Dear Lord, where are You?
I know You're near - You're never far away -
But how I wish that I might feel Your touch
Or see Your face.
Where are You, Lord?
I know You're near.
You keep me safe from harm day after day;
You hold me up when I am weak;
You dry my teafrs.
Why should I wonder where You are?
I know -
I see Your face in smiling faces all around me;
I feel Your touch in the warmth of a friendly hand;
Your constant love in the love of friends and family;
Your strength in outstretched helping hands.
Where are You, Lord?
You're walking with me daily, step by step;
Upholding and sustaining me through trial and tribulation.
I rest secure in Your steadfast love.
Father, be with all who need Your help today.
I do not know their names and all their special needs
But You, in Your great wisdom, know each one.
You know their needs, their secret loads of care.
You know which hearts are aching
And need the comfort of Your loving arms.
You know the ones whose pain is great
And need Your healing hands to ease their suffering.
You know who is discouraged,
Bowed down beneath their yokes of ceaseless toil,
And need Your helping hands upon their shoulder.
I would that I could help these needing people.
But, Lord, I know You can:
So hear my heartfelt prayer this Sunday morning
And bless, sustain, uplift and comfort them
That they may know the sunshine of Your love;
May feel secure knowing that You care
And will be ever with them in their need.
Lord, walk with me throughout each day
And hold my trembling hand;
Guide every faltering footstep,Lord,
Please help me understand
Why pain and weakness haunt my days,
And what I'm doing wrong.
Grant courage, strength, humility
And fill my heart with song.
Lord, walk with me and be my crutch,
My strength and constant guide;
Forgive me, Lord, and hold me close.
Let faith and hope abide
Forever in my heart of hearts.
Cast out all fear and woe,
Hold fast my heart my mind and soul,
And never let them go.
Dear Lord, be with me as I face this day.
Strengthen my battered faith, remove all doubt.
Just let me feel Your loving presence near.
Let all my fear and care be put to rest,
For, Lord, I am uncertain of my way -
Beset by fear and weakness, wracked with pain,
I stumble often as I struggle on.
My feeble strivings seemingly in vain.
Walk with me, Lord, and hold my trembling hand.
Direct my faltering footsteps, make me strong.
Renew, refresh, revitalize my spirit,
And fill my heavy heart with glorious song.
For with Your love and guidance, Lord, my life
Takes on new meaning, gladness fills my heart;
My wavering pathway takes a new direction,
And fear and doubt and weakness all depart.
My ever loving Lord, my friend in need,
I thank You for this great new lease on life -
For greater faith, for casting out my doubt,
And keeping me serene through storm and strife.
There is a corner in my garden, overgrown by grass and weeds,
Where the snowdrops grow;
Sheltered from the harshest winds and deepest snows of winter
By the sturdy trunk and spreading branches of the weeping willow tree,
Intrepidly enduring February's bitter cold.
Each year I look for them,
And wonder if they'll make it through the ice and snow,
The frozen earth and tangled undergrowth;
But each year they appear, more plentiful than ever,
Waiting patiently beneath the snow
To bravely lift their pure white, fragrant blossoms
To the winter sun.
Dear Lord, may I be like the snowdrops -
Undaunted by the storms of life,
The stress and strain and pain of daily living.
Let me lift my face each day to the sunshine of Your love;
And, like the snowdrops, smile and dance
To the eternal music of the stars.
Dear Lord, I know You're there somewhere -
I never doubt it;
But, Lord, today You seem so far away.
I cannot reach you.
My heart is sad and empty.
My weary soul yearns for the gentle peace that only You can give.
I love You, Lord.
I need You.
With every breath I take I need You more.
Forgive my many sins of both commission and omission.
Cleanse my mind and heart and soul.
Eradicate unworthy, sinful thoughts and feelings.
Show me the path that I must take to bring me close to You,
And let me feel Your loving presence in my heart once more.
I don't know how my father knew
When it was time to tap the maple trees
But there would come a day in March
When he would start the yearly task of making maple sugar.
The snow lay deep and untouched in the woods
When he would hitch the horses to the sled
And load it down with buckets;
Then with the horses plunging sometimes belly-deep in snow,
The roads between the trees were opened.
Only the largest strongest trees were chosen to be tapped.
The buckets then were scattered,
One or two at each selected tree.
The next day tapping started.
A hole was bored into the layer 'neath the outer bark
Where the life-blood of the tree flowed upward
Through each branch and twig into the leaf buds,
Gently rousing them to greet the Spring.
The sap spouts then were driven in and a bucket
hooked to each.
Every day the sap was gathered in a special tank
securely bolted to a sled.
The horses strained to pull \the load along the rough
and crooked roads,
Stopping at each tree,
Waiting patiently for the bucket to be emptied,
Then moving on.
When the tank was full, back to the sugar house we went
To fill the waiting vats with our sweet load.
Trip after trip until the many buckets had been emptied.
Then the long and tiresome chore began -
Boiling down the sap to thick, sweet maple syrup,
And tubs of golden sugar.
Gravity filled the large evaporators over the arch
(A long cast-iron structure built especially for this purpose).
Carefully tended fires and constant watchful care
Were necessary to complete the task successfully.
Day and night my father alternately dozed and stoked the fire.
My mother brought his meals to him
And took his place while he returned to milk and feed the cows
And gather the sap each day.
For just about a month the non-stop work continued.
Freezing nights and mellow days were needed
To keep the sweet sap flowing;
But when the weather warmed toward April and the buds
began to swell,
The sap no longer sweet,
The spouts and buckets were brought in,
Washed and stored 'til sugaring time another year.
I need You, Lord.
Every minute of every hour of every day and night I need You.
Even if, as often happens, I forget to ask Your help,
I need You.
Without Your help I may as well give up lie down and die.
'Twould be so easy, Lord, to do just that -
No more trouble, pain or worry;
No more anger or hostility;
But that's a coward's answer,
And I want to live and love and serve -
My mind set free from doubt and fear to soar on wings
of love and faith.
I cannot stand alone.
I need You constantly,
And 'though I sometimes may forget to ask,
Lord, hold me up, don't let me fall,
And guide my every step throughout each day.
My wants and needs are few, dear Lord -
A little rain, a little sunshine,
Snow for Christmas,
Money enough to pay my bills and feed my pets and me,
Clothing to keep me warm in winter cool in summer,
Shelter from the cold and storms,
Health and happiness for my friends and family.
Dear Lord, I need the love of friends and family,
And love to share with those who need to know that someone cares;
But most of all I need Your love
To lift me up when I am down,
To blunt the sting of unkind words,
To strengthen me and keep me going through another day.
Father, I come to You today with gratitude for friendly, thoughtful people
who help me on my way -
Opening doors for me and carrying packages,
Stopping traffic so that I may cross the street on my crutches;
Waiting patiently for me to make my clumsy way through crowded stores.
They smile,
And in their smiles I sense Your loving presence.
Lord, bless these good, considerate people.
Make smooth their way through life.
Ease their burdens, calm their fears,
Comfort them;
And guide them safely through each day.
Help them, Lord, as they have so unselfishly helped me.
Woodsmoke and Cardamom 