Welcome, Sweet Spring (no matter what the weather)

 Happy First Day of Spring!!!

Welcome sweet spring, whatever be the weather...

Welcome, fine artiste of splash-perfect puddles...

Where bulbs are bursting with anticipation

First a green shoot then, tulips, daffodils...

Welcome sweet spring, whatever be the weather

We know what you will bestow without fail

Hope; as we sense nature slackens the tether

That drives the tandem of bluster and gale

Welcome sweet spring, you are ever the victor

In tug of wars twixt two seasons; heave-ho

Your smile will always defeat Old Man Winter

Melting his ire as warmer winds blow

Welcome sweet spring, bringing sunshine and showers

Transforming vistas long barren and bleak

You fling ajar nature’s gateway to flowers

Waking earth’s gardens as you kiss Her cheek

Welcome sweet spring, laden with welkin ardor

Under the sun newness clothes naked limbs

Overhead blueness vaults; a cobalt arbor

Dappled with clouds like a meadow with lambs

Welcome sweet spring, always worth our waiting

No matter how strong persistence prevails

Sooner or later planting-contemplating

Turns into garden-dirt under our nails

Welcome sweet spring, with joy no prose can capture

Where the branch cradles the fluff-feathered nest

Where morning trembles with songbird-trilled rapture

Where the brook beckons with sun-dappled zest

…where the bud pulses with em’rald elation

Bathing bare woodlands in verdurous thrills

Where bulbs are bursting with anticipation

First a green shoot then, tulips, daffodils

Welcome, fine artiste of splash-perfect puddles

Welcome, harbinger of long summer days

Welcome, rooms heady with breezy befuddles

Fragrant with blossoms and born-again praise

While, we like eager children toss our mittens

With faces pressed to Time’s windows of air

With hearts as soft as pussy-willow kittens

Welcoming spring like an answer to prayer

Janet Martin

Fragrant with blossoms and born-again praise...

…where the bud pulses with em’rald elation

Bathing bare woodlands in verdurous thrills...

Counting Happiness-Splashes...

I was ready to dash off and seize the day 

when my heart-strings snagged on this flower bouquet...

(and voila, its beauty begged to be immortalized in poetry)

It is like a splash of sunshine to brighten a stretch

of dreary weather!

What are your happiness splashes today?

A quick peek at a few of mine in the past few days...

A few months belated birthday celebration for our oldest Grandson...

(because unexpected interruptions turned into time passed by!)

Gramma and grands day...

Of eager child learning to read...

Craft and games (and silly singin' in the rain puppy) aftermath...

This puppy makes you smile and tap your toes the first time you hear him...

After the 150th time you want to hurl him outside to sing in the rain till he croaks!!😅

This ugly critter below still exists simply because 

of the mischief and laughter it provides for my grandchildren...

put it on grandma's shoulder-lap-head-plate and listen to her scream/shriek!

(p-s-s-t! sometimes for their enjoyment Grandma exaggerates reactions a bit)

...also, Grandma is biding time till PAYBACK! 😂

Let's count splashes of happiness we else might overlook

And gather them like pages in a heart-shaped picture book

Let's never take for granted what may never pass again

But be sweetly enchanted by love's lyric and refrain

Let's tune our hearts to see and hear love's many-splendored shades

Leaving pleasures to ponder when music or flower fades

Like the warmth of a handshake long after the clasp has cooled

Or the delight of daisies after nature's rod has ruled

Or wisdom, after it is schooled in hard-knock's purple eye

Or served with big fat slice of life's old-fashioned humble pie

Let's admire the poetry that needs no words to say

'I love you' in a smile, a wave, a fresh flower-bouquet

Let's do all that we can to collect nuggets of love's gold

Of eager child learning to read, of toddler's hand to hold

Of birthday hugs and cards and cakes, of laughter's sanguine bells 

Of ling'ring over cups of tea to postpone fond farewells

Of cherishing words like 'hello' 'we' 'us' 'ours' and 'together'

