by Lucy M. Young
At last my mind and heart and soul are free Uncluttered and unfettered The heavy chains of doubt and fear Have turned to rainbows at my feet My spirit's free My mind can grow and bloom In new creative channels. My heart can spread its wings and soar To joy unknown to me before. My soul will bow before my Lord In humble adoration, In deep and lasting gratitude For this most precious gift of happiness.
by Lucy M. Young
It seems to me that everything in life Is written in a symphony; All life's beauty, joy, and pain; The mystery of death, the miracle of birth, The promise of an everlasting life. We hear the glorious, triumphant hues of sunset, The softly tinted promise felt at dawn; The soothing murmur of a gentle rain, Roaring thunder of a hurricane; The smooth, sheer beauty of a waterfall, The gentle rippling of a quiet stream, Crashing roll of surf; The whispering silence of a windless forest, The vibrant whisper of the wind among the pines, Songs of birds; The clear, cold majesty of winter stars, The thrilling, breathless promise of the Spring, Summer's toil, and Autumn's rich fulfillment. In harmony unbroken to the end - Pain and suffering, mellowed and relieved By golden chords of happiness and beauty Blended with love - The Master leaves an imprint on my soul.
by Lucy M. Young
Oh, hear my prayer this rainy day And answer it, dear Lord, I pray. The cold, gray clouds and dripping skies Have hidden the sunshine from my eyes. Forgive my pessimism, Lord, Remind me of Your sacred word. I can't be gloomy if I say, "Dear Lord, I thank You for this day." "This is the day that the Lord has made." Gloom and sadness all must fade. "Let us rejoice and be glad in it." And make the most of every minute. The Lord sends rain as well as sun; His blessings fall on everyone. Let me greet each hour with a cheerful song And a smile to help the day along.
by Lucy M. Young
I have so many treasures, Lord, I scarce know where to start to name them all. I have the wide, blue sky, the stars and moon at night, Sunrise and glowing sunset. I have the fresh, clean air to breathe, And water, pure and sweet, to quench my thirst; Cooling breezes and refreshing rain, The fragrance and the splendor of the flowers; The shade and towering beauty of the trees; The happy songs of birds; The bounty of my garden; The sweetness of the peaches in my little orchard; The comfort of a kitten purring softly on my pillow; And I have love - The love of friends and family and gentle pets; But best of all, Lord, Your eternal love which never fails. It guides, upholds and strengthens me each day. It is the greatest treasure of them all.
by Lucy M. Young
Dear Lord, You have given me so much, So little I've given to You; But I had so little material wealth I didn't know what I could do. Then I remembered what You once said To the people so long ago, "Whatever you do for the least of these You do for me also." Well, Lord, I have plenty of love to give. I can reach out a helping hand, Give a friendly smile, or a pat on the back To show them that I understand. I can hold someone stricken with grief to my heart And pray that my love may console; Give friendship, companionship, sympathy, To some lonely suffering soul. Lord, grant that I always may see the need Of a stranger a friend or a foe; And show me how best I may help them along That their hearts more joy may know.
by Lucy M. Young
September with its various activities was my favorite month:
Going back to school with eagerness, anticipation and a little trepidation;
The smell of books and chalks and pencils;
Goldenrod along the roadsides;
Warm delightful days and cool crisp nights;
Stopping on the way from school at the potato field
Where father had been working all day long
Digging the winter store of white potatoes,
While the waiting horses stamped and neighed,
Impatient for their warm dry stalls
And their nightly ration of water, oats and hay;
Riding home on a lumpy wagon load of bagged potatoes;
Listening as they rolled and tumbled, rumbling into the waiting bin
beneath the cellar window;
Gathering apples red-cheeked, crisp and juicy
To eat with popcorn on long winter evenings while mother read aloud
our favorite books;
Bringing succulent plums - yellow, red and blue,
To mother to preserve for winter use;
Stepping from the chilly air into the steamy, lamplit kitchen
Redolent with the spicy smell of pickles simmering on the
old black iron woodstove.
