On Learning Love's Darling Price

Last week love's privileges and duties pressed to the forefront

 so much so that poetry needed to take a quiet break. 

Part of me softly mourned the loss of a sister who checked in most days 

to see what was happening on my 'porch' and on a week like last week,

 most surely she would send a text. something like 'is everything okay? missing your posts'. 

At church on Sunday morning a friend mentioned that it was a quiet week on my blog?? 

and I told her why and also how special her checking in was.💝🙏

 Later another friend also encouraged me, not to fret about writing,

 but to be content when time does not permit! 

It means a lot when someone cares about what is going on in our little worlds, doesn't it?!

 A reminder for me to look around to see who I could/should be checking in on.

Whatever our 'little worlds' hold, of good or ill,

true joy and peace begin with surrender to God 

who loved us so much He gave His only begotten Son, 

 that whosoever believes in Him

will not perish but have everlasting life.

 John 3:16

On Sat. night when I returned home

a loving friend had left a thoughtful gift at my door!

Thoughtfulness and kindness are gifts

money cannot buy, but sometimes

money purchases very touching and precious mementos

like this....

Here's to a new day of learning love's darling price...

True love is like a priceless gift we need to give to find

Love's Greatest Gift, God gave to save the souls of humankind

To give us an example we should learn/yearn to imitate

To teach us how we ought to love before it is too late

My sad record of failure would/should unfurl a ghastly noose  

But God, because He gave His Son, has cut death's lariat loose 

He gave His Word so we may know the truth that sets us free

To love Him first and then each other with humility   

Ah, pity all who look for love but cannot find its key

Who sift the dust of this world for love's immortality

Rather than reaching for the Gift only God can provide 

Then finding in love's giving love's longing is satisfied 

   

Ah, pray we endeavor to be at love's high beck and call

Because God, who so loves us gave Himself for one and all

To equip us with what/Who we need to learn love's darling price

How giving due glory to God yields living sacrifice

© Janet Martin 

John 13:34-35
A new commandment I give you: Love one another. 

As I have loved you, so you also must love one another. 

/ By this everyone will know that you are My disciples,

 if you love one another.”

1 John 4:7-11
Beloved, let us love one another, because love comes from God. 

Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 

/ Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

 / This is how God’s love was revealed among us: 

God sent His one and only Son into the world, 

so that we might live through Him. ...

Philippians 2:3-4
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride,

 but in humility consider others more important than yourselves. /

 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, 

but also to the interests of others.

The Love of God - Mercy Me [With Lyrics]

Momentous Missionfield

Sharing a few recent moments of kindness today,

either as a witness or recipient.

On the day before Christmas I popped in at a neighbour,

to find his children nursing a rooster back to health in their kitchen

after he missed the coop one frigid night

and suffered frost-bite!

He was enjoying a breakfast of blueberries,

(eaten as soon as they landed) and cheerios!

A text from a friend...

A gift from a friend...

Eggs dropped off from Lucy's husband

(keeping her egg-gifting tradition alive!)

just to name a few as well as many thoughtful texts and cards

over the Christmas Season...

Thank-you💓🙏

Kindness is not a rare opportunity

to make a grand or glamorous gesture of generosity.

Rather, kindness grants countless and daily invitations

to love our neighbours as ourselves! 

Whether literally or figuratively, let's give someone a boost today! 🙏💝

Not always in some foreign place

Do mission fields implore

No! often mercy states its case

Outside our very door

Therefore to whom it may concern

Regarding love's reply

We ought to resolve not to turn

A deaf ear or blind eye

And though we cannot all help all

We all can help someone

For no kindness is ever small

The moment it is done

~Janet Martin

John 13:34-35
A new commandment I give you: 

Love one another.

 As I have loved you, so you also must love one another.

  By this everyone will know that you are My disciples,

 if you love one another.”

Romans 15:1-2
We who are strong ought to bear with the shortcomings of the weak

 and not to please ourselves. 

Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.

1 John 3:16-18
By this we know what love is: 

Jesus laid down His life for us, 

and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 

 If anyone with earthly possessions sees his brother in need,

 but withholds his compassion from him, 

how can the love of God abide in him? 