Of making precious memories no matter what the weather

Of taking time to stand still and behold the footprints ere

the one who leaves them vanishes into yesterday's air

Of sipping sacred servings of tick-tock, tick-tock, before

It is too late to try to taste the Time that is no more 

So, drink from life's communal cup only today can fill

And tip its chalice upside-down and let happiness spill

Like pennies from a pocket or like sparkles from the sky

Before the cup is but a shell holding the ocean's sigh

Stand still! and let the thrill of looking author wonder's hymn

Because the love of God is something that nothing can dim 

And this new day that He has made will soon join yesteryears

Let's count splashes of happiness before it disappears 

And thank the Lord for dentists when druthers would druther not

They are a precious blessing when a tooth-ache's what we've got

And thank Him for the tasks that sometimes almost steal our smiles

The people and the places we love make it worth their whiles 

And thank Him for both toil and rest; the best life has to give

And thank Him for our share in it as long, as long we live

Janet Martin

Holiness of Today or Sacredness of Seeds

Pondering planting is an annual almost-spring activity.

We never plant without hope for a good harvest

of fruit and flowers!

This line of thinking woke today's poem

as I pondered the sacredness of seeds!

(those we plant and those we don't)

We cannot reap what we do not sow

just as surely as we will reap what we sow!

Each day is like a fallow field

Soon strewn with seeds of word and deed

Consider then, some morrow's yield

When harvest will expose the seed

Each morning grants a fresh re-start

For sacred seeds waiting to spill

The Giver of  Today imparts

All that we need to trust/do His will 

He grants the soundness of His Word

To equip us with truth and love

For the harvest is undeterred

In the fruit seeds are bound to prove

...where trodden fields we leave behind

May seem to weave a transient path

But we should ever keep in mind

The future of their aftermath

(For stumbling blocks and stepping stones

Are scattered in word and deed's toll

 Where carriages of skin and bones

Traverse their wake, bearing the soul)

The seeds that fill the heart and mind

Are bound to spill in word and deed

Of truth that frees or lies that blind/bind

God, help us pay more earnest heed

...to the holiness of Today

And seed-responsibility

Where the harvest of do-and-say

Is up to likes of you and me

Today awaits our words and deeds 

God, help us as we sow, to keep

Close watch on sacredness of seeds 

We and/or our children will reap 

Janet Martin

Luke 8:4-8 & 11-15

The Parable of the Sower

4And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable: 5“A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. 6Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. 7And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. 8But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded [e]a crop a hundredfold.” When He had said these things He cried, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

The Parable of the Sower Explained

11“Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. 13But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of [g]temptation fall away. 14Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. 15But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.[h]

Faith's Flawed and Fumbling Plea...

First, a Homefront update! 

Dad was able to come home on Sunday and

mom was released a few days before!

Thank-you for continued prayers for dad to heal from his surgery

and for mom's strength to be restored 🙏💖

if/as the Lord wills!

Heb.11:6

But without faith it is impossible to please Him,

for he who comes to God must believe that He is,

and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

As the morning light melts the night's sky

so the light of God's Word melts shadows of doubt, despair and fear!

Provide, dear Lord, provide

Wisdom, through Thy Word's light

To be a clear and steadfast guide

To steer faith's feet aright

Anoint, dear Lord, anoint

Our hearts and lips with praise

When hopeful dreamlands disappoint

Still let Thy Word amaze

Console, dear Lord, console

When sorrow's tear-seas spill

Where loss of loved one leaves a hole

Only Thy Word can fill

Comfort, Lord, comfort then

Cheer up and undergird

Help us to humbly hope again

Surrendered to Thy Word  

Convict, dear Lord, convict

Where erring will runs wild

Bid conscience be palpably pricked

Through Thy Word to Thy child

Refine, dear Lord, refine

The motive of each plea

Until we utterly resign

Our word and will to Thee

Restore, dear Lord, restore

Love's allegiance to seek 

Thy Word, heart, soul and mind before

Lifetime is left to speak

Attend, dear Lord, attend

Faith's flawed and fumbling plea

Through Thy Word let mercy amend

The prayer that reaches Thee 

Janet Martin

John 1:1

In the beginning was the Word,

and the Word was with God,

and the Word was God.

