Take Time to Be Kind

Kindness is a virtue
   given by The Lord,
It pays dividends in happiness
   and joy is its reward . . .
For, if you practice kindness
   in all you say and do,
The Lord will wrap His kindness
   around your heart and you . . .
And wrapped within His kindness
   you are sheltered and secure
And under His direction
   your way is safe and sure.

            ~ Helen Steiner Rice

A Psalm of Gratitude

Sing a psalm of gratitude
   To the Lord on high
Thank Him for His goodness
   In all the years gone by!
Without His Love sustaining
   All life would fade and die,
So sing a psalm of praise and love
   To God Who reigns on high.
All glory, praise, all honor
   To our God be given
Creator of all mankind,
   Great God of earth and heaven.
To You I give my love, my all,
   While life is left in me.
O, let me sing Your praises, Lord,
   With You eternally.

               ~ Rev. Thomas Foy

The Road Before Us

At times we find life's highway
   A rough and weary road
As we strive to balance
   An extra heavy load.

But God will not abandon
   Anyone along the way
Who invokes His providence,
   Nor their confidence betray.

We can follow in His footsteps
   When we do a kindly deed
For a trusting friend or neighbor
   In his humble hour of need.

Life's highway will be fruitful
   If we always keep in sight
The hope and strength within us
   Through His love and guiding light.

           ~ Catherine Janssen Irwin

The Riches From Above

The riches coming from above
are worth their weight in gold,
for joy and peace and faith and love
are things that can't be sold.

For everybody has a gift
of mind and heart and soul,
a gift that gives us all a lift
and makes our spirits whole.

For fame and fortune, wealth and power,
do not contentment bring--
they last a short and fleeting hour
and are a passing thing.

And all the goods that dollars buy
will into dust decay,
but good that comes from God on high
will never pass away.

                      ~ Alvin Finkelstein

We Had Everything

I am one of eleven children.
I was born at Air Bellows.
Three miles south of Whitehead.

We was born right on top
of the Blue Ridge Mountain.
My father's farm
run right along where the Scenic is now.

We enjoyed it.
We had everything.
We had outdors and we had the streams,
and we had all the beauty of God's creation.

We enjoyed it so much.

                ~ NORA C. WAGONER, 1882
                                     Alleghany County

From: Rough Weather Makes Good Timber
                             by Patsy Moore Ginns

The Way Before Me

I know not the way before me,
   But Jesus will guide me still;
And so, in His mercy trusting,
   I patiently wait His will.

I know not the cares or sorrows
   That into my life may fall,
But Jesus, my loving Savior,
   Will give me the grace for all.

I know not the way before me,
   But Jesus my Lord is near,
To shelter, protect and keep me;
   Then why should I doubt or fear?

I know not the way before me,
   But this to my soul is given--
The promise of life eternal,
   A home and a rest in heaven.

                   ~ Fanny Crosby

Desert Sand

My life was a desert full of sand,
The sun burned down to scorch the land,
No vegetation grew in me,
Just stones, and sand, and misery.

But then there came a healing rain:
God set my gloomy heart aflame,
And, from the burning sand, there grew
Green grass, and flowers of every hue.

He watered it with magic love,
And tuned my heart to look above,
And, in the sunshine of His smile,
My empty life became worthwhile.

He caused the sand, once in repose,
In love, to blossom like the rose,
The barren earth to sprout, and grow,
Where e'er His Living Waters flow!

                    ~ W.R. Goodman

God Keeps In Touch

God shows Himself a bit each day
To those who pause along the way
To contemplate a budding rose
Or watch a river as it flows.

He calms our fears and disbelief
By resurrecting every leaf
When spring has come upon the land
And every day is simply grand.

He paints the sunrise day by day
To chase the darkest night away,
Then hangs the stars when day is through
That we might have a wish come true.

Sometimes it rains on our parade
And spoils the plans that we have made,
But soon each storm shall pass us by
And there's His rainbow in the sky!

God keeps in touch with those who seek
His fellowship throughout the week
For all who look shall surely see
His glory and His majesty!

                           ~ Clay Harrison

Life's Mirror

There are loyal hearts, there are spirits brave,
   There are souls that are pure and true;
Then give to the world the best you have,
   And the best will come back to you.

Give love, and love to your life will flow,
   A strength in your utmost need;
Have faith, and a score of hearts will show
   Their faith in your word and deed.

Give truth, and your gift will be paid in kind,
   And honor will honor meet,
And a smile that is sweet will surely find
   A smile that is just as sweet.

Give sorrow and pity to those who mourn;
   You will gather in flowers again
The scattered seeds of your thought outborne,
   Though the sowing seemed but vain.

For life is the mirror of king and slave--
   'Tis just what we are and do;
Then give to the world the best you have,
   And the best will come back to you.

