Simply Story Poetry

Hi, I'm Beverley Joy of Simply Story Poetry. To love or not to fall in love again? Should Grace risk falling in love again? The story of Grace continues...These questions churned over in her mind. It had been two years since her marriage had broken down with Darren. She felt safe being single and on her own. To fall in love again would mean becoming vulnerable. But she wanted more than to feel safe. She wanted to love someone and be loved in return. But was she ready? Was she wise enough to make a good choice this time? This poem explores the decision of whether to fall in love again following the breakdown of a previous relationship.

Hi, I'm Beverley Joy of Simply Story Poetry. This poem explores the moment Grace realizes her relationship with Darren must end. The story of Grace continues. Grace is visiting family 4,000 kilometres away from her husband, Darren when she receives news that resulted in her deciding to end her marriage with Darren. They had been happily married for 10 years. They had lived and travelled in their motorhome around Australia for the past 4 years. This poem focuses not on what Darren did, but on her thoughts and emotions as Grace comes to terms with her situation and the decision she must make.

Hi, I'm Beverley Joy of Simply Story Poetry. I wrote this poem just before we left Brisbane Queensland in the motorhome to travel across to Western Australia. We moved from a large home to a motorhome.

Grace and Darren set off on their journey around Australia in their motorhome. It had been a challenge deciding what to take and what to leave behind. Grace felt a mixture of excitement and anxiety. She could only take a few changes of clothes and only the essentials for every other part of her life. She had accepted the challenge to live a minimalist life and live without all their material possessions, just like the monks had to do. Darren had built them a comfortable motorhome. Beverley Joy.

Hi, I'm Beverley Joy of Simply Story Poetry. Grace and Darren continue to grow in their love for each other. Darren is over the moon in love with her, but Grace steps carefully forward. She still doesn't trust herself enough to relax fully into the circle of love with him. She knows it will take time and there is no rush. She is like a fresh tender stem breaking through the soil, hardened by past hurt, into the sunshine and fresh air of love. Grace is patient, she understands that soon she will blossom into full-bloom love. Beverley Joy

Hi, I'm Beverley Joy of Simply Story Poetry. As Grace falls in love again she hesitates, feeling a mixture of excitement and fear. She doesn't want to make the same mistake as she did in her first relationship. She wants to ensure that she chooses a partner that is more suited to her values and interests. Grace has learnt life lessons since her first relationship and now those lessons are put to the test. It sounds mechanical compared to the first time she fell in love which had her head spinning and her emotions running out of control. The time was right for her to decide to step over or step away. Beverley Joy

Hi, I'm Beverley Joy of Simply Story Poetry. I wrote this poem on a postcard-perfect day while living in Broome Western Australia, on my journey around Australia in a motorhome. The love story of Grace, titled Wilted No More, continues. Grace and her husband, Darren, have travelled right across the top of Australia to the northwest coast. Both of them feel relaxed having left their troubles way back east in Queensland. They have travelled through small country towns, and desert land, climbed mountains to take in majestic views and walked through lush green valleys along the way. Now, for a few months, they are staying on the coast where the sun sets over the ocean. 

Hundreds of tourists come each day, during the dry season, to Cable Beach at sunset to watch nature's breathtaking show. Some choose to sit inside a beachfront restaurant, and others sit on the back of a camel for a sunset ride along the ocean's edge. A select few sail out on a yacht sipping champagne and caviar. Some drive further up the beach in their four-wheel drives, while many others sit on the beach. Late in the afternoons, Grace and Darren would perch on their favourite 'rock,' along the foreshore away from the crowds, sipping cheap wine and snacking on crackers and cheese while they waited for nature's show to begin. They loved their new simplified uncomplicated life in which they were discovering so many unrushed, enjoyable experiences. Beverley Joy.

Hi, I'm Beverley Joy of Simply Story Poetry. Grace had travelled a roller coaster journey of love through the decades of her life. From a teenager to now in her 50s, love and romance had come and gone in and out of her life. Now she chooses to reminisce about the many good times she had while being in love and not dwell on the bad times. Through all her experiences of love, Grace had known true love, and she still holds hope that she will once again find true love, just like her father did at the age of 75. Well, she doesn't want to wait that long! The young woman Grace was, entering her first marriage, now seems like a stranger to her. She has matured and mellowed, wised up, and forgiven both herself and her previous loves.

The journey of love has many facets, like the making of a diamond - it is dug out of the dirt where it was found, then cleansed, cut and refined to finally sparkle in brilliance and shine forth happiness. Beverley Joy.

