Dear Stephanie,

 

Welcome to Stephanie's (and Stephen's) world

A world that invented the Greek word stephanos

Which means CROWN

 

Welcome to Stephanie's world

A world crowned with jewels and precious stones

That stand ready to adorn beauties such as yourself

 

Welcome to Stephanie's world

A world crowned with four seasons

The blooming spring

The flaming summer

The harvesters' autumn

The skiers' winter

Thanks to planet Earth's rotational tilt

Stabilized by our large enough moon

A quarter of million miles away

 

Welcome to Stephanie's world

A world crowned with green plants and algae

That captures the solar energy

And transform the wasted (carbon dioxide) and simple (water)

Into carbohydrates the basic food for all living things

Thanks to the Creator’s ingenious design

 

Welcome to Stephanie's world

A world crowned with living creatures of every kind

The fishy things in the rivers and oceans, lakes and ponds

The creepy things on the land and in the soil

The feathery things in the air

All vying for the blessing from the Creator

 

Welcome to Stephanie's world

A world crowned with people of every complexion

The crowning jewel of the Creation

A people of one family

Traced back to Adam and Eve

And connected by jet ways, thruways

And information highways

 

Welcome to Stephanie's world

A world crowned with freedom despite oppression

Love despite hatred

Hope despite despair

Faith despite unbelief

Life despite death

 

Welcome to Stephanie's world

A world crowned with martyrs of faith

Your namesake being one of the most renowned

In the middle of the first century

 

Welcome to Stephanie's world

A world crowned with the glorious hope

Of the resurrection in Christ

The only begotten Son of the living God

The only name by which we shall be saved

 

Welcome to Stephanie's world

A world crowned with Christian truth

That dispels the falsehood of every kind

Be it humanism or other deism

Be it relativism or pluralism

Be it communism or post-modernism

 

Welcome to Stephanie's world

A world crowned with poetic adoration

And friendly critique

(Some complained that my poems

Are getting longer and longer)

 

Welcome to Stephanie's world

A world crowned with well-wishers

 

(Composed on Aug.21, 2001)