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.

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.

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.

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

12/8/11

Sonnet for Heaven Below

No, it wasn't Macondo, and it wasn't Calcutta in time past
But subway magic turned the tunnels into Beautyrest mattresses
And plenty of God's children started sleeping there. Some
Were actually Angels fatigued from long hours and no pay.


This is an aside, but I have to alert you. Angels run
Around, don't shave or bathe; acid rain fractures their
Feathers, and French fries and coca-cola corrupt
The color of their skin and make them sing hoarsely.
The gossamer shoes so perfect for kicking clouds
Stain and tear on the concrete and in the hard light
Of the city they start to look like abandoned barges
Foundering in the cancerous waters of the Gowanus Canal.


Shabby gossamer shoes always arouse the derision of smart New Yorkers
Mercifully, Angels aren't tourists, so they are spared total disdain


~Jack Agueros

BECOMING

“The Final Judgment is not just an evaluation of a sum total of good and evil acts—what we have done. It is an acknowledgment of the final effect of our acts and thoughts—what we have become. It is not enough for anyone just to go through the motions. The commandments, ordinances, and covenants of the gospel are not a list of deposits required to be made in some heavenly account. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a plan that shows us how to become what our Heavenly Father desires us to become.”

D. H. Oaks

BECOMING

What am I becoming, is it everything I can

Am I someone useful, to my fellow man

Am I a good example, of what we all should be

Are my actions, beliefs and words, all in harmony

Everyday I’m living, am I living well

If someone else was watching, would my story tell

That my life’s intentions, were good, fine and true

Or do my actions come across, differently to you

Am I hypocritical, or am I simply human

Do I hold myself, to the same heights I hold you to

Am I unforgiving, judgmental, and unloving

Or do I come across, as a person who’s accepting

In my heart are many truths, but also so much pain

In my mind are many faults, and I can be quite vain

I can be unhappy, and so create no joy

I strive to overcome my faults and good thoughts to employ

I long to feel serene and surround myself with beauty

I wish to live a long life, of goodness and of purity

My actions and desires, they don’t quite meet as yet

I’m trying to remember who I am, and not forget

I seek help from my family, and those who show me love

And also from the things I’ve learned, of my home above

Negativity, depression, these creep into my mind

And when I alter how I live, I sometimes become blind

The pain and suffering of this life is difficult to bear

Sometimes it seems there’s no one in my life that really cares

But there are times when I feel love, shining bright and true

And then I know I’m on the path, doing what I should do

I’m striving to achieve the life I dream of, in the quiet

But in this loud, confusing world, I sometimes can forget

So I place things around me, to help remind me daily

What traits I want, what traits I need and who I want to be

I need to learn forgiveness, both for myself and others

How can I say I’m loving, if I can’t forgive my brothers

I hope they will forgive me too, together we will see

It’s so much better, for us all to live in harmony

We’re all so busy with the little things we do each day

We forget to think of others, to listen and to pray

But when we take the time to perform an act of kindness

It generates much growth in us, brings forth happiness

These are the things I think of, when I pause to ponder

How can it take so long to grow and change, it makes me wonder

That very thought then logically, will turn my mind to see

I believe in change and that it takes eternity

So if I always keep on going, and I focus on my growing

I will remember my dream is, to never stop becoming

There’s always hope, I cannot quit, not ever, so it seems

I must endure until the end, to reach all of my dreams

-Liz

5/18/11

How Is It Possible

How is it possible that we cannot love those we were meant to… sent to

And to some who have experienced love and tenderness withheld, I want to help, to heal, and yet… I find that sometimes I need the love and tenderness delivered, and so am both selfless and selfish simultaneously

And the suffering we’ve shared is so deep, so real, but ultimately, shared

And in the sharing, understanding, a joint comprehension of seen and unseen traits, actions and reactions, behaviors, laserpoint

When they say it hurts your heart, it cuts like a knife; these things are the true pains, pain that brings you to your knees

And passion, ah, passion, mixed with love, is a drug, consuming at times, but addictive and lasting in ways never known or spoken

And when you thought someone loved you, I mean really loved you and learned that indeed, they never did, couldn’t, really…

Maybe they loved the thought of you, or loved you in what small way they could, disregarding love, the way you needed it, not intimate or heartfelt, but because they felt they had to, but not enough to last, or even enough at all

And when you experience love for others that brings tears to your eyes, chokes the voice from your throat, reduces it to a soft whisper

It is hard to comprehend that some may never experience this for a single soul, or a single minute, not even for themselves

The love that changes, transforms, brings realization and unselfishness, sharing of souls and belief, a compass

And some forms of love, more shallow, less concrete, not love really, but some form of emotion, maybe

I don’t understand it, I think I can see it, but not very clearly, don’t know why, why some do not desire more, to give or to get

What kind of life lessons could teach us not to love, not to want to, or to accept it for ourselves, terrible lessons to be sure,

but then, there is another explanation, almost worse, yes worse, do some just come that way… inability to feel compassion, love