Little children, let us love not in word and speech, 

but in action and truth.

Philippians 2:3-4
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride, 

but in humility consider others more important than yourselves. 

 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, 

but also to the interests of others.

The Way to Change the World

We all know spending time with an agreeable and friendly tot or child

 is far more pleasant than to accommodate

 a disagreeable, hard-to-please youngster!

I had the pleasure of the company of

 a most pleasant and agreeable nature yesterday!

soodla! 

(Pennsylvania Dutch word for child splashing and playing in water in a sink)

A pastime as old as time, methinks 😂

The above concept about agreeability applies to people of all ages!

No matter how pleasant our surroundings are,

if we or one we are with is ill-tempered and unthankful

the joy of any experience is altered tremendously!! 

Whether sitting by crackling fire

Or walking through the mead

Or lounging beneath lofty spire

Of leaf-song overhead 

Or sipping cup of fresh-brewed joe

While on a Sunday drive

Or romping in fresh fallen snow

Happy to be alive

Tis not extravagance or style

That makes The Thing enough

Life's greatest beauty is a smile

Its purest pleasure, love

So then, no matter what we do

Whether simple or grand

Delight depends on me and you

Not fortune's sleight of hand 

No matter, dear, how fair or fine

The face or physique's frame

Or what success may underline

The mention of a name

Nothing can ever take the place

Whoever we may be

Of a heart full of love and grace

And kind humility

To make our lives a sure success 

And happier, by far

Depends, not on what we possess

 Or who or where we are

The way to change the world for good

Is this, dear girl and boy

To love each other like we should

Will fill the world with joy

Janet Martin~

Awaiting the Transfiguration...

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.

 And what does the LORD require of you? 

To act justly and to love mercy

 and to walk humbly with your God.

Micah 6:8

Far fairer than the beauty of the bloom that steals the show...

(The hardy hollyhock steals the show in November 💗)

The sunrise as it fills east-skies with color-feasts unfurled

The solace of the countryside in twilight's afterglow

Far fairer than the beauty of the bloom that steals the show

The sunrise as it fills east-skies with color-feasts unfurled

The solace of the countryside in twilight's afterglow

Or gardens silver-dazzled, each frond frost-rain-dew-drop pearled

Or autumn's glory transcending poetic eloquence

Or fleeting fame and fortune's pedestal, precarious

Far finer, nobler, priceless, precious, is the diligence 

Of all whose footsteps etch in daily dust, unbeauteous     

Kind second miles and detours that no world-stage will applaud

A legacy of seemingly small and forgotten deeds 

Enough to love mercy, act justly, walk humbly with God  

Awaiting the transfiguration of love's scattered seeds

© Janet Martin

I am among the Walking Blessed these days...

blessed by so many continued comforting messages and deeds of kindness!

No wonder Jesus said 'Blessed are those who mourn'!

Monday Medley of Meditations

There's nothing quite like love's heartaches to remind us

of the Living Hope found in the Healer of the human heart

and rouse reflections on how our own lives reflect

 The Greatest Love of All!

Saturday night awed hearts with art

only God can orchestrate/accomplish!

So did Sunday morning!!!

(after a 'sheepish' snowfall overnight.

It was a bit like walking on fleece; soft and soundless)

1 Corinthians 3:10

By the grace God has given me, 

I laid a foundation as an expert builder, 

and someone else is building on it. 

But each one must be careful how he builds.

Romans 12:3

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you:

 Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, 

but think of yourself with sober judgment, 

according to the measure of faith God has given you.

***

Oh, self-inflicted agony

Oh, cruel way to live

Clinging to hate's hostility

Unwilling to forgive

Oh, what an awful way to face

A new day, mercy kissed

Greeting the goodness of God's grace

Not with praise, but raised fist

Oh, pray we do not waste each chance

To love each other, for

Today is like a gift God grants

To love Him more and more

How much we love Him, none can hide

Love's language plain to see 

By how freely self is denied

In light of Calvary

© Janet Martin 

***

We never will get it quite right

Human nature is bound to err

Better to forgive than to fight

Better to be kind than to swear

Or wield a vengeful, verbal knife

Darkening thought with bitter darts

Better to hold the gift of life

In gentle hands and thankful hearts

How futile, the vile mastermind

That plots ways to retaliate

Better to be patient and kind

Better to love, my dear, than hate

© Janet Martin

***

When All That Remains Is What Was...

