Poems to Ponder

A Mother's Prayer

Dear Lord, it's such a hectic day
With little time to stop & pray
For life's been anything but calm
Since you called me to be a mom.

Running errand's, matching sock's
Building dreams with matching blocks
Cooking, cleaning finding shoe's
And other stuff that children lose
Fitting lids on bottled bugs,
Wiping tears and giving hugs,
A stack of last weeks mail to read
So where's the quiet time I need?

Yet when I steal a moment, Lord
Just at the sink or ironing board
To ask the blessings of Your grace
I see them in my small one's face
That you have blessed me
All the while
And I stoop to kiss
That precious smile
~Author Unknown~

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Life

Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is bliss, taste it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is costly, care for it.
Life is wealth, keep it.
Life is love, enjoy it.
Life is mystery, know it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it.
~Mother Teresa~

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Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Where there is injury, let me sow pardon,
Where there is doubt, let me sow faith,
Where there is error, let me sow truth,
Where there is despair, let me sow hope,
Where there is darkness, let me sow light,
and where there is sadness, let me sow joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;
To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved, as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

~St. Francis of Assisi~

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Irish Blessing

May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields,
And, until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.
May God grant you many years to live,
For sure he must be knowing
The earth has angels all too few
And Heaven is overflowing.
May you be in Heaven half an hour
Before the devil knows you're dead!

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I Believe

I believe in miracles and dreams that will come true.

I believe in tender moments and friendship, through and through.

I believe in stardust and moonbeams all aglow.

I believe there's magic and more there than we know.

I believe in reaching out and touching from the heart.

I believe that if we touch, a gift we can impart.

I believe that if you cry your tears are not in vain.

And when you're sad and lonely, others will know your pain

I believe that when we laugh a sparkle starts to shine.

And I just know that spark will spread from more hearts than just mine.

I believe that hidden in the quiet of the night. There's magic moths and gypsies, a fairy and a sprite.

I believe that if you dance the dances of your heart, that greater happiness will find a brand new way to start.

I believe the gifts you have, are there for you to share. And when you give from the heart, the whole world knows you care.

I believe that if you give, even just to one, that gift will grow in magnitude, before the day is done.

I believe that comfort comes from giving part of me, and if I share with others, there's more for all to see.

I believe that love is still the greatest gift of all, and when it's given from the heart, then not one of us will fall.

~ Author Unknown ~

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THIS CHILD OF MINE

I'll lend you for a little time,
a child of mine. He said,
For you to love while he lives,
and mourn for when he's dead.
It may be six or seven years,
or twenty-two or three.
But will you, till I call him back,
take care of him for Me?
He'll bring his charms to gladden you,
and shall his stay be brief,
You'll have his lovely memories
as solace for your grief."

"I cannot promise he will stay,
since all from earth return,
But there are lessons taught down there,
I want this child to learn.
I've looked the wide world over
in my search for teachers true,
And from the throngs that crowd life's lane,
I have selected you.
Now will you give him all your love,
nor think the labor vain,
Nor hate Me when I come to call
him back again?"

I fancied that I heard them say:
"Dear Lord, thy will be done."
For all the joy Thy child shall bring,
the risk of grief we'll run.
We'll shelter him with tenderness,
we'll love him while we may,
And for all the happiness we've known,
forever grateful stay;
But shall the angels call for him
much sooner than we've planned;
We'll brave the bitter grief that
comes and try and understand.

~Edgar A. Guest~

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Message of the Day

I want to be six again.
I want to go to McDonald's and think it's
the best place in the world to eat.

I want to sail sticks across
a fresh mud puddle
and make waves with rocks.

I want to think M&Ms are better
than money 'cause you can eat them.
I long for the days when life was simple.
When all you knew were your colors,
the addition tables,
and simple nursery rhymes,
but it didn't bother you
because you didn't know
what you didn't know,
and you didn't care.

I want to go to school
and have snack time,
recess, gym, and field trips.
I want to be happy because
I don't know what should make me upset.

I want to think the world is fair,
and everyone in it is honest and good.
I want to believe
that anything is possible.

Sometime, while I was maturing,
I learned too much.
I learned of nuclear weapons,
starving and abused kids,
and unhappy marriages.
I want to be six again.

I want to think that everyone,
including myself, will live forever
because I don't know the concept of death.
I want to be oblivious
to the complexity of life,
and be overly excited
by the little things again.

I want television to be something
I watch for fun,
not something I use for escape
from the things I should be doing.

I want to live knowing the little things
I find exciting will always make me as happy
as when I first learned them.
I want to be six again.

I remember not seeing the world as a whole,
but rather being aware of only the things
that directly concerned me.

I want to be naive enough to think
that if I'm happy, so is everyone else.
I want to walk down the beach and think
only of the sand beneath my feet,
and the possibility of finding
that blue piece of sea glass I'm looking for.

I want to spend my afternoons climbing trees
and riding my bike,
letting the grownups worry
about time, the dentist,
and how to find the money to fix the car.

I want to wonder what I'll do when I grow up,
not worry what I'll do
if this doesn't work out.

I want that time back.
I want to use it now as an escape,
so that when my computer crashes,
or I have a mountain of paperwork,
or two hurting friends,
or second thoughts about so many things,
I can travel back and build a snowman
without thinking about anything
except whether the snow sticks together
and what I can possibly use
for the snowman's mouth.

I want to be six again.
~From The Art(hritis) Link Letter~

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A Creed For Those Who Suffer

I asked God for strength, that I might achieve. I was made weak, that I might learn humbly to obey......

I asked for health, that I might do great things. I was given infirmity, that I might do better things........

I asked for riches, that I might be happy. I was given poverty, that I might be wise.....

I asked for power, that I may have the praise of men. I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of God......

I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life. I was given life, that I might enjoy all things.....

I got nothing I asked for- but everything I had hoped for.

Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered.

I am, among men, most richly blessed!

~Roy Campanella~

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