At Days End by John Hall

John Hall's poem says so much!  At the end of the day, I like to take a quick look over all I did and ask myself, "What if I hadn't done that?  Would it have mattered?

At Days End

Is anybody happier because you passed his way?

Does anyone remember that you spoke to him today?

The day is almost over, and its toiling time is through

Is there anyone to utter now a kindly word of you?

Can you say tonight in parting, with the day that's slipping fast, 

That you helped a single brother, of the many that you passed?

Is a single heart rejoicing over what you did or said?

Does the man whose hopes were fading, now with courage look ahead?

Did you waste the day or lose it, was it well or sorely spent?

Did you leave a trail of kindness, or a scar of discontent?

As you close your eyes in slumber, do you think that God will say

You have earned one more tomorrow, by the work you did today?

(Thank goodness we don't have to earn Heaven! ~J.C.)

Working Mother

For twenty-five years I ran a child-care business in my home.  I, also, taught classes for parents and child-care workers.  I often read "Working Mother" in my classes.  It touched the hearts of parents who knew the pain of leaving their children in someone else's care and it helped child-care workers to empathize with some parent's emotions.  I never wanted us, in the child care field, to feel we were somehow superior to parents who had to make the decision to work!

Working Mother  

As I sit here chained to my computer and phone, I steal a thousand quick glances at your pretty picture on the corner of my desk.  With each glance I breathe a silent prayer that God will be with you because I cannot.  I dream of baking cookies for after school snacks instead of making assembly-line coffee, each mug programed for the exact amount of sugar, sweetner, coffee and cream.

I dream of chairing PTA meetings instead of typing proposals and specifications.  I want to be there for you.  I want to participate in your life instead of watching from the sidelines and hearing about it secondhand.

I did not conceive you so that others could rear you.  I did not carry you nine months and then anxiously count fingers and toes so that I could get calls from school when you are sick or upset.  These calls send me into a frustrated frenzy because you must pour out your fears to another woman.

For now we do the best we can.  Weekends are OURS.  Cobwebs, laundry and yard work somehow take a backseat because cobwebs, grass and dirty clothes do not lose teeth, skin knees or outgrow blue jeans.  These weekends are crammed full of tiny lessons on self-esteem, values, maturing, quiet understandings and fun.  I pray that a strong bond is being built between us.  Mother to daughter, friend to friend, woman to little woman.

So here's to all the kids who don't feel in the least deprived.  Here's to the child care workers with nerves of steel and unending patience.  Here's to the schoolteachers and school secretaries who play surrogate mother.  Here's to the grandmas who stand in the gap between the three o'clock dismissal and the five o'clock rush hour.  And, here's to the "liberated" career moms who blow secret kisses to photographs while taking other people's messages and typing other people's memos.   by Marilyn Loeffel

Ruth Calkin's Poems and Songs Touch My Heart

Here is a poem by poet/songwriter, Ruth Calkin:

I Wonder

You know, Lord, how I serve You

with great emotional fervor,

in the limelight.

You know how eagerly I speak for You

at a women’s club.

You know how I shine when I promote

a fellowship group.

You know my genuine enthusiasm

at a Bible study.

But how would I react, I wonder,

if You pointed to a basin of water

and asked me to wash the calloused feet

of a bent and wrinkled old woman,

day after day,

month after month,

in a room where nobody saw

and nobody knew.

Here is a link to her website: Poem: I Wonder

Does this poem touch your heart as it does mine?  It is said that the choices we make when no one is looking tell us who we really are.  

Lord, I pray that I will find someone's feet to wash every day while no one is looking. Let me find balance this year between the "small acts done with great kindness" and all the other things that go with being a Christian woman, mother and wife.

                      You won't want to miss Ruth singing her song: My God is So Big.                          It's a delight!  Here's the link: My God is So Big

Love Lives Here

I love this quote by Dolly Carlson:

"Festive decorations are a gift from your heart to the hearts of those who enter your home.  They simply and sweetly say, 'love lives here' and we were expecting you, welcome!"

I wish I could say that my home was always ready for company, but it's a goal I'm still working on.  If you have children still at home, you have an even harder job!  When families are young, so many things are more important than is spotless home.  I get it!

Decorating for seasons and holidays can be a fun family activity and tradition.  This year, I grew small pumpkins called "Jack Be Little" in my garden.  They are adorable!  They can be put in fruit bowls or included with other decorations.  You could even paint faces on them.

I, also, plan on adding them to gift baskets along with some homemade pickles or other canned goods.  Adding a little something extra to baskets of cookies or flowers or apples can bring a smile.

I love the idea that decorating lets visitors know they are welcome and cared about!

"Kindness is like snow - it beautifies everything it covers." ~Kahil Gibran

Make Me a Blessing

Make Me a Blessing by George Shuler

Lord, I pray that I will prove true!

Loneliness

Loneliness is an epidemic, even in the U.S.  People may feel isolated and lonely because of death, age, divorce, moving, children growing up and of so many other things.  I remember a transition period in my life where I dreaded weekends because I would be alone.  If I had at least one plan for the weekend, it would be so much easier.  I would go to church and wish someone would ask me to go to lunch with them.  I had family nearby, but everyone was busy with their own lives!

Mother Teresa talks about the poverty of feeling unwanted in the following quote:

Things They'll Remember:

The stories that you read to them

Before they go to bed

The comfort of your presence

While their prayers are being said

The birthday cakes with candles

For all their growing years

the sharing of their secrets

the drying of their tears

The snowman that you helped create

The visits to the zoo

Summer outings at the beach

The family barbecue

Little things that seem to go

Unnoticed and unsung

Are the things they will remember

Of the days when they were young

And the loving care that lies behind

These little things will be

A lasting recollection

And a cherished memory.

(Found on This 'N That )