Category: peace

Don’t Grieve for Me

by Lucy M. Young

photo by Imansyah Muhamad Putera on Unsplash
If I should die tonight don't grieve for me;
Just thank the Lord I'm finally at peace,
Free of pain and sadness,
My heart no longer seeking lasting happiness.

I have enjoyed my life as best I could
In spite of daily put-downs and complaints
About my failure to fulfill my duties
Satisfactorily.

I've tried so hard to please,
To be and do what was expected of me.
Perhaps I've tried too hard to fit myself into the mold
Of what I ought to be,
Ignoring what I am.

But I have failed to fit that ideal image
For I am all too human.
Life passed me by while I was trying to conform,
So now I feel that death can't be more disappointing
Than my wasted life has been.

Now once again I say
Don't grieve for me.
Rejoice that I may rest in peace at last.

My Garden

by Lucy M. Young

Lucy in her garden
Dear Lord, I thank You for my lovely garden.
I thank You for my sister's help in planting it,
And for the strength You've given me to tend it.
I thank You, too, for sending wind and rain
To nurture it, and make it grow abundantly.

Lord, grant that I may share with others
The bounty of my harvest;
For sharing makes the fruit taste so much sweeter,
And satisfies the soul.

Because I Listened

by Lucy M. Young

photo by Sebastian Unrau on Unsplash
I asked the Lord for help -
He didn't answer
I asked again and yet again
But still no answer
I thought He didn't hear me so I asked again more fervently
With tears and abject pleading -
nothing happened
"Can't you hear me, Lord?" I asked, "Or don't you care?"
Then I stopped my anxious flow of words
I stopped and walked alone into the nearby forest
Away from all the anger and turmoil of my day
It was so quiet there - I listened to the silence
I couldn't hear His voice, no words were spoken
I couldn't feel His touch or see His face
But I know that He was there because I felt such peace within me
His love surrounded me and soothed my troubled spirit
Because I stopped to listen I was refreshed and rested;
Because I listened, I could face whatever came my way
With courage and the strength He'd given me.

The Garden

Lucy M. Young

photo by Isabel Herrera on Unsplash
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.

The Christmas Star

by Lucy M. Young

The Christmas star is shining in the East.
Its pure and radiant light has never ceased
To guide the faithful with its steady glow,
Just as it led the Wise Men long ago
To a lowly manger in a stable bare
Where lay the Christ Child with his mother fair.

Oh Christmas star, may your pure holy light
Fill every heart with peace and joy tonight;
And may your beams encompass all the earth
Remind all nations of the holy birth
Of the Babe who came that war and suffering cease;
And bring to all the world good will and peace.

May the Christmas star fill your hearts with love and joy today and always



photo by Frantzou Fleurine on Unsplash

My Mother’s Bible

by Lucy M. Young

Alone, she sits in her cluttered home,
   Alone with her memories and dreams;
Waiting in vain for someone to call,
   But nobody cares, it seems.

Lonely and sad by the window she sits,
   Remembering days gone by
When her home was a busy, happy place,
   Filled with laughter and love and "small fry,"

Her children and grandchildren live nearby,
   All busy with their own affairs;
Not realizing how much it would mean to her
   To know that somebody cares.

Forgotten before her a cup of tea
   Grows cold as the shadows fall,
As cold as she feels in her empty house -
   Forgotten, rejected by all.

But wait, there is comfort close at hand
   And she clasps it close to her heart -
Her Bible, her constant companion and friend,
   A friend who will never depart.

As she reads the marked pages, her favorite lines,
   Peace enters her soul again;
And she knows in her heart she is never alone -
   Jesus walks with her to the end.

Now that Bible is mine. Although tattered and torn,
   Its message is very clear;
And it seems I can hear her quietly say,
   "Be happy, the Lord is near."



photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash