Without Expectation

Do you remember the first time we met?
The summer of summers I will never forget
The sky was so blue when you said ‘hello’
I said ‘how are you’, and then I came to know
There is nothing like the first time

We didn’t have anything to compare it to
You looked at me while I surveyed you
But I wasn’t wondering if you would repeat
The words you said last time, so timid and sweet
Because there’s nothing like the first time

No expectations to which we must adhere
No regrets, broken trust, no wish and no fear
We simply let the wild wind lead the way
And oh, what a day that was, yesterday
Because there’s nothing like the first time

Now we have memories and we have a past
We linger sometimes in the shadow they cast
And we have expectations; that’s the way love is
There is no second first time, with its mystery and bliss
Oh, there’s nothing like the first time

Janet~

Do you know how you know when you're getting old?
When you sit and reminisce:)

Closer

I hold you close to me today
You are not too far away
In my heart I feel you there
As I hold you in a prayer

I hold you close to me today
Love can’t take you far away
In my mind I feel your touch
As thoughts of you fill me with love

I hold you close to me today
In the most intimate way
In the shelter of my heart
We are never far apart

J~

I Saw Hope

I saw hope today
Ruby frieze on an arm of gray
Boldly flaunted ‘gainst azure sky
True as the blue in my true love’s eye
Oh, I saw hope today

I saw hope today
Quietly rising in a misty fray
As the wind dies down on a silent night
And the frozen pond breaths a sigh of white
I saw hope today

I saw hope today
As the sun slipped behind a wall of gray
I paused to watch her glory sink
Beyond earth’s broad and mystic brink
Oh, I saw hope today

I saw hope today
As time and seasons trickle away
Spring and tomorrow wait in the fringe
Whereon our joy and sorrow hinge
Oh, I saw hope today

Janet~

Special

I’ve heard countless lyrics
I’ve read a sea of poetry
I’ve danced to the music
Of love’s imagery

You’re one of a kind
Yes, take it personally
Darling if you don’t mind
There’ll be no other like you for me

God sure must have loved me
For in His great design
He knew that He would give to me
Your love and make it mine

That’s why this poem is special
Because it’s written just for you
Poems written by other people
Somehow never seem to do

This poem is for you only
So if perchance some day
You feel a little lonely
Listen to the words I say

Love is a universal quest
A hungry, aching need
Yet He gave to me love's best
When He gave you to me

And this poem is very special
Penned with only you in mind
You may search the whole world over
But I know you will not find…

…another poem like this one
Because, my dear, you see
This poem was written
Just for you from me

J~

The Dance

Time will never stop turning
It’s always been this way
The tress rich and raven
Succumbs to soft gray
The hand smooth and supple
Bears life’s tender scars
We are only people
And time simply years
As the violin plays on…

Slow moving quadrille
Come my love, hold me near
It seems time’s old wheel
Is no respecter of tears
But it plucks from our fingers
Our most treasured things
As its harmony lingers
On effervescent wings
And the violin plays on…

Hold back your sorrow
Until some other day
Yesterday’s tomorrow
Is slipping away
While here in the arms
Of life’s bitter-sweet dance
We move to the charms
Of heaven’s soft glance
And the violin plays on…

Come oh my darling
Life hastens away
I see the soft morning
Become yesterday
Dance with me, darling
Let us not waste one song
For no one will tell us
When the music is done
As the violin plays on…

Janet~

Just Like You

Well, isn’t it just like you
To come strolling by
Just when I’ve convinced myself
That everything is fine
And isn’t it just like you
To breeze into the room
Where every door is bolted
And every window too
And isn’t it just like you
To brush away my pain
Whispering little nothings
While you make me laugh again
And isn’t it just like you
To remind me with a smile
Blue is just a color
And a mile is but a mile
And memories are the little threads
That keep you close to me
As the soft light of twilight sheds
It’s eye upon the sea
And isn’t it just like you
As I turn to draw you near
Isn’t it just like you
To somehow disappear

