It Will Pass

This makes me sad:

I won't always cry, Mummy, 
When you leave the room,
And my supermarket tantrums
Will end too soon.
I won't always wake, Daddy,
For cuddles through the night,
And one day will miss
Having a chocolate face to wipe.
You won't always wake to find my foot
Is kicking you out of bed,
Or find me sideways on your pillow,
Where you want to lay your head.
You won't always have to carry me
In asleep from the car,
Or piggy back me down the road,
When my little legs can't walk that far.
So, cherish every cuddle,
Remember them all.
One day, Mummy,
I won't be this small.
- Unknown

 

A Face in the Crowd

I thought I saw you
In the crowd.
They walked like you,
Their stance was proud.

Their hair the same,
Their profile too.
I really thought
It could be you.

Then I remembered,
You were gone.
My heart fell flat
As I walked on.

I see your face
Wherever I go.
Guess I just thought
That you should know.

Still hear your laugh,
And see your smile,
Though you've been gone
For quite a while.

I miss you more
Than words can say.
Wish it had been you
That I saw today.

Author Unknown

Seven years today

Nan's surprise 80th. January 1993

A Day's Work

This poem reflects motherhood so beautifully.  Happy Mother's Day for yesterday!

Today I left some dishes dirty,
The beds were made around 2:30.
The nappies soaked a little longer,
Their odour grew a little stronger.
The crumbs I spilt the day before,
Are staring at me from the floor.
The dirty streaks on the window panes,
Will still be there next time it rains.
"Oh shame! Oh lazy one," you say,
"And just what did you do today?"
I nursed a baby while she slept,
And held a toddler while he wept.
I played a game of hide and seek,
I squeezed a toy and made it squeak.
I pushed a swing, I sang a song,
I taught a child what's right from wrong.
What did I do this whole day through?
Not much that shows, I guess it's true.'
Unless you think what I have done,
May be important to someone,
With bright brown eyes and soft dark hair.
If that is true, I've done my share.

Sourced from here

The Alcoholic Prayer for Christians

When I get discouraged by the sin in my life, I look back at how God has grown and changed me over the years. In this way, every Christian has something in common with alcoholics wanting to be rid of addiction. I'm not there yet, I won't be until I'm with Him...but I'm closer than I was yesterday.

I am not the man I ought to be,
I am not the man I wish to be,
and I am not the man I hope to be.
But by the grace of God, I'm not the man I used to be.

Santa's Prayer

I saw this on Facebook and thought I'd share.  Merry Christmas!

My dear, precious Jesus, I did not mean to take Your place.
I only bring toys and things, and You bring love and grace.
People give me lists of wishes, and hope that they come true;
But You hear prayers of the heart, and promise Your will to do.
Children try to be good and not to cry when I am coming to town;
But You love them unconditionally and that love will abound.
I leave only a bag of toys and temporary joy for a season;
But You leave a heart of love, full of purpose and reasons.
I have a lot of believers and what one might call fame;
But I never healed the blind, or tried to help the lame.
I have rosy cheeks and a voice full of laughter;
But no nail-scarred hands, or a promise of the hereafter.
You may find several of me in town, or at a mall;
But there is only one omnipotent You to answer a sinner's call.
And so, my dear, precious Jesus, I kneel here to pray;
To worship and adore You, on this, Your holy birthday.

Shipwrecked

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island.  He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him, and every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming.  Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect himself from the elements, and to store his few possessions.

Then one day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky.  The worst had happened - everything was lost.  He was stunned with grief and anger.
"God, how could you do this to me?" he cried.

Early the next day, however, he was awakened by the sound of a ship that was approaching the island.  It had come to rescue him.
"How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man of his rescuers.
"We saw your smoke signal," they replied.

It's easy to get discouraged sometimes when things appear to be going badly.  But we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of pain and suffering.  Remember, next time your little hut is burning to the ground, it just may be a smoke signal that summons the grace of God.

Wisdom from a Church Bulletin

This was included in my church's bulletin two years ago.  It's amazing what you find when cleaning out your study.

