In Loving Memory of my Sister, Lucy

This is the bitter-sweetest poem I have ever written...

Dear Lucy,

Your garden shoes at the back door

Your jacket on the hook

Your beautiful flowers galore

Your latest favourite book

Your mementos of such and such

You thoughtfully arranged

All leave behind your tender touch

Death suddenly estranged

The datebook you kept in your mind

How we would marvel, dear

At the methods you used to find

The day, the month, the year

With ‘I remember this because

We picked the pears before…

We went to…(then) how the weather was

And what outfit you wore’

While we would laugh and marvel at

Your sentimental trove

You turned to gifts of this and that

To touch someone with love

And shape part of the thing that Death

Both takes and leaves, in sync

The life we lived; as gifted breath

Spills in permanent ink

Dear Lucy, daughter, sister, wife

Mother, grandmother, friend

Your legacy of love in life

Was faithful to the end

Where part of you is silenced now

Yet much of you lives on

Love never fails, no matter how

We wish you were not gone

Our God who ordained all your days

Before one came to be

Though we cannot fathom His ways

Will help love (us) faithfully

To bear all things, believe all things

To hope all things, endure

His pardon that salvation brings

Holds living hope secure

Thus, we have no cause to rebel

Against His perfect plan

But rather, to live each day well

And love while we still can

Dear all of us who yet remain

Who only see in part

God never fails; He knows our pain

He heals the broken heart

Yes. I know we will dearly miss

Dear Lucy’s smiling face

Her cards and notes, signed, love, your sis

Her words of cheer and grace

Her questions, oh, her questions, and

Her quirky observance

Her always ready helping hand

Her lovely compliments

But, as we contemplate our store

Of precious memories

We cannot help but thank God for

Love’s favours, such as these

Farewell for now, dear sister-friend

Although our teardrops flow

We know that this is not the end

But just farewell, for now

In loving memory of my sweet sister, Lucy

Janet Martin

Lucy took a kind and generous interest in my writing and poetry blog,

often checking in to see if everything is okay

if for some reason a few days passed without a poem!

I will really, really miss writing, in part, for her!

Love… bears all things,

believes all things,

hopes all things,

endures all things.

Love never fails.

1 Cor.13:7-8

Sorrowful Blog Break

Dear readers, near and far 💔🙏

I will be away from this blog for a bit.

Last evening my dearly beloved, sweet sister Lucy 

was struck and lost her life, while riding her bike,

two and a half weeks before their son's wedding.

 Needless to say we are heartbroken.

Please pray for her immediate family 

and all of her family and many, many friends!

She lived to love and nurture and I know if I could ask her 

what she would like me to say it would be this.

If you have not already done so, 

put your faith in Jesus, 

then live each day as a gift of love, 

to shine for Him!

Dearest Lucy,

 how could I know when I wrote this poem in March

on your birthday, the meaning it would take

What a beautiful legacy you leave

 for all who knew and loved you

to treasure

 forever 

Gift of Today

photo below, Lucy is the sister on the right

me in the middle and my youngest sister on the left

Taken on her 55th birthday, Mar.27, 2024

Our sister-circle is broken, but only for now...

1 Thess.4:13-18

Brothers, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death,

c so that you will not grieve like the rest, who are without hope.

14For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again,

 we also believe that God will bring with Jesus

 those who have fallen asleep in Him.

For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, 

that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord 

will by no means precede those who are [d]asleep. 

16For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, 

with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. 

And the dead in Christ will rise first. 

17Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together 

with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. 

And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 

18Therefore comfort one another with these words.

Ps.23

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:

 he leadeth me beside the still waters.

3 He restoreth my soul: 

he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, 

I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; 

thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: 

thou anointest my head with oil; 

my cup runneth over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:

 and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Love isn’t perfect, but, oh it is precious

Each opportunity broken like bread

Tasted and savored, bitter and delicious

Aware that love's sorrow is joy’s sacred dread

Then love while you may, giving each day your all

For we never know when our Lord will call

Janet 🙏

 

Lest in the Thick of Here and Now...

Ps.18:1-2

I love You, O LORD, my strength.

2The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer.

My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,

my shield, and the horn of my salvation,

my stronghold.

3I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised;

so shall I be saved from my enemies.

Is it not a wonderful thing,

To know as we kneel/bow to pray

we are essentially slipping our hand

into God's hand?!

