Showing posts with label change. Show all posts
Showing posts with label change. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 5, 2023

Because Life's Best Things Never Change...


The innocence of tot...




The sacred charge of we
Who train their tender chain of thought
By what they hear and see...

(below, the beginning of what I hope is a long, friendly acquaintance
with gramma's fridge...😂💗)



The pleasures nature grants
Where every season-lease
Spills spectacles of birds and plants
Each its own masterpiece...



Life’s best things never change
The beauty of the earth
And sky, where the heavens proclaim
Day’s demise and rebirth

The innocence of tot
The sacred charge of we
Who train their tender chain of thought
By what they hear and see

The pleasures nature grants
Where every season-lease
Spills spectacles of birds and plants
Each its own masterpiece

A soulful melody
That strikes a chord so dear
Its fond familiarity
Evokes both smile and tear

The comfort and delight
Of squash-soup in a bowl
To satisfy the appetite
Of both body and soul

The good of lessons learned
The woods frost-kissed, or awed
Spectators with faces upturned
To feel the kiss of God

The bliss of coming home
The love of family
To share and bear the grin and groan
Of mirth and misery

Laughter, free from pizzazz 
Of vowels and consonants
But lilts and peals and sparkles as
It teaches hearts to dance

The thrill in simple things
Good books, a favorite mug
New mercy as each morning brings
God's warm handshake or hug

The gift of growing old
To taste the sweeter truth
Of joys time designs to withhold
From fairer green of youth

Moment-bubbles that break
In breathtaking surprise
A candle-spangled birthday cake
Or lake full of sunrise

The possibilities
Where ingredients start
To tickle taste-bud fantasies
With culinary art  

God’s word, infallible
Unswayed by vain dispute
No mortal verdict can annul
His Sovereign Absolute

Though seasons/eons may estrange
So much that cannot stay
Because life’s best things never change
We will not lose our way

…supper table to set
Dusk’s shadow-hallowed death
Hellos to kindle wicks not yet
Snuffed by farewell’s last breath

© Janet Martin


The possibilities
Where ingredients start
To tickle taste-bud fantasies
With culinary art 


 The comfort and delight
Of squash-soup in a bowl
To satisfy the appetite
Of both body and soul





Monday, November 27, 2023

Through The Ups and Downs of 'Becoming'


Nothing in life stays the same for long, does it?!
Seasons change. People change.
Change is constant but something I read this morning reminded readers
that rather than just seeing ourselves, or situations as changing, 
to view it as 'becoming'.
This attitude helps us be more merciful and prudent 
with both ourselves and others!

So off we go to meet the ups and downs of
a new day and a new week, of Becoming
all by the changeless grace of our changeless, loving God.
p.s. it's worth every precious while we take
to think about how much God loves us!


Doesn't the canvas of a new day sometimes almost take your breath away,
considering humankind's track-record?!!



Oh, the ups and downs of living
Oh, the cups that fill and drain
As torrents of take-and-giving
Rush hearts with pleasure and pain

Oh, the highs and lows of loving
Oh, the ties that strain and bend
In the thick and quick of proving
Love’s faithfulness to the end

Oh, the Yet of have-and-holding
Oh, the letting go it bears
Teaching us the art of folding
Life-long learning into prayers

Oh, the tug of wars we weather
Oh, the hug that bids release
Oh, the testing of love’s tether
As God works its masterpiece

Oh, the rise and fall of laughter
Oh, the prize and gall of tears
Caught between before and after 
While a lifetime disappears 

Oh, love's fumbles, oh, life's stumbles
Oh, the bumbles we repeat (or, oh, the humble pies we eat)
While God's grace and goodness tumbles
New 'becoming' 'neath our feet 

Oh, the beauty of His favor
Oh, the duty of reply
Oh, the love of Christ, our Saviour's
'Upsy-daisy, here am I 

Through the ups and downs of living
In the cups that fill and drain
With torrents of take-and-giving
Here am I to help again'

© Janet Martin

May we take heart through
Solomon's Benediction, as relevant now as then!