Hi, I'm Beverley Joy of Simply Story Poetry. I wrote these love verses while writing the draft for the sequel to The Wilted Rose titled Wilted No More, which I have decided not to publish, instead I am sharing the poems and excerpts from the story that relate to the poem. The story begins with Grace, the main character falling in love with her future husband. These verses of love flowed up from my heart during this time of writing the story. I have compared love to different elements of nature and music. Beverley Joy.

Hi, I'm Beverley Joy of Simply Story Poetry. I am continuing through February and Valentine's Day, with the theme of Love. 

The experience of falling in love, whether it is young love or falling in love as a mature aged man or woman, there are many similarities. Although I wrote this poem as a mature-aged woman, who was falling in love again, publishing it today took me back to the days when I fell in love as a young woman. The curiosity and excitement of meeting someone, and then over time, getting to know that person intimately. Although at present I am single, I look forward to the day that I fall in love again. A decade after the death of my mother, my dad fell head over heels in love and at 75 years of age, married a beautiful woman, both physically and spiritually, 10 years younger than him!  They have enjoyed nearly two decades of loving and caring for each other.

Life is too short to not embrace love in its fullness. It is never too late to fall in love again. Beverley Joy.

Hi, I'm Beverley Joy of Simply Story Poetry. Those early weeks and months of falling in love are so intense with love-soaked emotions and thoughts that drip into every area of our waking day. A constant drip that catches our attention, drawing us away from our work, our study, and our task at hand. Reminiscing past times that we spent together or dreaming of future times to be spent together. Even as the months roll on and the frequency of these thoughts and emotions slow down, love still longs to steal away and be alone together. Stolen moments quench love's thirst and keep the romance flowing.

Story Excerpt from Wilted No More - Standing out on the balcony admiring their surroundings, he wrapped his arms around Grace and tenderly kissed her. They turned and looked out at the dark expanse of ocean that stretched out before them.

‘Well, I don’t think we could have had a better day,’

Grace commented.

‘I agree. It was perfect.’

They had travelled south to the small seaside village of Fingal Head in northern New South Wales, where they had booked a small cabin in a caravan park for one week. Situated right on the beach, the setting was tranquil and the view magnificent. There was nothing between them and the beach but the sand dunes. The beach was practically empty, and it was easy to imagine that they were on a deserted island. Their mobile phones were out of range, and technology was quiet for a change.

Hi, I'm Beverley Joy of Simply Story Poetry. Simply Story Poetry launches into this new year with the theme of  LOVE. Ah, that's Amore. The story of Grace continues after she fell in love for the first time at 17 years of age. The last poem that I posted on 2nd December 2022 was about Grace 'Leaving on a Jet Plane' to move from Brisbane in Queensland, down south to Melbourne Victoria to live closer to her boyfriend Alex, leaving all her family dramas far behind her. Now, a year later, she was stepping out into the adult world to build her own life, make her own decisions and learn from her mistakes and benefit from her good decisions and adventures.

The teenage love between Grace and Alex only lasted one year. Grace returned to Brisbane to live close to her family, but not in the family home. She moved into a small unit in a neighbouring suburb with her best friend from high school. Grace went on a blind date with Brian, a friend of a work colleague from her new place of work back in Brisbane. Brian rang her the next day to ask Grace out on their first official date.

This date was old-fashioned and picture-perfect, like in a romantic movie. The guy and the girl are dressed in formal attire. He picks her up in a fancy car and drives her to a five-star restaurant where they eat seafood and drink champagne while chatting and looking out over the river lights of the city from their intimate table-for-two.

Hi, I'm Beverley Joy of Simply Story Poetry. 'I am too busy doing what?' I spent most of my adult life helping others until I realized that I was spending too much of my time helping others. How can that be? Isn't helping others a good thing to do? Yes, it is, but not at the expense of being irresponsible and negligent of your own talents, responsibilities and goals in life. So, what was the real reason I was neglecting my own talent and goals? I had to face the fact that I was hiding behind my 'helping' to avoid facing my greatest fear - the fear of rejection and criticism of my poetry. So, I was brave like David and faced my Goliath. Now the fear has been replaced by a love for writing poetry.

I have been posting poetry each week for two years now. I no longer hide behind the excuse of housework and doing things for others in their homes that they were quite capable of doing themselves and preferred me out of the way anyway! "Get a Life Beverley" was the message the winds of life were blowing my way. I still help my family and friends a lot, but now I am busy and have to check how I balance my time with my passion and joy of sharing my poetry. Beverley Joy

Hi, I'm Beverley Joy of Simply Story Poetry. Happy New Year to my readers and listeners. Diaries and calendars are on sale now that the new year has burst out of the starting blocks and will soon gain speed. New Year's Resolutions are made this month. By the end of January, a percentage of people will have already broken their well-meaning intentions, a few won't even bother setting any goals for the year, and some will be slow out of the starting blocks and need another month or two before they get started. Others will have set their goals for the year and are competing in the race against time. I wrote this poem reflecting on how we humans run the race against time.

