Blessings – Page 2 – Woodsmoke and Cardamom

Jessi

by Lucy M. Young

Six years ago she came into my life -
A little baby, full of joy and sparkle;
Loving, trusting,
Being loved and cared for tenderly
By everyone around her.
Her baby hands and captivating smile
Captured my heart and will forever hold it.

A snaggle-toothed first-grader now,
She has that wide-eyed innocence
Which fails to hide a healthy spark of mischief.
She is so many different things -
A little tomboy climbing trees,
A little mother playing with her dolls;
But always moving swiftly toward adulthood.

Lord, guide her on the long, hard road ahead.
Make smooth her path,
And let no harm befall
Nor human treachery distress her
As she hurries on with joyous anticipation
To meet her destiny.

I Thank You, Lord

by Lucy M. Young

I thank You, Lord, that I can see
The deep blue sky, the restless sea;
The stars at night, the sun by day
The flowers that bloom along my way.

I thank You, Lord, that I can hear
The sound of things that I hold dear -
The songs of birds, a glad refrain,
The symphony of wind and rain.

I thank You, Lord, that I can touch
And feel the things that mean so much -
A friendly hand, a gentle shower,
The velvet petals of a flower.

I thank You, Lord, that I can savor,
Not only food of every flavor,
But life as well, and love and gladness,
Seasoned with a touch of sadness.

For joy and pain go hand in hand,
And 'though we may not understand
Why this must be, I thank You for
These things, and will not ask for more.

Luxuries

by Lucy M. Young

Snuggling 'neath the covers on a cold November night
While the north wind whistles frostily without,
Or listening to the raindrops pelting 'gainst the windowpane
While warm and dry beside a crackling fire;

Savoring the creamy coldness of a strawberry ice cream soda
On a hot and steamy, torrid August day;
Or a sparkling drink of water from an icy mountain spring -
These are luxuries to me beyond compare.

You can have your yachts and Cadillacs, your emeralds and champagne,
They are cold and cheerless, comfortless indeed;
And I wouldn't trade my cherished luxuries, not even one -
For all the rich possessions 'neath the sun.

Christmas Memories

by Lucy M. Young

I would give everything I have or ever hope to have
If I could but return to yesteryear
And Christmas as it used to be when I was young
By ordinary standards we were poor.
But we didn't know it
Money was a very scarce commodity.
Not knowing what it was, we didn't miss it;
For we were truly rich beyond compare in all the things that matter
We had love and understanding,
Security from cold and hunger.
We were content with what we had.
Our world was beautiful, our happiness complete.
Our home was filled with so much love and Christmas spirit
That I can almost taste it even now.

We never made a Christmas list
Nor asked for any special thing.
But waited with such glad anticipation for Christmas morning
To find our home-made gifts beneath the tree,
And see the joy on the faces of our loved ones
When they received the things we'd made for them.

Memories come crowding back
Of snow and sparkling, starry nights;
The one large Christmas star which shone above the mountains
in the East
Bringing in the tree and trimming it;
The cold clean smell of balsam
Spicy smells of Christmas goodies baking in the kitchen,
Smiling faces, happy hearts, excited chatter;
Oyster stew on Christmas Eve;
Oranges and nuts and shiny red-cheeked apples;
Candy bags upon the branches of the tree;
Mother at the organ playing Christmas Carols
While we gathered 'round her singing joyously.

Santa Claus was just a pleasant character like Mother Goose
or Cinderella's fairy godmother.
We knew what Christmas really meant -
The birthday of our Lord.
We knew our gifts came from each other
In memory of His birth.

Dear Lord, I'd give all I possess
If I could just have one more Christmas as it used to be
With all the warmth and love and joy and peace
But I do thank you most sincerely for these precious memories
Of Christmas day at home so long ago.

The Garden

Lucy M. Young

I went to the garden this morning
when the sky was rosy with dawn
Peace and serenity reigned supreme,
the shadows of night were all gone.

The birds were raising their happy songs
in joyous praise of the day;
A breeze brought the fragrance of flowers to me
from the meadow across the way.

I admired my neat row of vegetables
in their dew-spangled shades of green;
Awed by the fact that a few tiny seeds
could produce this exotic scene.

I agree with the person far wiser than I
Who cast pearls of wisdom abroad -
There is no place on earth like the garden at dawn
to make one feel closer to God.

I Asked the Lord

by Lucy M. Young

I asked the Lord to walk with me,
And everywhere He walks with me,
He guards my every step.
I asked Him then to hold me up,
Where'er I go He holds me up,
He does not let me fall.

I asked that He might give me strength
To face whatever each day brings
Of weakness, doubt or fear;
I asked for Him to be my guide
Through days of pain and sleepless nights,
He makes my way secure.

'Though there be days when things go wrong
And my burden seems too much to bear
I know He's by my side.
His love sustains me constantly,
His strength supports my faltering steps,
He is my guiding light

A Patch of Blue

by Lucy M. Young

A patch of deep blue sea above the city skyline
For fluffy white cloud ships to sail upon
God knew we needed something bright and cheery
After cloudy days of rain and gloom
So thank you, Lord, for this small piece of April
To help us through the last grim days of March.

Blue Skies of April

by Lucy M. Young

Blue skies of April
Loveliest of the year
Shining through my window
Drying up my tears.

Winter was so lonely -
Bleak and cold and drear,
Easily forgotten
Now that April's here.

New green leaves and swelling buds
Bring new hope and cheer;
Dandelions, fresh green grass
Remind us God is near.

Blue skies of April
Loveliest of the year
Bringing resurrection
And a bright new year.

My Greatest Gift

by Lucy M. Young

God gave me a loving family
  And many friends who care
Good neighbors that I might not be alone
  And lots of love to share.

He gave me a home in the country
  And pure fresh country air
Cool green trees that touch the sky
  The music of birds in the air.

He gave me sunshine and gentle rain
  Sweet flowers kissed with dew
But I didn't realize how blest I am
  Until He gave me you.

Lucy wrote, "For Ruth after she did so much work on my house, cleaning, painting. I can never thank her enough."  I hope she knew that this poem was way more thanks than I deserved. Love you, Auntie