Give Me Jesus With Lyrics Artist: Fernando Ortega

 

 

In This New Day the Lord Hath Made (He Will Not Fail)

This week's prayers include pleas that God may prevail mightily

where mountains seem to rise before our eyes...

some close to home and some far, far away from home, but all close to God!

In this new day the Lord hath made, He will not fail...

In this new day the Lord hath made, He will not fail; His hand

Is by no measure or means stayed; without Him who could stand?

His faithful and redeeming love forgives iniquity

Through the power and glory of the cross at Calvary

In this new day the Lord has made He will not fail; His will

Is by no rebel scheme delayed, His purpose to fulfill

Thus, all who repent and believe and humbly trust His Word

From unseen treasuries receive, His blessing undeterred

In this new day the Lord hath made, He will not fail; His grace

Is sufficient; be not dismayed; the mountains that we face

Are cradled in the hands of He who made heaven and earth

And tries the eyes of you and me to prove faith’s truth and worth

In this new day the Lord hath made He will not fail; nor all

Who seek His kingdom first; He knows our needs both great and small

And though He rends the sacred soil that grows faith’s fruitful seed

He will supply strength for faith's toil and favour for faith’s need

Janet Martin

Ps 130

Out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord;

2 Lord, hear my voice!

Let Your ears be attentive

To the voice of my supplications.

3 If You, Lord, should [a]mark iniquities,

O Lord, who could stand?

4 But there is forgiveness with You,

That You may be feared.

5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,

And in His word I do hope.

6 My soul waits for the Lord

More than those who watch for the morning—

Yes, more than those who watch for the morning.

7 O Israel, hope in the Lord;

For with the Lord there is mercy,

And with Him is abundant redemption.

8 And He shall redeem Israel

From all his iniquities.

God Will Take Care of You

Beneath March Snows a Garden...

 Beneath March snows a garden grows...

We are four days away from 'officially spring!'

This morning we are enjoying a little lull between gales,

as well as a brief rise in temperatures

 allowing rain to melt the weekend accumulation of snow!

Beneath March snows a garden grows

And happiness begins to sing

Of robin trills and daffodils

And sunny days, fit for a king

Beneath March gales a garden hails

And happiness begins to dream

Of sun-warm earth and planting mirth

And picnics on banks of a stream

Beneath March b-r-r-s/g-r-r-s, a garden stirs

And happiness begins to bloom

In tulips hues and greens and blues

And heady scent of lilac plume

Beneath March chills a garden spills

And happiness begins to cheer

Our hearts in spite of white on white

Because springtime is almost here

Janet Martin

For all of us who preserve summer for winter,

we are never far away from our gardens!

Tip o' Faith's Hat to Teachers (aka troubles/trials)

My dad, recovering from surgery is well enough

to be transferred to a local hospital today! PtL!

Today's poem is a reflection on 'good teachers' we don't always recognize,

(in their under-appreciated disguises)

 and also inspired by a sentence in today's devotion

that really hit home in light of lessons our family

 is (hopefully) learning about the wonderful, sufficient grace of God!

We feel like we have been shown grace over grace!

Thank-you for your part in this grace

through your prayers, flowers, messages etc!

John 1:16

From His fullness we have all received grace upon grace.