Hi, I'm Beverley Joy of Simply Story Poetry. This poem is about the events that followed the visit of the Wise Men, or Magi, to Joseph, Mary and the child King, Jesus. You can read the story in Matthew chapter 2 verses 13 to 23. The ruler of that region, King Herod, who was known to murder anyone he thought was a threat to his reign as king, was furious that the Magi did not report back to him with the whereabouts of Jesus. So, he orders all infants 2 years of age and younger to be killed in the vicinity of the city of Bethlehem. This story gives us a glimpse into the very early life of Jesus.  

The lyrics of the song by Clay Aiken titled Mary, Did You Know, tell the story of the many loving and gracious miracles and wonders that Jesus would grow up to perform during his 3 years of ministry on this earth. I love a scene, in the Youtube video to this song, that I have linked in this poem on my website, showing a young Jesus watching his earthly father, Joseph work at his carpentry, the profession that Jesus would work in once He was old enough. 

Hi, I'm Beverley Joy of Simply Story Poetry. It is uncertain exactly when the Wise Men, or Magi, visited Jesus, but it certainly wasn't at the same time as when the shepherds visited him, at his birth in the animal stable, as is commonly represented in Christmas scenes and on Christmas Cards. Apparently, it was sometime between a few months and two years after his birth. The Magi followed a star that miraculously guided them to Jesus, the child King. They first presented themselves to King Herod of Judea, in Jerusalem to inform him of their purpose for visiting his kingdom, which was to visit and worship the King of the Jews. 

Herod did not know about this 'king of the Jews' and he felt threatened by this news. King Herod called a meeting with the scholars of law and the Jewish religious leaders to inform him of what knowledge they had of this event. They informed the King that the event fulfilled a Jewish prophecy told over 800 years earlier. When the Magi arrived at the house where Joseph, Mary and Jesus the child now lived, they gave gifts commonly given to honour a king, to Jesus - Gold for family wealth and as a symbol of kingship on earth, Frankincense as a precious expensive perfume and a symbol of deity and Myrrh an oil used for anointing and balming, and a symbol of death. 

Hi, I'm Beverley Joy of Simply Story Poetry. It's wonderful to enjoy Christmas day all together in one place. But even the best plans can be turned upside down, Christmas Day can present challenges in getting the family together or getting along with everyone who has been invited. We want the day to run smoothly on this special day of the year. Sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn't. That's family life - full of pleasant surprises and challenges. 

Over the last few years, Christmas Day has proven messy for many families due to COVID. But we continue with our plans as best we can in the circumstances that we are in at the time. Cause that's what families do.

Hi, I'm Beverley Joy of Simply Story Poetry. Many families and friends are separated at this special time of the year. We just have to enjoy Christmas Day the best way we can when our family cannot get together for Christmas Day. 

I chose this Featured Image partly because of what is written on her coffee mug - 'Make today awesome.' To me, this image expresses the message of this poem which is both her longing to be elsewhere and not alone, yet also her acceptance of the situation she currently finds herself in and that she will enjoy the day as best she can. 

Hi, I'm Beverley Joy of Simply Story Poetry. Listen to the Christmas Story Parts 1-7, which includes Christmas in the Garden of Eden, Part 1, Four Unusual Women, Part 2, 700BC Part 3, Mary Part 4, Mary and Elizabeth Part 5, Joseph Part 6, and The Saviour is Born Part 7. Also, Gifts Fit For a King, the three wise men, and Quick, Save The Saviour, the escape to Egypt. 

Christmas in the Garden of Eden - The Christmas Story Part 1. This poem is Part 1 of 7 parts to the poetic script that follows the Christmas Story from the very beginning to end. I wrote this Christmas script for a Christmas Service that we held at the local church, that I was attending at the time, in 2019. In between each poem, being recited by various children and adults, we all sang Christmas Carols, including the congregation, relevant to that part of the story. I wrote Part 1, after having studied Genesis chapter 3 verse 15 and learning that the Christmas Story begins in the Garden of Eden. Although God punished Adam, Eve and Satan, in Genesis chapter 3, with His prophecy 'I will cause hostility between you (Satan) and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He (Jesus) will strike your head, and you (Satan) will strike His heel,' God gives them hope with the promise of His future Saviour of the world. 