1 Kings 8:54-61
Solomon’s Benediction

54Now when Solomon had finished praying this entire prayer and petition to the LORD,
he got up before the altar of the LORD,
where he had been kneeling with his hands spread out toward heaven.
55And he stood and blessed the whole assembly of Israel in a loud voice, saying:
56“Blessed be the LORD, who has given rest to His people Israel
according to all that He promised.
Not one word has failed of all the good promises
He made through His servant Moses.
57May the LORD our God be with us, as He was with our fathers.
May He never leave us nor forsake us.
58May He incline our hearts to Himself, to walk in all His ways
and to keep the commandments and statutes
and ordinances He commanded our fathers.
59And may these words with which I have made my petition before the LORD
be near to the LORD our God day and night,
that He may uphold the cause of His servant
 and of His people Israel as each day requires, 
60so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God.
There is no other!
61So let your heart be fully devoted to the LORD our God,
as it is this day, to walk in His statutes and to keep His commandments.”

Wednesday, August 16, 2023

Thank God (for things that don't grow old, or change!)

 This poem was inspired in part as I inhaled a fresh, new August morning,




and in part as I marveled at the beauty of God's eternal Word!






Thank God for things that don’t grow old, or change, as ages woo
Like August mornings drenched in gold, mantled in mist and dew
Like waves that wash the shore but cannot pass its boundary
Like innocence of babe and tot, as precious as can be

Like laughter’s medicine to lighten loads that oft press soar
Like the lure of a country back road ready to explore
Like flowers, as they bloom and fade like petal-orchestras
Like worship as we praise, He who made and keeps nature’s laws

Like mesmerizing artistry of sun and shadow play
Like unplumbed opportunity in each and every day 
Like never-too-old-to-accede-so-much-still-left-to-learn 
Like 'we are known by word and deed'; respect, something we earn,

Like trees that make us feel so small beneath lofty leaf-tents
Like the lilt of a waterfall after winter relents
Like the eternal Word of God; a Light that will not dim
Like the heart repeatedly awed by the wonders of Him

Like the peace we find as we trust in His sufficient grace
Like happiness when kindness puts a smile upon a face
Like warm welcomes of home-sweet-home’s familiarity
…the adrenaline rush of Poem possibility

Gardens to gladden common cooks, and yards where children play
Like comfort of good food and books to keep the blues at bay
Like Today, always new, rife with moments not tasted yet
A buffet heaped with much to do before life’s sun is set

Like love of family and friends to help us weather cares
Knowing, no matter what life sends, it fits into meek prayers
Like thanking God while time runs bold in what it will estrange
For many things that don’t grow old, and ages cannot change

© Janet Martin

Like flowers, as they bloom and fade like petal-orchestras...







Tuesday, February 28, 2023

Of Best Laid Plan


One thing we learn over and over is
no matter how important planning is,
and no matter how meticulously each detail is addressed,
or each prospect visualized,
plans, at best, are extremely volatile!
The 'best laid plan' therefore, with humble 'Thy will be done'
should always be entrusted to the Higher Hand
who orchestrates Purpose far beyond the frames we peer through
to hopes and dreams not accomplished yet!

With all the unexpected snow days this winter it seems like possibly
 I am being conditioned for the childcare break coming up.
...or, at least that is the plan😅🙏

Sometimes it feels like life is simply a constant sequence
 of changed plans/ misplaced puzzle pieces!

I'm trying to decide if today is the day 
I commit to starting a puzzle and if so, which one?!




Plans are like phantom pieces to a puzzle thought perceives
Of panoramic vistas wafting on volatile breeze
Where soon, even a child begins to learn the simple fact
How plans at best, are pictures that we cannot keep intact

No matter how meticulously we try to arrange
The pieces to fit perfectly; still, often plans will change
Teaching us to be patient as we reconcile the art
Of relinquishing pictures that change-of-plans pulls apart

How often heart shaped tatters scatter where no one can see
Save we who bear the brunt of Planning’s altered scenery
How often, as we grapple with the pictures we release
We are reminded of the Hand beneath each puzzle piece

© Janet Martin

James 4:13-15
Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”

Thursday, December 1, 2022

Establishing Familiarity (in a world of change)



Happy, happy December!


...and below a few photos of inspiration for today's poem!

the joy of small child's curiosity...

