It only takes a word or two,
to jog our memory back;
To thoughts and things of yesterday,
Those "pieces of the past".
When we were small and the world seemed large,
We listened and we learned;
To things our parents had to say,
With great love and much concern.
To bring back only one more day,
We'd give so very much;
To hear those little worthwhile things,
Or feel that special touch.
So to our children we pass the things,
That are instilled in us to last;
And go with us forever more,
Those "pieces of the past".

THE FRIEND

If God had given me the chance,
To search the world and find;
A very dear and special friend,
That I could choose for mine ---
I'd look for all the qualities,
Like strength and honesty;
I'd seek a caring, sharing heart,
And true integrity.
I'd find someone who's not afraid,
To share their hopes and dreams;
Who then in turn would listen,
As I share the same thing.
I'd look for one with honor,
With laughter in their soul;
Who gives more than they ever take,
Who brings me joy untold.
Then I'd turn to the Father,
And I'd ask if I was through.
He'd say that I could stop searching,
For I've found that friend in you.

Dreams

Beyond The Realm Of Dreams I live my life
within a dream
longing for what's real.
I form the words
within my heart
in hopes that I could feel
The loving touch
of your hands,
the warmth I get from you,
The sweet embrace
of this special place,
in the arms that I once knew.
Somday I'll find
some peace of mind
when my words no longer seem,
like echoes of
a distant thought
beyond the realm of dreams.

GOD

There are angels keeping vigil
Across this land of ours
They guard and comfort those in need
And soothe the deepest scars
Yes, God is in His heaven
His mercy is assured
To hearts that long for lasting peace
He offers that and more
This world is ever changing
We worry and we fret
But He alone can dry the tears
Caused by heartaches we have met
When morning breaks the darkness
And hope transcends despair
You'll find His great transforming love
Is shining everywhere
Snow falls down from the heavens,
Upon the mountains and the trees.
The wind blows softly and leaves behind,
A cool but gentle breeze.
As I gaze upon this wondrous beauty,
Created by God above.
I feel an overwhelming peace,
Of God's eternal Love.
Only God could create such beauty,
On this cold wintry day.
As I look upon the snow covered mountains,
I behold His beauty on display.

My Way

And now the end is near
And so I face the final curtain
My friend, I'll say it clear
I'll state my case of which I'm certain
I've lived a life that's full
I've traveled each and every highway
And more, much more than this
I did it my way
Regrets, I've had a few
But then again, too few to mention
I did what I had to do
And saw it through without exemption
I planned each charted course
Each careful step along the byway
And more, much more than this
I did it my way
Yes, there were times, I'm sure you knew
That I bit off more than I could chew
But through it all when there was doubt
I ate it up and spit it out
I faced it all and I stood tall
And did it my way
I've loved, I've laughed and cried
I've had my fails, my share of losing
And now as tears subside
I find it all so amusing
To think I did all that
And may I say, not in a shy way
Oh, no, oh no not me
I did it my way
For what is a man, what has he got
If not himself, then he has not
To say the words he truly feels
And not the words he would reveal
The record shows I took the blows
And did it my way
The record shows I took the blows
And did it my way

My Friends

Memory builds a little pathway
That goes winding through my heart.
It's a lovely, quiet, gentle trail
From other things apart;
I only meet when traveling there
The folks I like the best
For this road I call remembrance
Is hidden from the rest;
But I hope I'll always find you
In my memory rendezvous
For I keep this little secret place
To meet with folks like you.

If Tomorrow Never Comes..

If I knew it would be the last time
That I'd see you fall asleep,
I would tuck you in tighter
and pray the Lord, your soul to keep.
If I knew it would be the last time
that I see you walk out the door,
I would give you a hug and kiss
and call you back for one more.
If I knew it would be the last time
I'd hear your voice lifted up in praise,
I would video tape each action and word,
so I could play them back day after day.
If I knew it would be the last time,
I could spare an extra minute or two
to stop and say love you,
instead of assuming you would KNOW I do.
If I knew it would be the last time
I would be there to share your day,
well I'm sure you'll have so many more
so I can let just this one slip away.
For surely there's always tomorrow
to make up for an oversight,
and we always get a second chance
to make everything right.
There will always be another day
to say our," I love you's,"
And certainly there's another chance
to say our. " Anything I can do's?"
But just in case I might be wrong,
and today is all I get,
I'd like to say how much I love you
and I hope we never forget.
Tomorrow is not promised to anyone,
young or old alike,
And today may be the last chance
you get to hold your loved one tight.
So if you're waiting for tomorrow,
why not do it today?
For if tomorrow never comes,
you'll surely regret the day,
That you didn't take that extra time
for a smile, a hug, or a kiss
and you were too busy to grant someone,
what turned out to be their one last wish.
So always hold them dear.
Take time to say I'm sorry, Please forgive
me, Thank you, or It's okay.
And if tomorrow never comes,
you'll have no regrets about today.