In my interpretation of the feature image, that I have chosen for this poem, I see God's hands holding the garden. The smoke and fire rising from the garden depict the destruction of paradise by Adam and Eve's disobedience to God. But there is a glimpse of a city on the opposite side of the fire, which depict God's promised new city and garden. The waterfall depicts the river of life that will run through the new garden. A lion depicts Jesus (Revelations 5:5) and the eagle with its wings spread wide soaring over the garden, reminds me of one of my favourite verses in the Bible. You can read my poem titled Eagle Wings based on Isaiah 40:31a "But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength, they will soar on wings like eagles." You can read the story behind this poem - what inspired me to write it, why I chose the feature image (which you cannot see well on a podcast image), and references to what I read and studied to write the poem's content. I attach links to songs when I find a song that matches the poem's theme. You can read my poems at simplystorypoetry.com You can browse through my poetry verses available on print-on-demand gift ideas in my shop at beverleyjoy.redbubble.com. 

Hi, I'm Beverley Joy of Simply Story Poetry. As we enter into this year's busy time of shopping for just the perfect gifts for our friends and family, remember, as well as giving physical gifts this Christmas, there are many gifts that we can give that are free to give and yet priceless in value. Time is one of those free but valuable gifts we can give. Ah yes, but the saying says 'Money is time.' But is money the only way we can receive 'payment' for how we spend our time? Do we always have to receive 'payment' for our time? Oh, the deep joy and satisfaction that I receive from giving time to my 92-year-old father, now living in a retirement home. 

Why not listen to other poems about giving titled A Hug is Priceless, 20th November 2021, and A Gift to Our Family, 22nd June 2021 (which I wrote for my mother-in-law)?

This Featured Image shows the person sharing time. We can waste time with people or we can give the gift of quality time, which requires skill. Quality time is only one of many skills and talents that we can share with others. 

Hi, I'm Beverley Joy of Simply Story Poetry. After Grace returned from her Easter weekend in Melbourne with Alex, she decided to take the bold step forward and left home to live in Melbourne on her 18th birthday. Moving far away from the family home and all its chaos to start fresh, as a young adult, pursuing love and happiness.

Hi, I'm Beverley Joy of Simply Story Poetry. Over the past few months, the postman had been busy delivering letters to and fro between Grace in Brisbane and Alex in Melbourne, two teenagers in love. When he called her, Grace run from her room to answer the phone that was attached to the lounge room wall. She had to strain to hear Alex and whisper back into the house phone in an attempt to keep her conversation private from her father and brothers sitting in the adjacent lounge room of their small family home. 

Hi, I'm Beverley Joy of Simply Story Poetry. Grace was falling in love for the first time. Now seventeen years of age, back in the 1970s. Falling in love for the first time is such a unique experience. Nervous excitement and fear spun around in her mind and body. Feelings that have never been felt like this before in her young life. Thoughts, full of the excitement and fear of what ifs, leading up to her first date.

Hi, I'm Beverley Joy of Simply Story Poetry. This series of poems follows the love life of Grace, the daughter in the story of The Wilted Rose written by Kate Kelsen and based on the story of my life. Come with me over the next few months as we take a poetic journey of romantic love. 

This poem picks up the story of Grace when she was 17 years of age and going on a holiday to a youth camp with her brothers at the end of her first year of full-time work. 

It turned out that Grace was the last to discover that the spunky most popular guy at the youth camp was interested in her. "Why would he be interested in me?" she thought to herself. A few guys during her high school years had shown interest in her, but that was nothing out of the ordinary for the average high school girl. 

Maybe it was because she had a rich golden tan and was visiting Victoria from the envied sunshine state of Queensland. There was no doubt that Grace was fit and healthy as she had lived an active high school life on the school athletic and sports teams and on weekends her dad would take her and her brothers, and cousins water skiing at Esk and Moogarah Dams. Now she felt self-conscious as the other girls at camp whispered as they looked at her. It was awkward enough being the new kid in town, but now this unsolicited attention. Beverley Joy.

Hi, I'm Beverley Joy of Simply Story Poetry. What is wisdom? Is it only found in religion? Is it a spiritual or a physical quality? Some wisdom that I have gained has come as an after-effect of experiencing challenges in life. Some wisdom has come from knowledge I have acquired through education, which has prevented me from making foolish decisions and choices. Common sense and good judgement are qualities of wisdom. For me wisdom is knowledge gained through education and good and bad experiences in life and then drawing on that knowledge that is stored in my mind down through my heart and out into loving actions toward myself and others. I believe that just having knowledge stored in your head is not wisdom. Wisdom is knowledge applied into intelligent sound actions. Wisdom must be perused continuously throughout life's journey as we can learn something new every day from everyone and every experience we encounter.

Hi, I'm Beverley Joy of Simply Story. This was one of the first self-development books I had ever read, way back in 1994. I had left full time work, four years earlier, to be a full time mum. One day I went to a network marketing women’s breakfast and Bert Weir was the guest speaker. After hearing his explanation of how self-talk affects our behaviour, both for the good or the bad, I was so excited to get home and start reading it. This book was a life changer for me. I did the exercises he suggested in the book. I followed his method of recording, in a pocket-sized notebook, any negative self-talk and behaviour at the time of saying or doing them. During the day, I took time out to think up a positive statement and then write it underneath the negative statement that I had previously recorded that day in my notebook.