We pass this way but once, my love

How long the way will be

Until the soul slips from its glove

No one can know or see

Thus, we do well to live each day

As if it were the last

To cheer each other on life's way

Ere death's shadow is cast 

...and all that remains is What Was

With those we leave behind

Pray, life's echoes are sweet because

They are gentle and kind 

© Janet Martin

Every test God allows in our lives is but an opportunity

to yield to and trust

 The Potter's Hand

and to bring Him glory!!

Maybe Their Ball of String Got Caught...

Are you having a reaching-for or reaching-out

a helping hand kind of day?!

My challenge in this poem was thoroughly tested as soon as it was written😅😂

Muffin-maker had a vegetable oil mess!

Be kind, where today’s grind unwinds the hours of its charge, but once

Where we are all still learning through the yearning drill of woes and wants

Where Circumstance is like a chance/dance God grants to test alacrity

Of love, with push and shove to prove devotion’s authenticity

Be patient; goodness, graciousness and compassion are always right

Be one less brute; wisdom’s recruits cannot yield ripe fruit overnight

Apples of gold and growing old are no laconic enterprise

The recompense for diligence not gained through negligent half-tries

Be gentle; Learning’s mental ball of string bounces across the floor

Unraveling as we give chase, tangling in stubborn knots galore

Testing grace in a thousand ways, while teaching us to take command

Of angry fists we raise, and instead to reach out/reach for a helping hand

So then, let’s try to be kind when we find fellowmen, not quite so

Maybe their ball of string got caught, and the taut knot will not let go

Maybe all they need is a tender word or deed to cheer their heart

Kindness unfurled can change the world; let’s try harder to do our part

© Janet Martin

This month the memory verse/s for my Sunday school class is

Gal. 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is 

love, joy, peace,

 patience, kindness, goodness, 

faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. 

Against such things there is no law.

We are never too old to consider what fruit our life is yielding!

Mess cleaned up! All is well.

 Frustration-frenzy crisis averted! 

I offered a rag instead of a lot of

unnecessary, aggravated 'counsel'.

 thanks in part to today's poem😄

Because All Is Not As It Appears

 

Ephesians 4:29

Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths,

 but only what is helpful for building up the one in need 

and bringing grace to those who listen.

Romans 14:19

Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, 

and things wherewith one may edify another.

Hebrews 3:13

But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day;

 lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

Sometimes when we get an 'inside story' on a situation

we are reminded, nothing is ever completely as it appears.

Hopefully then, we strive to be kinder because who knows

what hidden cross our fellow-pilgrim is bearing!

This song from my younger days still makes me laugh😂

because most of us at some point can relate to at least one of

the frustrations he highlights😅

Some Beach

Be gracious, because everything is not as it appears

We all carry a hidden world beneath mortal veneers

And often what we might surmise by the posture of sheaves

Is but a glimpse of much more than the naked eye perceives

The aches and breaks of love and life are not splayed in bold font

For all to see the bare bones of necessity and want

Of tug of wars we weather as heart-tethers strain and groan

Of prayers poured out in secret tears, witnessed by God alone

Surely the common ground of stumbles and mistakes and such

Should sweeten words and soften hearts and gentle thought and touch

And make us far more patient with each other than we are

Where low blows from life’s hard knocks leaves many a hidden scar

Love’s lessons-in-the-learning do not spill for all to see

Therefore, we should defend each other with kind empathy/ sympathy

Rather than hurling insults, or quick judgment’s sharpened spears

We should be gracious, because all is not as it appears

© Janet Martin

Awesome Dividend (of Kindness)

May our lives be rich with the gentle joy

of many a kindness both given and received!