We should not, though they vex and test intentions, plans and preference

Expel the ‘teachers’ God deems best, to authorize epiphanies

Through lessons we would never choose to suffer through experience

That introduce us to the views of Dry-ground Paths through Parted Seas

We should not, but we oft fall prey to logic’s finite theory

Because God’s Higher Thoughts and Ways appoint purpose none can preempt

Where severe ‘teachers’ God assigns to educate humanity/humility

Seem ruthless as they prune the vines that else would grow wild and unkempt

We should not but we often fail to trust the ‘teachers’ God ordains

To show us, through trouble’s travail, a love by mercy justified

Of soul restored through comfort of the rod and staff His grace constrains

As He administers His love to counter fear and rebuke pride

We should not but oft fix our gaze on prizes we behold with eyes

Forgetful of how sight betrays confidence placed in what we see

God’s ‘teachers’ may seem harsh and rude; His goodness hard to recognize

While perfecting faith’s greater good, through thorough tests of misery

We should not cross bridges before we reach the chasm that they span

Nor reject lessons that restore the soul that else is prone to stray

Nor expel ‘teachers’ He anoints to save us from the ways of man

Though the drill stings and disappoints, behold the cross, trust and obey

Because each cross that God allows is always anchored in His grace

Each lesson the ‘teacher’ bestows is to prove love’s fidelity

With humbler gratitude, lest we become forgetful of our place

Unworthy beneficiary of the triumph of Calvary

Thus, we should not despair when we suffer and face trouble’s increase

But with thankful humility, recognize God’s redeeming love

Then trust the ‘teachers’ He deploys to draw us to His fount of peace

To cheer us with unrivaled joys that this old world knows nothing of

Janet Martin

Marvelous Grace (Grace Greater Than Our Sin)

Love's Loss... of Words

 Happy 25th, Victoria! 

Love; the epitome of joy and sorrow

Of holding and letting go.

Breakfast date with dear Dad...

Since Friday night my siblings and I have taken turns staying with dad (and mom)

 because mom was suddenly hospitalized to receive treatment for ITP etc. 

We are thankful she is being released, at least for today because

today my dad is having a surgery to get as much of a tumour removed

as the surgeons safely can, because the tumour is pressing on his brain

and causing swelling. Prayers are deeply valued.

Update!!The surgery went well!

thank-you everyone, for praying

and continued prayers for health, strength and healing!

Our family is also mourning with my niece J, 

(mentioned last week) and her family

On Monday J. gave birth to their premature daughter, Eleanor Alice Mae,

who went to be with Jesus before she was born.

Prayers for their peace and comfort also cherished!

Last night we celebrated our beautiful, kind, generous Victoria's birthday a day late,

and I was struck afresh at the precious tug of love's opposing tides

of joy and grief...and how nothing can leave us quite as speechless

as trying to express Love! 

Love leaves us at a loss for words, ink cannot cage in poetry

It overflows and undergirds the heart with awed humility

And fits us for its seconds miles that without love we could not bear

It testifies, with tears and smiles both joy and grief beyond compare

Love never fails, though oft we do, God grants his patient sympathies

And without measure runs life through with whole, new opportunities

To learn through stumble and regret to forgive and forget and then

By the example Jesus set to love one another. Amen

Love is the voice of tender care to cheer us where troubles abound

It is the hand that helps us bear the burdens of love’s holy ground

It is the ear that hears; the heart that weathers both pleasure and pain

And whether near or far apart love’s faithfulness and truth remain

…to fill the holes loss leaves in souls with love still left to give and take

To teach us, where fond farewell tolls, to savour what love’s moments make;

A picture books of memories we made in Bygone’s Now and Here

Reminding us to cherish these moments before they disappear

Love, the greatest wonder of all oft strips our lips of eloquence

While laughter lilts and teardrops fall with love’s exposing/opposing elements

For love both breaks and heals our hearts, both grueling grief and joyful laud

While oft love’s loss of words imparts a vivid, precious glimpse of God

Janet Martin

1 Cor.13:4-8

Love is patient, 

love is kind.

 It does 

not envy, 

it does 

not boast,

 it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking,

 it is not easily angered, it keeps no account of wrongs.

  Love takes no pleasure in evil, but rejoices in the truth. 

It bears 

all things, 

believes 

all things, 

hopes 

all things, 

endures 

all things.

Love never fails.