Life's Crown Jewel

This poem-title was a bit difficult to settle on;

Love's Workday-Wow

Carousel of Great Escape

The Way of Day-to-Day

Precious Commonplace

Crown Jewel of the Precious Commonplace

and Life's Crown Jewel

Is that the sign of a mediocre poem/poet?😅

Not sure, but the topic and heart of this poem is anything but!

It is written to remind us to love well and cherish dearly

 our loved ones today, right here, right now!

Yesterday, a family in this community lost a 20 yr. old son in a tragic accident.

In 2018 they lost a 24. yr. old son in another horrific accident.

Our hearts break for this family's loss and constant sorrow...

As a mother of adult children I am still dumbfounded by how fast those

sometimes seemingly tedious years flew by!

As a gramma I am seeing time accelerates

rather than slows, 

so to all of us wherever in love's lessons we are;

cherish!

This was supper a year ago...

no matter how hard I look at the picture I can't taste it!

We can only taste what is on offer today.

Cherish.

The way of day-to-day unfurls the rise and fall of years

A carousel of seasons twirls around and disappears

As moments slip through our embrace like jewels from a trove

That would quite oft feel commonplace but for one treasure; love

This life we live, of ups and downs, without love would be drear

A narrative of smiles and frowns devoid of joy or cheer

But with sweet love, the Here and Now, though heaped with much to learn

Surprises us; love’s workday-wow finds God at every turn

Dear mother, in the thick of training up a little child

Time cuts its target to the quick; where wick of youth burns wild

Then do not wish to haste the rise and fall of shadows cast

But cherish well the darling prize that flies from arms too fast

God, help us see beyond the cape and shape of task and such

A Carousel of Great Escape whirls beneath common touch

Then help us rediscover love ere seasons slip away

To startle us with echoes of little children at play

…where Way of Day-to-Day unfurls a world of yesteryears

Where little boy’s and little girl’s sweet childhood disappears

As moments slip through our embrace like jewels from a trove

Making precious, the commonplace with life's crown jewel; love

© Janet Martin

The reason I use the verse below repeatedly

is because it bears repeating!

(we are such a forgetful breed)

This is the day the Lord has made.

We will rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 118:24

Rubric for Reply

Dawn glimmers with God’s testament of unrelenting grace

Divine authority extends our breath/breadth of numbered days

Then how will we reply to He whose workmanship we are

Who stuns the dark with whispers that fling morning’s gates ajar

Dawn glimmers with God’s testament of unrelenting grace

Divine authority extends our breath/breadth of numbered days

Then how will we reply to He whose workmanship we are

Who stuns the dark with whispers that fling morning’s gates ajar

Conviction and opinion wrangle in the human heart

One, like a steadfast anchor, the other, a mule and cart

One an earnest contender for the Prize we cannot see

The other the defender of thought’s ideology

Aha, the law of love is so simple yet so complex

The order of its edict eager to delight and vex

As Conviction or Opinion leaps to the driver’s seat

To dictate the direction of the heart, then hands and feet

Opinion is perspective’s Chief, attained by logic's nod

Conviction is belief keened to limits ordained by God

Oh God, teach me to seek Your truth, not human-nature cursed

Opinion is so quick to speak; help me to listen first

Dawn glimmers with God’s testament of His mercy renewed

Will opinion or conviction govern my/our gratitude/attitude?

Breath of Divine Authority parts the gates of the sky

To He whose workmanship we are, oh, how will we reply?

© Janet Martin

this post was also inspired in part by this article.

Prov.3:1-9

The heading for this passage was

Guidance for the Young 

(dare I add, and not so young?)

1My son, do not forget my law,

But let your heart keep my commands;

2For length of days and long life

And peace they will add to you.

3Let not mercy and truth forsake you;

Bind them around your neck,

Write them on the tablet of your heart,

4And so find favor and [a]high esteem

In the sight of God and man.

5Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

And lean not on your own understanding;

6In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He shall [b]direct your paths.

7Do not be wise in your own eyes;

Fear the Lord and depart from evil.

8It will be health to your [c]flesh,

And strength[d] to your bones.

9Honor the Lord with your possessions,

And with the firstfruits of all your increase;

Want-list...

The changing views due to the changing hues of twilight helped me finish

this poem; one I doodled at here and there all day long...

The backdrop changed dramatically in a matter of 10-20 minutes!

I want to marvel every day at ways that never lose their wonder!