1.  Give God what's right - not what's left.
2.  Man's way leads to a hopeless end - God's way leads to an endless hope.
3.  A lot of kneeling will keep you in good standing.
4.  He who kneels before God can stand before anyone.
5.  In the sentence of life, the devil may be a comma - but never let him be a period.
6.  Don't put a question mark where God puts a period.
7.  When praying, don't give God instructions - just report for duty.
8.  We don't change God's message - His message changes us.
9.  The church is prayer-conditioned.
10.  When God ordains, He sustains.
11.  WARNING: Exposure to the Son may prevent burning.
12.  Plan ahead - it wasn't raining when Noah built the ark.
13.  Most people want to serve God, but only in an advisory position.
14.  Suffering from truth decay?  Brush up on your Bible.
15.  Exercise daily - walk with the Lord.
16.  Never give the devil a ride - he will always want to drive.
17.  Nothing else ruins truth like stretching it.
18.  He who angers you controls you.
19.  Worry is the darkroom in which negatives can develop.
20.  Be ye fishers of men - you catch them and He'll clean them.

For The Mums

Amidst all the 'mummy wars', the criticism and running commentary on your life when you become a mum, let's all remember this this Mother's Day and celebrate our diversity:

It's in the Valleys I Grow

A friend of mine has this on the wall in her laundry.  It has really encouraged me each time I've been to her house, especially this year of which the majority has been spent in the valley:


Sometimes life seems hard to bear,
Full of sorrow and woe.
It's then I have to remember,
That it's in the valleys I grow.

If I always stayed on the mountain top,
And never experienced pain,
I would never appreciate God's love,
And would be living in vain.

I have so much to learn,
And my growth is very slow.
Sometimes I need the mountain tops,
But it's in the valleys I grow.

I do not always understand,
Why things happen as they do,
But I am very sure of one thing.
My Lord will see me through.

My little valleys are nothing,
When I picture Christ on the cross;
He went through the valley of death;
His victory was Satan's loss.

Forgive me Lord, for complaining,
When I'm feeling so very low.
Just give me a gentle reminder,
That it's in the valleys I grow.

Continue to strengthen me, Lord,
And use my life each day,
To share Your love with others,
And help them find their way.

Thank you for valleys, Lord,
For this one thing I know,
The mountain tops are glorious,
But it's in the valleys I grow!

By Jane Eggleston.  Online here.

Reflections of a Mother

I read this years ago and thought it was appropriate seeing as I've just celebrated my first Mother's Day as a mum.  It's a great reminder of what I can control and what I must leave in God's hands.  This is for my son:

I gave you life,
But I cannot live it for you.

I can give you directions,
But I cannot be there to lead you.

I can take you to church,
But I cannot make you believe.

I can teach you right from wrong,
But I cannot always decide for you.

I can buy you beautiful clothes,
But I cannot make you beautiful inside.

I can offer you advice,
But I cannot accept it for you.

I can give you love,
But I cannot force it upon you.

I can teach you to share,
But I cannot make you unselfish.

I can teach you respect,
But I cannot force you to show honour.

I can advise you about friends,
But I cannot choose them for you.

I can advise you about sex,
But I cannot keep you pure.

I can tell you about alcohol and drugs,
But I cannot say "No" for you.

I can tell you about lofty goals,
But I cannot achieve them for you.

I can teach you about kindness,
But I cannot force you to be gracious.

I can pray for you,
But I cannot make you walk with God.

I can love you with unconditional love all of my life,
AND I WILL.

Statement For Youth

I received this via forwarded email.  It's what I was getting at in this post.

About time someone said it.  Northland College (NZ) principal John Tapene has offered the following words from a judge who regularly deals with youth:
"Always we hear the cry from teenagers, 'What can we do, where can we go?'  My answer is, "Go home, mow the lawn, wash the windows, learn to cook, build a raft, get a job, visit the sick, study your lessons, and after you've finished, read a book.  Your town does not owe you recreational facilities and your parents do not owe you fun.  The world does not owe you a living, you owe the world something.  You owe it your time, energy and talent so that no-one will be at war, in poverty, or sick and lonely again."
In other words, grow up, stop being a cry baby, get out of your dream world, and develop a backbone, not a wishbone.  Start behaving like a responsible person.  You are important and you are needed.  It's too late to sit around and wait for somebody to do something someday.  Someday is now and that somebody is you.