(and his delight at his 'baby-in-basket'
just like yesterday's Baby-in-a-basket'💗💝)


Tried and true recipes and the surprise
Of trying something new and loving it...
(I wish I had the ingred. on hand for the mango salsa!
Some other time!

And when we wake, ah bliss, fresh-brewed coffee...

The Word of God, steadfast and absolute...


Things do not stay the way they used to be
Progress presses the old ways to adapt
And change; estranged familiarity
Can wake wishes for seasons, echo-wrapped

Thus, bidding us to seek with meeker awe
The things that are the way they used to be
The unthwartable ilk of nature’s law
The joy of small child’s curiosity

The thrill as winter-heavens spills white stars
The hope that every Christmas is about
The happiness of refilled canning jars
The yard where puppies romp and children shout

The farmer that still whistles as he works
The gardener as happy as can be
Where despite sweat and toil, Eden still lurks
In every petalled plume and bird and tree

The unrivaled wonder in new-born babe
The tiring, tender toll of parenthood
Fond memories that we would never trade
The unshakeable truth that God is good

Tried and true recipes and the surprise
Of trying something new and loving it
The art of learning, (even though time flies)
To slow our hurried steps and sit a bit 

The black and white beauty of snowy nights
The beckoning warm welcome of sweet home
The comfort of tea-book-slipper delights
The courage to bare hearts into a poem

The option to use ink, paper and pen
The sentimental sweetness in farewells
We know will turn into hello again
Either on earth or in yon citadels

The friendliness of flowers, every one
A perfectly profound intricacy
A well-earned rest by zest of labor won
And when we wake, ah bliss, fresh-brewed coffee

The Word of God, steadfast and absolute
Regardless of post-modern heresy
The evidence science cannot refute
I AM, who WAS, IS and ALWAYS WILL BE

Music, a foretaste of eternity
When worship’s melodies will never cease
The heavens declaring God’s majesty
In every wondrous welkin-masterpiece

The momentum of moments meting change
Where so much is not like it used to be
Lavishes us with what none can estrange
Establishing familiarity

© Janet Martin







Wednesday, November 16, 2022

(Not) Changing the World


We may not, in the grand scheme of things, change the world
but we can certainly do our bit!

 A reverence for angels that are growing up too fast...




An eye to see the beauty in each season’s works of art...

A note of thankfulness, even when the song is off-key
A traveling companion with a heart of sympathy
A word of consolation and a patient ear to hear
An air of celebration no matter the time of year
Because, though we may never change the world, we can begin
To make it a bit better in the corner we are in

A love for one another that makes every day worthwhile
A joy that comes from blessings like a home, a hug, a smile
A cup of tea with you and me, awareness of a page
We fill with today’s memories, no matter our age
An eye to see the beauty in each season’s works of art
Where though we may not change the world, we may cheer/change a small part

A reverence for angels that are growing up too fast
A prayer for grace and guidance as we face what soon is past
A sweeter disposition as the days to years run rife
A deep appreciation for the simple things in life
Where, though we may not change the world with our rhythm and rhyme
We can gladden the place we are, one kindness at a time

Awe, as we consider the birds and learn what they would teach
Hope, as we trust God’s outstretched hand, always within our reach
Humility as we become older and pray, more wise
And soften our answers, often much to our surprise
Because we realize, although we may not change the world
Right where we are, we can add to its loveliness unfurled

Endeavoring to grumble less and sing a little more
And savoring soul-happiness, like wreaths on a front door
And wondering at wonders that never cease to amaze
Where earth and heavens thunder with a smorgasbord of ways
To author praise and turn a meeker gaze to fellowman
Where though we may not change the world, we can change what we can

© Janet Martin

Awe, as we consider the birds...



Saturday, September 10, 2022

September Stage...



Aren't you glad fall is not a bully, but eases summer hearts toward the door of season-change
with such a pleasant demeanor we cannot be too sad...

Fall flutters in on zinnia-wings...

...on sedum's demure blush

Beneath a sweep of cumulus and nimbostratus skies
Soybean fields glitter with impressions of bronzed butterflies


Fall shimmers in on misty morning glory mantled stairs...



