After-Christmas Thursday Thoughts

The packages are gone beneath the tree

Their paper torn, the o-o-o-h’s and a-a-a-h’s depart

But hope, love, joy; these precious gifts are free

If we carry True Christmas in the heart

***

Tuck to the heart those tender things

Of Christmas joy and peace

But sad regret and broken strings

Lift Up and then release

***

Calendar Christmas is just one day

But True Christmas never fades away

***

We cannot keep moments, they slip

And drip like snow from trees

But in the cradle of the heart

We keep their memories

Therefore we ought to tend with care

Each tick that time imparts

So we may ever gladly bear

Its treasure in our hearts

***

Silent night, holy night

Half-moon lounging on blue deep

All across earth’s black and white

Many tired children sleep

***

Sing a song of gladness,

Sing a song of joy

Christmas-best is worship

Of wee girl and boy

(Inspired by the wee, little girl who sang her heart out on the pew behind me at the Christmas Eve service; so, so precious)

***

I love the lights, the songs, the laughter

Of the Christmas celebration

But now it is the first ‘day after’

How I miss Anticipation

***

Darling, another year is spent

It’s wisp of waning thread

Is dangling on time’s needle, bent

With next year’s hope and dread

But one thing is not more or less

Or past or future, God’s goodness! Hallelujah!

***

Trial and Error, grievous twain

Of wisdom’s testing, vexing pain

They’ve taught us through another year

We lift a cup of cheer, hear, hear,

… ‘until we meet again’

© Janet Martin

Of Brokenness, Beauty and Bethlehem

We gather from all walks of life and struggle

The beautiful broken, rejoicing, redeemed

We are not perfect without spot or blemish

But Jesus is; and by His grace we are clean

Guilty by nature, yet pardoned and purchased

By He who became sin without sin

Wonderful wonder; the Babe in the manger

Knew His full mission before Bethlehem

Peace, only God’s peace transcends this world’s trouble

Love, only God’s love can comfort our woe

Hope, only God’s hope offers full assurance

And thus, by the grace of this goodness we go

And so we gather to exalt and worship

Jesus, the author and anchor of faith

We bow before Him in meek adoration

Broken made beautiful in His embrace

Redemption; not of our own works and boasting

Redemption; not by what our hands have done

Redemption; fully and only forever

Through Jesus Christ, God’s Own Beloved Son

© Janet Martin

There is so much broken beauty around us; in nature, in people. As we worshiped on Christmas Eve I was struck once again by the awesomeness of it all.

I hope to post some broken beauty of the storm eventually. (long story; camera troubles etc:)

Merry Christmas; Why We Celebrate!

From our Family to you and yours, Merry Christmas!

Why do we celebrate
This joyous Christmas Morn?
What is this thing that cheers our thought
With hope renewed, reborn?
What is this song we sing
Of wonderment unfurled?
Why, it is Jesus Christ our King
Born; Savior of the world!

The hope of nations lives
The Light of love has come
And in Compassion he forgives
Each wrong that we have down
So gather 'round the knee
Of Bethlehem's delight
For Jesus came for you and me
On that first Christmas night

The hope of sinners came
Death is not our reward
Oh, blessed joy that fills the name
Of Jesus Christ the Lord
So now we celebrate
Not one day of the year
But from this day forever on
Until He will appear

Janet Martin~

Wishing you a Blessed Christmas Season.

Come, let us go now to Bethlehem and see this that has happened which the Lord has made known to us. Luke 2:15

We were blessed with Eduard's Music and testimony last night at our church. He encourages us all to SHINE ON!

Christmas Lullaby

Slumber in heavenly peace

Oh, do not cry or fear

The hope which filled that first Christmas

Is ever new and near

Then close your eyes and sleep

In dreamless paradise

Jesus His tender watch will keep

He never shuts His eyes

Sleep, let the vesper-choir

Strum night’s arabesque strings

The wonder of That Long Ago

Is not of ancient kings

But of that one great King

Who fills our hearts with Light

Deliverance and hope and Babe

Filled Bethlehem that night

Goodnight, my lovely child

And sleep in heaven-peace

Jesus of whom The Angels sang

His love will never cease

To poor shepherds of old

To you, my little one

Jesus, our Shepherd came to earth

So we may know God’s Son

…so go to sleep, wee lamb

Oh, precious little one

This Shepherd watches over you

Until the night is gone

© Janet Martin

I wrote this on Saturday night shortly before our power went out due to an ice-storm. It came on last night while we were at the Christmas Eve service at our church. We are enjoying with fresh appreciation things we never think about; running water, hot water, warm rooms, lights at the flick of a switch!