God is Good

A friend on Facebook posted this a few weeks back.  It's something I want to carry with me throughout the New Year.  I hope it encourages you too.

God is good....
It does not mean that things in my life will always be good....but that God is good.
It does not mean that my life will be an easy one....but that God is good.
It does not mean that my prayers will always be answered in the way I would like....but that God is good.
It does not mean that tragedy may not visit me.....but that God is good.
It does not mean that there will be no suffering in this world......but that God is good.
It does not mean that there will not be times when I am so overcome with sadness at memories in my life that I must go outside and find a place to be alone and just cry for an hour....but that God is good.
It does not mean that there will not continue to be many who deny His very existence because of the pain and seeming unfairness of life around them.....but that God is good.
It does not mean that there will not be many questions for which we have no answers.....but that God is good.
In short, the circumstances of life do not always seem to be good, but God Himself is always good.  Thus though there may not always be happiness, there is always hope.  That must be the basis for our faith - not that God gives us a happy life.

from The Secrets of Heathersleigh Hall by Michael Phillips

Malachi 3:3

Malachi 3:3 says:

He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.

This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.  One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible study. 

That week the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work.  She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver.

As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up.  He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.  The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says, He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.  She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time.  The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire.  If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed. 

The woman was silent for a moment.  Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?"  He smiled at her and answered, "Oh that's easy - when I see my image in it."

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has His eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.  Whatever you're going through, you'll be a better person in the end.

Cat by Mary Britton Miller

This poem is Ebony to a tee.  In fact, someone said to me the first time they saw Ebony they were reminded of it.

The black cat yawns,
Opens her jaws,
Stretches her legs
And shows her claws.
Then she gets up
And stands on four
Long still legs,
And yawns some more.
She shows her sharp teeth,
She stretches her lip,
Her slice of a tongue
Turns at the tip.
Lifting herself
On her delicate toes,
She arches her back
As high as it goes.
She lets herself down
With particular care,
And pads away
With her tail in the air.

Mean Mums

This appeared in the local paper in Dalwallinu last year.  With Mother's Day in just two days time, I thought this might encourage all of the mums out there.

Even though I'm not a parent, I do have a mother, and looking back I'm grateful that she was a 'mean mum'.



Someday when my children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates a parent, I will tell them as my Mean Mum told me:

I loved you enough....to ask where you were going, with whom, and what time you would be home.

I loved you enough to be silent and let you discover that your new best friend was a creep.

I loved you enough to stand over you for two hours while you cleaned your room, a job that should have taken 15 minutes.

I loved you enough to let you see anger, disappointment and tears in my eyes.  Children must learn that their parents aren't perfect.

I loved you enough to let you assume responsibility for your actions even when the penalties were so harsh they almost broke my heart.

But most of all, I loved you enough...to say NO when I knew you would hate me for it.

Those were the most difficult battles of all.  I'm glad I won them, because in the end you won too.  And someday when your children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates parents, you will tell them.  Was your Mum mean?  I know mine was.  We had the meanest mother in the whole world! 

While other kids ate candy for breakfast, we had to have cereal, eggs and toast.

While others had a Pepsi and a Twinkie for lunch, we had to eat sandwiches.

And you can guess our mother fixed us a dinner that was different from what other kids had too.

Mother insisted on knowing where we were at all times.  You'd think we were convicts in a prison.  She had to know who our friends were, and what we were doing with them.  She insisted that if we said we would be gone for an hour, we would be gone for an hour or less.

We were ashamed to admit it, but she had the nerve to break the Child Labour Laws by making us work.  We had to wash the dishes, make the beds, learn to cook, vaccuum the floor, do laundry, empty the trash and all sorts of cruel jobs.  I think she would lie awake at night thinking of more things for us to do.

She always insisted on us telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

By the time we were teenagers, she could read our minds and had eyes in the back of her head.  Then life was really tough!

Mother wouldn't let our friends just honk the horn when they drove up.  They had to come up to the door so she could meet them.

While everyone else could date when they were 12 or 13, we had to wait until we were 16.

