Poem--The Counseling Course

In the last 5 months, Paul and I flew to Pennsylvania three times to take classes at Life Ministries. On the last day, we were all supposed to talk for a minute or two about our experience. I read this, which I am reprinting here by special request of one attendee who wanted to read it to her husband.

The Counseling Course

I thought I would be a dutiful wife

And come with my husband to classes at Life.

I knew all about feelings and stories and such

But Paul was in need of a counselor’s touch.

So we read Larry Crabb and we packed and prepared

And headed to Portland as late as we dared.

Paul on his phone would tell all of gate ten

That six tons of oats should be bagged by his men.

Then we took off for Denver or Phoenix or Midway

Arriving in Baltimore at the end of the day.

Our marriage endured much testing and stress

From rental car lines and baggage claim  mess

We took a wrong exit and had more dissension

When Google said turn and I didn’t pay attention.

It’s good we were headed for three days at Life,

Where they know how to remedy marital strife.

Daily we studied and listened and turned

In papers we wrote, and gradually learned

Of passions and longings, volitional beings

Structures and stories and new ways of seeing.

We listened to others and then in return

We told them our stories and were happy to learn

That here with these folks was a safe place to be

I could even be honest with sad parts of me.

Of course all this time I was trying to see

How the practical husband was faring, for he

Has very few feelings and might be confused

By longings, emotions, and other words used.

But to my astonishment, he was just fine

With classes and small groups and then down to dine.

Meanwhile his wife who knows all about feeling

Was disrupted, confuzzled, and quietly dealing

With things down inside that she couldn’t quite name

How could this be, and who could she blame?

So Paul used his newfangled counseling skills

To calm her emotional upsets and ills.

Then back on the airplane went Paul and his wife

Grateful for all their new training from Life.