Pages

Friday, June 3, 2022

Of Unrelenting Honor & By The Grace of God

Therefore, what God has joined together
let not man put asunder.
Mark 10:9

The above words grow more solemn as the years pass.
I've seen God tug the tie many times,
and I have seen man attempt to do it
leaving heartbreak harsher than
the sorrow of death in it's wake...

Today, but by God's grace
 Jim and I celebrate 34 years of marriage.
Because 'love is a many-splendored thing'
It's a two-poem celebration😅💕

Counting dating years we've been together for 40 roller-coaster years!
I'm playing a few of our favorite love songs today


 





Of Unrelenting Honor...

Of cares weathered together
Of vows highly esteemed
Of tests to ‘I do’s’ tether
In ways we never dreamed
Of constant, sacred learning
Of faithfulness, because
There can be no returning
To life the way it was

Of compassionate living
And in ire’s pricks and stings
Of merciful forgiving
Because love bears all things
Of being understanding
When we don’t understand
Not selfishly demanding
To force the other’s hand

Of praying without ceasing
To be humble in heart
For there is no releasing
This pledge ‘ till death do part’
To be best friends forever
And never say, ‘I’m done’
When Satan tries to sever
The cord that makes two, one

Of sharing pain and pleasure
Committed to love’s vows
Of treasuring the measure
Of all God’s grace allows
And, whatever betide us
Of hilltop or of vale
Of asking Him to guide us
So, love will never fail

Of critique left unspoken
Of unuttered lament
Lest blame becomes love’s token
Rather than compliment
Of choosing to be grateful
Of laughing till we cry
Of fighting to be faithful
Until God pulls the tie

Of unrelenting honor
For love is like a cup
That always needs another 
...self cannot fill it up 
Let's fill it with an ocean
And in its pouring prove
With beholden devotion 
The greatest of these; love

© Janet Martin




But By the Grace of God (till death do part)

Not counting all the times, we didn’t see quite eye to eye
When your druthers and mine were like December meets July
When opposites that once seemed so attractive start to irk
As we reevaluate what it takes to make ‘us’ work

Not counting all the days when love's 'tone' was misunderstood
And we did not respond in ways like two grown adults should
When we behaved like rivals rather than husband and wife
I’d say we are exceptional at rocking married life

Not counting all the rules that unschooled mid-life love ignores
Until our tempers cool, no longer fooled by lion-roars/'winning' scores
I’d say in spite of all the times we bite instead of kiss
That you and I are prime examples of sweet, wedded bliss

I hope that life becomes a 'losing track of years' because
Of moment-thrum's momentous sums; the love-story of 'us'
Where, in spite of those times we blush some sad excuse to fend
We'll look back on a life of 'us'; love, faithful to the end

© Janet Martin





No comments:

Post a Comment

I hope you enjoyed your pause on this porch and thank-you for your visit!