Elizabeth Recommends

Sweet music, uplifting poems, exciting Sacred Scripture

1. Hayley Westenra, a young teenager from New Zealand, has become famous in England for her absolutely clear voice that mesmerizes when you listen to it. Her cd “Pure” is a best-seller and I cannot recommend it too highly. She has sung—at her young age of 16—at Carnegie Hall and the Sidney Opera House. Hayley is a find!

2. Do you know the book Americans’ Favorite Poems edited by Robert Pinsky? I keep my a copy on my bedside tables and often read a poem before I go to sleep. The way the book came about is this: Robert Pinsky invited anybody in the US who wished to do so to send in her or his favorite poem with the reason why the poem was a favorite. Poet Laureate Pinsky then selected the poems (along with the person’s words who submitted the poem) that make up the book. Here is an example: my dear friend Kathi Appelt sent in the poem “The Summer Day” by Mary Oliver. Here is part of what Kathi said when she submitted the poem. “I have this poem taped on the wall by my desk and I read it every day, sometimes several times. I make copies of it for friends. I read it to people over the phone. Mostly, I ask myself the question Oliver poses at the end of the poem. I don’t have the answer. I don’t think I need one, but the question itself challenges me to revel in the search.”

And here is Mary Oliver’s poem:

The Summer Day

Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean—
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down—
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don’t know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn’t everything die at least, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with you one wild and precious life?

If you would like a really fresh read of the Sacred Scriptures found in the Bible, check out Dr. Eugene Peterson’s translation called The Message. Dr. Peterson is a Professor Emeritus at Regent College in Canada who reads the ancient languages and who is able to present the wonderful stories and passages of the Bible in modern expression. Here is his translation of one of the Psalms:

God, who gets invited
to dinner at your place?
How do we get on your guest list?

Walk straight,
act right,
tell the truth.

Don’t hurt your friend,
don’t blame your neighbor,
despise the despicable.

Keep your word even when it costs you,
make an honest living
never take a bribe.

You’ll never get
blacklisted
if you life like this.
Psalm 15