J~

Comforted

Hands of time may
Steal away
Many a coveted thing
But this I know
As the rivers flow
I watch those same hands bring
New gifts of love
As the little girl of
Yesterday becomes a woman
Though time oft steals
It also heals
In the power of a moment
A breath then two
Dissolve to the blue
But I’ve made a sweet discovery
The things I love best
Are timelessly kept
Safe in the vault of memory
And sweetheart, it’s true
Time can never steal you
Though you may fly far from me
I hold you near
In each memory so dear
As they whisper their comfort to me

Janet~

Shadows

I really can’t believe it
You’re growing up too fast
It seems each year that passes
Is quicker than the last

The limb outside my window
Exudes with burgeoning bud
Yet it seems but a breath ago
Its leaf fell to the mud

I guess it bears to reason
Why life flows swiftly by
Season over season
Like the twinkling of an eye

Your cheek once soft and silky
Now wears the ruddy blush
Of youth, vibrant and healthy
Where my soft kiss used to brush

The hand curled round my finger
Now grips a steering wheel
As I suddenly remember
How your wee grasp used to feel

I really can’t believe it
Those little years are past
But I can hear their heart-beat
In the shadows that they cast

Janet~

Last night I watched as a young mother covered her
baby's soft cheek with kisses.
"How do you know she likes it?"
someone asked her.
"I don't know if she likes it, but I do" was the mother's quick reply.

EXACTLY! Those years are gone so fast!

Short, Sweet Ride

Some people say it’s a long road
This journey they are on
They look with drooping shoulders
Into the great beyond
But darling, let me tell you
What I feel deep inside
Knowing you and loving you
Has been a short, sweet ride

I hear folk say that life is hard
They call it living hell
But I’ve been close to heaven
When the night is soft and still
In your arms I’ve tasted
Life’s warm and kinder side
And darling, somehow you make
This life a short, sweet ride

I could not bear this journey
It would be long and hard
If you did not love me
Then soon I would be tired
I could not bear this journey
Without you at me side
But darling, if you love me
It will be a short, sweet ride

Janet~

All I Know

I can’t turn water into wine
Sometimes I wish I could
Clouds don’t turn into sunshine
Just because I wish they would

I don’t think wrinkles are a sin
And I make no apologies
I’ve earned the skin that I am in
Worth is not defined by these

I don’t know what the future holds
But we get older every day
As minutes and hours unfold
It sweeps the glow of youth away

I don’t know what I will face
As the years dissolve like snow
All I really know is this
Love is ageless and I love you so

True love, they say is like fine wine
Growing better year by year
You could be no love of mine
If with age love would disappear

I don’t know if we’ll survive
Darling, all I really know
Is every day that I’m alive
I’ll do my best to love you so

Janet~

Jim just told me he wishes someone would have prepared him for this ‘getting older’ thing and that he is not impressed.
I told him I don’t think anyone can prepare us even if they would want to.
To each one of us it is our own personal journey

Some Days

On some days the hands that I hold are enough
I’m grateful through and through
Complete, complete in a moment of love…
…but on some days I wish it was you

On some days love is lithesome and fair
The sky is perfect blue
On some days I become keenly aware…
…that on some days I wish it was you


J~

Tool

I write and I write and I write
An insatiable appetite
Everywhere, it seems to me
A poem hovers, waiting to be

Can I grasp with humble line
The thought I seek to define?
Twenty-six letters, my tool
A pen-stroke away from the fool

Wisdom and filth are aligned
In the tip of a quill and the mind
What a privilege to hold in my hand
This powerful tool; a pen

Janet~

As Naturally as Breathing

No more have I the power to force love
Than I am able to draw the flower from a bud
If I could force love then I know that I
Could coax from the cocoon, a butterfly

I cannot insist that you love me
Love is the eternal mystery
Beyond reason and beyond measure
It is the foundation of life’s richest treasure

My dear, if I could then I would tell you
Why I love you the way I do
But I cannot; I know only this
Loving you is my bitter-sweet bliss

Loving you comes as naturally as breathing
I don’t contemplate its rhyme or reason
And if you should in return love me
I would humbly reply, my dear, I thank thee