Because of our mother, we missed out on lots of things other kids experienced.  None of us have ever been caught shoplifting, vandalising others' property or even arrested for any crime.

It was all her fault.

Now that we have left home, we are all educated, honest adults.  We are doing our best to be mean parents just like Mum was.

I think that's what's wrong with the world today.  It just doesn't have enough mean mums!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO MY MUM AND ALL THE MUMS OUT THERE.

The Thoughts of Nanushka by Nan Witcomb

I asked the celebrant to read this poem at my Nan's funeral.

To mourn too long
for those we love
is self indulgent –
but to honour their memory
with a promise
to live a little better
for having known them,
gives purpose to their life –
and some reason
for their death….

Nan and I on my 1st birthday.

I'll Be Happy When...

I received this via email.  It's good to be reminded of this when I find myself wishing my life away.  It's something I hope to take into 2011.  Happy New Year everyone!

We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get married, have a baby, then another. Then we are frustrated that the kids aren't old enough and we'll be more content when they are. After that, we're frustrated that we have teenagers to deal with. We will certainly be happy when they are out of that stage. We tell ourselves that our life will be complete when our spouse gets his or her act together, when we get a nicer car, when we are able to go on a nice vacation or when we retire. The truth is there's no better time to be happy than right now. If not now, when? Your life will always be filled with challenges.

It's best to admit this to yourself and decide to be happy anyway. Happiness is the way. So, treasure every moment that you have and treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time with .. and remember that time waits for no one.

So, stop waiting ...
Until your car or home is paid off.
Until you get a new car or home.
Until your kids leave the house.
Until you go back to school.
Until you finish school.
Until you lose 10 lbs.
Until you gain 10 lbs.
Until you get married.
Until you get a divorce.
Until you have kids.
Until you retire.
Until summer..
Until spring.
Until winter.
Until fall.
Until you die.

There is no better time than right now to be happy. Happiness is a journey, not a destination. So work like you don't need money, love like you've never been hurt, and, dance like no one's watching.

The Duet

This was emailed to me a few years ago. It almost made me cry!

Wishing to encourage her young son's progress on the piano, a mother took the boy to a Paderewski concert. After they were seated, the mother spotted an old friend in the audience and walked down the aisle to greet her. Seizing the opportunity to explore the wonders of the concert hall, the little boy rose and eventually explored his way through a door marked "NO ADMITTANCE."

When the house lights dimmed and the concert was about to begin, the mother returned to her seat and discovered that the child was missing. Suddenly, the curtains parted and spotlights focused on the impressive Steinway on stage. In horror, the mother saw her little boy sitting at the keyboard, innocently picking out "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star."

At that moment, the great piano maestro made his entrance, quickly moved to the piano, and whispered in the boy's ear, "Don't quit. Keep playing."

Then leaning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began filling in a bass part. Soon his right arm reached around to the other side of the child, and he added a running obligatio. Together, the old master and the young novice transformed what could have been frightening situation into a wonderfully creative experience. The audience was so mesmerized that they couldn't recall what else the great maestro played. Only the classic "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star."

Perhaps that's the way it is with God. What we can accomplish on our own is hardly noteworthy. We try our best, but the results aren't always gracefully flowing music. However, with the hand of the Master, our life's work can truly be beautiful.

Next time you set out to accomplish great feats, listen carefully. You may hear the voice of the Master, whispering in your ear, "Don't quit. Keep playing."

May you feel His arms around you and know that His hands are there helping you turn your feeble attempts into true masterpieces. Remember, God doesn't seem to call the equipped; rather, He equips the 'called.'

Suffering Verse

My mother-in-law emailed a verse about suffering a few months back that she herself had found helpful. It made me cry!

Chance has not brought this ill to me;
It’s God’s own hand, so let it be,
For He sees what I cannot see.
There is a purpose for each pain,
And He one day will make it plain.
That earthly loss is heavenly gain.
Like as a piece of tapestry,
Viewed from the back appears to be,
Only threads tangled hopelessly;
But in the front a picture fair,
Rewards the worker for his care,
Proving his skill and patience rare.
You are the Workman, I the frame.
Lord, for the glory of Your Name,
Perfect Your image on the same.