God, by Whom all things were made

and are lent save Him alone!!

He is eternal.

Does this not bring fresh courage 

to face today?!

Lest in the quick of (circum) stance

Or in the thick of sight

We overlook the One who grants

The armour for the fight

The refuge from the foe

The rock that will not move

The blood-bought grace whereby we go

The greatest of these; love

The Life, from death's curse raised

The Saviour of the soul

The Name most worthy to be praised

Who makes the broken whole

Whose will is undeterred

Who keeps his promises

Who leads us by his righteous Word

In paths of righteousness

Who is holy and just

Who forgives confessed sin

Who is faithful (knows we are dust)

Who bids us trust in Him

Who keeps in perfect peace

Hearts and minds on Him stayed

Whose purposes will never cease

Whose joy is unafraid 

The Way, the Truth, the Life

Creator of all things

(Though doubt and argument run rife

Against the King of kings)

Who IS love without end

Supremacy unfazed

Whose thoughts no thought can comprehend

Nor understand His ways

Oh, lest with faithless glance

We haste to meet the day

Lest in the quick of circumstance

We never pause to pray

Let us first humbly bow

And seek Love's kind command

Lest in the thick of Here and Now

We miss His outstretched Hand   

© Janet Martin

I Need Thee Every Hour

Did You Think to Pray?

A Divine Work of Art

Sooner or later, one way or another we will all shoulder cares and face challenges!

What a comfort to know, One goes before us, even as He is with us!

Ps. 34:7-10 (read the whole glorious chapter HERE)

The [a]angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him,

And delivers them.

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;

Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

9Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints!

There is no [b]want to those who fear Him.

10The young lions lack and suffer hunger;

But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.

Ps.139:1-6 (Read the whole wonderful chapter HERE)

O Lord, You have searched me and known me.

2You know my sitting down and my rising up;

You understand my thought afar off.

3You [a]comprehend my path and my lying down,

And are acquainted with all my ways.

4For there is not a word on my tongue,

But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.

5You have [b]hedged me behind and before,

And laid Your hand upon me.

6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;

It is high, I cannot attain it

I wonder what this poem would have turned into if I had been able to finish it on Friday

Before Duty beauty hailed...

On Saturday morning I added another few stanzas

 after prepping some food for a family reunion,

before we left...

Hello, on this Monday morning,

on this beginning of

who-knows-but-One-what

this-week-holds🙏

This morning after dropping Jim off at his work

 while waiting for a little country store to open

so I could get supplies for today's tomato canning

I had a few extra minutes to delight in

September scenery!

Dawn blushes on the east

A divine work of art

God’s renewed mercy spreads a feast

To keep faith strong in heart

The veil of night is torn

Daylight, a beaming bloom

That breaks star-studded bud with morn

Where rose and thorn resume

…where faith fights foes of fear

Where tears and laughter meld

To mold echo-mementos dear

From moments briefly held

Dawn’s lease of highs and lows

And all points in between

Soon succumbs to dusk’s curtain-close

And worlds of What Has Been

Before night draws its shade

Across the glade and glen

Let’s take this day the Lord has made

To Honor Him, Amen

Let's partake of the feast

God's rich mercies provide

Behold, dawn blushes on the east

Faith, hope and love abide

...a divine work of art 

From He who grants enough

To fit us to do our part

To live a life of love 

© Janet Martin

Dawn’s lease of highs and lows

And all points in between

Soon succumbs to dusk’s curtain-close

And worlds of What Has Been...

MORNING HAS BROKEN - Cat Stevens (Lyrics)

What Will Our Answer Be? (To the greatest question of all)

We all answer this greatest question of all!!

Not with our lips, but with our lives.

What is our answer when Jesus asks us like He asked Peter,

Do you love Me?

When the Lord, the righteous Judge appears,

Is our greatest goal hearing these most precious words, "Well Done"?

Well done, not to earn salvation, but as a proclamation of love

and eternal thanksgiving to God, who so loved the world

that he gave his only begotten Son, so all who believe in Him

should not perish but have everlasting life! John 3:16

Well Done

  

Let Me Live

He looked at me, and loved me as He tenderly implored

Will you love this fleeting world most, or will you love the Lord?

How far will you go, how much will you sacrifice for me

Or is the price of love too great in spite of Calvary?