J~

Those Thoughts of You

Those thoughts of you…

Sometimes they waft like a song in the air
Or prey on my mind like an unspoken prayer

Sometimes they march in an orderly line
And sometimes they trickle in drops down my spine

Sometimes those thoughts of you simply hover
Above and around me; an intangible cover

Sometimes they’re the face I am calmly tracing
And sometimes they set my pulses racing

Sometimes it’s thoughts of you that keep
Me awake; sometimes they lull me to sleep

A quiver, a shiver, cascading then calm
Closer than ever, your heart in my palm

Love me, love me not; it’s the game they play
But they will not, oh just will not stay away

Janet~

Dreamer

Once, not so very long ago
T’was I who would sit here, you know
Bare-feet dangling in the air
Best friends came in teddy bears
How was I, pray tell, to know
Just how fast the years would flow?

Once when I was just like you
I could be a dreamer too
But time can be a ruthless stream
Tearing from the heart, a dream
I smile to see you sitting there
Once I was you, without a care

Janet~

Song of the Night

It drifts from the shore
A melancholy tune
Sung by the stars
and the man in the moon
It ripples the fields
Of silver grass
Nature’s piano
and it’s first-class
I hear its soft strain
In the breezes that sigh
A soulful refrain
Trickling ‘cross the sky
It moans in the alley
And on the dark street
Weeps in the valley
Aches in each heart-beat
A wordless symphony
Permeating the air
Resonating deeply
Like the peace in a prayer
The music fades
A hush descends
Quietly I plead
Won’t you play it again?

Janet~

Sighs

All you could hear was a sigh
You missed the tear as it fell from my eye
The down-cast gaze, the trembling lips
Are not revealed in the sigh that slips

I don’t mean to sound sad and blue
But when you’re not around I miss you
It seems like we’re always saying good-bye
And all that you hear is a sigh

Telephones are wonderful, my dear
The touch of your voice in my ear
But I wish I could hold you and look in your eyes
For all you can hear are my sighs

J~

Ode to the Afternoon

I did not want you to leave me
You’re a soul-mate through and through
With your smile as soft as sunshine
And your eye of perfect blue
But I see you slipping from me
Soundless footsteps falling where
I languished in your arms of leisure
For an hour without a care

I would beg for one more hour
If I thought that you would stay
But you do not have the power
To add minutes to my day
Yet, should I entwine my fingers
In the essence of your sigh
If I whisper little secrets
Would you then postpone good-bye?

I hate it when I see you leaving
Oh, how soon you disappear
Already, silently I’m grieving
The hastening of a year
I rest my hand on your shoulder
Look into your pleasant gaze
Alas,I’m but a memory older
You have slipped into the haze

Janet~

Right now my days are simply not long enough……
Especially the afternoons!
I want to be outside….but duty demands otherwise!
Well, maybe I’ll slip out for an hour……
Does it really make any difference at the end of my life
If I’ve swept the floor…again?

Waves

You wash over me in torrents of longing
The touch of your fingers is too far away
Waves of emotion sweep over me, darling
Hold me in your arms and take me away

Take me to that place where we’ll be together
Port in a storm on life’s tumultuous sea
I would not even notice the weather
There in your arms with you holding me

Tempests of waiting and wishing and wanting
Rise from the ocean in waves of despair
Darling, the music is distant and haunting
You’re too far away as you sit in that chair

Janet~

The Color of Lonely

The word ‘lonely’ can not tell you
Just how lonely it can be
It does not echo the tick of the clock
As I wait here quietly
And reach to touch the color
Of its somnolent caress
But it seems to me I cannot
See what color lonely is…..
As melancholy whispers
Sigh through April’s naked trees
Alone, alone it murmurs
In the rain and on the breeze
Yet no one can quite tell you
How lonely ‘lonely’ is….
Or how it can fill you
With an aching tenderness

