God Spot - The Lanyard

Just a quick word to say that these “God Spot” notes are to be shared with Christians. My hope is that they encourage, challenge and/or inspire. I don’t expect that those who are not Christians to understand or respond to these notes, but they are most welcome to read them.

This was a poem sent to me by a member of my men’s reading group.

The Lanyard - Billy Collins

The other day I was ricocheting slowly
off the blue walls of this room,
moving as if underwater from typewriter to piano,
from bookshelf to an envelope lying on the floor,
when I found myself in the L section of the dictionary
where my eyes fell upon the word lanyard.

No cookie nibbled by a French novelist
could send one into the past more suddenly—
a past where I sat at a workbench at a camp
by a deep Adirondack lake
learning how to braid long thin plastic strips
into a lanyard, a gift for my mother.

I had never seen anyone use a lanyard

or wear one, if that’s what you did with them,

but that did not keep me from crossing
strand over strand again and again

until I had made a boxy

red and white lanyard for my mother.

She gave me life and milk from her breasts,

and I gave her a lanyard.

She nursed me in many a sick room,

lifted spoons of medicine to my lips,

laid cold face-cloths on my forehead,

and then led me out into the airy light

and taught me to walk and swim,
and I, in turn, presented her with a lanyard.
Here are thousands of meals, she said,
and here is clothing and a good education.
And here is your lanyard, I replied,
which I made with a little help from a counselor.


Here is a breathing body and a beating heart,
strong legs, bones and teeth,
and two clear eyes to read the world, she whispered,
and here, I said, is the lanyard I made at camp.
And here, I wish to say to her now,
is a smaller gift—not the worn truth


that you can never repay your mother,
but the rueful admission that when she took
the two-tone lanyard from my hand,
I was as sure as a boy could be
that this useless, worthless thing I wove
 of boredom would be enough to make us even.

I won’t patronise you all by explaining what the poem is about (some of you know that I am far too ready to do that).

I used it effectively recently talking to my Year 7 form (11 and 12 year olds) to get them to think about and value the time spent with family at Christmas time.

For us Christians, it puts in perspective our relationship with our God. He is our creator, provider, protector and saviour. How can we begrudge him – as we so often do – our time, money and service? What could we possibly do to make us even with him?

There is much more to reflect upon here. My own thoughts turned to the inevitable gentle acceptance of this small token of love, the mother’s understanding and patience with the weak and feeble sentiment in which it was given. I pray that you find it equally poignant.


Link - Former US poet laureate Billy Collins reading his poem