I want to marvel still where wonder’s thrill never grows old

To feel hope’s joy in dawn’s ahoy whether of gray or gold

To make the best of moments lest when life’s last drop is poured

I weep because for all that was, regret is my reward

From Mercy’s fount I want to count the goodness-es of God

And never taint with rude complaint and thanklessness, His laud

But recognize the precious prize each morning ushers in

Then, be renewed with gratitude for forgiveness of sin

I want to give this life I live love’s careful, prayerful thought

Not to lament with discontentment for what I have not

But to embrace each day of grace with holy diligence

And live without shadows of doubt to cloud love’s reverence

I want to work and not to shirk the duties of the day

But to behold God’s manifold beauties along life’s way

And know His love will grant enough to satisfy my soul

And not to fret and thus forget that He is in control

I want to sing and ever bring an offering of praise

To He who cups life’s downs and ups in Higher Thoughts and Ways

And thrill anew ‘neath heaven’s blue and rose-tinted ramparts

Constantly awed at the way God captures, enraptures hearts

I want to stand on twilight’s strand where shadows sprawl like piers

And feel toil’s rush yield to the hush as daylight disappears

And marvel still where wonder’s thrill never runs out of ways

To cheer, delight, enthrall, excite, inspire and amaze

© Janet Martin

To We Caught in the Tempo/Tempest (of Unknowns)

 

We Ontario-ans are caught in the tempo of a tempest this morning!

oops! I better fill the feeders...

Done!

The feeders are in an absolute Feather-FLURRY 

of finches, sparrows and juncos this morning!!

mostly gold-finches!

(they definitely prefers sunflower seeds to the deluxe mixed blend!)

What we have seen we know exists...

like the road and the vista beyond...

Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed;

 blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

John 20:29

We cannot see into the unknown 

but The One who loves us beyond measure can!

Life’s unknowns loom in highs and lows so vast and deep and wide

The love and grace that God bestows exceeds its teeming tide

Goodness and mercy follow we who are a-travelling

Toward the hill and hollow of Unknowns unraveling

This life runs rife with minuets composed of circumstance

An arrangement of pirouettes and stumbles in the dance

On music sheets we call Today, notes tremble, spill and twirl

Heartbeats in a brand-new ballet, ‘Yet’s’ ensembles unfurl

Unknown's unwritten lyrics juxtapose with poems penned

How subtly the syllables of highs and lows co-wend

Where we, caught in the tempo/tempest of rhythms that rise and fall

Grasp only small mementos of the fullness of it all

Sometimes God sends a soloist when we prayed for a band

Sometimes as the Unknown untwists we do not understand 

The Maestro who is teaching us to trust His loving lead 

His mercy reaching far beyond what logic can concede

This life is a momentous merge of Knowns to Unknown knit

God knows, as highs and lows converge, the perfecting of it

Where grace and goodness mentor we learning the steps and scales

To a Masterpiece Melody of love that never fails

© Janet Martin

Romans 8:35-39

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? 

shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, 

or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; 

we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors 

through him that loved us.

For I am persuaded, that neither death,

 nor life, 

nor angels, 

nor principalities, 

nor powers, 

nor things present, 

nor things to come,

Nor height,

 nor depth, 

nor any other creature, 

shall be able to separate us from the love of God, 

which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Mid-Winter Mid-Summer Stroll

Happy Halfway through January. Already?!!

This poem was first inspired by yesterday's sunshine 

pouring through the flowering maple

at the back door...

Let’s pretend it’s mid-July

Sprawl beneath the sun-stoked sky

Let’s pretend a butterfly

Flitting plume to plume

Let’s pretend a garden path

Warm with winter’s aftermath

Fringed with ardent autograph

Of sunflow’rs in bloom

Let’s pretend pink lemonade

Blankets tossed on pools of shade

Cricket and leaf serenade

Backyard getaway

Book and hammock luxury

Picnic basket poetry

Bare foot banter fancy-free

Winter f-a-a-r away

Let’s pretend end of a dock

Sunsets after nine o’ clock

Nose to nose with hollyhock

Hello, honey-bee

Let’s pretend bright greens and golds

Where the countryside unfolds

Hill and hollow wonder-wolds

Far as eye can see

Let’s pretend a summer stroll

On the beach where sea-songs roll

Over feet and through the soul

Weather forecast, hot

Let’s pretend its mid-July

Lounge beneath its sapphire sky

Kick off shoes and…b-r-r-r! oh my!

On second thought, let’s not!

© Janet Martin

Of Glint and Fray

It is impossible 

to return

to undo 

or redo

what we would do

differently 

if given the chance

All we can do

is the best 

we can do

with what we hold

today...

This💖💖💖 (do you remember those dream-sweet play-days?)💘

Lots of little flash-back moments as the tots of today

dust off the toys of yesterday

and fill them with starry-eyed pleasures once again,

as the little hands that used to play with them are now 

juggling the demands and responsibilities

of growing up

Timeless thrills...

The beginning...

I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; 

and indeed, all is vanity and grasping for the wind.

Eccles.1:14

The conclusion...

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.