It may not seem like much, all told;

The gentle word, the cheerful smile

The hug, the prayer, plan put on hold

To walk a secret second mile

The helping hand, the listening ear

The cup of tea shared with a friend

It may not seem like much, my dear

Yet, yields an Awesome Dividend 

For oh, we cannot know how far

Ripple effects of kindness flow

Therefore, no matter where we are

Let’s find some small kindness to show

Because big differences start

Not in the limelight of success

But in the love that lifts a heart

Through countless little kindnesses

It may not seem like much, all told;

But love is never commonplace

The small kind deed worth more than gold

As it puts a smile on God's face

© Janet Martin

Eph.4:32

And be ye kind one to another, 

tenderhearted, forgiving one another, 

even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

A Gentle Reprimand (mother or not!)

Below, a bit of conversation between my daughter and I

as she lamented some not-so-shining-parenting-moments earlier today💓

(my comments in the blue)

The quote my daughter shared reminded me that we sure shouldn't 

point an accusing finger at anyone

before we have walked a mile in their shoes...should we?💖💕

Until we’ve worn each other’s shoes and borne each other’s cares

And struggled with each other’s dues and prayed each other’s prayers

I think the point that lingers is love’s gentle reprimand:

Instead of pointing fingers let’s reach out a helping hand

© Janet Martin

(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...

Life's Finest Work of Art

PAD Challenge day 8-For today’s Two-for-Tuesday prompt:

Write a form poem, and/or...

Write an anti-form poem.

Form: Shakespearean sonnet

This poem was inspired by the driver of this truck

that pulled over and offered a regular biker to his job, a ride

on this clear, cold, crisp morning!

The biker accepted😊💓

(nothing sets a sweeter tone for the day than acts of kindness)

a smile is a gift anyone can give

a helping hand, life's finest work of art

beauty is found, no matter where we live

if kindness is the first-fruit of the heart 

although no hall of fame or gallery

will showcase, what some may call commonplace

no one can leave a finer legacy

than that of love, humility and grace

no name in lights, no wild applauding cheers

for this is not love's mission or its quest

but to mingle laughter and prayers and tears

and thus become the blessing and the blessed

today, oh, what a perfect place to start

to make another Finest Work of Art

Janet Martin

Colossians 3:17
And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, 

do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, 

giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

    

Perfect For Love

The evils of this world cannot keep kindnesses at bay

Then give utmost attention to its Beauty every day

And live as if this life was heaven-lent for love alone

To be part of a mission that cannot be overthrown

To bite our tongue when stinging words could slip and hit their mark

To never mind if no one sees but God (He sees the heart)

And to do unto others as we would they do to us

To be gentle and patient; rather than shake fists and cuss

Because kindness is something that this world could use more of

No matter where we are, today is just perfect for love

© Janet Martin

Wouldn't it be wonderful if when God opens our

ledger of deeds on That Day it would reveal

one recorded kindness after another?!

2 Corinthians 5:10
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; 

that every one may receive the things done in his body, 

according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

I have been the recipient of a few kindnesses already today!

My sister and daughter texted to ask how I am feeling 

after a few days being 'under the weather.'

Though not completely recovered 

I am thankful to be feeling a bit better today.

Two of my sisters and I went on a walk on Friday afternoon.

It was very cold but beautiful.

I got a bit chilled as we sat in this gorge(ous)spot and chatted for a bit.

Maybe, if I was vulnerable that was the final nudge.

Eph.4:32

And be kind to one another, 

tenderhearted, 

forgiving one another, 

even as God in Christ forgave you.

Word Percolator...(written while the coffee brewed:)

 

We pour water into a coffee percolator and out comes yummy, black coffee

We pour all matter of material into our minds and out come all manner of words!

We set words free yet in a sense we take them with us too

For new words always percolate where former words dripped through

But if used wisely words can change the course of someone’s day (just like a good cup of coffee😋)

And in a sense, a life, as kind words cheer us on our way

Think gently then, for thoughts are always on the verge of speech

Who knows how far the ripple of its spoken touch will reach

To teach, to tear, to build, to break, how swift our words become

A hug, a blow; therefore fill well the fount they will flow from

© Janet Martin

Psalm 19:14

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, 

be acceptable in thy sight, 

O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.