This week we celebrate Halloween. I feel bad, my dear readers, that I can’t give each of you any real candy for Halloween So I looked around for another “treat” that I might share with you. And I found one!
Sister Doreen Strahler, one of our retired sisters, has written a series of poems about candy. She calls her “private manuscript” Sweet Lessons of Life. She has graciously allowed me to post some of her poems on my blog. I hope you will find the poems and the lessons they impart a real treat for Halloween!
Hershey Bar with Almonds
The bumps along the road of life I certainly do not savor,
but like the almonds in my Hershey Bar, they do provide new flavor.
Kit Kat
When all the work is piled up and you don’t know what first to do,
just break strips off like a Kit Kat wafer, and soon your work is through.
Peppermint Pattie
A smile and a cheerful word, a heart that is full of bliss
is somewhat like a Peppermint Pattie: its scent is hard to miss.
The outside may be pink or white, Good and Plenty is the name.
Forget the outside differences, the inside is the same.
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
The shapes of many bars are alike, but with Reese’s Cups I’ve found
the shape doesn’t matter to the taste; it’s delicious, rectangular or round.
Bit-O-Honey
A loving little kindness, a pleasant word I say
is like a Bit-O-Honey to sweeten another’s day.
Twizzlers
The Twizzler’s grooves twine around. Twisting is their fate.
Something like the paths of life, not all of them are straight.
Life Savers
The candy with the hole in the middle comes in several flavors.
It shows that there are many ways in which to be Life Savers.
Hershey’s Hugs and Kisses
When a friend’s way is long and the day is dark,
and the trip seems not worth while,
just try to help with a Hug and a Kiss
to shorten that long, long mile.
Happy Halloween to All!
Do any of the poems or their lessons touch you today? If so, why?
Do you have a favorite candy?
Do you have a favorite Halloween memory?
PS: A big thank you for your prayers for my time in Racine, WI. And a big thank you for all the wonderful people I met there, prayed with, shared with, and enjoyed. Special thanks to Claire, Jim, and the entire staff for all they did to make my time at Siena Retreat Center such a worthwhile experience!
Since Halloween is the eve of the feast of All Saints, I chose a “saint song” for today. It’s the famous 19th century hymn, “For All the Saints” set to a 21st Century tune. I hope you like it!
Would you like to respond to anything in today’s blog? If so, please respond below.
18 Responses
Delightful treats, Sister! They are all so tasty, and the messages so meaningful. My favorite would have to be Good n Plenty….love the candy (especially at the movies); and a very profound and timely message. Childhood memory?….Neighbor Mrs. Gibson’s homemade popcorn balls and candied apples! Thank you, Sister. And a big thanks to Sister Doreen for sharing her “candy wisdom.” May all your treats be tasty ones! Ed J.
Love the poetry. I’ll have to remember the Good and Plenty. I think I’ll send it to a friend who is Very Prejudiced.
Thank you. I can’t wait to share these poems with my grandchildren.
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Yes! Comfort food!
Sister Melanie, Wish you could taste the Mexican candy that we have access to here on the border. I have learned to cut down on them and others to be in solidarity with my wife who is diabetic. It is quite a problem down here. The poems are beautiful and so is the Sister who wrote them. Thank you for being such a special “soul teacher”. Blessings, Deacon RC
Well I love the peppermint pattie and “a heart full of bliss” and the peanut butter cup “the shape doesn’t matter”. I went to a mini 2 hour retreat a few days ago put on by a Capuchin Brother. He writes poems, funny ones and all to make us see God all around us. Thank you for what you do for us. You also help me to see God all around us.
Thank you Sister Melannie, the poems are so sweet. Liked them all and especially the peanut butter cup, my comfort treat, lol. Thank you Sister Dorene for sharing. Loved the song as well. Have a blessed week!
I too loved all the “sweet” poems, turning something very simple into something so meaningful!
The memory I would like to share is when I was in grade school and my mother insisted we give up candy for Lent. Though we didn’t ordinarily have a lot of candy, this seemed an awful sacrifice. We would each have a shoebox in which we deposited any candy we were given for birthdays at school, etc. I would look longingly in the box, hardly able to wait till noon on Holy Saturday when it was deemed Lent was over…..you know I go back a long time…..and we we were able to open and savor the treats.
I so enjoy the simple glimpses of the divine in your simple musings, Sr. Melannie.
Thank you, Mary
I love the candy poems, amazing talent-the author must be delightful! Blessings,Sr. Julie
Sister Melannie – Such a great post – Candy Poetry – LOVE IT! My favorite poem is the Good and Plenty Poem. Not so much a fan of the candy but the Poem is deep and meaningful. Thank you for sharing the poetry of Sister Doreen.
Good Morning Sister Melannie,
Simply delightful poems.
Such treats and now with such new meaning!!
Thank you.
Thanks! I am going to share these with the school children. So cute
Delightful. Thank you, Sisters.
Hi Melannie , Thanks so much for sharing the unique poetry that is both entertaining and insightful!
My favorite memories of Halloween are the ones I spent as a nurse in our infirmary for our aged and infirm sisters. They were all such good sports dressing up in some kind of costume and enjoying the treats and games.
It was fun being childlike again.
Thanks for the memories. Love and prayers always, Josita
I loved all the poems, especially “Hershey Bars with Almonds” and “Twizzlers”. Thank you Sister Doreen for sharing!
It was special for me to see a Good and Plenty poem. It’s my favorite candy. Years ago, my little grandson and I were sharing some of these candies, and he said, “I only like the pink ones, Grammy. I smiled and said, “that’s fine, you eat the pink ones and I’ll eat the white ones!” He has since learned that they are the same on the inside, as Sister wrote. How meaningful in these times of racial and ethnic hate to be reminded that we are all the same inside, and each of us is a child of God.
Here’s my thought: when I hopefully get to see our Lord face to face, I want to ask….”Why did you make Brussels sprouts 5 calories & a Hershey bar 220? Or a cupcake? Or ice cream? I’d have no problem thwarting gluttony if the caloric content was reversed!
Dear Sr. Melannie,
Thank you so much for the sweet and calorie free treats! My favorite poems were the “Hershey Bars with Almonds” and the Peppermint Patties”. I love to take a box of mini peppermint pieces to the movies and Hershey Bars with Almonds seem to be the story of my life.
My lasting Halloween memories are the meal of tomatoe soup and grilled cheese sandwiches my mother always served before we left on our “Trick or Treating” rounds and the neighborhood grocer who passed out bars of ivory soap so that we could draw pictures on his store windows. Good “clean” Halloween fun!
I loved the rendition of “For All the Saints” and the beautiful cemetery scenes. Such peace……
.