had the courage to write his own story and include some of his own poetry, I began to tap out poem after poem on my computer. Often I would wake up in the middle of the night with a poetic thought buzzing around in my head. I would go downstairs to my computer, and

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