The shadow where the willow sways
And purple midnight falls
Is tinted in dark, moody grays
A damp and morbid shawl
The tap that drips in perfect time
And off-beat symmetry
To the ticking of the clock
Is a lonesome melody
As minutes become hours
Before hours turn to days
And ‘lonely’ with a thousand hands
Cannot be brushed away
Or moved into a corner
Where it cannot interfere
‘Lonely’ is the color
Of a poet’s heart, I fear

Janet~

No Trespassing

They draw cold metal chains across the trails that beg and plead
For me to wander in the grass where silent sunsets bleed
They bar me from the hills and fields of wind and sweet wild flower
As I glare at this frame that wields its mighty twelve inch power

In my mind I’ve built ramparts of intention to forget
But nonchalantly you still cross that barrier in my head
With disregard you breeze into my dear and deepest part
Effortlessly you ease into the fortress of my heart

The sign stares coldly at me as it wavers in the breeze
While I stare far beyond to barricaded mysteries
To stand and fume is all in vain as would be mindless cursing
The law sways on its iron chain in two words; no trespassing

It is no sin for you to cross the barrier within me
There are no repercussions as you wander quite freely
But here alone within this wilderness the law is king
Creating nature's prison with two words; no trespassing

Janet~

I pulled into this little ‘lane’ last night while trying to
Capture a few last shots of the swiftly sinking sun….
EVERYWHERE, it seemed the skyline was blocked by buildings or trees!
I found a secluded back road where I was sure I would get my coveted shot….
as I pulled into this little lane-way; the sun was dropping very quickly, my gas tank was on empty, so I simply decided I need to take the picture NOW!!!
I opened my van door balancing on it precariously while pointing my camera to the sky. Suddenly a ‘nice lady’ voice queried, “Do you need help?”
Trying to appear very casual I replied, “Oh, no, I’m fine. I’m just trying to take a picture”
“Of what?” asked ‘nice lady’ blankly.
For a moment I was speechless and then I turned and pointed to the fire in the sky and said two words “the sunset……”

The ‘nice lady’ continued on her walk……..past the No Trespassing sign!

Rainy Nights.......and You

Seems like rainy nights and you go hand in hand
All my little thoughts like dew fall on life’s golden sand
Oh, my dear the morning comes too soon on nights like this
Let the storm-cloud snuff the moon; I love the deep darkness

In the rain I hear the distant echo of your laughter
Falling on the dark terrain from heavens teary rafter
And as the lonesome wind comes sweeping from the moody sky
I find comfort in the weeping of a raindrop’s lullaby

Past midnight’s broad and supple brim the dawn may quiver
Upon the swaying willow limb her tears may shiver
I draw you to me in a sweet, perpetual pain
As I yield to the music of the night and love and rain

Janet~

The Unadorned Truth

I’d like to say it isn’t fair
And that somehow you lured me in
And I was caught quite unaware
By your fair charm and roguish grin

I’d like to say that true blue eyes
Are definitely not to blame
And that they did not hypnotize
Whilst quite willingly I came

I’d like to say I did not fall
Hopelessly for your blue eyes
But you would not hear me at all
Discern-er of my fumbling lies

Janet~

Of Moments

Moments come between us like the darkness steals the day
But there are things that moments simply cannot steal away
The tangent warmth of your soft touch may cool upon my skin
But moments cannot steal the love that smolders deep within

Moments change the outlines or the backdrops of a scene
They steal away life’s tender youth and springtime’s verdant sheen
But moments cannot steal the smile that lingers in my sigh
Nor can they dull the azure mile reflected in your eye

I save little moments to relive with you again
For moments cannot touch the vault of treasure stored within
In this reticent heaven I am utterly complete
Savoring the torment of a moment bitter-sweet

Moments come between us pushing hours into years
They do not lie within us as we weep life’s smiles and tears
Moments are not masters of the loves we softly hold
But simply the refiners turning bronze to purest gold

Janet~

To Those I Love

Sometimes it is enough for me
To know I crossed your mind today
And perhaps you breathed a little prayer
That God would bless me on my way
Just as I do for you
Because suddenly out of the blue
You stroll across my mind
And when that happens, well, I find
That it must be God’s little way
Of reminding me to pray
So, to all of you I love
I pray God’s blessing from above

God Bless,
Janet~

Could It Be?

