Of Mostly Innocence and Curls...(or In the Training of our Smallest Soul-diers)

Lately conversation sometimes turns to those not so cute moments 

that the cutest among us can 'throw'!

It takes a lot of patience, prayer and time to train our little Soul-diers!

(the classes that create wise moms and dads are not without pain
and humbling that comes through stumbling)

 Mr Mostly-Innocence-and-curls has no idea 

how the 'news' on the board beside him will impact his life😀

How vital this command;  

Train up a child in the way he should go: 

and when he is old, he will not depart from it

Prov.22:6.

(Photos by Emily Curry, Mr. Mostly Innocent's mom)

Once we were all small boys and girls

And mostly-innocence-and-curls

But, then the signs began to show

When comprehending the word ‘no’

Soft as the lilt of leaf that swirls

Grows mostly-innocence-and-curls

Til mom and daddy feel the tug

…ah, baby needs more than just ‘hug’

What test-of-will shrill shriek unfurls

From mostly-innocence-and-curls

And what great negligence is wrought

If  Little Child is left untaught

More precious than diamonds and pearls

Is mostly-innocence-and-curls

The treasure of love’s sigh and pain

So worth each try and try-again

For love cherishes boys and girls

Of mostly-innocence-and-curls

It takes the time to reprimand

And train the mind that moves the hand

So when it seems so hard to do

And patience needs another ‘you’

Remember soon time's hand un-twirls

The innocence from mostly-curls

© Janet Martin

Perfect Form...(and latest Dave update)

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
1 Cor.13:1

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
1 Cor.13:7

Dave and Karen, through love will endure...but it definitely comes with the unexpected challenges
that being human is sure to bring...
Yesterday we went to visit Dave and seeing him sweat it out just to sit for a while or tremble as he reached for a cup of water was hard! Finally he was ready to lie down and after he was comfortable Dave's wife went out to pick up lunch and we stayed.
Jim, beneath Dave's instruction tried to situate the TV without a glare so Dave could watch the Bluejays game, so Jim "pulled it closer, no, back a little, now tilt it down, not quite so much, can you pull it back just a little"...and so forth til Dave said 'good!' and relaxed. Karen came breezing back into the room, pushed the TV aside (completely unaware of what had just taken place) pulled the hospital table to his bed so she could sit and eat her lunch(way past lunch time) Dave never said a word, but his look did!
It will take much patience as recovery begins.
Please pray for both of them to be able to cope!

Thank-you Lord, for zoom-lens!

Love takes on many forms

A tender touch

A servant’s smile

A side-by-side

Push through life’s storms

And sacrifice though wants beguile

But never spiteful words

Or rude

Or quick, flippant reply

For love is kind,

Patient and true

Thus it behooves both you and I

…when we are prone to

Flick that blade

Of hate or cruelty or spite

To think of Jesus,

How He stood

In our place that dreadful night

…and how He, meek

Unjustly tried

Retaliated with ‘forgive’

His love so great,

For us He died

So we, through His pardon may live

Love takes on many forms

A warrior’s grit

With servant’s bow

And hands scarred with

The proof of it

That love makes possible somehow

© Janet Martin

this morning's update from Karen


Good Morning dear, faithful, praying friends,
I am glad to report another good day for Dave. He sat up in his chair for over an hour and half and walked to his sink in his room and back. He was much stronger on his feet today because he kinda dragged his walker today, where other days he was putting all his weight on it.

It is so great to his see his improvements these past couple of days, but I know I have to prepare myself that one of the days again will not be so good. Dave, Joshua and the Dr. all say that he will have some good days followed by some bad ones so l know I have to be ready for that again.
So, please continue to pray for him. People are wondering where he will go for Rehab. We don’t know yet; where ever a bed comes available, either Freeport, Guelph or Cambridge. With the long weekend I can't see that happening until Tuesday or later.
Last night I also got another good night sleep with helps me to stay strong. I even got to enjoy the fireworks in Drayton with my good friend Shelia. Dave asked his nurse if she thinks he will be able to see any fireworks and she thought maybe he would.
Praise God for all the healing that has taken place in Dave already, with all the prayers going up. Hope everyone had good Canadian 150th celebrations cause we did. Dave got a Canada Flag on this lunch tray and Canada Day cupcake with a coffee which he enjoyed on his supper tray.
David just started drinking coffee again so that also is a sign that he is feeling better. For anyone that knows Dave, knows he likes his coffee. He didn’t want a coffee until Friday. So we are counting the ups taking place and counting on your prayers to help us through the downs! Thank-you!

Worth The Weight/Wait

Those things truly worth having often take their time, it seems

While we of hurried nature tug at morrow’s soldered gate

But time cannot be rushed or pushed; it teaches us that dreams

And things truly worth having are after all, worth the wait

The weight of waiting can be hard on human-hearted us

We tend to think that sooner would be better than so late

But we would never taste life’s full sweetness without it, thus

Those things truly worth having will always be worth their weight/wait

© Janet Martin

What are you waiting on?

Spring?

 Summer?

Tomorrow?

I'm dying to tell you what I am no longer waiting on... as soon as I have permission;-)

Waiting is Hard

Waiting is hard
Its want inspired
By something Now does not impart
Through its request
Waiting will test
Endurance of both hand and heart

Waiting is hard
Its passage barred
With no peek-hole from Here to There
A wall of sorts
Where Time cavorts
While we resort to fear or prayer

This waiting game
Is much the same
For young or old stayed in its Must
 Then some of us
Will fret and fuss
And some will learn patience and trust

Waiting is hard
But its reward
If we learn what waiting can teach
Will make us far
More thankful for
That Something still beyond our reach


Janet Martin~


 Wait on the Lord:
be of good courage,
and he shall strengthen thine heart:
wait, I say, on the Lord.
Ps.27:14

Neighbors All

No one tries to be a failure

Sometimes eyes deceive our thought

Then we fall and need each other

Neighbors all, in need of love

No one wants to be a failure

Everybody needs someone

Maybe if we help each other

No one needs to feel alone

No one, no one is a failure

Sometimes eyes can’t see it all

Everybody needs a shoulder

To lean on in case we fall

We are all part of God's promise

We all make mistakes, oh my

We are all still works in progress

In great need of one more try
We are all still works in progress
In great need of you and I

© Janet Martin

The Greatest Commandment
(Deuteronomy 6:1-19; Matthew 22:34-40)

Now one of the scribes had come up and heard their debate. 

Noticing how well Jesus had answered them, he asked Him, 

“Which commandment is the most important of all?”

Jesus replied, “This is the most important: 

‘Hear O Israel, the Lord our God is One Lord, and you shall love the Lord your God 

with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 

The second is this: 

‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

No other commandment is greater than these.”

Mark 12:28-31 

Who is our neighbor? 

Far-off Nearby or Human-Nature

Poetic Bloomings Prompt day 4: 

use contrast as your title then write something that relates to summer somewhere in the poem

 (the girl in the photo is quite innocent of such storms just yet, 

and I enjoy this calm before the learning-when-to-keep-mum;-)

We are quite different, my dear, you and I

My numbered years with your much younger vie

Yesterday, as if stating something quite new

You declared, 'I’ll never see eye to eye with you'

And I couldn’t help but smile just a little bit

As I recalled the wee while when you used to fit

In the crook of my arms without a fight

Our only battle-line drawn in middle-night

Then I thought these days were far-off as the sky

That waits winter-gray for true-blue of July

While the white storm howls through saplings standing free

Against the jowls of nature in the shelter of full-grown trees

©Janet Martin