Here's To...You?

Here’s to the smilers and kind second-milers

Who give without motive of recompense

Here’s to the lover of people, not pleasure

Who don’t measure treasure with dollars and cents

Here’s to hands calloused with honor of helping

Here’s to the palace of children and noise

Here’s to the humblest, happiest humans

Here’s to the lap full of wee girls and boys

Here’s to the faithful with little to speak of

Here’s to the wielder of words wise and true

Here to the makers of peace and not war, love

Here’s to a wonderful, beautiful …you?

© Janet Martin

Beauty's Benevolence

Within this world of woe

And fear

And grief

And doubt

And pain

And hurt

God bends the earth

With beauties dear

And wreaths with bloom

Its solemn dirt

So we may smile and hope

And sing

And love

And laugh

And dream

And trust

The hand that lends

The bloom that bends

With beauty: He tends

Mortal Must

... where care 

and prayer 

and tear

and stare

Are intertwined with mercy’s art

Of sky 

And sea 

And sod 

Designed

By the kind Healer of the heart

© Janet Martin

What hope, 

Hurt

Happiness and 

Hunger is ours

In earth's

Holy

Humble

Heaven-ness of flowers 

Janet~

 

  Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it.

  Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy. 

Psalm 96:11-12 

Sweet Reward...

There are no stands where hands applaud

The second miles nobody sees

No pedestals with accolades

To showcase life’s small victories

There are no marbled halls of fame

To heroes with love-tender heart

No salute-tip-of-hat acclaim

To everyone doing their part

To we of ordinary creed

There are no merits to record

But still we bend to tend to need

For love is its own sweet reward

© Janet Martin

Blooms to Tend

Blooms to tend

They wend their way from bud and seed

To gardens, Hearts

Where innocence and wonder leads

Us back to where

Each journey starts

And we are gladder than we were

Before the days

That drew our thought

From innocence and wonder to

A place of

Simple joys forgot

But now with

Reverence and love

We thank the Lord

For days that send

Sweet innocence and wonder of

A little home

With blooms to tend

© Janet Martin

Divine 'Do Nots'

 We grew up singing a capella shaped-note four part harmony like the song below

My mother put a photo in my birthday card this week, from days gone by before voices grew rusty...

  'an after-supper-dishes-are-done sister sing-song' 

Those age-old words in scripture and hymn are as relevant now as when they were written! Praise the Lord!

Soft zephyr serenades the break of day

Where we are always never far away

From what; who knows, but mercy’s smile and tear

Are shod with God’s kind bidding, ‘do not fear’

The flower of the hour falls away

Today is always almost yesterday

Tomorrow, none can borrow save in prayer

To heed hope’s creed of trust, ‘do not despair’

Time’s four-season sun-and-shadow quadrille

Is never always only good or ill

Still, many do not know what they believe

Deaf to admonition 'do not deceive’

The prophecies of old unfold, few awed

But they who are can feel the hand of God

As He replenishes man’s mortal cup

With whispers deep within ‘do not give up’

© Janet Martin

The photo below will give you an opportunity to enjoy as well,

 these beautiful birthday-gift blooms!