I dream of beds delicately laced
In daffodils golden sheen
I dream of hillside fringes traced
In verdant ever-green
I dream of daisy and butter-cup
Of robin and butterfly’s wing
Warm winds rousing as the sun comes up
Could it be I dream of spring?

I dream of bare feet in the dirt
Of hours in the sun
The stirring passion of the earth
As winter’s chill is gone
I dream of blossom-tinted trees
And song-birds caroling
The scent of earth upon the breeze
Could it be I dream of spring?

Janet~

Of Things Temporal

Soon, my dear all of this will be nothing more than a memory

Both joy and sorrow are pebbles which rouse a ripple upon life’s sea

The hunger of longing; the sigh of contentment, both are a temporal lot

And only last a little moment before they are soon forgot

Darling, the wanting and missing of you will pass as the sigh of the wind

Even the holding and kissing of you can't satisfy the void in my mind

Mankind will never be able to fill the places intended for God

We cannot have true fulfillment until we sleep beneath the sod

The wind may rouse the waves on the sea but the deeps remain untouched

You may ignite a fire in me, but you will never be enough

Hope and fire and water and wind are earth’s greatest forces that be

Yet simply a brief foreshadowing of the things of eternity

Heaven and hell leave little glimpses upon this broken sod

But we know full well that all things immortal rest in the hands of God

Both joy and sorrow on this earth are fleeting; where one is the other waits

How sweet to know perfection is waiting for His own beyond Heaven’s gates

Janet~

Music of the Rain

I love the music of the rain
Strumming on my window-pane
The languorous stirring of the pine
Bathed in heaven’s purest wine
I love the moaning of the breeze
Falling through the dripping trees
Teardrops from the moody eye
Of an ever-changing sky

I love the music of the rain
It speaks to me of tender pain
Caught in the eyes of true blue love
It speaks to me of hope above
For just beyond the present cloud
Beyond the weeping, wavering shroud
I know the sun will shine again
I love the music of the rain

Janet~

Perfect Day

I had to look deeper
For the allure of the day
First all I noticed
Was the wash of bleak gray
Hovering above a frigid expanse
Of longing;
But then at second glance
I caught the dawning
Of daylight on the tiny pond
Mirroring the excellence
Of the great beyond
And I looked up
As brilliant gold
Spilled from the dark
And vulgar hold
That held the brush
Of pewter gray
And in the hush
Of ‘almost day’
I knew with out
The faintest doubt
No matter if
The storm clouds shout
And sweep across earths
Somber soul
A perfect Hand
Is in control

Janet~

It is a moody morning…..
The sun broke through for a moment
Before the clouds prevailed
…..And now it is raining

The Cloud

I thought you were sweeping away the fringe
Of the weary and wind-tattered grass
I thought at last I could sense a tinge
Of warmth as I heard you pass
I thought, as I gazed on the sullen shield
Of winter’s weary palm
…as I gazed on the patient wood-lot and field
I thought that spring had come

I thought, you were kind as you looked upon
The weathered and bleak terrain
Of pastureland and silent lawn
Waiting to be green again
As I heard your breath, like a restless sigh
Moan across hill and hollow
I was sure, as I felt you hurry by
That spring was sure to follow…

I thought you agreed the time had come
For bitter feuds to cease
At last, at last you would succumb
To laughter, love and peace
But, as you drew across the sun
You simply shook your head
And told me spring would surely come
…but, my dear, not yet

Janet~

Yesterday as I was out running
I was sure we were on the edge
Of the next stage of spring…
…a few hours later I changed my mind!

The Hug

You drew a line
I crossed it
You gave me a dime
I lost it
You told me to remember
I forgot it
You gave me a hug
I’ve still got it

Janet~
No matter how frustrating it can be,
Don't forget to hug them.....

Little Is Much.....