For supper there were baked sweet apples,
Mother's luscious brown bread,
And sweet fresh milk from our own Jersey cows;
Or hot soup from the last tomatoes in the garden,
With crusty home-made bread, hot from the oven,
Drenched with father's golden dairy butter.
And there were those lovely, lazy Saturdays -
Blue haze on the mountains,
A tapestry of red and gold and bronze spread across the countryside;
Clean air fragrant with the scent of frost-touched grass
and burning leaves.
Those were the days.
Nothing can ever be so perfect as those happy, youthful days
in retrospect.
There must have been cold, gloomy, rainy days of grumbling discontent,
But they have been forgotten,
Obliterated by the kindly hand of Time.
Recalling those lovely days of yesteryear I shed a tear or two
of longing
For that long-lost past when I was young and life was good.
I breathe a prayer of thankfulness, however,
For these memories of home and loving parents;
And bless the Lord for giving me the golden opportunity
To live those joyous carefree days of yore.
by Lucy M. Young
A new little girl has come into the world, A new little treasure to hold; To love and cherish, guide and protect, A gift more precious than gold. Who knows what talents lie hidden behind That sweet little baby face; What miracles those tiny hands may perform, What troubles her life may erase? Those little feet have a long road ahead. As she travels that road day by day, May her parents love and God's saving grace Keep her safe and secure all the way.
by Lucy M. Young
My body may be handicapped But my mind and heart are free, And my spirit leads me outward Where my heart most longs to be. I soar with the astronauts In weightless carefree joy, The stars my sparkling neighbors, The moon a bright new toy. I roam through fields of clover And drink from mountain streams; Reality's so dull beside The splendor of my dreams. They lead me through the velvet night Where moonglow lights my way, From the vivid glow of sunset To the rosy dawn of day. With the wind and rain for playmates My gypsy heart roams free, From stately stands of virgin pine To the wind caves by the sea. O'er the burning sands of the desert And the Northland's ice and snow, In the rushing roar of the ocean, Great peace and joy I know. But I must needs return to earth, To my crutches and my pain; 'Til my spirit leads me outward To freedom once again.
by Lucy M. Young
Dear little mother,
I am so glad that you are finally at rest
And happy with your Lord.
I'll miss you, oh so much,
But knowing you are free at last
From all the loneliness you knew on earth
Will help me bear the sorrow of your passing.
You worked so hard and had so little -
No luxuries and just the bare necessities of life;
But you were always grateful
For every little thing that came your way:
A home-made valentine,
A small plant from my garden,
A single rose,
The little tree we planted for you long ago
On Mother's Day.
You loved us,
And you sacrificed so much
That we might have a better life
Than you had ever known.
Selfishly, unthinkingly I took
And gave so little in return;
But Mother dear, I loved you,
And I am so very sorry for my thoughtlessness
And for my unforgivable neglect of you.
I know you're happy now;
No more loneliness or sorrow,
No more heartache, no more pain.
You're with the ones you loved and missed so much -
Your beloved mother and your precious grandson;
Your special daughter and your one true love.
God bless you, Mother dear;
And 'though I miss you more than I can say,
I'm glad you're with the Lord
And may He hold you safely in His arms forever.
by Lucy M. Young
My mind is wandering this morning, Lord.
I want to talk to You
But my heart is troubled,
And random thoughts keep interfering
With what I want to say.
But I do want to thank You
For the many blessings You have showered upon me.
I thank you, Lord, that I can see and hear and feel
The beauties of Your world:
The stars and moon by night,
The sun by day;
For gentle showers,
Ripping, tearing thunder storms;
For sheltering trees and lovely fragrant flowers,
The songs of birds.
I thank You also for the love of friends and family,
But most of all for Your forgiving love
That makes it possible
For me to make a new beginning every day.
Whenever I'm depressed, dear Lord,
And nothing seems worthwhile,
I'll think about the many blessings You have given me
And know that I am fortunate indeed.
Woodsmoke and Cardamom 