Happy Spring!

Beneath the earthen mounds of fallen leaves
Reduced to loam by winter’s rain and snow
Three sisters slumber, till Spring's call relieves
Their drowsy captivity therebelow.
Brave Snowdrop with great hope emerges first,
Sweetly she bends her most elegant head
To bear the cold retreating winter’s worst
Before rousing her sisters from their bed.

Then Crocus climbs to her perilous post
To cheer and gaze upon the passers by
While humble Violet wakes, by grass engrossed,
To spread her sweetness, half-hidden and shy.

Each sister in her peculiar way
Proclaims the coming of Spring’s first bright day!

The Joy of Christmas

On Christmas morn in manger bed

How sweetly lies the Babe!

The Son of God, come down to earth

man's sinful race to save.

And as He grows, that sinless Babe

Becomes a sinless Man

To bear our punishment for sin.

Fulfilling redemption's plan.

Upon a cross, with crown of thorns

Upon His head, He dies.

Then placed within a cold, dark tomb,

How silently He lies!

Yet, from His cold, dark tomb, from death

Behold Him now arise!

He conquered death, and rose in life

To win us for His prize!

May you be blessed this Christmas by the reminder of all Christ gave for you.

Merry Christmas!

Unspoken

The door is closed, yet on my lips

Are clinging words unspoken yet.

The thought to speak the words was there,

And lips had formed their shape, but e'er

The voice and lips the thought had met

The moment vanished; silent stood the air.

Oh Lord, help my thoughts and words to meld

Inseperably with Thy will.

May, when Thy Spirit gives a thought,

That very instant the deed be wrought.

That when life is over I find not still

Thy words unspoken past the doorway brought.

Early Thirst

(Psalm 63)

The quiet light begins to dawn.

My soul awakes, as it is drawn

By silent thirst, with op'ning eyes

To cast off night and from slumber rise.

~

A soul a-thirst, all consuming need

To open Thy word and upon it feed.

As a droughted land, dry and parched I lay

'Till thus I awoke at break of day.

~

I long, not for water for a thirsty tongue ,

Nor yet for heart-soothing songs to be sung;

No! 'Tis more needful than all for me

To wake, arise, and commune with Thee.

~

Oh, with my thirsty eyes to see

Thy power and glory revealed to me!

--To know your blest presence nearer yet

Than when in Thy house with Thee I met!

~

More than life my Lord, my all!

Thy lovingkindness doth upon me fall.

I shall proclaim how great Thou art

With joyful lips and hungry heart.

~

While life is in me, I'll praise Thy name

And bless Thee, evermore the same

With greatful heart my hands I'll raise

And offer up my inadequate praise.

~

I come, and know that Thou shalt fill

My hungry soul, this morn so still,

As with a feast of extravegant things

Fit to be set before the richest kings!

~

Thus satisfied at last, I raise

My sated heart and lips to praise

The greatness of Thyself, and then

Begin to hunger, and to feed again!

The Birth of Autumn

'Twas a misty, quiet September morn

When the still and vapour-enshrouded world

Prepared its welcome as Autumn was born,

Wrapped in robes of clouds with dewdrops empearled.

The spiders wove delicate, sticky chains

Linked bough to bough, both to highest and low

And to these garlands clung drops from the rains

While the sun-warmed mist lent an amber glow

Then, as soon as bright Summer said goodbye,

Her son began to celebrate his reign

With a fearsome storm from the cloudy sky

With strong gusting winds and hard driving rain.

And all nature rejoiced to taste the end

Of Summer's long thirst, which the rains did mend.

A Sea-Song

Savior, on the sea of life

Be Thou my Beacon bright

To warn me of the rocks of strife

That lurk just out of sight.

~

Be Thou my Anchor, Lord I pray

That I may stady stand

Trusting in Thee by night, by day

Held firm in Thy steadfast hand.

~

Be Thou my Compass and my Chart

To guide me on my way,

For as Thou dwellest in my heart

Thy word shall be my stay.

~

And when my course is set, dear Lord,

Do Thou my mainsail fill

-For no sailing ship could e'er afford

To sail 'gainst the wind's strong will.

~

Yea, Savior, on the sea of life,

Be Thou my captain, crew,

Yea, every part command and be

my life, the ocean, too!

Evening Thoughts

Softly fades the light of day
As here alone I sit and pray
Yet, truly, not alone am I
For God Almighty who hears my cry
Is ever present in peace or strife
-‘Tis He who brings true joy to life.

And as the sunset casts on all
Its glittering golden glow, I call
To He who created all in my gaze
Which now doth cheer my heart and amaze
For the One who created all beauty and grace
Has gone to prepare for me a place!

Now as I hear the birds’ soft call
The trilling strains which rise and fall
I remember Jesus’ words, which said
Behold the birds, how they are fed.
They reap not, sow not, nor gather and store,
God feeds them. Doth He not value you more?

My eye doth on some flowers fall
And quickly then do I recall
Christ’s words again, from that same place:
Consider the lily’s pretty race
They toil not, spin not, yet beautifully arrayed,
By God, tho’ so swiftly they are decayed.

Yet God, who marks the sparrow’s fall
And paints the world’s bright colors all
Who provides each creature sufficient food
And rains down blessings, great and good
He sees my tears He knows each sorrow,
And His children are given a bright tomorrow!