It's the tiny grain of sand that makes the shore
It’s the drop of rain that fills the mighty sea
It’s the penny that will help the wretched poor
And build the highway out of poverty

Janet~

Yes, little IS much if God is in it!

I was raised on an old proverb from my Grandma,

It rhymes in German but translates to English
somewhat like this,
'He who does not value a penny is not worthy of a dollar.'

Impossibilites

Sometimes I don’t ask because
The pain of rejection is a little worse
Than the ache of wondering if and when
I might hear your voice again

Sometimes I close my eyes because
I see you better with my eyes closed
It’s strange how ever so suddenly
I see you clearly in a memory

Sometimes I cover my ears so I cannot hear
The march of a minute, a day, a year
But to not see or hear you is the impossible part
For I feel you in every beat of my heart

J~

Prelude to Eternity

Slowly, soundlessly the ocher ribbon
Spreads upward from the cusp
Drawing from the dark horizon
Another day for us

Slowly, soundlessly life’s little spaces
Are filled with memory
Leaving upon our faces
Lines of joy or misery

Slowly, soundlessly hours expand
To days and weeks and years
Slowly, soundlessly in time’s subtle hand
A lifetime disappears

Janet~

These words came to me as I watched
the ribbon of dawn expand across the sky.....

Another Song....

….but then another song
Wrapped its warmth around my mind
I felt your arms around me
And your lips so soft and kind
I heard you gently whisper
What must be will surely be
As another song came to me
On the dark and rolling sea

J~

Dreamer's Sea.....

As the long blue shadows reach to steal another day away
And out across each ridge and field the darker colors splay
As noise of busy living lulls and gentler stillness sighs
A voice so deep within me pulls me to the whispering skies
And the starlight in your eyes

As purple tints the borders of a wild and wind-swept bliss
I’m drawn to the corners of a taunting wilderness
Where only thoughts can take me and where only you will be
And where you cannot forsake me on the shore of midnight’s sea
For a dance of misery

As paler fingers reach to brush the darkness from the sky
And somewhere in this perfect hush another night slips by
A song of searing torment sweeps across the dim-lit lea
Where for a flickering moment miles could not keep you from me
On a dreamer’s dulcet sea

Janet~

Music....

It’s a song that suggests at a moment
With my eyes closed
And sweet warmth teasing my lips
It’s a trickle of sparkling laughter
And a china rose
Between my fingertips
It’s the sound of a brief siesta
And I smile
As I absorb its melody
It’s a beautiful kind of music
Song of chamomile
As I pour a cup of tea

Janet~

My Beautiful

While the evening slips to midnight
And the midnight back to day
While day returns to evening
So a life-time slips away
But all I want to say
Oh, all I want to say
Is….today, oh what a beautiful day

While the moments became minutes
Minutes turn to afternoon
But I feel your heart-beat in it
Darling, it’s a lovely tune
And all I want to say
Yes, all I want to say
Is…..what a beautiful day you are today

I cannot touch one moment
Or mile of yesterday
Tomorrow is unknown, dear
All we have is now; today
And all I want to say
Darling, all I want to say
Is…thank-you for being my beautiful today

Can we take an hour
To stroll beneath the moon?
Or stop to smell the flower
That will weep its petals soon?
Darling, let me tell you
Just one last time today
Thank-you for being my beautiful today

Janet~

The Music of Life...

The music of life is a wonderful song
Sung by the moments that ease us along
I caught an eighth-note when you looked at me
With eyes as blue as the deep rolling sea
And the lilt in your voice and the warmth in your smile
Is a beautiful ballad in life’s lonesome mile

Sweep me into your arms, oh my dear
There’s a song in the stars, and the morning is near
Here in the timbre of midnight’s dark sky
Trembles a love song as soft as your sigh
Warm as the summer, yet wild as the breeze
Strumming the grasses and tossing the trees

The music of life is a rare melody
Oh, how I love when you sing it with me
A ballad of whispers and wild winds and lips
As fleeting as the moment on our fingertips
Written in sonnets of laughter and tears
A love song of wishes and memories and years

Come, oh my darling, may I have this dance?
I feel the longing in your true-blue glance
As we move to the music of love’s symphony
The night falls around us in rich harmony
Come oh my darling, what more can I say
It takes more than the ocean to keep you away

Janet~

Just Plain Old Loving You....