Fall flutters in on zinnia-wings and sedum’s demure blush
On cinnamon and cardamom and ginger-burnished bush
Beneath a sweep of cumulus and nimbostratus skies
Soybean fields glitter with impressions of bronzed butterflies

Fall moseys in while we get cozy in sweaters and socks
While harvest spills and toil refills jars, bins, barrels and crocks
While amber ambience begins to steep the atmosphere
With the sweet-bitter sense of summer’s farewell drawing near

Fall eases in where trees begin to tell the tender truth
How even earth cannot preserve verve of eternal youth
But yields its hills and fields to the law and order of God
Who orchestrates the floodgates of bud and seed, sky and sod

Fall shimmers in on misty morning glory mantled stairs
It gleams in streams of golden rod, in purple aster-flares
It loiters in the orchard where the apple tree is bent
With proof of summer’s fond, fruit-laden, fading testament

Fall tints the countryside with hints of ‘what must be will be’
Before the End of Summer is declared officially
Like the turn of the tide fall starts to flow across a shore
With ripple over ripple until summer is no more

Fall sparkles in September's winnowing of summer's ties
September, like a harbinger with kind and laughing eyes
Is gently drawing autumn's door ajar before the rose
Has strewn its petals on the floor of summer's curtain-close 

© Janet Martin

Happy Sweet, September Saturday!





Tuesday, September 6, 2022

Agile Acrobat


Today begins a new school year in Canada, 
and though the calendar says its still summer
for a few more weeks, 
summer always feels officially over when school begins!
My prayers are for lots of tots and parents this morning 
as many weather tides of
fears and tears 
of letting go etc...

Sometimes I pinch myself
at how once upon a time 
The Summer of Life seemed to stretch
endlessly ahead!
Now I turn to see its 'eternity'
 as nothing more than a splash of sun-sparkles
on a sea-swept shore...



Time winks and whisks another summer into memory books
As sentimental mothers gaze with fond and lingering looks
At days that sweetly, swiftly swept through outstretched hearts and hands
To join their predecessors kept in bygone’s far-flung lands

Time winks and weeps where wonder thunders beneath our skin
No wish or want can keep at bay the future closing in
Where all the while new day beguiles with new moments released
Like quilt patches in Bygone’s counterpane, each one is pieced

Time winks and weeps and flies and tries to fit us with new shoes
That life insists upon and no one is ready to choose
(How in the whirl of little boys and girls did I become
A strange, yet splitting image of a version of ‘me mum’) (my mom)

Time winks and weeps and flies and leaps, an agile acrobat
That balances on heartstrings and bows as he tips his hat
While we gather our bearings with a trembling chin held high
Bracing Ourselves for love’s next round of hello and good-bye

…while oceanic tempests surge and crash on shores unseen
While we gaze in amazement at where summer’s isle had been
While time winks, weeps, and flies and leaps across echo-glossed bars
While we brush summer from our cheeks in a blur of salt-stars

© Janet Martin


Grand-sonny- 1st day of SK!💖






Thursday, September 9, 2021

Art-Throb


The closing of another chapter in my child-care 'book'...
as tomorrow Little Girl becomes School-girl!
 
"You're so big and I'm so little" She said as she looked at the pictures
And I said 'yes'💕
(why do I feel so small and how has she gotten so big?!)




I wish that I could paint for you
A very lovely work of art
A keep-sake I would give to you
To show the colours of my heart

To paint the perfect shade of joy
And spill with artistic finesse
The preciousness of girl and boy
That fills my heart with happiness

For little tot can teach a lot
To we, weathered by Father Time
And if I could, I’d paint, not jot
The spot that overflows with rhyme

…where poem then, mingled with prayer
My aching art-throb must appease
And ink must etch in frames of air
A Masterpiece of Memories

…for like the bubbles that we blew
An era pops and disappears
Leaving behind for me and you
A gallery of rainbowed spheres

…where laughter lilts and echoes bob
Like butterflies and petal-falls
As pictures waft from love’s art-throb
To hang forever on heart-walls

© Janet Martin

Last week these two left just a few days before becoming proud 
new big sister and brother to a new baby sister!
This 'job' tugs my heart every which way but loose💗💖

(I tried a few times and EVERY time
just as I clicked he looked down😀😘)


...and last but not least Grand-sonny starts school today!
When my daughter sent me the pictures
I told her I don't know whether to laugh or cry💖💖💖