Now as the light begins to fade
I think upon the price He paid
-For such a sinful wretch as I
Who so richly deserved for my sins to die-
Of His prayer in the garden of Gethsemane
And His suffering and death on Calvary.

Then through the twilight a bird’s call sounds
A bubbling chirp which with joy resounds
He’s alive! He arose from the grave again
And with Him hope and salvation for men
Who repent and believe, as I did that day
When Jesus’ blood washed my sins away!

Now thankfulness within me swells
To Him who now within me dwells,
The three in one, the Trinity
Who lavishes love and kindness on me.
And as soft breezes brush my face,
I thank Him for His bounteous grace.

As I hear the birds’ soft evening song
I raise my voice and sing along
Here at the closing of the day
The Doxology I sing and pray
“To God, from whom all blessings flow”
My heartfelt praises upward go.

And now has fled the light of day,
The light has faded clean away
The sweet-voiced birds are now at rest
And I sit and think how I am blessed
For God Almighty, Omnipotent, He
Is ever near to talk with me!

Adopted

How sweet to be a child of God
In times of peace and rest
When thankful praises smoothly flow
From heart and mouth, for well I know
How much my Heavenly Father has blessed.

How sweet to be a child of God
In times of want and woe
When in my Father’s arms I hide
There, through His grace I safe abide
Though harsh the winds of worry blow.

How sweet to be a child of God
Where e’er my pathway lies
In health or sickness, toil or rest
My Father gives that which is best
For He is infinitely wise!

Snowdrops

The Snowdrop, though of cold, wet winter born,
Yet also belongs to the warm, bright spring.
E'en though she's waxed old, bedraggled and torn
Before the bright day of spring's christening.
For, while the cold, stormy weather she braves,
So sweetly enduring the wind and rain
Bright hope she brings as she cheerfully waves
Proclaiming that spring is coming again.
So may I be, who, born of earth belong
Yet to Heaven, my bright eternal home!
May I likewise spread hope to those who long
The streets of Heaven with Jesus to roam.
For Christ returns any day for His own,
To take us up to our eternal home!

A Conversation with a Robin...

"Why dost thou sing, thou cocky little bird,

Sitting serenely on thy perch aloft?

What can be so cheery that thou has heard

To make thee sing so in this bleak, bare, croft?

The wind bloweth sharply, bitingly cold,

Propelling the small, stinging drops of rain.

What is the source of joy so manifold

Which thus bubbles forth in joyous refrain?"

"Why sing so cheery? Indeed, gloomy maid,

There's reason enough e'en in this bare place!

-Just look for yourself, o'er in yonder glade.

The snowdrops are up! Spring soon shall replace

The cold, biting, wind with zephyrs so sweet

And sharp, stinging raindrops with dewdrops fleet!"

Winter Sonnet...

I gaze out upon the wintry scene

of tall, twisted trees with their barren boughs,

Still as a graveyard, silent and serene

-Quiet, save the songs of the birds they house.

A gentle breeze now makes the branches sway,

Sweeping the threadbare autumn leaves along.

Bereft of color and tattered, they play,

Dancing to a chickadee's cheery song.

Yet, in the bleakness of the winter day,

Upon the bent, barren branches I spy

Little buds beginning to make their way,

As the sun shines bright in the cloudless sky.

'Tis here, 'midst winter's bleak and barren cold,

In budding beauty, spring's coming's foretold.

The Yellow Rose...

There it blooms, a yellow rose,
Opened to the winter sky.
Cold the biting, sharp wind blows
The tattered leaves about my toes,
Yet summer blooms nearby!

The wind and rain have swept the land
And caused the autumn leaves to fall.
And yet, the hearty rose doth stand
Untouched by Winter’s chilly hand
And heedless of his call.

Here the rose most cheerily waves
Amidst the blighting, blustery blast
The rain and snow she sweetly braves
Her scent the traveler’s way now paves
With hopes of summer at last.

Thus may I be, in life’s cold day,
When all around seems dull and drear,
Oh, may I be the one who paves
Others’ paths with cheery ways
And hope, for Heaven is near!

A Sonnet

Fear Not

~I John 4:18

In this world so full of uncertainties,
With winds of worry blowing all around
As all, so it seems, grows worse by degrees,
Where is a place of safety to be found?
Where indeed! Not in this dark world of woe
-Filled as it is with sickness, sin and strife.
Where is found peace from the buffeting blow
Of the winds of worry? Where are hope and life?
‘Tis only in Christ such peace may be found,
For He alone is Lord of wind and wave.
In Christ our Shepherd life and hope abound,
For Jesus alone has power to save.
Yea, one need never fret when God is near,
For His perfect love casteth out all fear!

A Lesson From A Coal

How brightly glow the burning coals

As I stoop to tend the fire;

And as the coals are drawn in close

The flames grow ever higher.

~

But as I stir the fire, I see

One small, bright coal alone.

It must have dropped and rolled away

and now it's on its own.

~

And as I watch that ember lone

Its color starts to fade.

-For coals cannot survive alone;

each needs another's aid.

~

'Tis thus we need each other, too;

We cannot, though we try

Shine brightly in this world without

Another's warmth nearby!