Love's Sacred Serenade...

Catered to life’s human quest

Morning stirs the world from rest

Granting us, full-free of charge

A whole brand-new day at large

Soon it too will join the Deep

Where its predecessors sleep

Now it lends its pleading sigh

To the touch of you and I

Before the door to farewell

Tolls the darkness like a bell

Pray as through yon blue, hours sift

We will tender well, their gift

For, after its corpse is laid

Into vaults of Memories Made

We cannot undo the done

That has now barely begun

Morrow, none can guarantee

 Only this; eternity

And Love’s sacred serenade

Of Today the Lord has made

© Janet Martin

What do you hope your Today will allow?
I'm hoping to get some Christmas baking completed,
some gifts wrapped,
some decorating done at the church,
some supper served to HUNGRY boys that come on Thursdays after school.

Those boys always bring lots of humor to life;
Last week I was treated to a nine-year-old's analysis on nutrition:
" I like the way it is at your house, he said, because you can't taste the health but you know it's there!"(referring to everything we pointed out that came from the garden)
He continued, "It's not like eating a cucumber. when you eat cucumber all you can taste is....cucumber!"

...and I envy him the innocent pleasure of the miracle that butter and cheese brings to 'healthy' cooking;-)

 This is the day the Lord has made;
We will rejoice and be glad in it.

Ps.118:24

Word-search

A wish in thought’s whisper

The hush of dusk’s sky

Or rush of a river

Cupped soft in a sigh

The echo of laughter

After loved ones part

Its sweet, silent hunger

Secured in the heart

The flip-side of holding

The slip-slide of time

The quiet enfolding

Of past’s pantomime

The sparkle of rain-song

The bending of will

The purple horizon

On westerly hill

The ‘almost’ of learning

The yearning of ‘not’

The swift no returning

Of mere moments wrought

A bud barely open

The banter of birds

Stirs Want of Poem

In search of its words

© Janet Martin

A Life-long Learning...

The work and worry of this world

Can bleed a lifetime dry

Its seasoned floors and corridors

Perplex the craving sigh

The crawlspace of ten thousand years

Hinges upon each breath

Eternity and moment-spree

Juxtaposed; life with death

The passageway from Here to There

Is littered with lost tears

Man’s gaudy toast or bravest boast

Cannot assuage our fears

For the Unknown no one can know

Save He who tunes the tides

While mortals curse, the universe

In flawless discourse bides

Annulment wrought by human mind

Though humankind oft tries

Cannot appease with fantasies

This slip-of-skin demise

Where work and worry of this world

Would bleed soul-bearings dry

Lest we adhere with reverent fear

To He who knows the Why

© Janet Martin

 Proverbs 1:7
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

 Job 28:28
And he said to the human race, "The fear of the Lord--that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding."

Psalm 111:10
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.

Proverbs 9:10
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

 Our son has begun to take a keen interest in world news; esp. politics and the American election campaign. Last night as he voiced some valid fears and I searched for words of reassurance all I could

do was encourage him to be informed but not consumed, because we have no idea what the future holds...but God does and any words of comfort without placing our trust in Him, are meaningless!

Oh, but trust is a life-long learning...

the story behind this hymn here

Ageless, Down Through the Ages Rings

This song was written by Fanny J. Crosby
(my favourite hymn-writer)

Ageless, down through the ages rings

Glad tidings of goodwill

Christ Jesus, born in Bethlehem

Abides with mankind still

Ageless, down through the ages peals

Sound hope’s redemptive cheer

Christ Jesus is our Saviour still

Pray all this message hear

Ageless, down through the ages flows

Mankind’s triumphant joy

The love that Jesus Christ bestows

And nothing can destroy

Oh, do not let this story die

But its glory retell

Of Jesus and the grace whereby

Mankind is saved from hell

Ageless, down through the ages rings

The gladdest Truth unfurled

Of Jesus, Heaven’s King of kings

The Saviour of the world

© Janet Martin

 For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 
 Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

Isa. 9:6-7 

Another favourite hymn written by Fanny J. Crosby

Friendlier Somehow

As we were sitting down to supper suddenly it was lights out... 

The gale had blown down a hydro wire somewhere...it was a warm candle-light,

easy-going scrabble and soft laughter evening

A cold rain pelts the windowpane

The waning afternoon a train

Thundering through the stricken arc

Of tree limbs, hungry, stiff and stark

Where suddenly the fireside

Is friendlier at eventide

The tempest tugs the dark beneath

The bullied edge of hill and heath

As lights of home beam like a smile

Through gales raging, vexatious, vile

Where suddenly each face we see

Is love’s coveted luxury

For home is friendlier somehow

When dark is deep and wild winds howl

And we are more blessed than we thought

With hands to hold, soup in a pot

And while we list to tempests blow

Home’s friendliness humbles us so

© Janet Martin