Looking Back In Thanks

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tonight I offer up some thanks

That I want you to hear,
I thank you for the year that’s past
And for the coming year.
I thank you that the way, when rough,
Was travelled at your side,
And in each storm, beneath your wing,
I had a place to hide.
I thank you for the days of rain
Though dreary, they brought life,
And thank you for the strength that comes
Through facing care and strife.
Although my best plans fell apart,
Yours never seemed to fail,
And when I doubted my own strength
I knew yours would prevail.
 
So, before we start a new year,
I thank you for this one.
I’m glad I thought to tell you that
Before it was all done!   

John 16:33

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I know that it is winter time,

But I long to see you,

If just to remind me that you’ll

Be there when winter’s through.

 

So I will face the winter’s storms,

Knowing what spring will bring,

And though the storms may break my heart

Each little piece will sing.

 

John 16:33

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.

Walking By Faith

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I know these woods so very well,

I walk them every day.
Yet, when they’re wrapped in mist and cloud
I scarce can find my way.
 
And thus it is in life these days,
The things I knew as real
Are lost within a changing world,
A world, at times, surreal.
 
Yet, I know that the path’s still there
That I knew in the light,
And I must learn to walk by faith
What I once walked by sight.
 
3 John 1:3
It gave me great joy when some believers came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it.

The Storm Gathers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sorrow dwells within my heart

And I am lost in tears;
I feel a fearsome storm of grief
Gathers strength as it nears.
 
There is no comfort that will come,
No hand can turn my fate.
The tempest will rain down on me
And drown me in its spate.
 
Yet, when the storm’s wrath has past by,
Crushing me to the ground,
Your love will lift me up again
And blessings will abound.
 
Isaiah 54:11
“Afflicted city, lashed by storms and not comforted, I will rebuild you with stones of turquoise, your foundations with lapis lazuli.

Beauty and Ice

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ice and beauty, beauty and ice;

Her heart is filled with both.

She knows that she should let one go,

But, to do so, she’s loathe.

 

For all the ice that coats her heart

Was formed through years of pain

And she’s afraid that if it melts

She’ll feel it all again.

 

But still, beneath that sheath of ice

Born from her years of strife,

The beauty of a loving heart

Still glows with vibrant life.

 

Jeremiah 8:18

You who are my Comforter in sorrow, my heart is faint within me.

Your Light on My Face

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When morning creeps across the sky

And night slips from the sea,
I like to pause and greet the day
Where your light touches me.
Then, when the day gets out of hand,
I slip back to that place
Where, in my heart, I still can feel
Your smile upon my face.

Christmas 2012

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you for the peaceful day,

For family and friends,
A cozy fire upon the hearth
And love that never ends.
 
And thank you for the Precious Child
Once born upon this day.
Please help us to be worthy of
The gift You sent our way!

Luke 2:19

As choirs of angels sang on high,

Mary hummed a lullaby.
While wise men brought their gifts of praise,
Joseph prayed for safer days.
Though shepherds knelt and cattle lowed
And heaven burned with light,
Mary embraced her infant son
And smiled in her delight.
She knew what life would hold for him,
The sorrow he must embrace,
But on that night she held him close
And kissed her baby boy’s face.

Luke 2:19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

Small Gifts

 

 

To me it’s just a noxious weed

That clutters up my shore.

To them it’s a delicious meal,

And maybe so much more.

 

Sometimes the little things, to us,

Are more than they may seem.

To someone who has so much less,

Our “little” is their dream.

 

So don’t belittle little gifts,

They’re bigger than you know.

And who can tell what mighty things

A little gift might grow.

The Birth of the Light

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A light broke through the murky gloom

And warmed a broken world.
Then all the heavens sang with joy,
Their golden arms unfurled.
 
The light, though small, when it appeared,
Soon shone across the earth
And all the heavens praised His name
Rejoicing at His birth.
 
John 1:9
The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.

A Friend Who Smiles Through Her Sorrow

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is a beauty in her soul

That shines through every tear,
While sorrow hovers round her life,
She offers only cheer.
 
What courage does it take to smile
When all your world’s is pain?
How great the faith that takes such hurt
And gives back joy again.
 
I thank you for the gift you give
In living as you do.
I hope someday I’ll have the faith
That blooms sweetly in you.

Learning to Be Still and Wait

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Waiting patiently on the lord,

Though I’m a restless soul,
But I’ll do what he asks of me
Though turmoil takes its toll,
 
For patience was not born in me,
I’m learning to be still.
Yet he has set me to this task
And this task I’ll fulfill.

The Puddle by My Driveway

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It wasn’t what you’d call a pond,

Puddle would be the word.
And spending any time in it
Was patently absurd.
 
Yet there they sat, happy to splash,
Not counting what they lack,
For they had water, just enough,
To roll right off their back.
 
They were content with their puddle
And, as such, took delight
In relishing the things they had,
Not missing what they might.

Faith in the Hard Times

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The winter snow had settled in,

Her world was bathed in white,
Yet still she sat there on her limb
And sang with all her might.
For, in her wisdom, she knew well
The cold would pass ere long,
So she filled up her heart with faith
And her cold world with song.

Joy of the Season

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Things often got too wild today,

And mixed up with the sweet.
It seems that always is the way
When life and Christmas meet.
 
The chaos and the laughter flow,
While winter’s torrents roar,
And all that I can do is pray
That God will give me more.
 
For laughter is the salt of life
And family it’s spice,
I long to feast upon the joy,
Nothing less will suffice!
 