Do you hold treasures of this world too dear to give away?

Is it to much for Me to ask you to trust and obey?

He looks at you and loves you as He beckons for reply

Do you love me? or do you seek this world to satisfy?

Is its treasure and pleasure dearer than the cross I bore

To break the curse of Satan; do you love him or me more?

Is this mist of existence worth denial’s endless rue?

Or will you love me because of my love, faithful and true?

He looks at us and loves us still imploring tenderly

When you and I reply, pray what will our answer be?

Will we be like the rich young ruler; by vain riches lured

Will we forfeit eternally, the Life His death secured

Or will we join faith’s cloud of witnesses who still believed

In spite of precious promises their sight never received?

When you and I reply, pray what will our answer be?

He looks at us and loves us still imploring tenderly

© Janet Martin

Mark 10:17-31

As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him.

 “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.

 19 You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, 

you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, 

you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’[d]”

20 “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”

21 Jesus looked at him and loved him.

 “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, 

and you will have treasure in heaven. 

Then come, follow me.”

22 At this the man’s face fell. 

He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples,

 “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”

24 The disciples were amazed at his words. 

But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is[e] to enter the kingdom of God!

 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle 

than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

26 The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other,

 “Who then can be saved?”

27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible,

 but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

28 Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!”

29 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters 

or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel

 30 will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: 

homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—

along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. 

31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

September-Sentimentality

September always seems to steep my senses with an urgency to

stop more, to savor summer's final fling!,

even while I haste from garden to kitchen with

harvest to gather and preserve!

(rescuing tomatoes from rows ravaged with blight!!)

While collecting ingredients for savoury supper dishes...

I am so thankful for a poetry loving mother,

who first kindled and nurtured my love for poetry;

 for cadence of rhythm and rhyme ...

Seems sometimes I grow homesick for places I’ve never been

For waves that wash a far-off shore of seas I’ve never seen

For sun and shadow play on views that ache in thought’s ‘suppose’

Before they slip away in hues of amber, blue and rose

Seems sometimes I grow lonesome for someone I’ve never known

A kindred-spirit troubadour not made of skin and bone

But of a whisper that ignites a kind of poetry

That kindles roaring appetites for what will never be

Seems sometimes I grow wistful for worlds long-forgotten, oh

For misty sun-kissed vistas or river-rush far below

And I grow sentimental over lyrics still untamed

In melodies still wafting in masterpieces unnamed

Seems sometimes in September I am bitter-sweetly torn

Twixt Summer’s dying ember and beauty’s bliss, Autumn-born/borne

Seems sometimes in the twilight of another summer’s sweep

I sense a tender kinship with past poets, fast asleep

Seems sometimes all the orchards, gardens, crickets, butterflies

The blues, purples and golds that paint a poet’s paradise

Of white heath asters, gleam of goldenrod, of milkweed's blush

Anoints me with a sense of living 'neath an Artist’s brush

Seems sometimes I can almost hear an almost-symphony

A grand medley of solos and unrivaled harmony

As flower-bowers crescendo then fade, as woodlands flare

Seems sometimes I can almost feel nature’s baton, mid-air

© Janet Martin

One evening I commented to my mother how much I love the sound of crickets

and she wondered if I remember the poem about the cricket and the ant...

My organized mom knew where in her scads of clippings to (hopefully) find it!

And she did. a very timely reminder!

“A slack hand causes poverty,

 but the hand of the diligent makes rich.”

 (Proverbs 10:4)

“The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing,

 while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.”

 (Proverbs 13:4)

Universal Reveille

Sometimes the rising sun seems like a golden trumpet

playing a most solemn universal Reveille

Arise, the skies are gleaming like toast with marmalade

The breaking day is beaming with Mercy’s grand aubade

Shake off the shroud of slumber; a tide no one can wrest

Sun-gold and shadow-umber surges from east to west

Over facades, so common, where creature cares abound

Sometimes we miss the summons; today is holy ground

Behold, Today is awesome; be earnest and astute

For morning, like a blossom, soon falls prey to the fruit

And, no matter how polished, the apple of reply

Excuse is soon abolished; Fruit does not tell a lie

Where we are prone too often, to forget, life is lent

Then pray, hard hearts to soften, for sinners to repent

Because none knows the hour when the Lord will appear

To pluck a precious flower from stems of Now and Here

Today unravels, teeming with taste-touch-smell-hear-see

In sacred soul-diers, streaming toward eternity

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name

Today is a gift/charge given by Thee, from whence we came

Protect us from vain prattle, but, with thy truth and grace  

Equip us for the battle that faith is bound to face

When second miles grow dreary, revive in us again  

The will to not grow weary in doing good. Amen 

Then with renewed strength beaming with gladness humbly awed 

To rise, beneath skies gleaming with the goodness of God

© Janet Martin

Goodness of God

Phil.2:12-16

(read whole glorious chapter HERE)