Sometimes my heart still skips a beat
I hear your name, oh, love is sweet
Even though you’re far away
I know it has to be this way

Daylight falls across the lawn
Night-bird calls….and then the dawn
So it goes; time ticks away
I’ll hold you close again someday

It does not matter where you are
You’re not really very far
Even though we are apart
I hold you close within my heart

Janet~

Eighteen Wheels

Eighteen wheels sure can play a lonesome tune
Especially as they carry you away from home
You’ll be back again soon, Lord willing, this I know
But as you’re shifting gears the mournful sonnets start to flow
And as I standing here waving good-by to you
I start thinking it’s amazing what eighteen wheels can do…….

While you see mountains, oceans all from cab-top view
I see an ocean of love in dearest eyes of blue
While you say hello Chicago I tuck little ones to bed
And we remember daddy as our bed-time prayers are said
So if ever you begin to feel a little blue
I’d like to remind you dear, what eighteen wheels can do…….

Eighteen wheels feed little mouths that laugh and sing and pray
Eighteen wheels keep mom at home when you are far away
Eighteen wheels means wood for warmth and shoes, and clothes and such
A thousand little things we take for-granted far too much
And eighteen wheels lets Sonny play a hockey game or two
Yes, we remember when we pray what eighteen wheels can do…….

Eighteen wheels can play a soulful tune
But dear, I know that you will be home soon
So when you’re far away and feeling blue
Remember dear, what eighteen wheels can do
Daddy we love and appreciate you
God bless and keep those eighteen wheels…and you

With love, from
Your wife
Janet~

A Little Bit of Heaven.....

The way I caught you looking
When you thought I wasn’t looking
The way you almost smiled
When you saw that I saw you
The way you brush the sorrows
And the worry of tomorrows
From my eyes without touching me at all
The way the thoughts of you silently fall
Maybe that’s God’s extra-special way
Of giving me a little heaven every day

The way she holds on to me
For a second every morning
The way she runs back in if she forgets her kiss
Standing on her tip-toes, hug and run, I love you, mom
The tip of her nose gets the kiss I almost miss
Honey, don’t forget your lunch today
Sonny, know this, God hears you when you pray
Who knew heaven came in eyes so blue
In little words like Bye mom, I love you
Maybe it’s God’s extra-special way
Of giving me a little heaven every day

I hold a little longer to the moments as they’re slipping
And I wish that I was stronger for even as I’m gripping them
They slip away and soon become the fields of yesterday
But oh, I see you looking and you know that I am looking
No one would miss us if we slipped away
A little bit of heaven must have slipped from the horizon
As I hear the things that only eyes can say
Maybe it’s God’s extra-special way
Of giving me a little heaven every day

Janet~

Here Am I

Maybe it’s just another sunrise
In a sense perhaps that’s what it is
Beautiful wakening of deep skies
But I believe it’s so much more than this
As the glory of a new day hails from high
I hear a mighty Voice say ‘here am I’

Here am I, the Father of compassion
Holding out my offering to you
As the Light rends the dark horizon
Piercing through the veil of somber hue
His power spreads across the morning sky
Flooding the universe, ‘Here am I’

Here am I, with perfect love unfailing
Here am I, the teacher of the sun
Here am I at the glorious unveiling
Of another day of grace for everyone
Look up, look up behold the glowing sky
And the Ruler of the morning, ‘here am I’

Here am I with mercy for a new day
Here am I, oh won’t you follow Me?
Here am I, the one and only true Way
Here am I, God of eternity
Won’t you trust the Painter of the sky?
Oh can’t You hear him saying, ‘here am I’?

Janet~

Don't Stop Now....

