[.~.~.~:~:~:~.~.~.] Inspirational Poems [.~.~.~:~:~:~.~.~.]

I HAVE seen dawn and sunset on moors and windy hills
Coming in solemn beauty like slow old tunes of Spain:
I have seen the lady April bringing the daffodils,
Bringing the springing grass and the soft warm April rain.

I have heard the song of the blossoms and the old chant of the sea,
And seen strange lands from under the arched white sails of ships;
But the loveliest thing of beauty God ever has shown to me,
Are her voice, and her hair, and eyes, and the dear red curve of her lips.

FRIENDS and loves we have none, nor wealth nor blessed abode,
But the hope of the City of God at the other end of the road.

Not for us are content, and quiet, and peace of mind,
For we go seeking a city that we shall never find.

There is no solace on earth for us--for such as we--
Who search for a hidden city that we shall never see.

Only the road and the dawn, the sun, the wind, and the rain,
And the watch fire under stars, and sleep, and the road again.

We seek the City of God, and the haunt where beauty dwells,
And we find the noisy mart and the sound of burial bells.

Never the golden city, where radiant people meet,
But the dolorous town where mourners are going about the street.

We travel the dusty road till the light of the day is dim,
And sunset shows us spires away on the world's rim.

We travel from dawn to dusk, till the day is past and by,
Seeking the Holy City beyond the rim of the sky.

Friends and loves we have none, nor wealth nor blest abode,
But the hope of the City of God at the other end of the road.

In childhood's pride I said to Thee:
"O Thou, who mad'st me of Thy breath,
Speak, Master, and reveal to me
Thine inmost laws of life and death.

"Give me to drink each joy and pain
Which Thine eternal hand can mete,
For my insatiate soul can drain
Earth's utmost bitter, utmost sweet.

"Spare me no bliss, no pang of strife,
Withhold no gift or grief I crave,
The intricate lore of love and life
And mystic knowledge of the grave."

Lord, Thou didst answer stern and low:
"Child, I will hearken to thy prayer,
And thy unconquered soul shall know
All passionate rapture and despair.

"Thou shalt drink deep of joy and fame,
And love shall burn thee like a fire,
And pain shall cleanse thee like a flame,
To purge the dross from thy desire.

"So shall thy chastened spirit yearn
To seek from its blind prayer release,
And spent and pardoned, sue to learn
The simple secret of My peace.

I, bending from my sevenfold height,
Will teach thee of My quickening grace,
Life is a prism of My light,
And Death the shadow of My face."

ALL in the dark we grope along,
And if we go amiss
We learn at least which path is wrong,
And there is gain in this.

We do not always win the race,
By only running right,
We have to tread the mountain's base
Before we reach its height.

The Christs alone no errors made;
So often had they trod
The paths that lead through light and shade,
They had become as God.

As Krishna, Buddha, Christ again,
They passed along the way,
And left those mighty truths which men
But dimly grasp to-day.

But he who loves himself the last
And knows the use of pain,
Though strewn with errors all his past,
He surely shall attain.

Some souls there are that needs must taste
Of wrong, ere choosing right;
We should not call those years a waste
Which led us to the light.

SOMETIMES I wish the railroads all were torn out,
The ships all sunk among the coral strands.
I am so very weary, yea, so worn out,
With tales of those who visit foreign lands.

When asked to dine, to meet these traveled people,
My soup seems brewed from cemetery bones.
The fish grows cold on some cathedral steeple,
I miss two courses while I stare at thrones.

I'm forced to leave my salad quite untasted,
Some musty, moldy temple to explore.
The ices, fruit and coffee all are wasted
While into realms of ancient art I soar.

I'd rather take my chance of life and reason,
If in a den of roaring lions hurled
Than for a single year, ay, for one season,
To dwell with folks who'd traveled round the world.

So patronizing are they, so oppressive,
With pity for the ones who stay at home,
So mighty is their knowledge, so aggressive,
I ofttimes wish they had not ceased to roam.

They loathe the new, they quite detest the present;
They revel in a pre-Columbian morn;
Just dare to say America is pleasant,
And die beneath the glances of their scorn.

They are increasing at a rate alarming,
Go where I will, the traveled man is there.
And now I think that rustic wholly charming
Who has not strayed beyond his meadows fair.

YOU will be what you will to be;
Let failure find its false content
In that poor word "environment,"
But spirit scorns it, and is free,

It masters time, it conquers space,
It cows that boastful trickster Chance,
And bids the tyrant Circumstance
Uncrown and fill a servant's place.

The human Will, that force unseen,
The offspring of a deathless Soul,
Can hew the way to any goal,
Though walls of granite intervene.

