November 12, 2010
Brenda Hopf
Schnellville parishioner has published a book of her poetry
Brenda Hopf holds a copy of her recently published book “Sharing the Load: A Reflection of Our Journey of Faith,” a collection of her poems and essays. (Message photo by Paul R. Leingang) Click for a larger version.
By MARY ANN HUGHES (Message staff writer)
In her soft, gentle voice, Brenda Hopf talks about her gift, and how she knows she’s supposed to give it away.
She’s a lifetime member of Sacred Heart Church in Schnellville, and an author of “Sharing the Load: A Reflection of Our Journey of Faith,” a recently-published collection of her poems and essays.
In the book, she writes about life — the birth of a grandson, death — her brother’s suicide, the golden wedding anniversary of her parents, and forgiveness.
There is a poem and essay about her beloved grandmother, Marie Welp, and she writes about the recent clustering of Sacred Heart parish with nearby St. Anthony Church.
It’s all very personal. “I wanted the book to be me,” she said, explaining that “every poem was inspired by something I witnessed or something from the past.” Each poem is accompanied by an essay and a verse from scripture.
And what shines through throughout the book is her faith.
It’s something she learned at her grandmother’s knee.
“She was a big influence,” Brenda says. “She lived next door, and I watched the way she lived her life. So much of her life was her faith.”
The family lived on State Highway 64, and often homeless men would stop by and ask for sandwiches. Grandma Welp always fed them, Brenda remembers, adding, “We lived across the yard, and we kept our doors locked. She was so trusting and so humble.”
She was a living example of the Good Samaritan, Brenda says. “That was my grandma. If someone was lying there, she would have stopped.”
The poem, “Holding on to Grandma’s Love,” was written after her grandmother died.
A grandma’s love is special to each and every one.
That’s why it is so hard when her earthly life is done.
Before we enter this world she prays for our well-being.
We behold a connection without ever seeing.
We grab onto her finger with our hands so very small.
We look into her eyes and know she will never let us fall.
She teaches us many things and creates memories as we grow.
We have to hold onto these and never let them go.
In fact, what she has taught us we must now pass on,
so a part of her will live and never really be gone.
We are always going to miss her, this we know for sure.
But everything she has given us will help us to endure.
And when it is our time to go, we know we will see her then,
With our hand we will grab her finger and never let go again.
Brenda believes she’s a lot like her grandma, noting “I like to stay in the background. It’s not my cup of tea to be in the spotlight.” Being in the background isn’t possible right now because she’s doing book signings around southern Indiana. She says she’s enjoying the opportunity to meet people, listen to their stories and hear about their own faith journeys.
“I know things in life are connected to your faith. You go through challenges, and you always learn from them.” As they read her book, she hopes “people will feel they are on the journey with me. They may get something from my poems,” which are “very personal from my heart.”
Because she’s such a quiet person, the book signings have made her feel “very vulnerable,” but she’s willing to do them because if the poems “help just one person then it’s worth it.”
She’s always been a writer, submitting poems when she was a teenager to her high school newspaper. Her writings took a faith-based turn a few years ago when she and her sister coached a fifth and sixth grade girls’ basketball team. At the end of the season, the two women presented each team member with a binder filled with inspirational quotes about sports and life.
At the beginning of each school year, they would send the girls new quotes. They never heard a word back, so when sophomore year approached, they decided not to send anything. “At the end of the first semester, my youngest daughter came home and informed me that the girls were asking why we had not sent our annual addition to the book. My sister and I were shocked.”
She knew immediately what she wanted to do. Write a poem. “I challenged myself to do something I had not done for many years — write a serious poem.” She called it “The Reflection.”
That was a turning point for her. “I saw the reflection of Jesus in that poem. Earlier, my writings were not faith-based, and gradually I started writing faith-based poems.”
As her collection of poems grew, she began to question what to do with them. “I shared some of them, and then I tucked them away.” When she talked with her pastor, Father Tim Tenbarge, the word “book” came up. She discerned the idea for about three months, and at the end of that process she “felt strongly that I was called to share what I had written. I felt I was given a gift, and that it was not mine to keep.”
In 2008, she made the commitment to write an essay and find a scripture verse to accompany each poem. She connected with a publisher, and this fall her book was published. The title came from the words of Matthew 11:28-30 when Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Brenda is convinced that the words she writes are a gift. “I feel no way that when the words come out — that I could have done that on my own. I feel it’s a gift, that it’s not in my control.”
She says, “I started writing things I knew could help people. It’s a gift, and once you realize it, then you have a responsibility.”
“Sharing the Load: A Reflection of Our Journey of Faith” is available at the Cornerstone Bookstore in Evansville.
A portion of each sale will go to the parishes in Schnellville and St. Anthony. “I wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t give something back of the blessings,” she said. “I have to give something back.”