Try As We May

 Truly touching articles in this latest issue of Rural Route!
Thank-you to everyone who allowed us a peek into your lives/hearts!
It really does remind us to remember those with heavy, daily crosses to bear!
Many of our other 'local heroes' are not featured in these articles and we remember you as well...
I was startled to realize within a five miles radius from our home are four husbands/dads living the remainder of their lives in wheel-chairs!
 (Wayne Martin, Doug Weber and Ralph Martin besides Robert who is the Front Cover photo)
...our hearts and prayers go out to them, their wives/families!

Below is part of the story from a young girl who is watching as her friends get driver's licenses. etc...
(Esp. touching to me as my niece is one of her faithful friends)

Warning; paragraph below may cause tear-flow💕

Some things we suffer will not go away

Nothing will alter it; try as we may

Still, not for nothing, the trouble life sends

This binds us nearer to fam’ly and friends

This shines the light of Love’s beam, true and dear

This ushers pity of God through each tear

This teaches us through the Yielding of Plan

 Of a Creator much greater than man

Who knows the mind of God? Not you or me

Who knows what trial is waiting to be?

But this we rest in; no matter the test

God, rich in mercy allows what is best

Man, poor in spirit will be Heaven-blessed

Man who is mourning will be comforted

Man who is meek will inherit the earth

Faith waits until fulfillment bares its Worth

Try as we may we are not in control

God is the Giver of body and soul

He, our Father loves us, one and all

Tender, the Mender of Man and The Fall

He, through His suffering and by His death

Brings to man’s suffering, hope in each breath

So we rejoice as we trust in the Lord

Heaven is waiting with sorrow’s reward

© Janet Martin

 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you,
for my power is made perfect in weakness."
Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses,
so that Christ's power may rest on me.
2 Cor.12:9

The Way Time Is...

A year ago today hubby had a surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his bladder. 

Thankfully his check-ups to this point show no return of it and we are glad,

but as I recall thinking how I'll be SO relieved when this is behind us (the anxiety etc.and we are!) 

...here we are, a year later where Hope and Trouble have changed their outfits but never leave!

It seems we always have fresh cares to 'cast upon the Lord'!

(1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.)

 “Cast your burden on the LORD, and He shall sustain you; 

He shall never permit the righteous to be moved” 

(Psalm 55:22)

Be careful; while we wait

For morrow’s bud to bloom

The Way Time Is scatters today

Like petals on a tomb

Be prayerful; while we wait

For gates to ope or close

The Way Time Is never returns

The petal to the rose

Be thankful; while we wait

For days to come or go

For soon The Way Time Is will be

The petal on the snow

© Janet Martin

 

On Keepin' Our Chins Up and Keepin' the Faith

All those proverbs and clichés we spout are proof of what life has always been about;

living and learning through life’s troubles and our mistakes.

Keeping our chins up, when the going gets tough, the tough get going,

because it’s always darkest before the dawn

so we just keep on keeping on

because tomorrow’s another day

and every cloud has a silver lining

and if a stitch in time didn’t save nine

we put more water in the soup ‘cause there’s better days a-comin’!

 What has been will be again,
    what has been done will be done again;
    there is nothing new under the sun.

Eccles.1:9

 

Seems we’re never at the end of earnin’ some new learnin’

But the greatest of these, love, just keeps us all returnin’

Pedal to the middle, oh, and old nose to the grindstone

Countin’ blessin’s darlin’, workin’ fingers to the bone

Seems life never tires of the curve ball and the cutter

Work a whole harder for a bit of bread an’ butter

Pray a whole lot longer for a seed of faith to cling to

Come what may the Lord will never leave you nor forsake you

What won’t break us makes us stronger, but don’t try to borrow

That which breaks the donkey’s back (don't worry ‘bout tomorrow)

Strive toward the one reward, jubilant and fervent

Face to face with Christ the Lord, “well done, faithful servant”

© Janet Martin

 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. 

Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Matt. 6:34

Always Something (to remind us)

...the 'flooded basement' saga continues (see previous posts)

Trying to find the root of the problem. Day one did not. 

It only made a mess of our poor neighbour's field!

I feel so bad. 

Tonight when I thanked Washing-machine Fixer for coming long after most people's days are in,

 I admitted that the knot in my stomach will be there til the other problem gets solved... 

Not quite as neat, tidy or inexpensive as changing a leaky hose!

 

Always something to remind us life is full of dreams upset

Full of roads sometimes unwanted, that we have not journeyed yet

Full of new ways to surprise us like a roller-coaster ride

Highs and lows, good-byes and hellos thwarting travel-plans mid-stride

Always something to remind us life runs rife with simple joys

Sunrise spills its morning glory over all that it employs

Where the flipside of sheer wonder is time’s hunger, hurt and grind

And the trouble that will find us to remind us to be kind

Always something to remind us of new ways to trust God more

Where, after what lies behind us makes us gladder than before

Then thought turns an eye more tender to a fellow-trav’lers needs

When the heart learns to surrender to the One who intercedes

Always something to remind us there is Beauty all around 

 Disappointment’s let-down sets the stage for triumph’s battle-ground

Teaching us to count our blessings that perhaps we had ignored

And remember it’s the long-run that we ought to strive toward

© Janet Martin

for some strange reason this song keeps going around in my head today...

could it have something to do with water, maybe?😏