 I love Christmas! I love the music, the lights, the presents, and the cookies! I love spending time with family and going to candlelight service. And I love Christmas trees! And so, in this week before Christmas, I would like to tell you a little story about the first Christmas tree... O Christmas Tree ~ A Lutheran Haibun
“Martin!! Martin!!!” Martin could hear his wife Katie calling him. I’m late again, he thought, as he rushed past the fir trees. Now thinking was something Martin did a lot of. That can be a good thing, except when you are running through a snow-covered forest in the middle of the night. And so, not being the exception to the rule, Martin slipped on an unfortunate patch of ice and fell, hitting his head on the ground. It was then that he saw the stars. They sparkled through the pine branches like diamonds. Martin reached up as if he could touch them. How beautiful! If only I could share this blessed sight with my family! Hmmmmmmmm. Martin started to think as he lay flat on his back in the snow. He was sure he could do it. He would need a little extra time. Katie would have to wait! Besides, he knew the way well. It’s not like he hadn’t borrowed something there before. Martin jumped up, straightened his cap, and took off running. He had a quick stop to make at the neighbor’s tool shed. starry night Wittenberg missing a tree. . . Merry Christmas! I pray that this Christmas God will bless you with his joy and peace. And if you don't know Him, that your eyes will be opened to his mercy and grace, a free gift to those who believe and call him the Son of God, Emmanuel, Jesus! "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16 Hopefully, Susan P.S. Can anyone guess what Martin borrowed from the tool shed. Can anyone guess what he borrowed before... The first person who answers both questions correctly receives a free copy of Neon Snow: A Collection of Christmas Haiku, By Susan Beth Furst. Post your answers on the contact form.
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 It is a warm day for November. The sun is shining, and white clouds hang suspended in the blue sky. The air is crisp and tart. Pots of orange and yellow spider mums line the steps leading up to my mother’s house. The front door is open, and bright light reflects off the large beveled glass mirror hanging above the buffet. It is a perfect day. Angelus a congregation of sparrows circle the bell tower Mom is in the kitchen basting. The drippings sizzle as she overshoots the turkey. Eugene and George are in the living room watching football. Joshua toddles from the candy dish to the paisley chair, leaving chocolate smudges on GG’s new favorite purse. I am busy setting the table with the good china. My pumpkin pies sit on the buffet, warm and fragrant. There is nary a crack in the orange glossy-speckled filling. It is a perfect day. centerpiece the old pilgrim missing a buckle The table is loaded to the point of sagging with turkey, stuffing, sweet potato casserole, and GG’s special canned-shrimp cocktail. I reach for my pies, my beautiful perfect pies, my Better Homes and Garden’s perfect pies. But my joy turns to horror as I see two lumpy ditches where the pumpkin used to be. I look at my son, and in a moment of divine inspiration, grab the Reddi-Wip. I twist off the cap, give it a shake, press my finger against the nozzle, and proceed to smother the tops of my pies. It is a perfect day. covering up the family secrets sticky fingers Fredericksburg Literary & Art Review / Winter 2019 Are you worried today? Are you depressed, unhappy, alone? Are you hurting? Do you feel like giving up?
Don't! You are loved!! Jesus came to give you hope!!! He came to give you life, abundant, pressed down, shaken together, running over life. Do you know what that is? Can you even imagine? Just open the door... "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. Revelation 3:20 (NASB) Happy Thanksgiving!! "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16 (NIV) Hopefully, Susan  A Halloween Humbug By Susan Beth Furst Prunella was in the kitchen, stirring the cauldron, Citronella was late, and she needed pumpkins. “Some trick, on Halloween no less! No pumpkins, no potion, no pies,” she cackled as she tucked a wisp of cobweb behind her ear. The pumpkin patch was dark. Citronella had lost her way. “Just one more for the …” The wind howled Nooooooooooooooo! “Beware the pumpkins, walk softly through the patch, and never mention the word pie!” Prunella continued to stir the pot. Citronella was already in the next county with a trail of angry pumpkins rolling behind her. Happy All Hallow's Eve! Until next time, Susan ;) "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16 This is indeed Good News!!  Announcing the Publication of The Amazing Glass House: A Haiku Storybook!
