Tuesday, May 2, 2017

Creed for Manhood...Happy 19th birthday Poem for our son, Matt








Regard none beneath your caring
But shoulder to shoulder trod
Son, be careful and be daring
For the kingdom of our God

Let love be your faultless weapon
Be not aimless in life’s quest
Run your race with grace-abandon
Seek the good and leave the rest

Learn the value of an hour
Earn the esteem you desire
Be the role model you look for
Be the man that you admire

Guard your heart from impure hunger
Always do the best you can
Love and gratitude works wonders
In the spirit of a man

Let the health of labor please you
Love your neighbor as yourself
Keep the Handbook from God near you
Not dust-covered on a shelf

When life riles you, look to Jesus
Pray often and trust His word
He, our help for human weakness
He, our true hope undeterred

Ah, He is always beside you
Wise and kind, forever-Friend
In each struggle, let Him guide you
He is faithful to the end

© Janet Martin

(they've come to expect it: a mom-poem in their birthday card:)

 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;
            Fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Prov.1:7

8 comments:

  1. Congratulations!

    I remember the poem you wrote when Matt graduated from 8th grade -- doesn't seem like a long time ago..

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    Replies
    1. wow! you have an amazing memory. but I remember it too because of the place I carved it from:)and you are SO right! it does not seem like that long ago!

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    2. It took a while, but I found it!(I wish i had a way to better organize this space!)

      Heart-thief
      It is not a swift wrenching from my grasp
      Or my chest
      As you steal my heart
      No.
      It is a patient sort of tender anguish
      Probing,
      Pondering
      Sweet and slow,
      It is rendered in sudden
      Intake of breath
      A smile
      A tear
      A sigh
      It trembles beneath me
      Deep in the earth
      As I look into your eyes
      For I know full well
      That parting lurks
      Somewhere, in quiet wait
      I hear it in the creaking
      Of the rusty garden gate
      And how your step
      Falls heavier
      Than when you were a lad
      It makes me fully happy
      And oh,
      So fully sad
      To know that you are stealing
      With my blessing
      Part by part
      The deep
      Innermost lining
      Of your
      Mother’s
      Heart

      © Janet Martin

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    3. I reread this one not long ago. Beautiful.

      Blogger sometimes makes it difficult to find your own posts, even when you put exact quotes in the search box..I can imagine it becomes even more of a problem when one is as prolific as you are, Janet -- too many poems! Just kidding of course :)

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    4. even with tags etc. it can be quite difficult to find certain old posts, especially is i wasn't too precise with always using the proper tags, and yes, everything has its drawbacks; even too much poetry;-( kidding as well.
      Someday when day care slows down a bit and the rest of life then maybe I'll go through all my Microsoft documents and blog, edit the poems that are keepers and delete the rest, but wow, that looks like a big task right now.
      Touched to think someone rereads...thank-you:)

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  2. Wow! This was a real unexpected treat. Thanks for this pleasant stroll through time.

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    Replies
    1. Martin, thank-you for 'strolling' and for your kind thoughts.

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  3. thank-you Angela:) Watching a son grow up is SO different from watching daughters...I've never lived in a man's skin or walked in a man's shoes. Children, boy or girl, are children, but as he leaves boyhood behind, suddenly I find myself feeling a little like an outsider looking in!

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