I did this for one month, as recommended by Bert. Each time I went to say or do the negative talk or action, I stopped myself and replaced it with the new positive way. At the end of the first month of doing this exercise throughout every day, I had changed, for the better, many bad habits both in my self-talk and my general behaviour. I still use this method to this day.

Hi, I'm Beverley Joy of Simply Story. Sometimes when change presents itself, and we don't accept it. Fear can hold us back from accepting change in our lives. Many times we have no choice but to accept change whether that it is good or bad for us. Change can be uncomfortable and scary. It takes courage to accept change. It takes courage to change the changes that are forced upon us. Change can be exciting and intriguing, bring renewed energy and experiences into our lives. Change can cause upheaval in our comfortable lives. Change can be just the thing that we were looking for at the time.

Either way change confronts us continuously. Whether we 'go with the flow' or adapt it to fit more comfortably into our lives, or whether we stand strong against it, we have to deal with change. We must make a decision on how to process change in our lives. We can accept change one day and then decide that we don't like the end result of change, so we adapt the change to better suit our way of life.

Change can be seen when people make a 'sea change' or a 'tree change' to escape the hustle and bustle of city life. On the other side, some people, like I did, make a change toward the city life. I enjoyed the excitement and energy of life in the city. Walking along the city river toward the city centre as the sun rose over the horizon, breaking through the high rise buildings. Then walking back as the night lights lit up the river and buildings. Lots of people talking, briskly walking, running, chatting and bicycle riding. Then one day change came into my life and I moved away to a 'sea and tree' change to a country seaside town.

Some people fight for change. They want change in policies. Sometimes the changes they want are good, sometimes they fight for bad changes, depending on how the changes they want are going to affect different groups within society.

Hi, I'm Beverley Joy of Simply Story Poetry. When we are born, our book of life is empty. Over time our pages fill up with our life stories. Once the ink dries, we cannot erase what is written, but we can think and plan to some degree what we wish to write on future pages. I wrote this poem years ago, back when I first started writing poetry.

I chose this Feature Image as it shows a compass to give direction in life, a camera to see and record life, photographs to review life and glasses to see life in clarity.

Hi. I'm Beverley Joy of Simply Story Poetry. With Mother's Day only two days away, I am sharing this poem with you again. I wrote this poem in 2012 when my daughters were young adults. They had both left home and were living independently. I was travelling through Western Australia, thousands of kilometres away from them, in Brisbane, Queensland. I missed them very much. I sent this poem to them on Mother's Day.

Hi, I'm Beverley Joy of Simply Story Poetry. With Mother's Day coming up this weekend, I am sharing this poem again with you. It compares the building of a house with the building of loving relationships with family and friends in our homes. I wrote this poem in 2014 for my young adult daughters. 

Hi, I'm Beverley Joy of Simply Story Poetry. This poem reflects my memory of time spent with my mother. Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers who are listening. I wrote this poem, in 2019, after bringing my clothes in from drying outside in the sunshine on a hot sunny day while living in Yeppoon, Central Queensland. This poem reflects on a pleasant childhood memory that I remember through the smell of clothes that have been dried in the hot summer sun. 

The Wilted Rose is a novel based on the good, the bad, the happy and the sad life of my mother and my childhood. Over the next month, I will be publishing poems, exerts from the book and references to songs that reflect the ambience of the moment.

Hi, I'm Beverley Joy of Simply Story Poetry. This poem is based on the Bible Story of a mother-in-law and her daughter-in-law, Naomi and Ruth. Although great tragedy struck their family, Ruth proves herself a devoted daughter-in-law, wife and mother. Happy Mother's Day. Beverley Joy. 

This poem is the traumatic yet romantic Bible story of Ruth, a despised poor immigrant in a hostile foreign land. 

Hi, I'm Beverley Joy of Simply Story Poetry. As ANZAC (Australia and New Zealand Army Corps) Day approaches on the 25th April 2022, Australians and New Zealanders will remember those who fought in wars past and present. I have recorded the Anglican Church of Australia Prayer Book Prayer for our Defence and Police Forces. Let us pray for them and all armed forces that fight to defend peace in their country. Those men and women that selflessly serve their country at this troubled time of war in Ukraine and in other countries around the world.

Also in Australia and around the pacific area, we pray for our Australian defence force serving to help victims recover from the war against nature, be it floods, fire or earthquakes. Thank you ladies and gentlemen for your dedication to serving your country.

