Lest We Let Defeat Triumph...

Type, back-space, rewrite then delete

And try again, no easy-street

…the pen, the keyboard at command

Obey the order of the hand

But oh the heart and mind oft torn

Trembles beneath ink’s kiss and scorn

Where word alone can’t spell the whole

Of wars that well in heart and soul

Or tell in spite of ‘ups’ love crowns

The vortex of its down-down-downs

For which we feel so ill-equipped

In knowing how to deal with it

Save, like the poet with a pen

To try and try and try again

(another poem or
stanza two)

For we are never all alone

…through all the depths that thought may hone

There is One who never forsakes

We, masters of love’s harsh mistakes

As we learn, unlearn, relearn, oh

To crave the grace whereby we go

That helps us learn to sympathize

With others on their umpteenth tries

Who don’t give up, but grasp the pen

That bids them try and try again

Where smudge and smear oft run awry

And tests the measure of the sigh

That would bow us in crushed defeat

But for Love's dawn-replenished sheet

© Janet Martin

Lord, I prayed, how can I love
The way you that You love me?
The King of Heaven and earth replied,
Child, with humility

Ephesians 2:4-10   (KJV)

⁴ But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
⁵ Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
⁶ And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
⁷ That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
⁸ For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
⁹ Not of works, lest any man should boast.
¹⁰ For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

The Fine Art of Love (a mother-to-daughter birthday poem)

Happy 17th Birthday, to our sweet Victoria who loves all things vintage, history and music!

May the year ahead be filled with joy as you continue becoming the woman God created you to be!

'And sometimes I am oh, so glad to know the bliss of it

And sometimes I am oh, so sad, caught where I cannot keep

The heart and soul from becoming torn by its kiss a bit

Between the hug of here and now and tug of miles asleep...'

Dear Victoria,

Sometimes I feel just like a king seated at love’s buffet

Sometimes I am a beggar licking up the crumbs that fall

A mother’s heart and soul can never take a holiday

Always on the quick ready for love’s tender beck and call

And sometimes I am oh, so glad to know the bliss of it

And sometimes I am oh, so sad, caught where I cannot keep

The heart and soul from becoming torn by its kiss a bit

Between the hug of here and now and tug of miles asleep

Sometimes this business of ‘becoming’ takes love’s ache by storm

It keeps us kindly unprepared for what lies next in store

And sometimes it is hard to hold in heart-soul body-form

The whole of love’s fulfillment that keeps us hungry for more

My dear, each year fades quicker than the one before, it seems

As mother learns to concentrate on moments now, not years

She thanks the Lord for granting love’s sweetest sample of dreams

As she learns the fine art of holding close what disappears

Love, from your mom

Aka © Janet Martin

 Trust in the LORD and do good;
            Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.

      Delight yourself in the LORD;
            And He will give you the desires of your heart.

      Commit your way to the LORD,
            Trust also in Him, and He will do it.

Ps.37:3-5

Up and On We Go...

There is no door back to before

No U-turn, hon, on life's highway

No button to undo the done

No let’s-go-back-to-yesterday

There is no ‘starting over’ here

We’re all in the same one-way race

One foot and then the next, my dear

While clinging to the Hand of grace

Life’s forward facing rise-and-shine

Caught between after and before

Grants what we always leave behind

Where twilight always locks its door

Then trust the only One who sees

Beyond the mileage ‘neath our feet

And pray His Word our light to be

Where faith and fear clash and compete

For we have one abiding hope

To comfort us through highs and lows

The love of God will never fail

No matter where life’s highway goes

 

So up and on we go until

We reach the farewell all will face

As faith’s prayer with that last exhale

Unveils the glory of God’s grace

© Janet Martin

I counted the prayer requests in my in-box...a lot!!!

Imagine if we had to go the road or sea of life alone!

When life's storm tosses our 'ship' 

He calls to us "peace be still"

 Mark 4:35-41

 On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.”  Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. 

And other little boats were also with Him.   

And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling.   

But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. 

And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”

Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” 

And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.   

But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”   

And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another,

 “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”