Islands of Light: Expressions of Faith of One Man’S Journey

By Everett Graffeo

Over the years, author Everett Graffeo has discovered a poet buried deep within his spirit. As he jotted down thoughts on scraps of paper, backs of programs, or on pages in the back of his date book, the words that appeared surprised him and satisfied a need at the time. He set them asideand when he took them up again, they breathed new life into his thoughts.

Graffeo now presents a collection of poetry representing not the boast of a man with an unbroken string of successes, but the confession of one who has experienced both strength and weakness. These verses and the emotions they evoke are intended to serve as islands of light surrounded by a vast ocean of question-filled darkness. This light, discovered on the atolls of experience, seeks to bring understanding and meaning to Graffeos journey and to ours as humans.

Encountering out-of-the-way places from all around the world, this journey in poetry offers an expression of faith as it explores one mans thoughts, personality, personal struggles, biases, worldview, heart, and soul.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Jan 16, 2015
• ISBN: 9781491754429

Everett Graffeo

Everett Graffeo graduated from Graceland University with a BA in religion, followed by a MA in recreation and outdoor education from Indiana University. He lived and served in many places around the world for 40 years as a minister in Community of Christ. He and his wife Judy live in Independence, Missouri, They have three married children, eight grandchildren, and friends around the world.

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ISLANDS OF LIGHT

Copyright © 2015 Everett Graffeo.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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ISBN: 978-1-4917-5443-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4917-5444-3 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4917-5442-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015900290

iUniverse rev. date: 01/14/15

Contents

Preface

Acknowledgements

Dedication

Welcome

Growing Up

Little Bird Sing On

A Novice of Grace

The Greatest of These

Love Shows the Way

Secure in Loving Community

Memory’s Endowment

The Passage

Between Life’s Seasons

Restless Uncertainty

Certainty Invaded

Little Rebellions

Finding Commonality

On the Edge

True to the Call

Love Makes Whole the Soul

My Hands

Communion Cubes on White Linen

Ode to a Burro

Oneness in Life

Unite dans la Vie

A Hundred Eyes

The Train Station

The Fragile People

The Women of Chedalada

Beloved Community of the Forgotten

Aussie Hope

A Place Called Dunfield

A Stalking Tiger

The Covenant

Crossing New Borders

Dust to Life, Life to Dust

Fragile Beginnings

Living in God’s Presence

Hope for the Ninety and Nine

A Prayer for Light

Prayer: In the Silence of Time

Prayer for Release

Prayer of Shaw Center Graceland University

The Final Word

Kneeling at His Feet

A Man Called Sam

Elsie’s Kitchen

Lifetime Cycles

Preface

I discovered a poet buried deep in my spirit in my travels over the years, that from time to time emerged to express itself. I found myself thinking thoughts I had never thought before and I would jot them down on scraps of paper, on backs of programs, or on pages in the back of my date book. As the written words appeared on paper, they always surprised me. Writing these thoughts down satisfied my need at the time, and I would lay them aside with the promise to revisit them at some future date.

When I finally did get back to them the words were like old friends who had waited patiently for my return. As I became reacquainted with them, like leaven, they caused new ferment to erupt. Often, it was like the words, written so long ago, were waiting for me as unfinished business. When I took them up again, they breathed new life into my thoughts, and they rested from their state of anxious waiting.

As I reflected upon these writings generated by people and places near and far, they served as rays of sunlight, casting