Merry Christmas to each and everyone of you you and God bless your celebration.

Hath Winter Then a Heart of Tenderness? (A Re-post from one year ago today)

 

Hath winter then a heart of tenderness

For landscapes clad in humble brown and gray?

Where farewell and arrival coalesce

Winter spills forth as autumn slips away

She touches with redemption-tinted garb

The stricken aftermath of summer cheer

Her sugar-coated kisses fill the yard

Where yesterday it suffered autumn’s tear

And where the wanton field lies naked, bare

She covers grass and furrow with the gleam

Of diamonds fit to garnish angel’s hair

Tucking to earth the farmer’s latent dream

Granting a gentle respite to his care

Filling the sky with snowflake-choir requiem

***

Tis right to entertain both joy and grief

This season; the portent of hope or fear

Where we embark anew, beyond the sheaf

Of garnered days that shape the bygone year

Like gathered harvest, this year’s deeds are wrought

Preserved beyond the elements of time

Its echoes tuning pastures of our thought

Where longing and fulfillment toll their chime

And now a gracious sheath of purity

Embellishes the dull and stricken plain

A mother with compassion’s sympathy

Blankets the grim reminders of our pain

Drawing our eyes to present mystery

History sleeps; to linger there is vain

***

Hath winter then a heart of tenderness?

White snow covers a year of scarlet tears

The naked bough reaches for her caress

The heart reaches beyond past hurt and fears

To offerings of hope and happiness

Unblemished; yet again a gift of grace

Ignores our monuments of selfishness

Where we have scarred her perfect virgin face

With sordid sins of foolish fantasies

Time’s vault will not exhume our leaps of woe

But gently leads us from these agonies

Across a threshold unmarred as fresh snow

Granting to us but this; our memories

To keep the good then let the remnant go  

Janet Martin~ 

Winter wanders in
wearing a white bridal gown
earth carries her glass slippers

I was hoping to write a new poem for first day of winter but my day is slipping away so here is a re-run. 

Last year earth carried her veil, this year we are in freezing rain or snow depending on the temps!

Intangible Fire...

Invisible

Monumental

Heart-breaker,

Healer

Foot-hold,

Avalanche,

Honey,

Dream-stealer

Hell on earth,

Heaven,

Blessing

And curse

Invisible

Powerful;

Thought

Shaped

In

Word

© Janet Martin

Isn't It Just Beautiful?

Isn’t it just beautiful; this thing that living weaves

Of ordinary dinner-hour, rain slipping from green leaves

Of moments melting summertime into a pot of gold

Before the winter gathers one more year into its hold

Isn’t it just beautiful; the rising, falling swell

Of morning-tide and vesper-sigh, of greeting and farewell

Of seasons painting pictures that we spread upon the air

Where no one else can see those master-pieces hanging there

Isn’t it just beautiful; the bitter and the sweet

As Auld Lang Syne and nursery rhyme and harvest-time compete

Of baby-kiss and child-hood bliss, of sorrow’s tender strife

Isn’t it just beautiful; these threads that weave a life

© Janet Martin

The slide-show of the deceased showed a young bride to mother to grandmother to great-grandmother. Now she rests in peace.

Pondering the Inevitable

Parting; inevitable severing

Of hand and lip-soft touch

We cannot tell when death will claim

Those that we love so much

And so, before we lay our head

Upon some cold grave stone

To weep for laughter that is dead

And music that is gone

We ought to hold them closely

Tell them, tell them again

How much we love and cherish them

Before grief's parting pain

© Janet Martin

He (my friend’s dad) trembled as the woman held him; loving husband of many, many years murmured, ‘parting is hard’ and his friend replied, ‘yes. You had a long life together and even though we all know its coming, when it does it is still so very hard’.

I just returned from a wake for my friend’s mom.