By Susan Beth Furst Illustrated by Jiliane Vilches You can learn all about The Amazing Glass House, the author Susan Beth Furst (that would be me), and find out just what a Haiku Storybook really is!! @ https://www.scbwi.org/scbwibookstop/ Available now www.amazon.com  Prologue: My sisters and I pile into the family station wagon for the long ride to Grandma’s house. Mom balances two Easter lilies and a coconut bunny cake on her lap as Dad takes the scenic route through the cemetery. We stop to pick Grandma up then drive over the Bloomfield Bridge to the Spring Flower Show at Phipps. Pap stays home to watch the Easter ham and the jelly beans... About The Amazing Glass House... A long time ago, Mr. Phipps built a glass house as a gift to the people of Pittsburgh. Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens was a place for them to get out of the smoky city and back to the beauty of nature. Three children take the reader on a journey through this amazing glass house as they explore the many rooms, filled with goldfish, cacti, and haiku poems. The stories are the recollections of the author and her sisters, perhaps with a few embellishments. The book also includes a short history about Pittsburgh and Henry Phipps Jr. The Haiku Scoop has a simple definition and examples of these little poems that are so much fun to read and write. What people are saying... An incredible adventure begins as three children enter the world of Pittsburgh’s Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens! Enjoy the beautiful illustrations, the easy-to-read story snippets, and the little haiku poems keeping them company along the way! Alan Summers, Co-founder, Call of the Page. The Amazing Glass House, published October 2019. Available Now @ www.amazon.com Signed Copies Available Soon www.beautifuldefect.com/store Check out my new chapbooks, Neon Snow: A Collection of Christmas Haiku 2019, and Road to Utopia, in the Beautiful Defect Store!  Do you see it? The ogee arch? The S shaped curves in the background of the photo? Beautiful, isn't it! Ogee arches can be found throughout the conservatory. The grand ogee arch topping the Palm Court was destroyed by a windstorm in 1937. It wasn't until 2018, in celebration of Phipps 125th anniversary, that the Palm Court's glass roof was restored to its former glory, and the original ogee arch recreated!  You can see the arch at the very top of the glass ceiling in the Palm Court. If you look closely you can see a line of Fleur-de-lis topping the arch. Underneath, through the glass panes, the tropical forest is visible. Oh, how I loved exploring the great jungle at Phipps. I was sure that Tarzan, Jane, and Cheeta were hiding somewhere in the treetops. I half- expected Tarzan to swing down on a vine and swoop me up at any minute... Stay tuned for more stories about Phipps and the latest on my upcoming book, Mr. Phipps And His Amazing Glass House.
You can sign up for new post notifications delivered directly to you inbox, just click on newsletter at the top of the page! Always remember that Jesus loves you! He said so! For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16 Susan ;)  professor plum in the conservatory with a candlestick One of the things I love most about Phipps is the architecture. There are so many different shapes and styles to see, from the ogee arch at the pinnacle of Phipps Palm Court, (google it), to this simple brick and wood arch. I must have walked through it a hundred times and never noticed it. I love the lines and reflections in the glass windows, and the ferns peeping through on the bottom left. The photo has an art deco feel. Or perhaps a scene from a film noir, starring Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck, The lady wore orchid... Just a few months from now, I will be releasing my first in a series of Haiku Storybooks! Mr. Phipps And His Amazing Glass House, will make his appearance in the fall of 2019. The story is written, the poems are composed, and the illustrations are being illustrated! It's just a matter of time! Sign up now for my weekly blog notifications! Don't miss what's going on with Phipps!!! Hopefully, Susan ;) For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life... John 3:16 Is there any news better than that? Sign up for blog post and Life Poems Journal notifications delivered directly to your inbox. Just click on Newsletter at the top of the page! Susan Beth Furst is a Touchstone Award-nominated poet and author. She writes Japanese short-form poetry and especially enjoys writing haibun. Susan has published two haiku collections; souvenir shop: memories of the highland park zoo, buddha baby press, 2018, and road to utopia, Yavanika Press, 2019. Her haibun, 57, appears in Old Song: The Red Moon Anthology of English-Language Haiku, 2017. In the secret garden, was nominated for the Dwarf Stars Award and appears in, The 2019 Dwarf Stars Anthology. You can find her on Instagram @sueshaikus, @susanbethfurst, and www.beautifuldefect.com. Susan lives in Woodbridge, Virginia, with her husband, Herb. Beautiful Defect   On a recent visit to Phipps I captured Van Gogh floating on water, or so it seems... Dreamlike, isn't it? And what about that yellow flower? Phipps Conservatory