But he won’t be charged with arson!
The Pull of Hope

Ken Burns’ America
But he won’t be charged with arson!

It seems that Ken burns constantly,
ablaze with creativity.
Our nation’s parks now seem aglow
because of what he’s done.

The treasures he’s unearthed for us
are viewed by auto, train or bus.
Our priceless parks provide us with
a sense of our net worth.

Yosemite and Yellowstone,
(those sanctuaries we have known)
are sacred spaces where we hear
Creation’s choir sing.

Denali and Death Valley, too,
remain untouched ’cause John Muir knew
that Mother Nature’s holy ground.
This is our Father’s world!

Grand Canyon vistas, Crater Lake’s,
are works of art for Heaven’s sake.
The Badlands even aren’t that bad.
Good Lord, they’re picturesque.

Mesa Verde, Mount Rainier
and The Great Smokies make it clear
that God has blessed America
with beauty rare indeed.

The Pull of Hope
Life lessons from a college tug-of-war

Hope boasts a rope to which you cling
although tenacity can sting
when you resist temptation’s pull
to give up and give in.

Hope teaches you to hold on to
the dreams you claim God gave to you.
Hope calls your name and cheers you on
and helps you to believe.

Hope fuels your faith until you win.
It gives you cause to reel it in.
Hope celebrates ahead of time
before the outcome’s known.

• The Pull is a 112-year-old tradition at Hope College in Holland, Michigan in which the freshman class challenges the sophomore class to a three hour tug-of-war across the Black River. My oldest daughter was both a “moraler” and a coach for The Pull competition while a student at Hope.