ART & POETRY BY PAUL & KATHY BOECHER
Our lives are like a thin, frayed thread,
Our thoughts are filled with fear and dread,
The tines of life like wildfire spread,
We even wish that we were dead,
Yet God would not release His hold,
He held us tightly in the fold,
To teach us to be strong and bold,
He never let His love grow cold,
His roots run deep, His hold is strong,
He keeps us where we now belong,
He turns us right when we do wrong,
His Word is like a lovely song,
He pulls us out of danger’s way,
He gives us light in each dark day,
He leads us back when we would stray,
He even teaches us to pray,
He’ll never let us go.
In the early 1990s, Paul’s advertising company “Advertising Brainstorms,” had to close its doors due a failing economy. The business that started in the basement of an old mansion in downtown Minneapolis, moved up to the third floor and eventually to a new building in Robbinsdale, MN. Things ran smoothly for a long time, employing ten and creating ads for General Mills, Federal Cartridge, Land O Lakes and many more. Paul had just turned 50, we’d celebrated our 25th and were about to become empty nesters. The difficult decision to end the story and try and go on was ahead of us. We lost just about everything and came to a point where we weren’t sure what the future would hold for us. I’ve shared this story many times, and each time I learn something new from it. We all go through trials in this life. Some are caused by the loss of something or someone. We can try to muddle through those tests and hopefully come through with flying colors or we can give up and continue to suffer. The hardest thing when going through those times is our willingness to surrender to God’s will. We think we’re capable of figuring things out alone, but that often leads to more suffering. As years fly by and I reach the end of my life, I am finally realizing that God has everything all planned out for us. He gave us the intelligence and wisdom to proceed, but He is the One in charge of everything.
Paul started working in wood at that time. He would scrounge building construction sites and pick up scraps of timber which were tossed aside and made them into things of beauty. He always enjoyed sitting at a campfire and whittling on a stick, but his vision was bigger than that. With God’s constant care and direction, Paul found a new passion, which was able to create an adequate income for us. His wood sculpting was unique – not machine cut out – but actual pieces of art. His was a unique success story, because he knew who couldn’t do it by Himself. He needed divine intervention. While all this was going on, I had found a niche’ teaching drama and earning enough to help with the budget. I also took up my pen and began pursuing my real love – writing.
Today I’m including a gallery of some of Paul’s sculptures.
