Poems and Thoughts    by Frank Maurer

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My Only 'Authentic' Sermon! My first Antioch College Coop Job in 1964 Was in Eminence, Missouri, working in the Pioneer Forest, Established by an Antioch grad many years before, Where this grad, Leo Drey, wanted to upgrade state forests. After buying thousands of acres of marginal wooded lands, (Utilizing his complete inheritance from his parents!) Which had been virtually raped of White Oak used for whiskey barrels, (The cells of this wood were such that barrel leakage was blocked), The management plan was to girdle all old trees, Releasing space for the pine subclimax to be harvested years later. My tool was a moderately dangerous double-headed axe! This was during my religious phase of life, So I recreated with 12 year old boys (older children were absent), Searching for arrowheads, exploring the river; Interacting with my mentally damaged hotel mates from two wars; As well as involving myself in the local Methodist Church. One Sunday, the minister called me aside And invited me to give an evening sermon-- He said, "I think you have something to say," I reluctantly agreed and began my preparation. I had been reading Kalil Gibran's 'The Prophet', A story about a prophet who announced he was leaving the village, Creating anxiety, because the citizens had never solicited his advice. He was then asked many questions about life. One subject, which I used, was about children--'You are the bow And they are the arrows, sent out into the world.' Well, the evening arrived, and I delivered my 'sermon'. The result was quite overwhelming-- The minister lined up the congregation to walk past me. They each shook my hand and offered greetings, Several actually crying as they passed by! As a 19 year old, I was obviously overwhelmed and moved. It was an evening I will never forget, Although, in the end, I finally became an Evolutionary Biologist ! Frank Maurer 25 July 2024 1320 Hours.