My Visit to Middle Earth

I went to Middle Earth today

Into the land of old

Where wizards laugh and children play

And dwarves are mining gold.

I wandered through the cornfields and

The hills throughout the Shire;

I ate my second breakfast 

With a hobbit, by his fire.

I visited dear Rivendell

And those that dwelleth there;

I listened to their poetry

And music, oh, so fair.

I traveled on to Rohan and

I visited the king,

And now that peace reigned in the land

I heard the children sing.

I also stopped by Mirkwood,

Though it seemed as dark as night,

I came out on the other side

And saw the sun's gold light.

I saw a wizard on my way;

Mysterious was he,

For there was knowledge in his eyes––

Much more than I could see.

I briefly looked toward Mordor where

The shadows once did dwell,

But that was many years ago

And broken is the spell.

And then I flew to Gondor and

I touched the old White Tree.

I thought about the brutal war

And final victory.

At last I leapt onto a boat

And sailed a silver stream.

But then I opened up my eyes,

For lo, it was a dream. 

(Nov. 2011)

Wind

The wind is my friend; he plays with my hair,
And chases the clouds all away.
He cools me when hot; he whispers my name,
And beckons me come out to play.


And he tells me when to go back inside
He talks to me all through the night.
He keeps me awake, or sings me to sleep,
And sometimes may give me a fright.


But when he is gone, I might not be sad
If then I am already cold.
But if he comes back, I just might be glad
For summer may be getting old.


The wind is my friend; he plays with my hair,
And gently he whispers my name.
He sometimes is angry, and sometimes is calm,
But I still like him, just the same.


(March 2010)

Running

Of all the things I'm dreaming of,
Why am I running from this love
That binds my heart to Yours?
I go away and then I weep
For petty things I could not keep
Instead of what endures.


I know it's crazy, know it's true
All of these things I've done to You,
And yet, You love me still.
Why do I want to run away
And leave You for some other day
While other "loves" just kill?


And when I'm down, and times are tough,
I feel Your love is not enough
To help me make it through;
But doubts like that just go to show
How much of You I do not know––
I just don't have a clue.


(July 2011)

Unsaid

Some words are just better left unsaid;
No way to reverse the things you did.
Sometimes you just need to ease your mind,
Take the time to let it all unwind.


All these thoughts keep churning in my head––
Combinations of the stuff I've read.
Time to stop pretending how I feel
And admit that it's just all unreal. 


If I ponder as I lie in bed
Counting tears that never have been shed,
No more hiding, no more time to run.
Some things are just better left undone.


(July 2011)

He Calls

When He calls my name I must listen
And always must let His light glisten.
Not my work, but His, that you see,
For He works a good work in me.


When He calls my name I must hear
And put away worry and fear
For that time there never has been
To waste on bad thoughts and on sin.


When He calls my name I must act
On faith and believing, not fact
Through good times and bad times alway,
And ask for His favor each day.


(Nov. 2005) 

I Sleep

When sunset draws near
And it's time for bed,
I shall never fear,
But lay down my head;
I sleep in the hands of God.


As I close my eyes
And wait for the morn,
The young moon doth rise;
A new night is born.
I sleep in the hands of God. 


(Nov. 2005) 

Early Morning

Early in the morning
I feel the gentle breeze
And I watch as the quiet wind
Is rustling the leaves.


The sun is slowly rising
Looking down on those below
And parts throughout the forest
Have shown its faint, warm glow.


But then, all of the sudden,
The sunlight did all go.
Behold, the cloud which covers it
Has cast its dark shadow.


The bright sun soon did shine again
After a little while
Brighter than it was before;
It makes you want to smile.


(July 2005) 

The Busy Quilter

I know a busy quilter
A good and kind woman is she
And however much she has to do,
She always has time for me.


She helps me with my stitching,
And we like to sing many a song
And when she isn't looking,
I cut my thread too long.


I love that busy quilter,
My sister in the Lord.
I'm sure I'm not the only one
By whom she is adored. 


(July 2005) 

A Girl and a Flower

A girl is like a flower
Which starts off as a seed;
With food and care and water,
God gives her what she needs.


And then soon will appear a stem
All fresh with morning dew
That's how the girl begins her life
All bright and sweet and new.


And after may days go by
A little bud appears
Reaching up toward the sky;
She's early in her years.


At last the bud burst open,
How straight and tall she stood!
Though sometimes she may be unsure,
She's now in her girlhood.


Though summer rains may weigh her down,
And her face is washed with tears,
Her heav'nly Father hears her cries
For He is always near.