Be not impatient in delay,
But wait as one who understands;
When spirit rises and commands,
The gods are ready to obey.

The river seeking for the sea
Confronts the dam and precipice,
Yet knows it cannot fail or miss;
You will be what you will to be!

LET no man pray that he know not sorrow,
Let no soul ask to be free from pain,
For the gall of to-day is the sweet of to-morrow,
And the moment's loss is the lifetime's gain.

Through want of a thing does its worth redouble,
Through hunger's pangs does the feast content,
And only the heart that has harbored trouble,
Can fully rejoice when joy is sent.

Let no man shrink from the bitter tonics
Of grief, and yearning, and need, and strife,
For the rarest chords in the soul's harmonies,
Are found in the minor strains of life.

THERE are two kinds of people on earth to-day;
Just two kinds of people, no more, I say.

Not the sinner and saint, for it's well understood,
The good are half bad, and the bad are half good.

Not the rich and the poor, for to rate a man's wealth,
You must first know the state of his conscience and health.

Not the humble and proud, for in life's little span,
Who puts on vain airs, is not counted a man.

Not the happy and sad, for the swift flying years
Bring each man his laughter and each man his tears.

No; the two kinds of people on earth I mean,
Are the people who lift, and the people who lean.

Wherever you go, you will find the earth's masses,
Are always divided in just these two classes.

And oddly enough, you will find too, I ween,
There's only one lifter to twenty who lean.

In which class are you? Are you easing the load,
Of overtaxed lifters, who toil down the road?

Or are you a leaner, who lets others share
Your portion of labor, and worry and care?

HOW happy is he born or taught
That serveth not another's will,
Whose armor is his honest thought,
And simple truth his highest skill;

Whose passions not his masters are;
Whose soul is still prepared for death,
Untied unto the world with care
Of princes' grace or vulgar breath;

Who envies none whom chance doth raise,
Or vice; who never understood
The deepest wounds are given by praise,
By rule of state but not of good;

Who hath his life from rumours freed,
Whose conscience is his strong retreat,
Whose state can neither flatterers feed
Nor ruins make accusers great;

Who God doth late and early pray
More of his grace than goods to send,
And entertains the harmless day
With a well-chosen book or friend.

This man is free from servile bands
Of hope to rise or fear to fall,
Lord of himself, though not of lands,
And having nothing, yet hath all.

Did you know that an eagle knows when a storm is
approaching long before it breaks? The eagle will
fly to some high spot and wait for the winds to come.

When the storm hits, it sets its wings so that the
wind will pick it up and lift it above the storm.
While the storm rages below, the eagle is soaring
above it. The eagle does not escape the storm.
It simply uses the storm to lift it higher. It
rises on the winds that bring the storm.

When the storms of life come upon us - and all of
us will experience them - we can rise above them by
setting our minds and our belief toward God. The
storms do not have to overcome us. We can allow
God's power to lift us above them.

God enables us to ride the winds of the storm that
bring sickness, tragedy, failure and disappointment in
our lives. We can soar above the storm.

Remember, it is not the burdens of life that weigh
us down, it is how we handle them.

The Bible says, "Those who hope in the Lord will
renew their strength. They will soar on wings like

It's quiet. It's early. My coffee is hot. The sky is still black.
The world is still asleep. The day is coming.

In a few moments the day will arrive.
It will roar down the track with the rising of the sun.
The stillness of the dawn will be exchanged for the noise of the day.
The calm of the solitude will be replaced by the pounding pace of the
human race. The refuge of the early morning will be invaded
by decisions to be made and deadlines to be met.

For the next twelve hours I will be exposed to the day's demands.
It is now that I must make a choice. Because of Calvary, I'm free to choose.
And so I choose.

I choose love...
No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness,
I choose love. Today I will love God and what God loves.

I choose joy...
I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance.
I will refuse the temptation to be cynical... the tool of the lazy thinker.
I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings,
created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as anything less
than an opportunity to see God.

I choose patience...
I will overlook the inconveniences of the world.
Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I'll invite him to do so.
Rather than complaining that the wait is too long,
I will thank God for a moment to pray.
Instead of clenching my fist at new assignments,
I will face them with joy and courage.

I choose kindness...
I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone.
Kind to the rich, for they are afraid.
And kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.

I choose goodness...
I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one.
I will be overlooked before I will boast.
I will confess before I will accuse.
I choose goodness.

I choose faithfulness...
Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not regret their trust.
My associates will not question my word.
My loved ones will not question my love.
And my children will never fear that their parent will not come home.