It seems to me so, knowledge born of experience; ashes speak of a fire long gone, at one time blazing brightly, extinguished cruelly

And the pain of that knowledge burns, hurts, creates empathy and sympathy, empathy being the more meaningful

Yet how can we feel empathy for one who does not care, or is that a pretense, so hard to believe, it is,

 is any spent emotion wasted, who benefits from it, giver or taker

Each side of the coin tells a story, each story’s flow is its own key to the perception and insight and reality of the teller

Each teller of tales cannot help but put a spin on the tale, a personal, twisted version, of the tale itself, recreating it

And motives enter in, are there ever good motives, motive is motive, should we operate as such, with an agenda, is that ever honest

And is it hypocritical to join in, when you may not fit in, but you dearly want to be a part of something, outside of yourself, something good and true, even though you are not yet good and true yourself

And why would some reject others, when everyone is suffering some form of lack, need, desire, disease, and yet possibly brings an important piece

Open arms are wonderful, open hearts, beautiful, open eyes are honest, open ears, thoughtful, open minds, answer to all

Oh, those days of light hearts, streaming sunrays through high, puffy clouds, peaceful innocence, why can’t I capture this moment forever

Why the dark days and low, dense gray clouds, heavy shoulders, increased gravity, lessened strength, heavy, so heavy

But do those times truly define me, which am I, outside or in, dark or light, truth, brightness, things that inspire me

I’m compelled to communicate, some may never understand, but it is so much better than the alternative, solitary, alone, not a smile to be found, stretching nothing, going nowhere, fear

I would rather suffer some, if it means more joy, more light, more love, it’s hard to grasp, comprehend, fathom, but success brings with it a certain strength and desire for more

How to measure success, is it better received immediately or anticipated, time-earned promises, does it benefit others

When it all comes together, all beauty is in the eyes of all of the beholders, those who choose to see; experiences deliver the recognition of truth

And truth floats, lifts and changes, creates, shares, becomes more, and more is not one, and so I see you, and you, and you

And the joy in your face echoes mine, mirrored forever, I hope to tie it down gently, with a soft, swirling ribbon that dances in a cool breeze, and entice it to stay, willingly, always

-Liz 5/12/11

Competition

This is not a competition, whoever told you that it was

Is it something deep inside you, that makes you want to win because

You think a prize is what’s in store, a trophy, money, medallion shiny

You think you must be all important; this to you is what’s defining

This is not a competition, what made you think that anyway

You are so obsessed with winning, taking everything away

From those around you, innocent, of competition and desire

Those who simply want to try, to live for good, for something higher

This is not a competition, a bad foundation from the start

Implies we’re all against each other, builds certain strengths, but kills the heart

Compromise and cooperation, will outlast any competition

Emotion, love, togetherness, are useful in all situations

This is not a competition, so strengths admired can be varied

Can be soft, yet strong and tender, illuminate and also carry

Others with them, peacefully, inclusive, weakness will not matter

Truth shines forth, like a beacon, once false beliefs begin to shatter

This is not a competition; I know that because I’ve had to follow

Someone stronger, someone wiser, someone who already knows

But then at times of personal strength, I have myself become a leader

For the wisdom that I’ve gained is valuable, by some is needed

This is not a competition, if you laugh and scoff at me

Your pride is strong, belief unchanging, obviously you cannot see

So blind yourself, go right ahead, but it hurts you and everyone

And you’ll be humbled painfully, before your journey is quite done

This is not a competition; I’ve learned that in so many ways

I’ve won, I’ve lost, I realize that this life is so not a game

Yes there’re teams, both good and bad, of that I am most positive

So pick your team, according to, which way you ultimately want to live

This is not a competition; it’s a journey to be taken

Join with others, see with vision, and your soul, it will awaken

With your teammates, help each other, lift and pull and stride and strive

Leave none behind that want to join you, keeping brotherhood alive

This is not a competition, although it’s true, there’s losing, winning

But “winners” sometimes get their way, by using others and by sinning

And so on you and your life view, it seriously will depend

It’s not about a win or lose, but the team you choose, in the end

-Liz

5/12/11

Better Days

And you asked me what I want this year
and I try to make this kind and clear
just a chance that maybe we'll find better days
'cause I don't need boxes wrapped in strings
and designer love and empty things
just a chance that maybe we'll find better days

So take these words and sing out loud
'cause everyone is forgiven now
'cause tonight's the night the world begins again

I need some place simple where we could live
and something only you can give
and that's faith and trust and peace while we're alive
and the one poor child who saved this world
and there's ten million more who probably could
if we all just stopped and said a prayer for them

So take these words and sing out loud
'cause everyone is forgiven now

'cause tonight's the night the world begins again

I wish everyone was loved tonight
and somehow stop this endless fight
just a chance that maybe we'll find better days

So take these words and sing out loud
'cause everyone is forgiven now
'cause tonight's the night the world begins again

'cause tonight's the night the world begins again

-Goo Goo Dolls