And now she seems to be growing fast
Bees come and pollenate,
And trials she went through in the past
Have only made her great.


She has become a woman;
Her purpose is fulfilled.
The final petal now unfolds,
She stands, oh, straighter still. 


(July 2005) 

Many Tears

Though I cry many tears tonight
I know the Lord is with me
For Jesus is the only light
And only He can comfort me.


I know that it will be all right
When I feel His presence near me.
He will guide me through the night
For He will never leave me.


I smiled and said unto the Lord
As I crawled back in bed:
"Thank You, Jesus, for all You've done,"
Then no more tears were shed.


(Dec. 2004)

River of Love

I went to the river
The River of Love
And saw my dear Father,
The Lord, from above.


I saw that Christ walked
That long path through the mud
I saw that He died for me––
Gave His own blood.


The Lord Jesus died for me
Also for you,
And now He's alive again
Saving us, too.


I know I'm a sinner
I know that I fail
I know that sometimes my
Commitment is stale.


So cleansed in that river
The River of Love
God made me to shine
As white as a dove.


So come to the river
The River of Love
And let God transform you
Into a white dove.


(Nov. 2005) 

God Paints

God paints the sky
With pink and blue;
He put it there
For me and you.


Sometimes the clouds
Are white or gray,
Or wind will blow them
All away.


The sun itself 
Shines yellow gold.
It's not a circle,
So I'm told.


So I'll praise God
For His blue sky,
And all of nature
By and by. 


(written Nov. 2005) 

My Window

When I look out my window,
I see the sunny sky.
Through trees, I see the wind blow,
Above, the blackbirds fly.


When I look out my window,
I see the grass below
And birds and squirrels and rabbits
On their day's journey go.


When I look out my window,
I see the starting day,
And as I watch the sun rise
The shadows go away.


When I look out my window,
I see the peaceful night.
I see the stars above me
And wait for morning light.


When I look out my window,
I see God's glorious view.
The things that He put out there
He made for me and you.


(written in Nov. 2005)

O Moon

O, moon you shine so bright;
You have such pretty light.
And when the sun goes down,
You light up all the night.


O, sun with smiling ray,
You light up all the day.
You wake the people up
Who then will work and play.


O, stars with twinkling true,
I see their smiles too.
And if you watch them for awhile,
They'll wink and blink at you.


(written June 2005) 

My Bible

My Bible is a lamp to me
It is my lifelong guide
How sweet the words, they are to me
By them I will abide.


I may not understand it all 
But to me that's all right
For when I am no longer small
Then someday I just might.


I shall try to do my best 
To seek the Lord's own will
When I am weak and need to rest
My spirit He will fill. 


(written Dec. 30, 2004) 

Tell Me

Tell me who you want to be
Secrets people never see
In the forefront of your mind
Leave your fearfulness behind.


Tell me what I ever do
That would make me good for you
Is it beauty, is it grace,
Is it deeper than my face?


Tell me when you need to cry
Don't despair and don't deny
If you have a broken heart
Do not hide and fall apart.


Tell me where and how you are
For it is too long and far 
In the distance of the night
For the end to be in sight.


Tell me why you never came
But I love you just the same
Will you promise to be true?
If you tell me, I'll tell you. 

Rain

Oh, the beautiful sound of the rain
Though it sounds so simple and plain
God sprinkles His love down from Heaven above
Oh the beautiful sound of the rain.


It waters the earth so dry
So that people and plants will not die
God gives us life and keeps us from strife
It waters the earth so dry.


It cleanses us thoroughly and whole
And it seems to freshen our soul
God sent His Son, new life has begun
And it cleanses us thoroughly and whole.


(written Jan. 8, 2005)

End

 We'll soar over mountains and valleys

Remember the things that we've done

Say it's okay

When we go away

And cherish the treasures we won

But those things will matter no longer

Because you will see me no more

The end of the fight

Just didn't seem right

As you shamelessly bolted the door

Battered and broken we stumbled

Along the dark, windowless way

You said you'd be true

And I trusted you

To help me go on for the day

Remember the times when we triumphed

Imagine that we won the war

Tell me you'll be

Returning for me

And things will be just as before

Too many times I thought you left me

That's when I felt lost and alone

But you came again

And I felt safe when

You proudly declared me your own

And sometimes the silence is soothing

A balm to relieve wounded heart

If you start to speak 

Then I will feel weak

Because we are so long apart

So this is the end of our troubles

This is the end of the world

For now is too late

And it could not wait

While the mists of time silently swirled.