I choose gentleness...
Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle.
If I raise my voice, may it be only in praise.
If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer.
If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.

I choose self-control...
I am a spiritual being. After this body is dead, my spirit will soar.
I refuse to let what will rot, rule the eternal. I choose self-control.
I will be drunk only by joy. I will be impassioned only by my faith.
I will be influenced only by God. I will be taught only by Christ.
I choose self-control.

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
To these I commit my day. If I succeed, I will give thanks.
If I fail, I will seek His grace. And then when this day is done,
I will place my head on my pillow and rest.

Life is a challenge - meet it.
Life is a gift - accept it.
Life is an adventure - dare it.
Life is a sorrow - overcome it.
Life is a tragedy - face it.
Life is a duty - perform it.
Life is a game - play it.
Life is a mystery - unfold it.
Life is a song - sing it.
Life is an opportunity - take it.
Life is a journey - complete it.
Life is a promise - fulfill it.
Life is a beauty - praise it.
Life is a struggle - fight it.
Life is a goal - achieve it.
Life is a puzzle - solve it.
Life is eternal - believe it.

Things around here haven't changed much.
It's still pretty much the same stuff
Day after day.
The only thing that keeps me going
Seems to be our baby girl I'm trying to raise.
She's my life, my morning angel.
Always seems to find the rainbow
After the rain.
Lately, she's so busy growing
I don't even think she knows you've gone away.
She finally learned to say good-bye
And she's sleeping through the night.
She don't wake up crying.
And she's walking on her own.
She don't need no one holding to her hand.
And I hate to admit, she's stronger than I am.
She ain't cracking under pressure.
First one step and then another
She goes along.
And if she falls and skins her knee,
She cries a while then smiles at me
And just goes on.
So many things that she can teach me.
Full of life and so completely innocent.
She stills says she loves her daddy
Goes on just like nothing happened.
Forgives and forgets.

Life holds so many priceless things.
The falling rain, the wind that sings.
Each star on a high, a big full moon.
And sunbeams dancing in your room.

The river as it rushes on.
A sunset when day is gone.
No wealth can buy a mountain tall.
These priceless things belong to all.

An autumn tree lends beauty rare.
With leaves piled deep most everywhere.
As nature wears a glowing smile.
To make each day a day worthwhile.

Could anything be quite as dear?
As laughing children that we hear?
The gift of friendship that is ours?
The miracle of growing flowers?

There may be days when you get up in the morning and things aren't the way you had hoped they would be.

But those are the times when you must remind yourself to trust your own judgments and opinions, to keep your life focused on believing in yourself.

There will be challenges to face and changes to make in your life, and it is up to you to accept them.

It may not be easy at times, but in those times of struggle you will find a stronger sense of who you are.

So when the days come that are filled with frustration and unexpected responsibilities, remember to believe in yourself and all you want your life to be.

Because the challenges and changes will only help you to find the goals that you know are meant to come true for you.

A group of students were studying geography and they were asked to list what
they considered to be the Seven Wonders of the World.

Though there was some disagreement, the following got the most votes:
1. Egypt's Great Pyramids,

2. Taj Mahal
3. Grand Canyon,
4. Panama Canal,
5. Empire State Building,
6. St. Peter's Basilica,
7. China's Great Wall.

While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one quiet little girl hadn't turned in her paper yet. She asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list. The girl replied, "Yes, a little. I couldn't quite make up my mind because there were so many."

The teacher said, "Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help."
The girl hesitated, then read, "I think the Seven Wonders of the World are:

1. to touch,
2. to taste,
3. to see,
4. to hear,
5. to run,
6. to laugh,
7. and to love.

It is too easy for us to look at the exploits of man as "wonders" while we overlook all God has done, regarding them as merely "ordinary." May you be reminded today of those things which are truly wondrous.

DONT THINK YOU ARE ALONE

They think you dont care
to be the best they dare
look out your door
my freind your unique their judgement is poor
you not alone thats a promise ill keep
some advice is life's road can be steep
a freind hears your fears
an enemy releases your tears
in my book eveyones the same
those who bother are just lame
believe in your dreams
cause my freind god hears your screams
when all you can do is cry
some angel your tears will dry
now take my hand
and to self denial lets take a stand
to the one's who care you are the best
your enemies the bravest heart only test

I WISH YOU

Happiness..... Deep down within
Serenity..... With each sunrise
Success..... In each facet of your life
Close and caring friends
Love..... That never ends
Knowledge of the grace and love of God
Special memories...... Of all the yesterdays
A bright today..... With much to be thankful for
A path..... That leads to beautiful tomorrows
Dreams..... That do their best to come true
And appreciation..... Of all the wonderful things about you!

