Ps.145:10-14
The Lord is good to all;
he has compassion on all he has made.
10 All your works praise you, Lord;
your faithful people extol you.
11 They tell of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might,
12 so that all people may know of your mighty acts
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises
and faithful in all he does.[
c]
14 The Lord upholds all who fall
and lifts up all who are bowed down...
(Read the whole glorious chapter
HERE)
The road to life's highlights runs
rife with anticipation
The road from;
with fond memories
We spent a special weekend with some old and some new friends;
a weekend eagerly anticipated for some weeks then BLINK! and it's over!
Whether its outings, or a simple meal or seasons,
as gifts of earthly pleasure slip through our bearing
as we touch, taste and treasure, while ever growing older
we learn to expect and even cherish
the bittersweet pangs of letting go
that are bound to follow the embrace!
These bittersweet pangs hide in beaming pink peony-pom-poms,
...soon felled
in growing children and grandchildren
and in every fond fellowship/relationship God grants
with people or nature!
Love imparts in profound measure, both pleasure and pain!
...like the pleasure of anticipating ice-cream
to celebrate the first day of summer
before the pain of disappointment.
Sorry guys!
The ice-cream shop is closed!
(we were informed of the closure ahead of this photo but
had to make sure) 😅
to respect privacy I won't share the kind of photos from the weekend
most people most enjoy...of people!
but here are a few other pleasure-treasures.
Blue-heron dusk primping-routine
Canada geese on a leisurely paddle...
Sunset
'ride' on The Big Chute (photo is the the boat ahead of us)
The chute is lowered into the water till boat/boats are properly boarded
then the chute via cables lifts the boats over the highway
and lowers them into the water on the other side!
Summer's fresco
White Falls...
...and a poem-memento to remember to treasure what we hold
all the more because of the letting go!
Love imparts in profound measure, portions of pleasure and pain
As hearts overflow with treasure only farewells can sustain
Nothing in life lasts forever; tears and laughter ebb and flow
As we learn to love with fervor,
in the light of letting go
Brave the fleeting bliss of flowers in spite of the kiss that waits
Like a seal on Bygone's Bowers brimming with Delight's licked plates
Let the music of love's moments rush the soul with holy 'ooh'
For Love spills a sweeter cadence
in the light of letting go
Love imparts with raw precision climaxes of joy and grief
Suturing heartache's incision, bud by bud and leaf by leaf
Meanwhile drawing ever nearer Heaven's reassuring glow
While love's holding grows much dearer
in the light of letting go
© Janet Martin
I went in search of an oldie hymn (Lyrics below)
this morning as I pondered the weekend and shed some tears
and prayed some prayers esp. for my brother-in-law and also friends
who have bid (some very unexpected) farewells to their spouses in the past year,
and are suffering love's ultimate earthly letting go,
no longer able share both love's profound pleasure or pain!!
Parting Hand
Author Anonymous
1 My dearest friends, in bonds of love,
Our hearts in sweetest union prove;
Your friendship's like a drawing band,
Yet we must take the parting hand.
Your presence sweet, your union dear,
Your words delightful to my ear;
And when I see that we must part,
You draw like cords around my heart.
2 How sweet the hours have passed away,
When we have met to sing and pray;
How loath I've been to leave the place
Where Jesus shows His smiling face.
Oh, could I stay with friends so kind,
How would it cheer my struggling mind!
But duty makes me understand
That we must take the parting hand.
3 And since it is God's holy will,
We must be parted for awhile,
In sweet submission all in one,
We'll say, "Our Father's will be done."
Dear fellow youth in Christian ties,
Who seek for mansions in the skies,
Fight on, you'll win the happy shore,
Where parting hands are known no more.
4 How oft I've seen the flowing tears,
And heard you tell your hopes and fears;
Your hearts with love have seemed to flame,
Which makes me hope we'll meet again.
Ye mourning souls, in sad surprise,
Jesus remembers all your cries;
Oh, taste His grace, in all that land
We'll no more take the parting hand.