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, 

but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 

13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

14 Do all things without [d]complaining and disputing,[e]

 15 that you may become blameless and [f]harmless, children of God 

without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, 

among whom you shine as lights in the world, 

16 holding fast the word of life, 

so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ 

that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.

 

How To Recognize What Matters Most

Yesterday morning began a new year of Sunday School,

at our church,

and as I joined the group of teachers and children

something hard to explain ripped through me...

such love for a room packed with Eager Innocence!!

(soon under fire!!)

What a sacred charge, for we who are older

to teach, (far more by example than words)

our children to remember their Creator in the days of their youth

and what it means to love the Lord, (y)our God,

with all (y)our heart, soul, strength and mind

and to love (y)our neighbour as (y)ourself! 

Luke 10:27,Mark 12:30-31,Matthew 22:37-40,

Deuteronomy 6:5,Deuteronomy 30:6,Romans 13:9,James 2:8,

Mark 12:33-34,Leviticus 19:18,1 John 3:18,Deuteronomy 10:12,

Matthew 19:19,Hebrews 8:10,Galatians 5:13

Children are such precious jewels!!

When He Cometh 

The older that we grow the harder it becomes to change set ways!

How crucial, while we may, to pray, 'God teach us to number our days...

...so we may gain a heart of wisdom, before days come, trouble-cursed

Before we find no pleasure in seeking God and His kingdom first

Before worldly cares choke His Word that fell like seed on thorny ground

Before strife or the pride of life lures love, still innocent and sound 

Before desire is not stirred to love the Lord with all we have

Before we boast, forgetful of Who's goodness and mercy forgave

...Us, while we were still dead in sin, sinless, God's Lamb was sacrificed

To rend the temple's veil and anchor Living Hope in Jesus Christ 

Granting to heirs of Love's great promise, consolation, strong and sure 

Fitting faith, when facing temptation, with conviction to endure

Before we grow old, habit-hardened, heart untuned to wisdom's ways/praise 

Pray the Lord to teach us early how to humbly number our days 

...and how to recognize the gain of what appears most modest mien 

Faith, the substance of things hoped for and evidence of things unseen 

 

© Janet Martin

Eccles.12

Remember your Creator

in the days of your youth,

before the days of trouble come

and the years approach when you will say,

“I find no pleasure in them”—

2 before the sun and the light

and the moon and the stars grow dark,

and the clouds return after the rain;

3 when the keepers of the house tremble,

and the strong men stoop,

when the grinders cease because they are few,

and those looking through the windows grow dim;

4 when the doors to the street are closed

and the sound of grinding fades;

when people rise up at the sound of birds,

but all their songs grow faint;

5 when people are afraid of heights

and of dangers in the streets;

when the almond tree blossoms

and the grasshopper drags itself along

and desire no longer is stirred.

Then people go to their eternal home

and mourners go about the streets.

6 Remember him—before the silver cord is severed,

and the golden bowl is broken;

before the pitcher is shattered at the spring,

and the wheel broken at the well,

7 and the dust returns to the ground it came from,

and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

8 “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher.[a]

“Everything is meaningless!”

9 Not only was the Teacher wise, 

but he also imparted knowledge to the people. 

He pondered and searched out and set in order many proverbs. 

10 The Teacher searched to find just the right words, 

and what he wrote was upright and true.

11 The words of the wise are like goads,

 their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails

—given by one shepherd.[b] 

12 Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them.

Of making many books there is no end, 

and much study wearies the body.

13 Now all has been heard;

here is the conclusion of the matter:

Fear God and keep his commandments,

for this is the duty of all mankind.

14 For God will bring every deed into judgment,

including every hidden thing,

whether it is good or evil.