Common Ground

My dear, we all stand on the same brink
On the edge of a common abyss
There is none who can say
Tomorrow there will certainly be that or this…
There is no one so rich that he has been given
Power to see beyond this moment
There is none so poor that that he is immune
To the morrows grace or its torment
We are kindred-spirits in this regard
In the longing with which we love
Or in the love with which we long
We are bound by the chord of mortality
There is none so strong or wise that he can know
What mystery lies
Beyond the present ebb or flow
And so here we are joined
As we stand on the edge of the unknown
We are one, there is no one alone
Who can see what tomorrow will be
Or how far is eternity
But only this…
Who ever we are and wherever we go…….
God is

Janet~

Heaven's Artistry......

How does one justly draw with pen
The gifts of God bestowed to men?
And yet it doth quite drive me mad
To leave its pure delights unsaid
Immersed in heaven’s artistry
Surrounded by His poetry……

In the west a blazing fire lies
On tinted snow from coral skies
As in the east a deep blue surge
Over cold, blue fields converge
North winds sweep across the plain
Where once we frolicked in the rain

Then, as night lets its curtain down
The sky becomes a dazzling crown
And all that humble man can do
Is wonder, at this awesome view
As God displays above the earth
A glimpse of another universe……..

The North Star, like a sparkling gem
Gleams upon the velvet hem
Of rolling waves in purple-blue
Shadowing a lofty avenue
As the Painter in glorious perfection
Manifests Himself in heaven’s reflection

Janet~

I was treated to a feast for the eyes tonight
while dropping my daughter off at a friend’s house.

Of Choices...............

She mimicked me……
Index finger on her lip,
Middle finger under her chin
Face drawn in concentration………
I hadn’t noticed her on the other side
Of the van door, looking in
Watching.....
I had waited for what felt like
An eternity
In a mother’s busy day
And I got lost in depths of thought
Somewhere along the way

She asked me,
What are you thinking about?
I paused a moment, then replied
I’m thinking about ‘choices’
How lives become what we decide……..
Let’s take something as simple
As the food we eat
Do we choose food that is healthy
Or rich and sweet
Do we care for our bodies
Like a finely-tuned machine
For choices, seemingly hidden
Do not remain unseen…..

I was thinking about your father and I
How the things we choose
Will help to shape your thoughts and life
…….your version of lies or truths
And how my parents chose for me
In all those moments, tiny on their own
Yet when melded together
Becoming my memories of home…..
How choices made over and over
Become habits
Shaping who we are…….

Slothful or helpful,
Foolish or wise
Moments,
A mere twinkling of the eyes
Yet the impact of moments
And endless choices
Become memories
And lifetimes,
The echo of voices
Playing back to us
In the still of the night
All of our choices
Whether wrong or right
Never affect only one solitary life
Our choices spawn goodness
Or evil and strife
Molding generations
And future voices
Oh, the incredible impact
Of choices
When our Maker knocks
What will our answer be?
This choice unlocks
The door to eternity

Janet~

I don’t think this answer was quite what she was expecting:)

When Love Dies.......

When love dies……..
Nobody cries
Or stands with head bowed
In solemn silence
When love dies
There is no grave at which to weep
Where we bring our blooms to heap
Upon the cold and silent shell
Of one whom once we loved so well
When love dies there is no pronouncement
Or official hour of death
There is no memorial or announcement
No ashes scattered ‘cross the earth
Or sea; but there are memories
Of days when love was there and love was fair
Ah, true love is a fortune rare
And must be valued and handled with prayer
Because when love dies
The light in warm eyes
Grows cold and dim
And gone is the vim of the fairer day
Of when love was young; but dearer they
That love when raven locks turn gray
And hold the hand, wrinkled and worn
That they have grown to love much more
Than when their hands joined, soft and smooth
In the blissful dance of youth
When love dies it’s like the fading
Of a picture on the wall
A slow and subtle jading
No one sees it die at all
Until the cold, dark sorrow
Flows from sad and hungry eyes
What a lonely cross to carry
When love dies….
Say ‘I’m sorry’
Say ‘I love you’
Say the things you long to tell
Listen to the words of loved ones
Listen long and listen well
Take a moment, take an hour
These will be a lifetime soon
Love will be the radiant flower
When its song is out of tune
Love, for there’s no greater gift
That anyone can give
And everyone needs to be loved
Before they truly live
How cold the crypt of faded love
In ruins as it lies
Beneath the starless vaults above
Where nobody cries
When love dies…….

Janet~

Four Best Words......

Tender little soft pink cheeks
Blue eyes and warm arms
Every night I am
The lucky victim of her charms
Girly-giggles, bed-time wiggles
I say, ‘time to sleep’
Bed-time prayers and teddy-bears
Good-night dear, sweet dreams

As I turn to leave her room
She whispers ‘I love you’
And I can say these four best words
“I love you too”
In order to say these four words
Someone must first say three
And I am so very blessed
To have them said to me

Janet~

I recalled this poem today
which I posted on frontporch a year ago.....

Every morning as they head out the door
with their 'good-bye mom, I love you'
I am reminded of HOW BLESSED I am
to be able to reply with
THE FOUR BEST WORDS IN THE WORLD!!!!

My 'Winter Garden'......

I miss my little heaven-plot
Which now I wander in my thought
With flowers perfectly maintained
In breezes soft, no muscle strained
Forgotten is the tangled mass
Of last years phantom paradise
Forgotten are the weeds and woes
That every seasoned gardener knows
I see beneath the snowy hearth
The bosom of a waiting earth
Knowing soon will come the hour
Where she will bear her radiant flower
And I will linger in the eve
Where all the shades of summer weave
A fragrant shoulder, gold, pink, blue
Its robe an ever-changing hue
Of daffodil, larkspur, jasmine
Of rose, lily, and columbine
Of bloom in all its varied form
Gracing summer’s tender arm
Oh yes, I miss my heaven-plot
Of violet and for-get-me-not
So now, a-wandering I go
Past this frozen white plateau
To a shoulder, earthy, warm
Where I’ll rest on summer’s arm

Janet~

Well, January is just kinda dissolving into
thin air......if this trend continues we will be
up to our elbows in dirt saying 'I can't believe it's spring
already!'...before we know it!!!
So I will enjoy strolling through my 'winter garden'
In my winter garden everything is always PERFECT!!!!
No weeds, no blisters..........m-m-m-m!!:)

Crossing My Mind

You crossed my mind today….
Not as some do, in a tip-toeing sway
But crashing through
Every carefully erected barrier
There you were….
Smiling and teasing
A charm to be sure…….
And I handled you
In the very same manner
As those who blow through me
Like a breeze in the summer
I gave you exactly the same measure of care
I caressed you tenderly in a prayer

Janet~

Garden.....

Why do we, with thoughts down-cast
Pine for gardens clearly past
Today, on out-stretched palm we see
A brand new opportunity
To pluck a rare and treasured hour
This, our fair and fragile flower
This, a grand and glorious day
Like a bloom, soon fades away
And all that will be left behind
Is its soft fragrance on the wind………..

Janet~