Monday, February 6, 2012
Thursday, January 19, 2012
INSUFFICIENCY
When I attain to utter forth in verse
Some inward thought, my soul throbs audibly
Along my pulses, yearning to be free
And something farther, fuller, higher, rehearse,
To the individual, true, and the universe,
In consummation of right harmony:
But, like a wind-exposed distorted tree,
We are blown against for ever by the curse
Which breathes through Nature. Oh, the world is weak!
The effluence of each is false to all,
And what we best conceive we fail to speak.
Wait, soul, until thine ashen garments fall,
And then resume thy broken strains, and seek
Fit peroration without let or thrall.
- Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Some inward thought, my soul throbs audibly
Along my pulses, yearning to be free
And something farther, fuller, higher, rehearse,
To the individual, true, and the universe,
In consummation of right harmony:
But, like a wind-exposed distorted tree,
We are blown against for ever by the curse
Which breathes through Nature. Oh, the world is weak!
The effluence of each is false to all,
And what we best conceive we fail to speak.
Wait, soul, until thine ashen garments fall,
And then resume thy broken strains, and seek
Fit peroration without let or thrall.
- Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
There Is A Green Hill Far Away...
There is a green hill far away, without a city wall,
Where the dear Lord was crucified, who died to save us all.
We may not know, we cannot tell, what pains he had to bear.
But we believe it was for us he hung and suffered there.
There was no other good enough to pay the price of sin.
He only could unlock the gate of heav’n and let us in.
Oh, dearly, dearly has he loved! And we must love him too,
And trust in his redeeming blood, And try his works to do.
And try his works to do... please, try his works to do.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Be of Good Cheer
Be of good cheer, though trials may come
Spend time on others, there’s work to be done
Strive to light up the darkest of places
Behold the joy in our loved one’s faces
Trials are not reserved for the strong
Weaknesses not overcome, are wrongs
Answers to problems are readily found
When all about us, much love abounds
With humble actions, each can become
The greatest example to everyone
To those who are sad, suffering dearly
Through our affection, we can show clearly
The concern we feel when we look in the eyes
Of one who suffers and internally dies
Take care of each other, and rise above
Despite tribulation, we can feel loved
Be of good cheer and spread only good
Doesn’t this sound like something we should
Choosing to do what we know is right
Will always lead us back into the light
From the darkest of places, we can find hope
Within our souls, we find strength to cope
When with each other, learned lessons are shared
We then truly show, how much we care
Lost in the memories of what went before
Searching for answers, wanting for more
When our vessels are empty, and need to be filled
Be of good cheer and gladness will spill
More joy will be found, than can be contained
Within our hearts, and more still remains
Reach and discover the love that is there
Waiting for us to embrace, and then share
-Liz
1/10/12Monday, December 26, 2011
Have I Done Any Good
Have I done any good in the world today?
Have I helped anyone in need?
Have I cheered up the sad and made someone feel glad?
If not, I have failed indeed.
Has anyone’s burden been lighter today
Because I was willing to share?
Have the sick and the weary been helped on their way?
When they needed my help was I there?
Then wake up and do something more
Than dream of your mansion above.
Doing good is a pleasure, a joy beyond measure,
A blessing of duty and love.
Text and music: Will L. Thompson, 1847–1909, alt.
Have I helped anyone in need?
Have I cheered up the sad and made someone feel glad?
If not, I have failed indeed.
Has anyone’s burden been lighter today
Because I was willing to share?
Have the sick and the weary been helped on their way?
When they needed my help was I there?
Then wake up and do something more
Than dream of your mansion above.
Doing good is a pleasure, a joy beyond measure,
A blessing of duty and love.
There are chances for work all around just now,
Opportunities right in our way.
Do not let them pass by, saying, “Sometime I’ll try,”
But go and do something today.
’Tis noble of man to work and to give;
Love’s labor has merit alone.
Only he who does something helps others to live.
To God each good work will be known.
Opportunities right in our way.
Do not let them pass by, saying, “Sometime I’ll try,”
But go and do something today.
’Tis noble of man to work and to give;
Love’s labor has merit alone.
Only he who does something helps others to live.
To God each good work will be known.
Then wake up and do something more
Than dream of your mansion above.
Doing good is a pleasure, a joy beyond measure,
A blessing of duty and love.
Than dream of your mansion above.
