Growing Older

A little more tired at the close of day,
A little less anxious to have our way,
A little less ready to scold and blame,
A little more care for a brother's name;
And so we are nearing the journey's end,
Where time and eternity meet and blend.

A little less care for bonds and gold,
A little more zeal for the days of old;
A broader view and a saner mind,
And a little more love for all mankind;
And so we are faring down the way
That leads to the gates of a better day.

A little more love for the friends of youth,
A little more zeal for the established truth,
A little more charity in our views,
A little less thirst for the daily news;
And so we are folding our tents away
And passing in silence at close of day.

A little more leisure to sit and dream,
A little more real the things unseen,
A little nearer to those ahead,
With visions of those long loved and dead;
And so we are going where all must go--
To the place the .living may never know.

A little more laughter, a few more tears,
And we shall have told our increasing years.
The book is closed and the prayers are said,
And we are part of the countless dead;
Thrice happy, then, if some soul can say,
"I live because of their help on the way."

God Knows Best

Our Father knows what's best for us,
So why should we complain?
We always want the sunshine,
But He knows there must be rain.

We love the sound of laughter
And the merriment of cheer,
But our hearts would lose their tenderness
If we never shed a tear.

Our Father tests us often
With suffering and with sorrow,
He tests us, not to punish us,
But to help us meet tomorrow.

For growing trees are strengthened
When they withstand the storm,
And the sharp cut of the chisel,
Gives the marble grace and form.

God never hurts us needlessly,
And He never wastes our pain,
For every loss He sends to us,
Is followed by rich gain.

And when we count the blessings,
That God has so freely sent,
We will find no cause of murmuring
And no time to lament.

For our Father loves his children,
And to Him all things are plain;
So He never sends us pleasure
When the soul's deep need is pain.

So whenever we are troubled,
And when everything goes wrong;
It is just God working in us,
To make our  spirit strong.

- Helen Steiner Rice

Fortitude

Laugh, and the world laughs with you;
Weep, and you weep alone.
For the sad old earth must borrow its mirth,
But has trouble enough of its own.
Sing, and the hills will answer;
Sigh, it is lost on the air.
The echoes bound to a joyful sound,
But shrink from voicing care.

Rejoice, and men will seek you;
Grieve, and they turn and go.
They want full measure of all your pleasure,
But they do not need your woe.
Be glad, and your friends are many;
Be sad, and you lose them all.
There are none to decline your nectared wine,
But alone you must drink life's gall.

Feast, and your halls are crowded;l
Fast, and world goes by.
Succeed and give, and it helps you live,
But no man can help you die.
There is a room in the halls of pleasure
For along and lordly train,
But one by one we must all file on
Through the narrow aisles of pain.

- Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Forgiveness is Sweet

It was so hard to forgive
Those who hurt and did me wrong,
The ones who lied, and those who tried
To snuff out my victor's song.

I took the shame and sorrow
They heaped upon my soul,
I bent and broke in pieces,
No longer strong and whole.

My self esteem was zero,
I felt worthless, stained with dirt,
I bowed beneath the burden
Unsure, defamed, and hurt.

But then I met the Savior,
And saw the way He came
To mankind meek and lowly,
Shaped of a different frame -

Earthly beauty did not matter
Neither wealth nor fame,
But just to please the Father,
This man with God's own name.

I took His life unto me
Gave Him what had been mine
I no longer had to worry
If men were cruel or unkind.

I asked for His forgiveness,
And shared it with those in need
Of forgiveness for their mortal selves
For sinful word or deed.

As I granted this grace, forgiveness,
I gained a blessed relief,
My spirit grew strong with honor,
My heart grew full of peace.

I now seek only God's opinion;
Is He pleased with me?
For He alone is worthy
To judge and require a change in me.

- Donnabelle Jamoralin

Enduring the Storms of Life

Sometimes it's hard to take
The bitter with the sweet
to face the raging storms of life
And not give up in defeat.

Sometimes we rely on worldly things
To help us reach our goals
We build our hopes upon the sand
And the storms beat on our souls.

But if we put our trust in God
We're building on his rock
And all the storms of life can't harm
Anyone who's in His flock.

we will endure the storms of life
With faith and trust in His love.
For He will set his lighthouse
To guide us from above.

Then whatever challenges we face
Whatever be our plight
He will guide us safely home
If we only follow in His light.

Don't Ever Stop Dreaming Your Dreams

Don't ever be reluctant
to show your feelings - 
When you're happy,
give in to it.
When you're not, live with it.

Don't ever be afraid
to try to make things better,
you might be surprised at the results.

Don't ever take the weight
of the world on your shoulders.
Don't ever feel threatened by the future;
Take life one day at a time.

Don't ever feel guilty about the past;
What's done is done.
Learn from mistakes you might have
made.

Don't ever feel that you are alone --
There is always somebody there
for you to reach out to.

Don't ever forget that you can achieve
So many of the things you can imagine,
It's not as hard as it seems.

Don't ever stop loving,
Don't ever stop believing,
Don't ever stop dreaming your dreams.

Build a Box of Friendship

Into a box of friendship
To ensure that it is strong
First a layer of respect
On the bottom does belong.

Then to the sides attach
In the corners where they meet
Several anchors full of trust
Devoid of all deceit.

The height of friendship can be
Measured by the sides of four\
So make them all a larger cut
And the box will hold much more.

Now fill it up with courtesy
Honor and esteem
Understanding, sympathy
And passion for a dream.

Add to that your honesty
Emotions, joy and love
And since they're so important
Place them up above

But leave the box wide open
So all can see inside
To learn what makes a friendship work
From the box you built with pride.