December

December

I like days

with a snow-white collar,

and nights when the moon

is a silver dollar,

and hills are filled

with eiderdown stuffing

and your breath makes smoke

like an engine puffing.

I like days

when feathers are snowing,

and all the eaves

have petticoats showing,

and the air is cold

and the wires are humming,

but you feel all warm...

with Christmas coming.

--Aileen Fisher

Veterans Day 2013

The Best on Earth:

A Veteran's Day Tribute

If someone has done military service,

They earn the title "veteran," and more;

They earn our deep respect and admiration;

That they are special no one can ignore.

They sacrificed the comforts we enjoy;

The list is long of all the things they gave.

Our veterans are extraordinary people;

They’re loyal, dedicated, true and brave.

When terror and invasion were real threats,

They showed us they could handle any storm.

We owe our freedoms and our very lives

To our veterans, who served in uniform.

Our veterans should be celebrities;

They’re exceptional; no other group compares.

We’re grateful for the many things they’ve done;

They’re always in our hearts and in our prayers.

We owe our veterans support and friendship;

Let no one ever question what they’re worth.

These men and women served us and our country,

Our veterans--the very best on earth.

By Joanna Fuchs

Birthday Prayer

Thank you, God, for giving me another year of life.

Thank you for all the people who remembered me today

by sending cards, and letters, gifts and good wishes.

Thank  you for all the experience of this past year;

for times of success which will always be happy memories,

for times of failure which reminded me of my own weakness

and of my need for you,

for times of joy when the sun was shining,

for times of sadness which drove me to you.

Forgive me

for the hours I wasted,

for the chances I failed to take,

for the opportunities I missed this past year.

Help me in the days ahead to make this the best year yet,

and through it to bring good credit to myself,

happiness and pride to my loved ones,

and joy to you. 

Amen.

For Me

For me

Seems like I don’t exist anymore

It’s like I don’t mean anything

I have questions but no answers

So tired of being confused

Do I really even matter?

You changed me completely

And I remember how it used to be

Now I feel like standing in the back of the line

Time for a change in my mind

I’ve opened my eyes

I need to start living my life for me

Because this is not how it’s supposed to be

It’s time for me to shine

No more feeling insufficient

I have to make the hard decisions

I am doing this for me

Forgiveness

by Janet Mullaly


Forgiveness is not easy
to give to others when we're wronged,
but if we do not give it
our hurt and pain will be prolonged.


Like a wound that is infected
and gets worse as time goes by,
we can not just ignore it
no matter how hard that we try.


Sometimes there are no reasons
for the things that people do,
no excuses or explanations
that justify what they put us through.


But remember...Jesus told us to forgive
the same way our Father forgives us,
so we can move toward the love
instead of staying bitter and callused.


Forgiveness releases the negative
that has consumed and taken over,
it frees us, to love and live again
as our hardened heart grows softer.


Yes...forgiveness can be very hard
but it's something we must do,
if we want God to forgive us then...we must forgive others too!

Breathe Again

Breathe Again

Have you wondered how it feels


When it’s all over


Wondered how it feels


When you just have to start anew


Never knowing, where you’re going


When you face a brand new day


It used to be that way


Now I just close my eyes and say...

I just want to breathe again


Learn to face the joy and pain


Discover how to laugh a little


Cry a little, live a little more


I just want to face the day


Forget about the walls of yesterday


Maybe if I hope a little


Try a little more


I’ll breathe again...

Starting out again is never easy


Disappointments come and go


But life still moves on


With a bit of luck


It’s a brand new start


That might just work my way


I need to walk away


Don’t want to live a life’s replay

Things will work out fine

I know I can find the courage


To look past the light


To see the break of dawn

To finally breathe again.

Tulips

Tulips

by Linda Hogeland

The tulip has great strength as it pokes up from the sod


The strong green leaf surrounds the bud and acts as a façade

Then as the leaves spread open and the colored heads appear


The beauty of God’s planning often cause my eyes to tear

The jagged edge is lacy as it gently opens wide


And as it does, you will be blessed by the beauty found inside

The stamen stands so proudly in the center as on cue


And the colors vary greatly in the star shaped colored hue

Their splendor is a statement, yet in a simple way


They give a casual beauty to a lovely new spring day

I clip each color gently as I picture my display


I gather quite a bounty and they form a big bouquet

They grace my table sweetly as they stand so straight and tall


And then with time they curtsey and they take a humble fall

It’s like their bowing over to give their quiet nod


To their talented creator, to the Great Almighty God

Each time I see a tulip, my heart is drawn to Him


So I think I’ll plant more tulips… and let the praise begin!

At Least Try

At Least Try

You should do something, at least try

Because they are making them cry.

What if it were you being bossed around?

What if it were you being pushed to the ground?

Don’t let them go home sad.

There is comfort to be had.

You are hurting them by watching it,

By not standing up,

By not getting help.

Don’t let them make them scream or yelp!

Don’t let them be hurt outside or in.

The last thing you want to do is let them win.

Love Conquers All

Love is the voice under all silences

The hope which has no opposite in fear

The strength so strong mere force is feebleness

The truth more fierce than the sun

More lasting than a star

~ E. E. Cummings

My SMILE

Smiling is contagious 


You catch it like the flu


When someone smiled at
 me today

I started smiling too

✿◕‿◕✿


I passed around the corner

A
nd someone saw my grin


When she smiled I 
realized

I'd passed it on to her

✿◕‿◕✿


I thought about that smile


Then I realized its worth

A single smile just like mine


Could travel around the earth

✿◕‿◕✿


So, if you feel a smile begin

Don't leave it undetected


Let's start an epidemic quick


And get the world infected