4 S's

Surely as the stars hang in Heaven
Surely as the rivers flow to the sea.
Surely as they are His children
Surely they pour their Love upon me.
And I count myself unworthy
Of a gift so great to me
Of Love poured down in full measure
and shaken down for all the world to see.

At night before I go to
sleep
And ask the Lord your soul
to keep
I miss you.
And when I wake to start
the day
And ask His guidance for the way
I miss you.
And each time we say good-bye
and hours together become
history
It's still there - like a mystery -
I miss you.
It does not matter if you're
near or far
When I am not where you are
I miss you.
I cannot catch a falling star
I cannot change the way things are
I love you.

August 1984

Time

If I could put Time
in a bottle
I would need so much more
than one
For all of my Times are
different
And each one is
better than none.

The Tears of My Children

They enter my being unbidden
and pour forth from my
sorrow-filled heart.
There is no power to stop them
For I wanted us never to part.
But lo, the pathway before us
Was not the one we would
choose
And many sweet teardrops were
shed on that road
For moments we only could
lose.
Those tears still enter my being
and pour from a
bittersweet heart
For those tears that they
shed in sorrow
Were always mine to impart.
Now the tears are happy
Delightful diamonds of love
For now they all run together
From the River that flows
up Above.

05/21/01

Wind in the Willow

The wind in the willow
Plays his song after dark,
And places the notes
In the throat of the lark.
The wind in the willow
whispers hushed melodies
And like an orchestra humming
What greater than these?
The wind in the willow
So soothing and quiet
Lulls us to sleep
As we whisper good night.
The wind in the willow
Sweet mystery
Blows from the Nowhere
For all eternity.

05/16/01

Father Time

I wonder about you, old
man.
Should you carry my
heart in your hand?
Dare I soar to
my innermost heights?
Shall I revel in you
to my heart's delight?
You, old man, who have
chosen me
The reason, whatever, not
mine to see.
You who have come
from some distant shore
To waken me and
show me more.
Shall I walk with you
on a new path
sublime?
Yes, old man, for I've
known you a long
long time.

2/21/87

World

The world must be made of bird
sounds and dog barks
And children echoing in the trees
And God gently whispering in
the breeze.
For where would we be without music
And the sound of the faithful
dogs
And the childrens' laughter at twilight
And God's hand that covers
the night?
To wake in the morning at daybreak
And behold a new day at
dawn
And see the great horizon around us
With Him to guide us
as we go along.

It does not matter what is to come
We have shared laughter, some
work and some fun
Should tomorrow have for you
another way in store
Should you leave from my life
and not darken my door
My soul would weep and to the
gods I'd implore
Why couldn't there be just a
little time more
Then I'd see yesterday and its
memories gold
Ever warming my heart when
I have grown old
Life would be lonely and
sometimes rough
But we shared today and that's
more than enough
So it does not matter what is
to come
We shared today and I've
been with you some.

July 1984

If I were a bluebird, safe in
a tree
I'd sing melodies so sweetly
you'd turn and look at me.
If I were a sunbeam, traveling
through the air
I'd stop for a rest on your
fine soft hair.
If I were a raindrop, I'd splash
on your tongue
And remind you of life when
you were young.
If I were a soft summer breeze,
gentle and light
I'd play through your window
while you dreamt through
the night.
If I could write with words of
gold,
I would tell you the secrets in
my heart untold.
I would tell you the joy you
bring to me
How you erase the sadness that
used to be.
If I could speak with a silver
tongue,
Or turn back the time and be
real young,
I would do neither of these two
things
To trade the delight that
knowing you today brings.

Each of us knows many loves
as we walk upon this
earth.
Love of family, love of friends,
love of God
Make us feel our worth.
I have the love of a gentle dad
Whose kind understanding makes
my heart glad.
I have the love of a wonderful
mother
Whose strength and comfort equals
no other.
I have the love of my children
four
Who would do all they could
and even more.
I have the love of many friends
Who, come what may, need
make no amends.
This is the bulk of my unseen
treasure,
For its value and worth there
is no measure.
I never thought God would add
to this sum
So I never looked for another
one.

I have seen the endless scope
of the soft blue sky,
And thought it a wondrous thing.
I have sat alone in the still, quiet
wood
And thrilled as the mockingbirds sing.
I have marveled at the magnificent
rainbow
Hung fresh with its promise bright.
My soul has inhaled the twinkling
stars
On a warm, quiet summer's night.
I have seen the yellow daisies
nodding in the breeze
As I walked barefoot a country mile,
But more wondrous to me than
any of these
Was my new-born baby's smile.

'83

Life - The Dream

I woke in your wonder
Only a babe
And soon became the child
Oblivious to the path for me
you had laid
Thinking full well I knew what
to do
With certainty in my heart
I could fathom you.
And now, sweet Life, I delightfully
find
'Twas only a futile state of mind.
For you are the magnificent dream
through which I travel,
Not a mystery for me to unravel.
Your bitterness my body does entwine
And with gladness of spirit I drink
your sweet wine.
I wait on your threshing floor.
I breathe your soft mists.
And in my deep moanings I am
tenderly kissed.
For when this dream has come
to an end
Perhaps I shall wake to another
With you, Life -- my lover
and friend.
02/04/87

The birds sing to me each
morning.
The whippoorwill soothes me
at night.
Death comes without a
warning
And we fly away in
delight.

Our failing is that we
often use the Bible to plant
fenceposts on which we
string the wires of religion,
thus limiting ourselves,
  God and His universe