Doing good is a pleasure, a joy beyond measure,
A blessing of duty and love.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Uncertain World
It’s an uncertain world we live in, and life can easily go awry
We obsess over time and money and every object our money can buy
The things that we should cherish are the very things we push away
And what we spend our time on, not worthy of the time of day
We toil, strive, dig and claw to get our small piece of the pie
But on receipt we realize within the crust it’s plain and dry
Oh yes, we all expected, a luscious filling to be sure
A bite or two of humble pie is a quite effective cure
No human man, not rich, nor poor, will achieve all of his heart’s desires
But if he did, what’s the point, when more is learned passing thru fire
And why want more than is sufficient, why take advantage of each other
This is the rule of the jungle, not how we should treat one another
Why rule with fear, why wonder, are there enough resources here
Of course there are, why worry, why should we take a lion’s share
Common sense teaches that if we take, we must always put some back
If all we do is take and take, then yes, resources we may lack
We hear of change, progression, and many new age points of view
Traditions are traditions for a reason, most are tried and true
Media says, we can’t be still, inactive, we must do something quick
But change and action aren’t good when discarding the very ways that work
That’s how we got here, changing laws, special interests, lobbying
New taxes, rules and regulations, often do more harm than good
Why fix it when it isn’t broken, at least it wasn’t in the first place
Why have a world where some have all and some are left quite hopeless
There’s proof that some have no regard for the “folks” around them
But simply live to fill their pockets, their stepping stones are humans
The office we once trusted has become a puppet theatre
Behind the scenes the puppet masters laugh at us and sneer
And war, they say it’s necessary, how can we really know
Haven’t you seen the fallout when you strike the first blow
What is this credit, it is a vice, a snare, temptation, a made up way
To purchase items we don’t need and for them cannot even pay
But blinded by our status, our pride and our impatience
We run full bore, down the path to sure financial death
That’s why I speak of times of old, not because I want to live there
But we can learn quite clearly from history and what it has to share
The old ways aren’t old fashioned, why care about fashion anyway
Are we letting someone else tell us how to live our day
Strip down the mask and take a look at the person who you really are
It’s not about your clothes, where you live or even your fancy car
It really is uncertain, this spinning orb we live upon
But what is always certain, one day the money will be gone
-Liz
We obsess over time and money and every object our money can buy
The things that we should cherish are the very things we push away
And what we spend our time on, not worthy of the time of day
We toil, strive, dig and claw to get our small piece of the pie
But on receipt we realize within the crust it’s plain and dry
Oh yes, we all expected, a luscious filling to be sure
A bite or two of humble pie is a quite effective cure
No human man, not rich, nor poor, will achieve all of his heart’s desires
But if he did, what’s the point, when more is learned passing thru fire
And why want more than is sufficient, why take advantage of each other
This is the rule of the jungle, not how we should treat one another
Why rule with fear, why wonder, are there enough resources here
Of course there are, why worry, why should we take a lion’s share
Common sense teaches that if we take, we must always put some back
If all we do is take and take, then yes, resources we may lack
We hear of change, progression, and many new age points of view
Traditions are traditions for a reason, most are tried and true
Media says, we can’t be still, inactive, we must do something quick
But change and action aren’t good when discarding the very ways that work
That’s how we got here, changing laws, special interests, lobbying
New taxes, rules and regulations, often do more harm than good
Why fix it when it isn’t broken, at least it wasn’t in the first place
Why have a world where some have all and some are left quite hopeless
There’s proof that some have no regard for the “folks” around them
But simply live to fill their pockets, their stepping stones are humans
The office we once trusted has become a puppet theatre
Behind the scenes the puppet masters laugh at us and sneer
And war, they say it’s necessary, how can we really know
Haven’t you seen the fallout when you strike the first blow
What is this credit, it is a vice, a snare, temptation, a made up way
To purchase items we don’t need and for them cannot even pay
But blinded by our status, our pride and our impatience
We run full bore, down the path to sure financial death
That’s why I speak of times of old, not because I want to live there
But we can learn quite clearly from history and what it has to share
The old ways aren’t old fashioned, why care about fashion anyway
Are we letting someone else tell us how to live our day
Strip down the mask and take a look at the person who you really are
It’s not about your clothes, where you live or even your fancy car
It really is uncertain, this spinning orb we live upon
But what is always certain, one day the money will be gone
-Liz
12/8/11
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