Eccles.12:13

Ah, life the way it used to be

Gleams like a summer, sun-kissed sea

Cupped in a sigh, a memory

A vault of yesterdays

Whilst look, the dark above us dims

Like brook-song, morning’s skyline brims

A canticle of hopes-whims-hymns

Shimmers on untouched trays

…with friendship waiting to be made

With Duty’s common promenade

With Poetry’s awed escapade

With high five and low blow

With mercy and sufficient grace

With smile upon a loved one’s face

With hand to hold and dream to chase

With wonderment and woe

…with turning older, tick by tock

Yet, learning not to watch the clock

But rather where and how we walk

While Time is on our side

To try to taste full flavors of

The subtle nuances of love

And to never get quite enough

Of moments not yet tried

While dust to dust and ash to ash

Waits to reduce its starry splash

And slow the feet that dance and dash

Through childhood’s greenest green

Until they too gaze at a sea

Cupped in a sigh, a memory

Of life the way it used to be

Before the years between

Ah, life the way it used to be

Is juxtaposed with you and me

And present opportunity

To tint the glint and fray

That tunes the tide that ebbs and flows

With echo-molded mementos

That wash in pictures we compose

With what we hold today 

© Janet Martin

Word-Girded

Dear fellow-friend, fellow-trav'ler

I pray for us today

That we would search and trust God's word

To show and lead the way

Eph.6:13-17

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, 

that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, 

and having done all, to stand.

Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, 

having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

  above all, taking the shield of faith 

with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.

  And take the helmet of salvation, 

and the sword of the Spirit, 

which is the word of God;

And here it is, all the above in One!

and all other books ever written

cannot take the place of This one, 

the Eternal Word of God...

'Heaven and earth will pass away, 

but my words will never pass away.'

Matt. 24:35

By Thy word, Lord, not mind's logic,

Let the lens that we look through

Slay doubt’s deathly and demonic

Misconceptions about You

Shine Thy word, a lamp to our feet

And a light unto life's path

Let salvation’s message repeat

Man's redemption from Thy wrath

When temptation tries and teases

We are more than conquerors

If we put our faith in Jesus

Man’s divine deliverer

In this world we will have trouble

Sorrow is love’s compromise

Time is like a bobbing bubble

Cupping an eternal prize

By Thy Word, Lord, let love's witness

Be honest and undefiled

Lead us in paths of righteousness

Thou, our/my Father, I/we, Thy Child

Thou, the Author of salvation

Knew our best would be inept

By Thy blood-bought invitation

We are saved if we accept

By Thy Word, Lord, not sight’s onus

Let faith’s mind be stayed on Thee

Let the perfect peace You promise

Be our cry of victory

© Janet Martin

(this post was first written in first person, me/my

then I prayed for my family and changed it to we/our,

then I prayed for my extended family (you)

and in the end it became a poem for all of us!!🙏💖)

For Better or For Worse Love's Fool-proof Evidence

There is only one fool-proof instruction manual for love:

God's Word, The Holy Bible

There is only one perfect example of love:

God's Son, Jesus

There is only one name above every name:

Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place

and gave Him the name above all names,

that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

Phil.2:9-11

...for You alone know the hearts of all the sons of men,

1 Kings 8:39

...for the Lord searches all hearts, 

and understands every intent of the thoughts.

1 Chron.28:9

...for God sees not as man sees, 

for man looks at the outward appearance, 

but the Lord looks at the heart.”

1 Sam.16:7

(A perk of not finishing a morning post till tot is in for an afternoon nap?

some lunch snapshots.😊)

Pots and pans can help us cook up quite a visually-appealing lunch-feast!

(I am always astonished at how a mountain of spinach

disappears when cooked)

This medley of stir-fried onion, green and red sweet peppers,

 celery, carrot and spinach

 topped with a scoop of quinoa, 

a splash of soy sauce

and a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds was yummy!

For the first time I cooked un-gummy quinoa

thanks to this post;

How to cook perfect quinoa

😋

Besides pots-and-pans feasts,

Thoughts of man can cook up quite a feast too!

Whether with mind or mouth, 

we become what we regularly feast on.

For better of for worse God knows the intent of the heart

He sees beneath façade of skin that clothes the counterpart

Of longing’s smart and rebel pride,

Of cupid’s dart and dreams denied

His tender gaze beholds the ways of mortal’s mental art

We soon expose, in spite of clothes the thought-guests that we host

The ilk of word and deed soon shows what God/gods we love the most

By what we boast and what we crave

By who we toast astride the grave

By how one lives the Now grace gives; Heaven or earth-engrossed

When circumstance upsets The Plan, when tolerance is tried

When song and dance of fellowman obstructs the prudent stride

For better or for worse God knows

Whether we bless or curse want’s woes

Without a word the heart is heard and seen; nowhere to hide

The intent of the heart becomes tomorrow’s testaments

A catalyst of sacred crumbs scattering recompense

Where, someday we will give account

For seeds that spill from fleeting fount

To strew behind, from heart and mind, love’s fool-proof evidence

© Janet Martin