A Little Medicine For The Soul

Today, I thought I'd share with you one of my favorite poems. I hope it speaks to your heart as much as it does mine.

After A While

by

Veronica Shoffstall

After a while, you learn the subtle difference

Between holding a hand and chaining a soul,

And you learn that love doesn't mean leaning

And company doesn't mean security,

And you begin to learn that kisses aren't contracts

And presents aren't promises,

And you begin to accept your defeats

With your head help up and your eyes open

With the grace of a Woman, not the grief of a child,

And you learn to build all your roads on today

Because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain for plans.

And futures have a way of falling down in midflight.

After a while, you learn

That sunshine burns if you get too much.

So you plant your own garden and decorate your own soul,

Instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.

And you learn that you really can endure...

That you really are strong...

And you really do have worth...

And you learn and learn...

With every goodbye, you learn.

Ahh...I love that...hope you did, too! Have a wonderful WEDNESDAY! It's bitter cold here in Georgia...sure wish we'd, at least, get a little snow!

Slow Me Down, Lord!

Since returning from our trip to Colorado, I feel like I've been clipping along at a very fast pace. Go here, go there...get this done, and that! Just doesn't seem like I've taken much time to simply BE. Well, this poem, I think, is perfect to share today...it's a favorite of mine. You might be familiar with it, but I hope it still touches you, nonetheless. It's a good lesson for us all.

SLOW ME DOWN, LORD
~Wilfred A. Peterson~

Slow me down, Lord!
Ease the pounding of my heart
By the quieting of my mind.
Steady my harried pace
With a vision of the eternal reach of time.
Give me,
Amidst the confusions of my day,
The calmness of the everlasting hills.
Break the tensions of my nerves
With the soothing music of the sighing streams
That live in my memory.
Help me to know
The magical restoring power of sleep.
Teach me the art
Of taking minute vacations of slowing down to look at a flower;
To chat with an old friend or to make a new one;
to pat a stray dog;
to watch a spider build a web;
to smile at a child;
or to read a few lines from a good book.
Remind me each day
That the race is not always to the swift;
That there is more to life than increasing it's speed.
Let me look upward
Into the branches of the towering oak
And know that it grew slowly and well.
Slow me down, Lord,
And inspire me to send my roots deep
Into the soil of life's enduring values
That I may grow toward the stars
Of my greater destiny.
Hope each of you has a wonderful weekend and that you're able to find delight in the world around you!

"Slow down and enjoy life. It's not only the scenery you miss by going too fast - you also miss the sense of where you are going and why."~Eddie Cantor


P.S. I'll be having a giveaway next week...I'm announcing it on Tuesday! No special occasion; just simply felt like it. I don't think you'll be disappointed! Oh, and I am, once again, participating in Mamarazzi's Favorite Things Swap. If you've never done it...you should! It's tons of fun! Just click on the button to check it out, but, don't delay...there's a limit of 100 participants!

A Mother Listens

I love the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" books and have quite a few of them. One of my favorites is the one for mothers and daughters. I was thumbing through it the other day and came across this poem I thought I'd share. Hope you like it as much as I do.

A Mother Listens

They are so small and fragile, you are afraid you will

not hear~

you lay awake and...listen.

They are little and just in the next room, suddenly it

is very quiet~

you go to the doorway and...listen.

They are bigger and have much to tell you about

their day~

you are busy and very tired but you make the time

and...listen.

They are a little bigger and so secretive, they do not

say much anymore~

you must find different ways to...listen.

They are teenagers and talk a strange new language~

you try hard to hear without commenting and

just...listen.
They are growing up, all at once they know it all~

it's best to let them think so

and...listen.

They are becoming adults, they want to talk and ask

your advice~

there might be things you do not want to hear, but

you...listen.

They grow up and go away~

you hate the silence, the phone rings, you can't

wait to...listen.

They come to visit with their kids, all demanding

your ears at once~

someone shouts "be quiet!", no it's all right, it's so

wonderful to...listen.

They get older, you get old, they speak loud as if you

are deaf~

it's okay, you nod your head and...listen.

You pass on, and when they pray, they do not ask

for God~

they need to talk to you, God is gracious, and once

again He lets you...listen.

~Carolee Hudgins~

Make it a beautiful day and...listen! ♥Hugs♥

My Dad...My Hero...

Dad, on the far left...as a young soldier...


In his Army uniform...so handsome...