is my favorite place in the world! Six generations of my family have visited the spring and fall flower shows. And I have the pictures to prove it! I am still seeing spots in front of my eyes... I will be posting my photos of Phipps, old and new, over the next few months. I want you to get to know the place, because... Just a few months from now, I will be releasing my first in a series of Haiku Storybooks! Mr. Phipps And His Amazing Glass House, will make his appearance in the fall of 2019. The story is written, the poems are composed, and the illustrations are being illustrated! It's just a matter of time! Sign up now for my weekly blog notifications! Don't miss what's going on with Phipps!!! Hopefully, Susan ;) For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life... John 3:16 Is there any news better than that? Sign up for blog post and Life Poems Journal notifications delivered directly to your inbox. Just click on Newsletter at the top of the page! Susan Beth Furst is a Touchstone Award-nominated poet and author. She writes Japanese short-form poetry and especially enjoys writing haibun. Susan has published two haiku collections; souvenir shop: memories of the highland park zoo, buddha baby press, 2018, and road to utopia, Yavanika Press, 2019. Her haibun, 57, appears in Old Song: The Red Moon Anthology of English-Language Haiku, 2017. In the secret garden, was nominated for the Dwarf Stars Award and appears in, The 2019 Dwarf Stars Anthology. You can find her on Instagram @sueshaikus, @susanbethfurst, and www.beautifuldefect.com. Susan lives in Woodbridge, Virginia, with her husband, Herb. Beautiful Defect   The Battle Hymn of the Republic Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord; He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored; He has loosed the fateful lightning of his terrible swift sword: His truth is marching on. Glory, glory! Hallelujah! Glory, glory Hallelujah! Glory, glory! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on. I have seen Him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps; They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps; I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps: His day is marching on. Chorus I have read a fiery gospel writ in burnished rows of steel; "As ye deal with My contemners, so with you My grace shall deal; Let the Hero born of woman, crush the serpent with His heel. Since God is marching on." Chorus He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat; He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgement seat; O be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet! Our God is marching on. Chorus In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea, With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me: As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free, While God is marching on. Glory, glory! Hallelujah! Glory, glory! Hallelujah! Glory, glory! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on. Julian Ward Howe November 19, 1861 Julia Ward Howe was a published poet, abolitionist, social reformer, and sometime preacher. She was encouraged to write new lyrics to the civil war song, "John Brown's Body." In February 1862, Atlantic Monthly published her poem. The Battle Hymn of the Republic was played at a rally President Lincoln attended. When he heard it, he cried. It is one of my favorite songs. The beauty of the lyrics, and the message of hope, sacrifice, triumph, and redemption, makes me cry every time... God Bless You And God Bless America!! Hopefully, Susan ;) For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 Sign up for blog post and Life Poems Journal notifications delivered directly to your inbox. Just click on Newsletter at the top of the page! Submissions are open for the August Issue of Life Poems. Check the submission page for guidelines. Write a poem. Send it in. Dazzle us with your creativity! Send in your poems!! Beautiful Defect   Prologue I play it in the dark, very softly, like cats' feet... disappearing in the f o g and the clock strikes thirteen my father says I can be anything horsehead nebula one red sock all it takes road to utopia Susan Beth Furst Yavanika Press Shloka Shankar: Editor Cover Art: Robin Anna Smith I am celebrating the release of my third chapbook, road to utopia, this week! I hope you have enjoyed the preview. You can download a free copy @ https://yavanikapress.wixsite.com/home/our-titles keep looking up... Susan ;) Third chapbook, Sixteen poems, Do the math... "And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me, I have found my lost coin.'" Luke 15:9 NIV "For god so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" John 3:16 Sign up for blog post and Life Poems Journal notifications delivered directly to your inbox. Just click on Newsletter at the top of the page! Submissions are open for the August Issue of Life Poems. Check the submission page for guidelines. Write a poem. Send it in. Dazzle us with your creativity! Send in your poems!! Beautiful defect  |
AuthorSusan Beth Furst is a poet, author, painter, and photographer. She loves to write haiku and she Loves to tell people about Jesus. Archives
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