Hi, I'm Beverley Joy of Simply Story Poetry. This month I celebrate one year of posting two poems each week. So, I send a huge thank you to all my readers and listeners.  Your support is greatly appreciated and encourages me to keep going. Most of the poems I published in 2021, were poems that I had written over the past 10 years.

When I started publishing for the new year in February 2022, I set myself a challenge to research, write and record three new poems each week, so that I could position myself one month of poems scheduled in advance. Thankfully, I achieved that goal by the end of March by working on new poems every day. This was to take the pressure off me to write, record and publish two new poems each week in my work area.

There is a big difference between being free to scribble a poem in a journal sitting on a picturesque beach on a perfect sunny day in the cool summer breeze and having to write poetry in my work area under the pressure of a weekly deadline. These past two months I have not enjoyed this stressful process and is not how I write at my best. I can read the pressure between the lines of poems that I have forced out of my mind onto the paper. It feels like holding your breath underwater. I have managed to create some breathing space for myself to write my poems in more relaxed environments.

I have notebooks full of research notes on topics of poems that I want to write, so 2022 is the year for those new poems to be written and published. Now, each weekend I go for a bicycle ride to the beach, not far from where I live, sit there looking out over the water and scribble out new poetry from my research notes. This month I have been away on a self-imposed weekend writers retreat followed by a visit with family who live on a country property bordering a seaside township.

I spend three weekdays editing, recording and scheduling poems. I write articles for my website Simply Create 2 Share. I wish I had the time to write articles every week, but at present, I only manage to write two articles each month. It takes a lot more time for me to write a 1500 word article than to write a poem. Poetry flows freely out of my mind. But article writing is a new skill that I want to improve. Usually, a poem from the article, so the article writing is the seed that blossoms into fragrant poetry. 

May the fragrance of my poetry send you ripples of joy and encouragement. Beverley Joy

Hi, I'm Beverley Joy of Simply Story Poetry. This poem is Part 2 of the Easter Story. It is the story of Mary Magdalene at the tomb on that first Easter Sunday morning. 

Hi, I'm Beverley Joy of Simply Story Poetry. This Christian poem is Part one of two Easter poems. It tells the story of the few faithful women, including Mary Magdalene, who cooked, helped and supported Jesus as He travelled through townships and villages preaching and healing and teaching His disciples. They were faithful right to the end of His life. The poem is told through the eyes of these few faithful women - what they saw, heard and felt during the last few days of Jesus' life. 

Hi, I'm Beverley Joy of Simply Story Poetry. I wrote this poem to share at the men's prison Easter service as a Prison Chaplain. What a time in history to share it for the first time publically. Three years of the pandemic, devastating floods and fires throughout Australia and the world, the current war in Ukraine, unrest throughout the nations of our world, millions of homeless refugees, pollution beyond our capacity to correct. Just to name a few of the worldwide problems let alone local and family problems facing us.

Hi, I'm Beverley Joy of Simply Story Poetry. I wrote this poem while I was working as a Finance and Mortgage Broker's Assistant. I observed in the industry that not all Mortgage Brokers are the same. All the scenarios in this poem were real client situations. This poem is written about the few outstanding brokers who specialize in helping people in difficult financial situations, which many times has not been the fault of the client.  

Hi, I'm Beverley Joy of Simply Story Poetry. The ebb and flow of life, the highs and lows of experiences, the coming and going of relationships, the constant fluctuation of society, the rise and fall of emotions, the continuous change in circumstance and nature. All of life on earth and the environment are in a state of continuous change. We can choose to flow with change or swim against the current of change. Not all change is good. Not all change is bad. Some changes that we have to accept, flow against our core values and beliefs. Some changes that we don't have to accept, we decide to accept, to add new experiences and adventure to our lives. 

I wrote this poem after I went through my belongings to decide what I would take to my new address and what I would give away to the second-hand shop. Things that years earlier I could not part with, but now the strong emotions and memories embedded in those items have detached enough for me to allow my heart to let them go. Give them away to someone who will attach fresh emotions and memories to those items. I chose this Feature Image as it shows both the rollercoaster and the waves breaking on the shoreline. The background music flows with the rhythm of the waves gently rolling up the sandy beach and then receding back into itself over and over again.

Hi, I'm Beverley Joy of Simply Story Poetry. As the end of the day approached, I kicked myself again for denying myself the time and energy needed to work on my goal of poetry. I had to learn how to set boundaries on my time, take back my overextended and misplaced energy and invest it in my own goal. I needed to bring my goal upfront and centre in my daily life and stop ignoring and denying it.

But, the thought of taking this action made me feel guilty and selfish. Isn't it a good thing to help others? This line of thinking was not easy for me to accept. I struggled to convince myself that it was not selfish, but healthy to set boundaries around my time and energy and live a balanced life that includes my creative goal.