~LOVE IS~

LOVE IS BEING HAPPY
FOR THE OTHER PERSON WHEN THEY ARE HAPPY...
BEING SAD FOR THE OTHER PERSON WHEN THEY ARE SAD...
BEING TOGETHER IN GOOD TIMES...
AND BEING TOGETHER IN BAD TIMES...
LOVE IS THE SOURCE OF STRENGTH...
LOVE IS BEING HONEST WITH YOURSELF AT ALL TIMES..
TELLING, LISTENING, RESPECTING THE TRUTH
AND NEVER PRETENDING...
LOVE IS THE SOURCE OF REALITY...
LOVE IS AN UNDERSTANDING THAT IS
SO COMPLETE THAT YOU FEEL
AS IF YOU ARE A PART OF THE OTHER PERSON.
ACCEPTING THE OTHER PERSON JUST THE WAY
THEY ARE AND NOT TRYING TO CHANGE THEM
TO BE SOMETHING ELSE...
LOVE IS THE SOURCE OF UNITY...
LOVE IS THE FREEDOM TO PURSUE
YOUR OWN DESIRES WHILE SHARING YOUR EXPERIENCE
WITH THE OTHER PERSON
THE GROWTH OF ONE INDIVIDUAL
ALONG SIDE OF AND TOGETHER
WITH THE GROWTH OF ANOTHER INDIVIDUAL...
LOVE IS THE SOURCE OF SUCCESS...
LOVE IS THE EXCITEMENT OF PLANNING THINGS TOGETHER...
THE EXCITEMENT OF DOING THINGS TOGETHER...
LOVE IS THE FURY OF STORM...
THE CALM OF THE RAINBOW....
LOVE IS SOURCE OF PASSION...
LOVE IS GIVING AND TAKING
IN A DAILY SITUATION
BEING PATIENT WITH EACH OTHER'S NEEDS
AND DESIRES... LOVE IS THE SOURCE OF SHARING...
LOVE IS KNOWING THAT THE OTHER PERSON
WILL ALWAYS BE WITH YOU REGARDLESS OF WHAT HAPPENS,
MISSING THE OTHER PERSON WHEN THEY ARE AWAY,
BUT REMAINING NEAR IN HEART AT ALL TIMES...
LOVE IS THE SOURCE OF SECURITY..
LOVE IS THE SOURCE OF LIFE... ..

GIVE ME GRACE LORD

It seems that this life has dealt harshly with me,
I can't walk very well, can't really by free.
While my health goes to pot, I just try to hang on,
Though sometimes my strength's almost totally gone.
So I plod slowly on, though I know not quite how,
And I pray to the Lord as I humbly bow.
Give me strength blessed Lord, to get thru each day,
Let me show good examples as I go my way.
Give me grace as I go to accept what may be,
For the future dear Lord, you alone can foresee.
Let me not put a block in my fellowman¹s way,
Help me Lord, give me courage, I humbly pray.
Help me encourage someone, worse off than I,
And then in the end, let me quietly die.
Then I'll come there to you, a most joyous place,
Prepared for your own through your infinite grace.
There my grandma, my momma, my daughter await,
To give me a hug by that great golden gate.
There will be no more pain, and sadness will flee,

WORDS OF LOVE

Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

My Love

She walks in beauty, like the night

Of cloudless climes and starry skies;

And all that's best of dark and bright

Meet in her aspect and her eyes:

Thus mellowed to that tender light

Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

I'm always here for you.

You're never alone, I'm always near,
When your troubled, down or blue.
All you have to do is call me,
I'm always here for you.
It doesn't matter where I'm at,
It doesn't matter when.
When you need someone to talk to,
I'm here to be your friend.
If you need someone to hold your hand,
or a hug to say I care.
If you need a shoulder to cry on,
for you I will be there.
So never think you are a burden,
when the weight gets to be to much.
You might find if you look hard enough,
a good friend could be the right touch.
You're never alone, I'm always here,
through the good times and the bad.
I'm always here to be your friend,
And hope to lift you from being sad.
~Your friend, always & forever~

Before it is Done

New love as bright as the sun
Who knows where it will go before it is done
Two people just starting out
So in love, with no worries and no doubts
Fear has no meaning at all
They will conquer all threats, big or small
Will this always be this way
Will this love last for eternity plus a day
Only time can tell
And old mister time keeps his secrets well
They will just have to wait
To find out what is in store for them from fate
New love as bright as the sun
No one knows where it will go before it is done

~A BEND IN THE ROAD ~

When we feel we have nothing left to give
and we are sure that the song has ended,
When our day seems over and the shadows fall
and the darkness of night has descended,
Where can we go to find the strength
to valiantly keep on trying?
Where can we find the hand that will dry
the tears that the heart is crying?
There's but one place to go and that is to God,
and dropping all pretense and pride,
We can pour out our problems without restraint
and gain strength with Him at our side.
And together we stand at life's crossroads
and view what we think is the end,
But God has a much bigger vision,
and He tells us it's only a bend,
For the road goes on and is smoother,
and the pause in the song is a rest,
And the part that's unsung and unfinished
is the sweetest and richest and best.
So rest and relax and grow stronger
let go and let God share your load.
Your work is not finished or ended
you've just come to a bend in the road.

Tears

We should not hide from our tears.
We can trust their need to be present.
Perhaps they need to be present
For someone else, as well as ourselves.
Tears encourage compassion;
Maybe our assignment in life, today
Is to help someone experience compassion.