My gratitude, dear God above
I am surrounded by true love
My fate’s been sealed and is secure
There’s no escape, of this I’m sure
The time grows late, what else is left
Too soon it is, the world’s bereft !
WELCOME ( 2020 ) 2020/01/22
Oh, for the days that were and are no more
And those paths that lead us to heaven’s door
May God be there to greet each as we come
With an open heart and the word welcome !
MY PLEDGE ( 2020 ) 2020/01/19
Oh little lamb so pure and sweet
I lay my life here at your feet
If I should die before I wake
I beg You Lord, my soul please take
For it is Yours and all I own
Wherein the seeds of love are sown
And so my heart is witness to
This simple gift I offer You !
AMEN.
WITH CHARITY ( 2020 ) 2020/01/10
This silence that I share is free
It spreads its veil of peace o’er me
And quiets all the disarray
That one encounters day by day.
How little do we know of life
That is content and without strife
Contentment is a foreign thing
That in our lives has been missing.
Oh Lord above do hear this plea
Help each to live with charity !
EARN HIS TRUST ( 2020 ) 2020/01/04
Turn on the lights, the dark is here
It is that dismal time of year
After the harvest and the fall
Winter becomes the king of all.
Since we are captive to its power
Day after day, and hour by hour
To learn the lesson is a must
If we are e’er to earn His trust !
GOD’S DIVERSITY ( 2019 ) 2019/12/13
The snow is drifting to the ground
Its destinations to be found
The air’s so fresh and wet to touch
Creating visions, scenes and such
The snow is drifting into piles
Where e’er you turn, the world still smiles
Oh what a joy that all may see
God’s generous diversity !
OUR GOOD FRIEND ( 2019 ) 2019/07/28
Seems life has been a timeless one
So full of gladness, joy and fun
Along the way there’s been some pain
T’was part of lifetime’s growth and gain
Oft I’ve wondered what it’s about
If I should laugh or cry or shout
It is a choice that we’ve all made
With circumstance let’s pray won’t fade
Now here we are at this road’s end
At last with God who’s our good friend !
WHO LOVES US SO ( 2018 ) 2018/12/03
Let’s say a prayer, come Christmas Day
For all those children far away
Who’ve lived in need and know no peace
Where joys and dreaming are deceased.
They’ve never lived without the tears
That generate both hate and fears
Whose existence finds ’tis bereft
By times of war, years of neglect.
Oh helpless child who does not know
The gifts of God, Who loves us so !
ONE LESS LOSS ( 2018 ) 2018/11/28
The shards of light sift through the blind
And leave too many threads to find
That weave along life’s weary road
For those who strive with burdened load.
The way is coarse and over done
At times it’s o’er before begun
If we could seek just one more toss
With God, we’ll strike up one less loss !
A GIFT FOR YOU ( 2018 ) 2018/11/22
Oh Lord, dear God, let not my weakness show
Oh Lord above, help all my strengths to grow
I’ve been Your servant for most of my life
Through pain and sorrow, abundance of strife.
You’ve taught me how to be humble and fair
To give all I’ve got and something to spare
The words in my mouth and deeds that I do
All of this my Lord, is a gift for You !
ARE YOU AS TRUE ? ( 2018 ) 2018/10/27
Oh Solomon, where is thy wisdom now
What confidence your heart and you allow
What kindness does it take for you to live
With all that wisdom that is yours to give ?
Oh foolishness beyond your every dream
Are you as true or only that you seem ?
FAR SIMPLER WILL ( 2018 ) 2018/10/19
When the time comes at last and I open the door
When the magic is gone and my heart hits the floor
May the Lord up above and His minions below
Comprehend how I’ve grown and joys that I know
As I go to a place that is far better still
With a mind that is clear and a far simpler will !
GOD’S CHARITY ( 2018 ) 2018/09/20
What quiet signals do we send
When we’ve moved so close to the end
What simple gestures do we make
When our whole system’s doomed to break ?
The moment’s here and on its own
Wherein the final action’s known
And as the fateful hour appears
A darkness falls among our peers.
Soon angel wings waft some away
To seek a dawn that’s gone astray
Forgive us Lord for all the sin
And help us save most left within
How fortunate that each may be
Depending on God’s charity !
“MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE UNTO THE LORD”
PSALM/ 66:1 / 88:1 / 95:1-2 / 98:4-6 / 100:1-5 / 149:3 / et al.
HELP FOR STORMY DAYS ( 2018 ) 2018/08/12
Dark storm clouds gather up on high
While shafts of light shoot cross the sky
The rain it tumults to the ground
And fills each crevice to be found.
The thunder and the lightning roar
As darkness creeps inside the door
The streets are full of glistening streams
That flow forever, so it seems.
All lives encounter stormy days
Both cold or sad in countless ways
With this exception each may take
God helps us up before we break !
SAFE HARBOR ( 2018 ) 2018/06/19
Praise God above for only He
Does have the power to set us free
In every storm He is the Port
That we must seek if we are caught.
Without His love we are remiss
His Word brings us eternal bliss
There is this path that does unwind
That only God can help us find !
LOVE AND CHARITY ( 2018 ) 2018/03/14
Ler’s close the door and move on up
Tis time to taste another cup
We need to give peace one more try
And take a chance before goodbye.
Like all the options we have had
To choose between the good and bad
Let’s opt for dreams that might come true
And grant to all a better view
Of what God wants our lives to be
Full of both love and charity !