Hi, I'm Beverley Joy of Simply Story Poetry. I wrote this poem after my first public performance following a storytelling course I had attended. I was very nervous. Not about performing but about remembering my lines. The course had ignited my confidence and I was determined to drop my shield of shyness and allow my bright personality to shine through my performance.

I performed quite well. I received an applaud. At the end of all the performances, I mingled with the other students and the audience. A mature lady came up to me and out of her mouth poured negative criticism about my performance. I stepped back thinking "Who is she?" She had not introduced herself to me before launching into her judgemental assessment of me. It was obvious she did not approve of me as well as my performance.

She disapproved of the bubbly personality that I brought to my speaking style. She deemed it 'inappropriate'. Well, that's just what I needed to hear after my first performance! I stood there stunned as she walked away. "I can't believe that just happened?" Well, it did and I learnt an empowering lesson from that experience. I was open to receiving constructive criticism from my course teachers about my speaking technique, but not against my personality, the core of who I was as a human being.

Hi, I'm Beverley Joy of Simply Story Poetry. In response to the current flooding weather disaster that has hit my home city of Brisbane and South East Queensland and New South Wales this past week and the war in Ukraine, I have recorded prayers from The Anglican Church of Australia A Prayer Book for Australia. I have not been personally impacted by the flood, nor do I live close to the affected suburbs, but I have been listening continually throughout the day to news updates and praying for the people impacted by these traumatic events.

I find myself speechless and saddened, often not knowing how to pray for these innocent people. This is when I go to my prayer book for guidance. I have recorded these prayers as well that you can download to your phone and listen to at any time of the day or night. I often wake up in the early hours of the morning and listen to a sermon or a Bible passage, but I have long wanted to have the Anglican prayers available on my phone.

Some people shun scripted prayers arguing that we should be spontaneous in our prayers. I know many Christians who are fluent spontaneous pray-ers and I love to listen to them pray. I am not one of them. With all the Christian poems that I have written over the years and all the Bible studies that I have undertaken to write those poems, I still cannot recite one of them from memory. The words just don't come fluently forward from my memory bank. When I pray, in private or in public, I am stuck for words.

If you asked me to recite a poem to you, I could not do it without a script. I often listen to my Christian poems as prayers and contemplation. So on behalf of all the Christians out there who face similar memory challenges as I do, I offer these recordings. Our Lord Jesus Christ is gracious and He knows the shortcomings and challenges we face in our efforts to worship and talk to Him.

Hi, I'm Beverley Joy of Simply Story Poetry. I do, I don't, I will, I won't, I can, I can't,  I should, I shouldn't and the tussle going on and on in my brain. Colour versus black and white. Thoughts bounced from one side of my brain to the other like a ping point ball. Each side smashing the thoughts back and forward like it is a competition.

The challenge is to learn how to end the competition. Balance both sides of the brain so thoughts swish smoothly from side to side like water. Respecting both sides - logical and creative, as both complements each other. The colourful thoughts of the creative side blend with the black and white of the logical side to create individual artwork of our lives.

Hi, I'm Beverley Joy of Simply Story Poetry. It's the summer holiday session in Australia when most church community activities stop from early December till the end of January when the students go back to school, college or university and the new year gets into full swing again.

Like me, you probably make plans and set goals for the new year for family, work, leisure activities, health and our personal relationships.  Do you even set goals or do you live reactive to what happens to you at any given moment? There is certainly a place for spontaneity in our daily life, but without a plan, we will live our lives 'reactive and not proactive' in life.

But do we set goals for our spiritual life? Which books of the Bible will I read/listen to this year? What passages will I study in-depth? What Christian books will I read? What volunteer work will I do? Do we write out a spiritual plan with the same enthusiasm as we write up our general life plan? Are we as serious about our spiritual plan as we are about our business, career plan?

The Bible is a treasure chest of knowledge and, unlike other books, when we read and study it, we enrich our relationship with Jesus and God Himself. We spend personal time with God. Just as we spend personal time with our immediate family, spouse and close friends, how much time each day do we spend chatting and listening to God? Are we predominately proactive or reactive with our spiritual life?

Hi, I'm Beverley Joy of Simply Story Poetry. Welcome to my new series titled Simply Create To Share, which will consist of weekly articles where I will be sharing the journey of my creativity, which is writing poetry. This year I am venturing into non-fiction writing in which I will be covering topics like what books, songs and creative people motivated and directed my progress from being too shy and uneducated to share my poetry with anyone, to share them with the world whilst enjoying the journey. I'm not famous or wealthy with money, but I am wealthy with a passion for writing poetry, and that passion drove me to learn how to overcome my shyness and self-doubt to share my creativity and encourage others to do the same. 