So let the winter bring the rains
And let Christmas bring light,
For they collide most joyfully
And offer such delight!

Time with Loved Ones

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I truly am exhausted in

Both body and in mind,
But, truth to tell, I have to say
This tired’s the best kind.
For it was born of time well spent
With people I adore
And there is very little else
That I love doing more!
So I will settle down to rest,
A smile upon my face,
Then thank the Lord for those I love
And for His boundless grace.

A Heart of Moss for Me

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sometimes the hurry of my day

Leaves me feeling dismayed,
So it was such a joy to me
To see your love displayed.
 
For you could have assumed I knew
And left the thought unsaid,
But you chose to declare your love
Clearly to me, instead.

Hanging With You

There is no joy that can compare

To time I spend with you
You always find the perfect words
And know just what to do
You lift me when I’m feeling low
And always pull me through
I draw my strength and find my love
In time I spend with you.

Troubles and Blessings

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When the skies grew grey around me

And white caps tipped each wave with foam,
The chimney filled with the voices
Of the winds that mournfully roam
 
I crouched down behind my window
Fearing all that the storms might bring
That’s when my miracle happened
I understood a wondrous thing
 
The clouds I had feared one moment,
Suddenly held a new delight,
When I saw they held not trouble,
But held an endless play of light.
 
Light played on the cloudy ruffles
Brushing the needles on the trees
Casting shadows on the inlet
And lighting up the heaving seas.
 
Yes, the storm was still on coming,
But, with it, it brought beauty, too.
And that was when I understood
Both storm and beauty came from you!

A Quiet Pause

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the chaos of the season,

When the world spins way too fast,

I try to recall the reason

As each day slows down at last.

I find someplace where, just maybe,

In the stillness of the night,
I can reflect on the baby
Whose birth called down heaven’s light.

For the child born in a stable
Changed my world in every way,
That's why at each chance I’m able
I take time to pause and pray.

The Snares of Life

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I found myself ensnared by life,

My worries hemmed me in.
I feared that I could not escape,
That my worst fears would win.
 
So I raised up a cry to him
Whose love has never failed.
In times now past, when I cried out,
His strength always prevailed.
 
And yet again he heard my voice,
He swiftly answered me.
Although the snares still wind about
His love has set me free.
 
Psalm 18: 5-6
5 The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me.
6 In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.

The Trinity

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I see you in the little things

That I pass by each day

And I am grateful for each glimpse

That I see on my way.

It makes me smile to see you there,

Though I’ve no time to stay,

As I pass by I still my mind,

Look on your face and pray.

 

Thank you for being there!

The Winter Rose

Within the dying winter thorns

There lingers a scarlet rose,
Blooming with a joyful spirit
Where only cold winter grows.
Yet its brilliant scarlet banner,
Smiling in blissful repose,
Assures us His love continues
For longer than we suppose.
 
1 Chronicles 16:34
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

Decay and Life

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Within the transience of life

We each must find a way
To live the fullness of our lives,
The final end, delay.
Yet we know full well that in time,
Though bodies pass away,
Because He died and lives again,
Our souls will not decay.
 
John 14:6
“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Jump For Joy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today my spirit jumped for joy,

Though all my world was gray,
For I remembered you love me
And that thought made my day!
 
Psalm 28:7
The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.

Offer Comfort

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He stood, despondent, in the rain

Upon my front door stair.
He’d had a brutal sort of day
And needed me to care.
 
I asked him in, I gave him food
And my listening ear.
He talked until the pain had eased,
And then he lingered near.
 
He didn’t need me to respond,
Just listen while he spoke,
But later there would a time
For laughter and a joke.
 
Sometimes a friend is all we need,
Someone with time to spare,
To just be there, a friendly face,
A hug that says, “I care”.

2 Corinthians 1:4

who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God

 

The Teaching Collar

Sometimes good girls want to be bad,
They want to cross that line,
Believing they can slip right back
And all will still be fine.

Today she wanted to slip off
And play with the neighbor,
But as she came up to that line
Her hot collar stopped her.

The line is there to keep her safe,
To keep her close to me,
But sometimes the temptations strong
To play where I can’t see.

Her collar triggers her to stop,
Think through her choice again.
Sometimes I wish I had one too
Designed to make things plain.

But, in reality, I know
My wish is quite absurd,
That very collar is in place
And living in your word.

For it is in your heart that I
Would stay closer to you,
Although I sometimes slip away
To play a game or two,

But, just before I go too far,
Your word will call to me
And I will turn back from that line
To stay where you can see.

The Rain Drags On

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I watched the rain wash through the sky,

Knowing that winter’s here.
I braced myself for endless weeks
Of tempests, grey and drear.
 
The ceaseless drumbeat of the rain,
The howling of the wind;
It seemed to me I’d go insane
Before this winter’s end.
 
But then a thought occurred to me,
Something I had not seen,
Without the rain my world would fade
And browns replace the green.
 
So I will not despise the rain,
It ends with the season,
Instead I’ll relish stormy times,
With better days my reason.
 
And as I pass through winter’s rain
To see the spring’s rebirth,
So life will bring me times of pain
To teach me joy’s true worth.

Genesis 2:5
Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground,

A Thanks For My Friends

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I couldn’t make it through the day

Without the help of friends.
They’re with me when the seas get rough,
When I’m at my wits ends.
They make me laugh when I could cry,
My joy is their concern,
And I would do most anything
For each one, in return.
 
So, for today, I lift this praise
To thank you for the love
Of those who stay right by my side
When push comes down to shove!