Don’t stop now
Don’t let go
In life’s up’s and downs
I need you so
I like the way
You hold my hand
And the footprints that lay
In the golden sand
Oh, don’t stop now


Don’t go yet
Time’s a thief
When we met
You stole my breath
And nothing’s changed
In the highs and lows
Love is wild and strange
As it grows and grows
Oh, don’t stop now

Don’t give up
for the rise and fall
In the ways of love
Will be worth it all
As we look back
Darling, hold my hand
What a beautiful track
In the golden sand
Oh, don’t stop now

No, don’t stop now
The best is yet to come
As the ebb and flow
Of love leads us home
No, don’t stop now
Quitters never win
I want you to know
I’d do it all again
So, don’t stop now
No, don’t stop now

Janet~

Pictures.....

Pictures, they just sit and stare
And they never say a word
Frozen in an image where
Hearts and memories are stirred
And I pause to wipe a tear
Darling, it’s almost like you’re here

The keen wind breathes a melody
Where the bluer shadows fall
I can feel you here with me
It’s like you never left at all
I reach out to touch your face
No one else can take your place

Pictures, they just sit and stare
Silent echoes from the past
It is more than I can bear
As I reach to hold you fast
For there are no words to speak
My tear falls on your paper cheek

Janet~

The Best I Can Do....

If there was a brand new way to tell you
Well, you know I would
And if grand intellect fell on me
Then perhaps I could
But for now there seems to be only one way
So it will have to do
My dear,the only thing I can think of to say
Is, I love you

Without Reasons.....

There are people God brings into our lives
And I thank him for the love which He gives
To us; sometimes in the most unexpected ways
I’m glad I do not need a reason to love you today
I am glad He sends arms to hold us with whispers and prayers
Friends to remind us that he or she cares
I’m glad I don’t need a reason to hold your hand
I don’t need all the answers or even to understand
Why God loves me so beautifully every day
I’m glad without reasons, so come what may
I will always love you; bitter-sweet bliss
Darling, that is just the way it is
And I thank Him…..

J~

What is a Sister?

What is a sister?
A sister is the person who comes to help
When no one else does
She says thank-you
With a dozen eggs
And knows exactly the kind of books
You like to read
And shares them
A sister makes tea just so we
Can chat a little longer
About our kids, love
And what makes us stronger
Or drives us crazy
We talk about babies….
How sweet they were
And still are on some days…..
We talk about the ways
That life has driven us apart
Yet brings us back together
To discuss weather,
Gardening, cleaning and laundering tips
Recipes and border-line gossip….(NEVER!!!:))
A sister is a friend forever and ever
To laugh with, cry, sing or pray
A sister is always just a phone-call away

With love,
From your sister Janet

Happy 42nd Birthday, Lucy!

Can you imagine what it would look like
If we all decided to pile on this trike
In the very same way, today?

Cold Shoulder....

I have lost every trace of trembling delight
I see no grace in your fresh coat of white
Take your venom and your ghastly chill
Fly far beyond the pining hill
Oh, how I long for a dew-laden fling
And a dance on the lawn in the color of spring

I am repelled by your cold blue lips
I shiver at the touch of your finger-tips
There is ice in the chatter of the hurrying brook
The broken reeds scatter into each hollow nook
And I can’t help but long for just one thing
A kinder song in the color of spring

Even the wind is a restless fellow
Pleading, as I for a whisper of yellow
To melt the frost from the window-pane
And draw the buds from the limb again
He moans at my door in a low murmuring
For a warmer shore and the color of spring

Janet~

Divine.....

What is it about love?
It brings those far away
Near to us
And I feel you now
As though you really were
A finger-print or two away
Like the lines I trace
On this map in front of me
And why does love erase
Barriers that would otherwise
Be insurmountable?
The color of your eyes
Surrounds me
In a world of blue
And I smile
For I know
In a little while
I will touch you
Darling, we live in moments
It is true
I treasure every one of them with you
Whether you are near or far away
Moments become the whispers of yesterday
But the moment I am in
None can steal
And deep within me I can feel
Your heart-beat next to mine
And o-h-h-h, I love you
Love is divine

J~