BORN TO FLY

I've been telling my dreams to the scare crow
About the places that I'd like to see.
I say, "Friend, do you think I'll ever get there?"
But he just stands there smiling back at me.

So I confess my sins to the preacher.
About the love I've been praying to find.
"Is there a brown eyed boy in my future?"
And he says, "Girl, you've got nothing but time."

But how do wait for heaven?
And who has that much time?
And how do you keep your feet on the ground,
When you know that you were born,

You were born to fly?
My daddy, he's grounded like the oak tree.
My momma, she's steady as the sun.
Oh, you know I love my folks, but I keep straing down the road.

Just looking for my one chance to run.
Yeah, cuz I will soar away like the blackbird.
I will blow in the wind like a sea
I will plant my heart in the garden of my dreams

And I will grow up where I'll wander wild and free.
But how do you wait for heaven?
And who has that much time?
And how do you keep your feet on the ground

When you know you were born,
You were born to fly?

BELIEVE IN YOUR HEART

Believe in your heart that something wonderful is about to happen.
Love your life.
Believe in your own powers, and your own potential,
and in your own innate goodness.

Wake every morning with the awe of just being alive.
Discover each day the magnificent, awesome beauty in the world.
Explore and embrace life in yourself and in everyone you see each day.
Reach within to find your own specialness.

Amaze yourself and rouse those around you to the potential of each new day.
Don't be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect;
this is the essence of your humanity.
Let those who love you help you.
Trust enough to be able to take.

Look with hope to the horizon of today, for today is all we truly have.
Live this day well.
Let a little sun out as well as in.
Create your own rainbows.
Be open to all your possibilities; all possibilities and Miracles.
Always believe in Miracles.

ACHIEVING DREAMS

A dream is a seed
The seed of a tree
A tree full of life
And the things you can be
Your dreams are the windows
Through which you can see
A hint of your future
And the things you will be
Each night when you sleep
YOur feeding the seed
The seed of the tree
Of who you will be..

INSPIRATIONAL

After a while you learn the subtle differnce between
holding a hand and chaining a soul,
And you learn that love doesn't mean leaning and
company, doesn't mean security.

And you begin to learn that kisses aren't contracts
and presents aren't promises,
And you begin to accept your defeats with your head
up and your eyes open, with the grace of an adult,
not the grief of a child,

And you learn to build all your roads on today
because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain for plans.
After a while you learn that even sunshine burns if
you get too much.

So plant you own garden and decorate your own
soul, instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.
And you learn that you reall can endure
That you really are strong,
And you really do have worth.

ITS ALL UPTO YOU

One song can spark a moment,
One flower can wake the dream.
One tree can start a forest,
One bird can herald spring.

One smile begins a friendship,
One handclasp lifts a soul.
One star can guide a ship at sea,
One word can frame the goal.

One vote can change a nation,
One sunbeam lights a room,
One candle wipes out darkness
One laugh will conquer gloom.

One step must start each journey,
One word must start each prayer.
One hope will raise our spirits,
One touch can show you care.

One voice can speak with wisdom,
One heart can know what's true,
One life can make the difference,
You see, it's all up to YOU!!

LOVE IN THE HOME

If I live in a house of spotless beauty with everything in its place,
but have not love, I am a housekeeper--not a homemaker.
If I have time for waxing, polishing, and decorative achievements, but
have not love, my children learn cleanliness--not godliness.
Love leaves the dust in search of a child's laugh.
Love smiles at the tiny fingerprints on a newly cleaned window.
Love wipes away the tears before it wipes up the spilled milk.
Love picks up the child before it picks up the toys.
Love is present through the trials.
Love reprimands, reproves, and is responsive.
Love crawls with the baby, walks with the toddler, runs with the child,
then stands aside to let the youth walk into adulthood.
Love is the key that opens salvation's message to a child's heart.
Before I became a mother I took glory in my house of perfection.
Now I glory in God's perfection of my child.
As a mother, there is much I must teach my child, but the greatest of all is love.

NINE REQUISITES FOR CONTENTED LIVING

1. HEALTH enough to make work a pleasure.
2. WEALTH enough to support your needs.
3. STRENGTH to battle with difficulties and overcome them.
4. GRACE enough to confess your sins and forsake them.
5. PATIENCE enough to toil until some good is accomplished.
6. CHARITY enough to see some good in your neighbor.
7. LOVE enough to move you to be useful and helpful to others.
8. FAITH enough to make real the things of God.
9. HOPE enough to remove all anxious fears concerning the future.

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