Let’s Take Time
Let’s take time to smell the roses that add grace to each new dawn,
To hear the birds sing praises as stars fade and soon are gone,
To see the wondrous colors as the Son’s rays kiss the sky,
Or feel the warm golden light, as it touches from on high.
Let’s take time to enjoy our breakfast; savor, not in haste,
And give thanks for all our senses as gratitude increases taste.
As dawn fades into the morning and the speed and noise increase,
May we take the peace we’ve gathered, as precious dawn does cease.
Let’s take time in the busy day to listen, mind and heart
To those who are around us, so we might do our part
To help or lift another who feels hurt and alone.
We can feel the joy in service at work, at school, at home.
Let’s take time as day is ending and we’re coming home again,
And we join with our families, or alone, or just a friend,
Let’s be thankful for our day as we say grace and receive
The feeling and the joy to enjoy another eve.
Let’s take time as we watch sun and horizon blend
And thank God for His wondrous grace as eve becomes our friend,
Then fades into the starry night as sleep renews our soul
To wake refreshed to a new dawn, for in Christ’s love we grow.
Please share with us those things you’ve discovered that help to slow the pace.
A Song
With the coming of autumn, I feel a warm peace descend, like the gentle falling of the warmly colored leaves. I become nostalgic and often immerse myself in memories. One pleasant remembrance goes back to a time when my 3 children were small and lived here with us. Sitting on their bedside as the day concluded, reading stories, and singing lullabies were times to be treasured. This poem speaks of that:
A song to rest you unto sleep
A prayer the Lord will always keep…
Keep you in my inner heart
Always there to be a part.
Guard you from the many snares,
Not to find you unaware,
Light your pathways day and night,
Guide you with an inner light
Help you always find a smile,
Time to show love all the while.
All good things to come your way.
This I hope for. This I pray.
Peace and plenty come to you,
Many blessings, not a few.
Knowledge of my love for you,
Ever present, ever true.
The Flame
On 26 September 1856 the Edmund Ellsworth handcart company arrived in the Salt Lake Valley. My great-great grandparents, John and Ann Bunney were among that group. They left Liverpool, England on the ship ‘Samuel Curling’. All Ann Bunney wrote of this experience is: “I pulled a hand cart by the side of my husband from Iowa City to Salt Lake City.” I have often pondered the commitment and faith exhibited, not only in the Bunneys, but also in numberless ancestors who made choices that affect me today. And then I wonder if I could ever be a person who affects the well-being of generations to follow me. The poem speaks of this, and the painting depicts the ‘Samuel Curling’ leaving Liverpool in 1856.
See it burn so bright and true
A flame within the heart of you,
Ignited many years ago.
See it glow, see it glow.
Perhaps it is refiner’s fire,
Purifying our desire,
Moving us from east to west,
Helping through the hardest test.
Keep it bright, keep it bright,
Lighting up the darkest night.
Pass it on, pass it on,
Hand it down from old to young.
Hold the flame both bright and high
Seen by every human eye.
Let all know by golden glow,
In our hearts, we know, we know.
My Old Friend Pain
Over the last 3-4 weeks, my back has been quite painful. I finally gave in and went to a physical therapist, who has helped restore mobility and reduce the pain levels to where I can resume my normal activities. It seems that I never really appreciate health until I’m hurt or sick. This poem was written years ago when Bob broke his back. It deals with pain as a warning sign. I am wondering how people deal with chronic pain, day after day, year after year.
MY OLD FRIEND PAIN
Each day I live you come to me,
Almost always by surprise.
You have no thought of decency,
From my tip-toes to my eyes.
Sometimes you stay just a little while,
Other times you stay too long.
And when you do, you sing to me, a very painful song.
But, dear old friend, thank God for you,
For without your warning signs,
I would not know and could not know
Those injuries of mine.
And I would probably bleed to death,
Or something just as bad,
If you weren’t there to counsel me
By helping me feel bad.
So, my dear friend, thank God for you
Just one more time.
‘Cause when you’re gone, and I feel good,
That feeling is sublime!
When Death Calls
Last week a woman from our neighborhood died in a pedestrian accident. It seems that Death is one of those somber events that causes us to search deeply to know and understand. In response to this event, we penned this poem:
WHEN DEATH CALLS
When death calls a loved one beyond this mortal veil
Is it somewhat like a prisoner, who is released from jail?
Or like a caterpillar chrysalis, who becomes a butterfly?
Is death that great adventure beyond the human eye?
We see our Great Spirit’s promise on all land, sky, and in sea
From the smallest living thing, to the tallest living tree
From wood that changes into smoke and flows up in the sky
To the rebirth of the forests as spring gladdens heart and eye.
When a death takes a loved one, great sorrow fills our heart.
We must mourn with those who mourn; in this way, we do our part.
The Master of creation loves and cares for every soul
From each child held in death’s sleep, to us who live and grow.
From each new dawn unto every eve, hope blooms eternally.
We each have senses beyond our sight, where hope and faith grow free.
May we have eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart to understand
Resurrection’s miracles, for each child in God’s wondrous plan.
From the Son unto this glorious earth, light flows eternally
Through the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, we can fly forever free.
What are some of your thoughts?
Handprints
So this is what we choose to use as our first post, because family and children are so very important to us..we wrote this when our children were leaving their babyhood stage, and weren’t sure we liked that. It is called–
Handprints on the Glass
