Anna's Poem for Clara's Eulogy

As Rickey wrote in his post last week, the funeral for one of the members of our centering prayer group was on Saturday, January 17. Clara Chapman, who died of lung cancer, had asked me to write and then read a poem as my part of her eulogy. She had a special walk with the Lord, and I hope my poem, which is below, portrays some of that, Anna

Clara

small and a lover of small people,
but I don't mean short.
I mean small people like
the women who never had much,
not of money or education
and certainly not of love
or the men who matched those
women in lacking the same things.

Clara

small, but with a huge heart
that worked at filling in the gaps
for folks who carried hurt
like they carried their belongings
all lumped together in bags and backpacks
bulging at the seams.

Clara

small, but with her own hands
feeding the homeless and readily
donating the proverbial widows mite,
which I imagine Jesus multiplied
because whatever amount it was
amounted to more

in his sight.

Clara

small, and making small things,
food for friends and strangers
and dresses for Dawn her daughter,
the mystery of caring hiding in
in cake batter and hems.

 

Clara

 

small, and like Mary,

drawn to silence,

pondering these things in her heart.

 

Clara

small, easily overlooked in the day to day
life of this world
but today we are all paying attention
today we see that in God’s eyes
small matters.