                 ~ Madeline Bridges
                    (Mary Ainge DeVere)

A Sure Way to a Happy Day

Happiness is something
   we create in our mind,
It's not something you search for
   and so seldom find--
It's just waking up
   and beginning the day
By counting our blessings
   and kneeling to pray--
It's giving up thoughts
   that breed discontent
And accepting what comes
   as a "gift heaven-sent"--
It's giving up wishing
   for things we have not
And making the best of
   whatever we've got--
It's knowing that life
   is determined for us,
And pursuing our tasks
   without fret, fume or fuss--
For it's by completing
   what God gives us to do
That we find real contentment
   and happiness, too.

           ~ Helen Steiner Rice

One Wish of God

If God would grant me just one wish
   To be enjoyed through life,
I would not ask for wealth or power
   Or comforts, without strife.
I would but ask He touch my heart
   And fill it--for this while--
With just the simple loves I knew
   When I was just a child.

The kind of loves that made each day
   A blessing to behold
And filled my heart with trust and faith
   In Him and human fold,
And this is all that I would ask--
   To make my life sublime:
To live with just this kind of love
   That, once, was yours and mine.

My aging years have proven, well,
   The noblest gift on earth
Is not some gift we take from life
   Of selfish, private worth.
It's what we carry in our hearts
   To share and give away,
Such as the loves we knew--and grew--
   Within our childhood days.

                       ~ Michael Dubina    

The Tide Has Turned

The tide has turned.
The waves only nibble
at the crust of sand
along the shore.

But it will change
again, as do so many
things in life.

And it will keep on
changing until man
recognizes at last,
the unending rhythm
of His Divine plan.

 ~ Diane Denise Lake

Experience

We must live through the weary winter,
   If we would value spring.
And the woods must be cold and silent,
   Before the robins sing.

The flowers must be buried in darkness,
   Before they can bud and bloom.
And the sweetest and warmest sunshine,
   Comes after the storm and gloom.

So the heart, from the hardest trial,
   Gains the purest joy of all.
And from the lips that have tasted sadness,
   The sweetest songs will fall.

For as peace comes after suffering,
   And love is reward of pain,
So, after earth, comes heaven,
   And out of our loss, the gain.

                      ~ Roxie Lusk Smith 

This I Know

I know not why some days are sad
And filled with grief and pain;
But this I know: 'Tho skies be gray
The sun will shine again.

For after winter follows spring
When flowers bloom anew;
And God, in love, is working now
His purposes for you.

Your trials will pass in His own time;
Friend, you will see the sun,
For there awaits a shining dawn
When clouds their work have done.

           ~ Beverly J. Anderson

A Thankful Heart

Take nothing for granted,
   for whenever you do
The "joy of enjoying"
   is lessened for you--
For we rob our own lives
   much more than we know
When we fail to respond
   or in any way show
Our thanks for the blessings
   that daily are ours . . .
The warmth of the sun,
   the fragrance of flowers,
The beauty of twilight,
   the freshness of dawn,
The coolness of dew
   on a green velvet lawn,
The kind little deeds
   so thoughtfully done,
The favors of friends
   and the love that someone
Unselfishly gives us
   in a myriad of ways,
Expecting no payment
   and no words of praise--
Oh, great is our loss
   when we no longer find
A thankful response
   to things of this kind,
For the joy of enjoying
   and the fulness of living
Are found in the heart
   that is filled with thanksgiving.

              ~ Helen Steiner Rice

Today

I shall do so much in the years to come,
   But what have I done today?
I shall give out gold in princely sum,
   But what did I give today?
I shall lift the heart and dry the tear,
I shall plant a hope in the place of fear,
I shall speak with words of love and cheer,
   But what have I done today?
I shall be so kind in the after while,
   But what have I been today?
I shall bring to each lonely life a smile,
   But what have I brought today?
I shall give to truth a grander birth,
And to steadfast faith a deeper worth,
I shall feed the hungering souls of earth,
   But whom have I fed today?

                    ~ Roxie Lusk Smith

Recovery

I'll count the kind of deeds done today
Instead of hurts that come my way.
I'll catch the sunbeams on my sill
And let the clouds move as they will.
I'll listen to a trilling note
And lift the one caught in my throat.

I'll nod and smile at passersby
And not give in to thoughts that cry.
I'll smell the flowers as they bloom
Within, without my living room.
I'll watch the children near the gate
And let their freedom compensate.

I'll count the health I know today
And find tomorrow--as it may . . .
Because my hope and joy shall be
The love of Christ, Who strengthens me.

                ~ Roxie Lusk Smith

Our Master

Immortal Love, forever full,
   Forever flowing free,
Forever shared, forever whole,
   A never-ebbing sea!