Hi, I'm Beverley Joy of Simply Story Poetry. Well, after waiting many 1000 years and prophecied in Genesis 3 verse 15, finally the Saviour of the world is born, the King of all kings is born without any human royal celebration. Yet, far off in the fields, an army of angels appears to a small group of common shepherds, to announce this royal birth. God works in mysterious ways! 'God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the insignificant things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no human may boast before God.' 1 Corinthians 1:27-29 NASB2020

Hi, I'm Beverley Joy of Simply Story Poetry. Mary has told Joseph that she is pregnant. What would Joseph do now? Was Mary telling him the truth? While Joseph was trying to decide how to handle this serious challenge that had arisen between himself and Mary, God sent His angel to explain the situation to Joseph in a dream. You can read his story in Matthew Chapter 1 verses 18 to 25. 

This poem is Part 6 of 8 parts to the poetic script that follows the Christmas Story from the very beginning to end. I have been publishing one of the Christmas poems each week leading up to Christmas week.

Hi, I'm Beverley Joy of Simply Story Poetry. What would Joseph think of her? What would her family and community say? This is the story of Mary's visit to stay with her cousin Elizabeth after telling Joseph she was pregnant. This poem looks at Mary's reaction to receiving this wonderful yet life-changing news from God's angel. How could Mary, engaged to be married to Joseph, explain why she was pregnant out of wedlock. That would be scandalous enough, but also Joseph was not the father. Her visit to Elizabeth would be an encouragement to Mar,y as God's Spirit had worked a miracle in Elizabeth's body as well, who was beyond childbearing years and yet was now three months pregnant with the last and most important prophet of God, John the Baptist.

This poem is Part 5 of 8 parts to the poetic script that follows the Christmas Story from the very beginning to end. 

Hi, I'm Beverley Joy of Simply Story Poetry. This poem, which I wrote in 2019, zooms in on the momentous, yet private moment in history when Mary was visited by God's angel and told of her imminent pregnancy of Jesus, the son of God. Her story is found in Luke Chapter 1 verses 26-38. Finally, the prophecy was to be fulfilled many thousands of years after God told the serpent in Genesis 3 verse 15, that through Eve's genealogy would be born a saviour who would conquer Satan. God's people had been waiting about 700 years for the prophecy of the birth of the Saviour named Immanuel, to be fulfilled.

Why not listen to Parts 1-3 of this story poetry titled: Christmas in the Garden of Eden - The Christmas Story Part 1, 2nd November, Four Unusual Women - The Christmas Story Part 2, 9th November and 700BC - The Christmas Story Part 3, 16th November.

When I found this Featured Image of a young woman looking down and touching her stomach, I imagined that the young Mary would have done this, following the visit from God's angel telling her she would soon be pregnant with the Saviour. She must have experienced a flood of emotions. Part 5 of this series looks at Mary's reaction to receiving this wonderful yet life-changing news from God's angel.

This poem is Part 4 of 8 parts to the poetic script that follows the Christmas Story from the very beginning to end. I will be publishing one of the Christmas poems each week leading up to Christmas week. 

Hi, I'm Beverley Joy of Simply Story Poetry. This Christian poem is Part 2 of the Christmas Story, 2019. It is based on Matthew Chapter 1 verses 3-6 in which four women are mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus. These women had troubled or scandalous life stories. It seems unusual for God to have chosen them to be included in the ancestry of the future Saviour of the world. If you are not familiar with the stories of these women, please take the time to read their stories in the Bible: Tamar - Genesis 38, Rahab - Joshua 2, Ruth, Bathsheba - 2 Samuel 11-12:25.    

The second last verse of this poem refers to 1 Corinthians 1:27-28 'but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God.'  

The poems in this series: The Christmas Story in the Garden of Eden - Part 1, 2nd November 2021, Four Unusual Women - The Christmas Story Part 2, 700BC - The Christmas Story Part 3, 16th Nov, Mary - The Christmas Story Part 4, 23rd Nov, Mary and Elizabeth Part 5, 

This poem is Part 2 of 8 parts to the poetic script that follows the Christmas Story from the very beginning to end. I will be publishing one of the  Christmas poems each week leading up to Christmas week.  I wrote this Christmas script for a Christmas Service that we held at the local church, that I was attending at the time, in 2019. 

I searched for an image that would represent all four women in the poem. I love the artist's choice of colours which gives the image a modern appeal, which I feel connects these ancient women with modern women, as both groups of women have experienced similar troubles or scandals in their lives. I love the sheer soft effect of the veil across her face. Her eyes are not weary or sad, brash or harsh, instead, they reflect composed victory, which is how each women's story ends. Image link at the end of the poem on my website.