The Longest Night

/ Greg Asimakoupoulos

Reflections on grief at Christmastime

The longest night and shortest day
will steal your joy. They’ll find a way
to rob you of the long-sought peace
that Christmas promises.

The darkness that enshrouds your heart
defies the light that would impart
a glimpse of love that glows with hope
and so you shiver cold.

The twinkling light and carols fail
to free you from the prison cell
that holds you hostage in your grief.
There’s no joy in your world.

The memories of one who’s gone
help ease the hurt, but grief goes on.
And days go by as one big blur.
Your silent nights are long.

And so I pray for you, my friend,
that sorrow’s raw bone-chilling wind
would finally cease and that you’d find
the warmth of God-with-us.

Remembering a Lesser-Known Carroll

/ Greg Asimakoupoulos

A tribute to Carroll Spinney

This Christmas, Carroll fills our hearts
with countless memories
of fifty years on Sesame Street.
America agrees.

The man who gave Big Bird his voice
(and gave the Grouch his too)
has left us through the door of death.
His much-charmed life is through.

For Carroll Spinney, kids came first.
He loved to help them learn.
And as we mourn Jim Henson’s friend,
for simpler days we yearn.

When puppets called us to pretend
on streets within our mind
and we watched with our little ones
the keys to being kind.

Yes, Carroll earned his Oscar
and he earned his Big Bird, too.
The voice whose face we rarely saw
spoke love to me and you.

Peace to his memory!

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2019/12/08/obituaries/caroll-spinney-dead.amp.html

A Godwink Defined

/ Greg Asimakoupoulos

Making sense of the coincidences of life

A Godwink is a nod from God.
An eye wink if you will.
It is His way of saying we are loved.
What appears coincidental is in fact God’s grand design.
Be assured our steps are ordered from above.

Godwinks are all around us
if we have the faith to see
how the Lord delights in leaving little hints.
It’s so fun to find alignment
in the details of our day
as we dust for where God’s left his fingerprints.

What may seem at first as random
is not happenstance at all.
It is how the Lord makes sure we notice Him.
A Godwink is intentional.
It’s part of Heaven’s plan
to recognize just where God’s hand has been.

*Dedicated to SQuire Rushnell who coined the word Godwink

https://www1.cbn.com/700club/squire-rushnell-wink-god

Making Deposits in the Blessing Bank

/ Greg Asimakoupoulos

A grateful heart is a great investment

Deposits in our blessing banks
are made whenever we give thanks
and gratitude compounds in time
resulting in true wealth.

By counting blessings every day,
our net worth grows along the way.
A grateful heart ignites the joy
that brightens up our world.

For when we add up all that’s good,
we focus on the things we should
and realize how blessed we are
in spite of stressful times.

A Shepherd in Sneakers

/ Greg Asimakoupoulos

Celebrating the ministry of Fred Rogers

The world was Wesley’s parish.
A neighborhood would be yours.
And for forty years you’ve welcomed us
from your make-believe front door.

You don’t wear the usual vestments
(a collar and a cross).
A cardigan and sneakers
serve your pastoral purposes.

The songs you write are “sacred.”
They celebrate the worth
that God has given every child
by nature of their birth.

Your puppet scripts are sermons
in which you share “good news”
to encourage those who trust you,
the neglected and abused.

Mister Rogers, you’re a pastor.
A shepherd? Yes, indeed!
With gentleness, meekness and mercy,
you carry the lambs that you lead.

*This tribute was sent to Fred Rogers in 1997. He replied to the poet with gratitude in a handwritten note.