Opening his favorite annual Christmas gift...peanut M & M's!!!...

Simply...DAD...


Today is my dad's birthday. He passed away almost two years ago and not a day goes by that I don't think of him. I miss him so much.

I have a lot of different memories about Dad. One, in particular, is depicted in the photo below. When I was entering second grade, we had to move to another city. Mom and I drove there to meet up with Dad, where he'd been working, before everything became finalized. We pulled into the Holiday Inn where we'd be staying and I, immediately, noticed this sign. Dad had asked the hotel staff to put my name on it, welcoming us to our new home. I thought it was so neat! I felt almost like a movie star! It's something I'll always remember.

Each time I got sick, Dad would be by my bedside with a moist washcloth to lay across my forehead. He'd take a peeled apple and scrape it with a spoon and feed me his "homemade applesauce". It was so good and just what I needed to start feeling better. He always worried himself sick, literally, whenever I wasn't feeling well.

As I grew older, Dad became very protective of me, as fathers should be with their daughters. Of course, being a teenager who knew it all, it often annoyed me. I can't count the times I'd go out on a date only to come home to find him waiting up for me. It drove me completely crazy...BUT, now that I have a teenage daughter...I understand! Sure makes you see things in a different light when you're the parent. He always expected my boyfriends to treat me with the utmost respect and, if they didn't, they'd have him to answer to. He ran a few of them off a time or two!

Dad always instilled in me a deep love for my country. This was primarily due to the fact that he served in the Merchant Marines and in the Army. We took a trip to Washington, DC once and Dad was completely enamored with the history there. It was exciting to see everything through his eyes. It's because of Dad's strong patriotism that I get a lump in my throat whenever I see a soldier in uniform, or hear the National Anthem being sung.

Dad believed in the importance of a good education. Though he never went to college, he worked very hard to give my brothers and I that opportunity. I wanted to earn a college degree to make him proud, and I think I succeeded. However, I think Dad was especially proud when I became a mother. He loved being a grandparent to his four grandsons, two granddaughters, and one great granddaughter. He relished in watching them grow and mature, and seized every opportunity to brag about them and their accomplishments.

Dad never passed up the opportunity to have a good belly laugh. He had a wonderful sense of humor, which always made it so much fun to be around him. He'd laugh and cackle every year we'd give him the same "favorite" Christmas gift...a 2 lb. bag of peanut M & M's. Like me, he was a chocoholic and could consume a huge bag of M & M's in no time flat! Also, we was very well-read and loved watching Fox News. He could argue anyone under the table about politics. I watched his brothers and sisters engage in political debates many times over the years and Dad never backed down from his beliefs. He taught me how to be a strong person and to always stand up for what I felt was right.

So, on this day, I count myself incredibly fortunate to have had Dad in my life. Pop, I love you with all my heart and I miss you more than you know. Thank you for all the sacrifices you made to ensure that I would have a good life. You were an honorable man, and a loving husband, father, and grandfather. I'm proud to have been your "little girl". The lessons you taught me will never be forgotten. Happy Birthday...I love you!!!

Here's a poem I'd like to share. If you never lost a loved one, it really makes you think. If you have lost someone very close to you, it makes you think even more...

Tomorrow Never Comes

If I knew it would be the last time that I'd see you fall asleep,

I'd tuck you in more tightly, and pray the Lord your soul to keep.

If I knew it would be the last time that I'd see you walk out the door,

I would give you a hug and kiss, and call you back for just one more.

If I knew it would be the last time I'd hear your voice lifted up in praise,

I would tape each word and action, and play them back throughout my days.

If I knew it would be the last time, I would spare an extra minute or two,

To stop and say, "I love you," instead of assuming you know I do.

So just in case tomorrow never comes, and today is all I get,

I'd like to say how much I love you, and I hope we will never forget.

Tomorrow is not promised to anyone, young or old alike,

And today may be the last chance you get to hold your loved one tight.

So if you're waiting for tomorrow, why not do it today?

For if tomorrow never comes, you'll surely regret the day

That you didn't take the extra time for a smile, a hug, or a kiss,

And you were too busy to grant someone, what turned out to be their one last wish.

So hold your loved ones close today, and whisper in their ear,

That you love them very much, and you'll always hold them dear.

Take time to say, "I'm sorry," "Please forgive me," "thank you" or "it's okay."

And if tomorrow never comes, you'll have no regrets about today.

~Norma Cornett Marek~