Count the Ways--Spoken Word Delivered by Lloyd D. Newell

Count the Ways

Delivered By: Lloyd D. Newell

“How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.”1 Elizabeth Barrett wrote these now-famous words to her future husband, the esteemed poet Robert Browning, while they were courting. Her love sonnets have since touched the world, but Elizabeth did not show them to Robert during their courtship. He didn’t even know she was writing them. Years later, however, their tender sentiments would strengthen and comfort him when he needed it the most. The true story of these two poets, Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Robert Browning, almost seems like fiction. Their relationship began through correspondence, and they fell in love with each other before they ever met. Elizabeth, pale and sickly from years of illness, was reluctant to meet Robert in person, but he persisted. At last she consented, and their love only grew stronger as Robert came to visit Elizabeth, almost every afternoon, for more than a year. They married and moved to Italy, and at the age of 43, Elizabeth gave birth to their only child, a son. Just days after this joyous event, far away in England, Robert’s mother died of a heart attack. Robert was grief-stricken. During this difficult time, when their hearts were heavy, Elizabeth retrieved the sonnets she had secretly written when their love was yet untouched by life’s sorrows. Her heartfelt declarations, “I love thee to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach,” helped lift his spirits and carry them through their sorrow. Love’s expressions can be that powerful. Our affirmations of love may not be as poetic as Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s, but they can be just as meaningful. We too can “count the ways” we love those who are dear to us. We can write down our feelings, even if only in simple words, and share them with our loved ones. Then, in future days when difficulties arise or love is tested, we can recall the strength of those heartfelt sentiments. We can feel again the warmth of our affection and relive the moments that make our love strong. 1. Sonnets from the Portuguese (1910), 45. Program #4196 Musical Selection: 1. All Things Bright and Beautiful 2. I Feel My Savior's Love 3. Rise! Up! Arise!, from St. Paul 4. Improvisation on Annie Laurie 5. Spoken Word 6. Where Is Love?, from Oliver 7. The Prayer 8. Benediction