Our outward lips confess the Name
   All other names above;
Love only knoweth whence it came,
   And comprehendeth love.

We may not climb the heavenly steeps
   To bring the Lord Christ down:
In vain we search the lowest deeps,
   For Him no depths can drown.

But warm, sweet, tender, even yet
   A present help is He;
And faith has still its Olivet,
   And love its Galilee.

The healing of His seamless dress
   Is by our beds of pain;
We touch Him in life's throng and press,
   And we are whole again.

Through Him the first fond prayers are said
   Our lips of childhood frame,
The last low whispers of our dead
   Are burdened with His name.

O Lord and Master of us all!
   Whate'er our name or sign,
We own Thy sway, we hear Thy call,
   We test our lives by Thine.

              ~ John Greenleaf Whittier

Things That Never Die

The pure, the bright, the beautiful
   That stirred our hearts in youth,
The impulses to wordless prayer,
   The streams of love and truth,
The longing after something lost,
   The spirit's yearning cry,
The striving after better hopes--
   These things can never die.

The timid hand stretched forth to aid
   A brother in his need;
A kindly word in grief's dark hour
   That proves a friend indeed;
The plea for mercy softly breathed,
   When justice threatens high,
The sorrow of a contrite heart--
   These things shall never die.

Let nothing pass, for every hand
   Must find some work to do,
Lose not a chance to waken love--
   Be firm and just and true.
So shall a light that cannot fade
   Beam on thee from on high,
And angel voices say to thee--
   "These things shall never die."

                  ~ Charles Dickens

Better,Wiser and Happier

Do you wish the world were better?
   Let me tell you what to do;
Set a watch upon your actions,
   Keep them always straight and true;
Rid your mind of selfish motives;
   Let your thoughts be clean and high,
You can make a little Eden
   Of the space you occupy.

Do you wish the world were wiser?
   Well, suppose you make a start,
By accumulating wisdom
   In the scrapbook of your heart;
Do not waste one page on folly;
   Live to learn, and learn to live.
If you want to give men knowledge
   You must get it, ere you give.

Do you wish the world were happy?
   Then remember day by day
Just to scatter seeds of kindness
   As you pass along the way;
For the pleasures of the many
   May be ofttimes traced to one,
As the hand that plants an acorn
   Shelters armies from the sun.

               ~ Ella Wheeler Wilcox

God Is Never Beyond Our Reach

No one ever sought the Father
And found He was not there,
And no burden is too heavy
To be lightened by a prayer,
No problem is too intricate
And no sorrow that we face
Is too deep and devastating
To be softened by His grace,
No trials and tribulations
Are beyond what we can bear
If we share them with our Father
As we talk to Him in prayer--
And men of every color,
Every race and every creed
Have but to seek the Father
In their deepest hour of need--
God asks for no credentials,
He accepts us with our flaws,
He is kind and understanding
And He welcomes us because
We are His erring children
And He loves us everyone,
And He freely and completely
Forgives all that we have done,
Asking only if we're ready
To follow where He leads--
Content that in His wisdom
He will answer all our needs.

         ~ Helen Steiner Rice

Instrument of Peace

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace,
   Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
   Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
   Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not
   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

Be Strong

Be strong!
We are not here to play,
   to dream, to drift;
We have hard work to do,
   and loads to lift;
Shun not the struggle--face it;
   'tis God's gift.

Be strong!
Say not, "The days are evil.
   Who's to blame?"
And fold the hands and acquiesce--
   oh shame!
Stand up, speak out, and bravely,
   in God's name.

Be strong!
It matters not how deep intrenched
   the wrong,
How hard the battle goes,
   the day how long;
Faint not--fight on! Tomorrow
   comes the song.

      ~ Maltbie Davenport Babcock

Life's Lessons

I learn, as the years roll onward
   And leave the past behind,
That much I had counted sorrow
   But proves that God is kind;
That many a flower I had longed for
   Had hidden a thorn of pain,
And many a rugged bypath
   Led to fields of ripened grain.

The clouds that cover the sunshine
   They can not banish the sun;
And the earth shines out the brighter
   When the weary rain is done.
We must stand in the deepest shadow
   To see the clearest light;
And often thro' wrong's own darkness
   Comes the very strength of light.

The sweetest rest is at even,
   After a wearisome day,
When the heavy burden of labor
   Has born from our hearts away;
And those who have never known sorrow
   Can not know the infinite peace
That falls on the troubled spirit
   When it sees at last release.

We must live thro' the dreary winter
   If we would value the spring;
And the woods must be cold and silent
   Before the robins sing.
The flowers must be buried in darkness
   Before they can bud and bloom,
And the sweetest, warmest sunshine
   Comes after the storm and gloom.

                     ~ John Henry Newman