FACTS ( 2018 ) 2018/01/10
The thoughts that gather round my brain
I struggle hard to keep contained
Because I wish to use the best
To help me try to ace God’s test.
I see how this world writhes in pain
Without some effort, there’s no gain
If God inspires our every act
Perhaps we’ll learn to honor fact !
GOD’S CHARITY ( 2017 ) 2017/12/14
Well here we are, believing what
With all this detail we have got ?
There are too many who will say
There is no God, not here today.
I can’t recall who said it first
But I am sure their bubble’s burst.
Just look around what do you see
A world that needs God’s charity !
CHARITY ( 2017 ) 2017/03/25
A little care, a little love
What is it we are dreaming of
A little hope tinged with a smile
Will carry us for quite awhile.
The way is long, the road is steep
We have a rendez-vous to keep
There are those jobs that we must do
With obstacles we need get through.
To aid the lost their strength to find
The weary to seek peace of mind
And help the indigent ensure
A future with their lives secure !
WHO AM I ( 2016 ) 2016/08/12
Now who am I to ask for more
As though I have not done before
A child of God with absent thought
That in life’s web I find I’m caught.
Please teach me how to humble be
And live with self humility
To find a place where I belong
That swells with peace and love and song !
IT’S FREE ( 2016 ) 2016/05/19
There are no words one chance may say
That work to melt the pain away
True, words are meant to help us cope
Once truth has gone, there’s only hope.
Perhaps hope stretches with each smile
And keeps one safe a little while
Perhaps a prayer, perhaps a few
Will garner strength to follow through.
Keep dreaming of God’s charity
Whate’er we need, it’s there, it’s free !
THE ROAD ( 2015 ) 2015/03/02
This road that I have chosen is lonely cold and dark
The path that I now follow is truly bare and stark
There’s no other option either here or on the way
Once the journey has begun the rule is you must stay.
It’s taken up too much time this is my foolish choice
Lord, I beg You walk with me I know You’ve heard my voice
I’ve made my share of errors I’m sure You’ve watched me fall
I ask for Your forgiveness I’ve been ashamed to call.
But that’s all over now I cannot change what is done
I simply need to finish this task I have begun !
GOD’S GRACE ( 2015 ) 2015/02/10
Among the wishes that I made
When I was young and unafraid
The one that I remember best
Is that I vowed to not possess
A jealous heart or unkind thought
In keeping with the lessons taught
Stick to the rules obey the Lord
Accept His grace with true accord !
IT’S PERSONAL ( 2015 ) 2015/01/29
I am that simple grain of sand
Who tempest tossed waits His command
Sometimes I tire, impatient grown
Where is the fruit of seeds I’ve sown ?
How long must I endure this pain
And when may I relief obtain,
So many questions fill my mind
Where is this peace I yearn to find ?
A gentle voice I seem to hear
It whispers softly in my ear
“This God alone can truly know
He will be there whene’er you go !”
BEST FRIENDS ( 2015 ) 2015/01/17
I hear the Angelus, it rings
Its doleful sound with glory sings
Here from my perch so very high
The mother and her child I spy !
So peaceful in the corner there
Some portion of the garden share
I wish that I might join them too
But it’s too late, quite overdue
The time is past to make amends
I sure would like to be best friends !
DATELINE: HOBOKEN, N J, USA. ( 2014 ) “RAGAMUFFINS” 2014/11/27
EXCUSE me, do you remember RAGAMUFFIN parades ? They occurred on Thanksgiving Day, after church services but before dinner usually at 3 PM. Yes, we did go to church in the old days ! Then ran home to quickly change into our raggedy outfits needed to do our begging, remembering the obligatory shopping bag ! The proper question as friendly doors opened, “anything for Thanksgiving ?” Remember this was the 30’s, the Great Depression and hunger was common in the streets. Believe me this was so, but it made us LEAN and tolerant and kind ! The goodies we received were homemade and unwrapped, cookies, muffins, cupcakes along with apples or raisins and Mary Janes or other. This was all about food, silly ! However in better off neighborhoods, you might receive nickel or dime ! You carried a shard of soapstone to mark the sidewalks or front gates of generous donors. Soapstone the chalk of choice used to draw HOPSCOTCH boxes on cement sidewalks culled from city dumps like hundreds of other items we rescued ! While railroad tracks played a large part in some economies, collecting coal from between the rails to fuel the black iron stoves at home needing only a container of sorts and work gloves ! We scrounged in small groups after school, most trains ran on coal-fed engines. There was NO racism in the debris-field of my early years ! The Great Depression was the equalizer among the masses. And we all loved our Eleanor, I believe we still do ! Happy Thanksgiving ! Sincerely, Claire B.
INVITATION ( 2014 ) 2014/11/22
I hear the songs of angels clear
Their phrases falling on my ear
All through the day into the night
Their voices raised so clear and bright
The promise of great joy to come
Inviting all not only some.
I’d like to stand in that long line
With wishes that we’ll turn out fine
I pray I have the strength to wait
And beg of God I’m not too late !
HIS MESSAGE BY THE SEA ( 2014 ) 2014/10/26
Oh Lamb of God so full of grace
I wish I could have seen your face
In shining light or dark of night
I’m sure it was a brilliant sight !
Old men who leaned upon their crutch
The widowed who had suffered much
The crippled old, completely blind,
They flocked to Him to solace find !
While those whose spirits went astray
Came to hear what He had to say
A godlike man with message clear
God loves us all, allay your fear !
Claire V. Bogdanos 