Sweet Hour

Sweet hour of dawn, how swift you spawn

The noon-day growing dim

A melody of reverie

Anoints the twilight hymn

Sweet hour of youth, how swift the truth

Of summer slips afar

The madrigal, keen, autumnal

Gleams in the evening star

Sweet hour of life, how swift its strife

Is sealed beneath the sod

As mortal trust returns to dust

The soul returns to God

© Janet Martin

Last night we had a 50^th wedding anniversary celebration for my parents. The parents of all my cousins attended. I say that because I don’t see them very often but I remember them when they were younger than I am now, as we went to their houses to play with beloved cousins!

They are all long past their ‘summers’ of life. But so very dear in my childhood memories!

I caught a picture of the sunrise a few hours ago and already the sun is high over golden soy-bean fields…

Of Replenishments

The sky is replenished with whispers of dawn

Soft from the heavens in coral embrace

God breathes the darkness from hill, street and lawn

Filling the morning with mercy and grace

Hearts are replenished with hope to press on

We cannot see what His will may appoint

As new casts of Unknown tremble in the dawn

Yet, there are no unknowns from God’s vantage-point

Thus faith is replenished; in weariness faint

But oh, the glad morning awakes a new song

Of replenished fervor to seal our complaint

Trusting the Hand that replenishes dawn

© Janet Martin

 O my strength, I will sing praises to You; For God is my stronghold, the God who shows me loving-kindness. Ps. 56:17

Above All

Of Flip-sides...

 

To dream is a beautiful thing

But sweeter is the view

When looking back, to realize

How many dreams came true

To hope is pure thought-gold

By it we plant and toil

But, what a lovely thing to see

It’s bloom among life’s spoil

To love; ah, this is God

Its grief, life’s utter best

For nothing can compare in life

To love that stood time’s test

© Janet Martin

Of Glimpses and God

When I see dawn dissolve night’s shore

Rolling glad light across earth’s slope

Filling the morning with new hope

I think there must be something more

The awe of God as we look deep

Into the wonder of a flow’r

Assures me of a Higher Pow’r

Above this thorn and thistle sweep

The perfect course of sun and moon

The galaxies beyond our reach

The creatures that no man can teach

And yet they know just what to do

…or as I see earth’s season yield

To its successor year on year

And flowers fall to reappear

From seed to fill ten-thousand fields…

Then I perceive a Higher Love

It leaves imagination mute

Controlling laws none can dispute

And we see merely glimpses of…

© Janet Martin

 And these are but the outer fringe of his works; how faint the whisper we hear of him! Who then can understand the thunder of his power?" Job 26:14

Beautiful Bride-to-be

Today I’m a bit of a wreck (an excited wreck but a wreck none-the-less;) Emily and I spent the morning fine-tuning/‘walking’ over every detail of the wedding day to get a feel for what still needs to be done. She chuckled when I stopped suddenly in the middle of a sentence to clear my throat and steady my voice as she talked about where I would be while she waits with dad to walk down the aisle. I’m gonna miss her!

Beautiful Bride-to-be

Her skin and the hours imprison her dreams

Restless, the sparkle of youth in its prime

Dances on syllables imbibed, it seems

With nothing but carefree impatience of time

As she counts the hours until the Big Day

Wishing these moments would hurry away

Mother smiles softly; how, how can it be?

The baby that stunned her with innocent charms…

…the cheek she kissed fondly and so tenderly

As brand-new-from-heaven-child trusted her arms

How can it be that this thing they call ‘years’

Feels more like a flicker of laughter and tears?

Beautiful bride-to-be, woman-child-girl

You are a bud just beginning to bloom

Try on your wedding gown dear, twirl and swirl

Let your excitement fill every room

Soon, you’ll be a wife, but forever you’ll be

My daughter; and no one can take that from me

Never will your dreams be sweeter, my dear

Never will you feel quite like this again

Beautiful bride-to-be; I’ll shed my tear

For joy can be such a sweet-tormenting pain

And I pray that you will be a happy wife

Here on the threshold of ‘the rest your life’

© Love, mom aka, Janet

A Beautiful Thing...50th Wedding Anniversary Poem

Somewhere between morning and night

And toil and sleep, shadow and sun

Between the give and take of life

A thing of beauty is begun

Love’s vows, pledged in the green of life

Are spoken on a dreamer’s strength

Til death do us part; husband and wife

Only God knows its breadth or length

Somewhere between laughter and song

The trial and tear, the calm, the storm

Somewhere, as year folds over year

A thing of beauty starts to form

Between midnight, breakfast toast crumbs

And suppertime and evening prayers

Love’s vows spoken, untried and young

Are being tempered by life’s cares

As bud slowly exposes bloom

A miracle above man’s power

Ah, so is love; the bride and groom

Must wait to see its fullest flower

But oh, as green gives way to gold

And gold to silver-haloed truth

As vows are more than words extolled

In fanciful day-dreams of youth…

…then we begin to see first-hand

This thing that faithfulness imparts

Of beauty unsurpassed, rare, grand

Not of the flesh, but of the heart

Somewhere within life’s highs and lows

Where two are one in God above

Youth’s bud reveals a perfect rose

The proven beauty of true love

© Janet Martin

Tomorrow my parents celebrate 50 years of marriage. Thank-you Mom and Dad and may God bless you with many more wonderful years!

Gone, Gone...

Gone, gone; the gold of summer’s morn

The green in half-grown fields of corn

Summer bows to Time’s common cost

Like brittle corn-stalk kissed by frost

Gone, gone; the hazy, lazy noon

Of cricket-song and locust croon

Ah, none can hide from the discourse

Of smooth and subtle moment-force

Gone, gone; the longer light of day

Before the dark tucks it away

The autumn wick gleams, short and sweet

In scattered sheaves beneath our feet

Gone, gone; sanguine sea-melodies

Where children weave dear memories

And mothers linger at the door

To hear it echoing once more

Gone, gone; the warm and winsome hour

No one usurps mute moment-pow’r

Soundless, autumn leaf-song is spilt

Where summer folds its floral quilt

© Janet Martin

Heavy frost this morning!

Moment-meekness

Lord, take this moment in my hand

Shape it to Your will

And when I do not understand

Yet whisper, peace, be still

Lord, take away my doubt and fear

And fix my thought on You

In spite of what I cannot see

Lord, gently walk me through

Help me to seek, not man's applause

But with humility

To give You glory; you are God

Immortal Deity 

Success; Lord, let it ever be

Not by the things I own

But by surrendering my all

To You and You alone

You ARE; Lord, there is none like You

Forgive my stubbornness

Teach me to meekly bow my will

Beneath Your holiness

© Janet Martin

Only Trust Him

I'm reading through Acts right now and these words struck me immensely...

 Immediately an angel of the Lord smote him, because he did not give God the glory; and he was eaten by worms and died. Acts 12:23