Have you wondered how the angels sleep
With all of the timid souls they keep
Children and babes and the very old
And those enduring grief uncontrolled ?
How do they manage I’d like to ask
To juggle such an enormous task
And will their numbers be large or few
When each nightfall comes what do they do ?
Do angels truly have giant wings
Does anyone hear when an angel sings
With so many facts we’ve yet to know
Will they be there when it’s time to go ?
If there is a God who watches us
He knows we create ungodly fuss
As daily we make our way in life
While threading through all its stress and strife !
If there is a God who reigns above
He is kind and showers us with love
There waiting to perform goodly deeds
To dispel our fears and fill our needs !
If there is a God who rules the earth
He is familiar with each from birth
While observing human growth and care
Help us end our grief and our despair !
A bandana tied with simple knot
A small bouquet of forget-me-not
A beach blanket set upon the grass
Napkins, utensils and plastic glass !
What do we have here before our eyes
I think it could be picnic surprise
Oh, how romantic and ever sweet
What secret treats and what will we eat ?
I see a basket next to the tree
Must be luncheon meant for you and me
Is that bottled bubbly I can spy
To celebrate the Fourth of July !
In toyland there are toys galore
They fill the shelves and crowd the floor
A sight to garner great surprise
It is a childhood paradise !
How marvelous the world would be
If all the children could be free
To run and play and laugh and smile
Enjoying freedom all the while.
Perhaps one day our God above
Will shelter them with all His love
And teach them how to live in peace
As war and hate and pain will cease !
Can’t find the words to speak of things
Like cats and dogs or queens and kings
Toy sailboats on a bathtub sea,
Or old old friends like you and me.
The words get lost along the way
And syllables have gone astray
As hopes and dreams that we’ve forgot
Are memories that linger not.
The slow process of growing old
When hands and feet and hearts turn cold
Are but the facts we need embrace
Before life’s end and time’s last race !
To stand up tall and not fall down
To learn to live without a frown
To be sincere while yet a clown,
To welcome those at your front gate
To proffer love instead of hate
To pleasant be and seldom late,
To greet success with gracious smile
To truthful be without denial
To kindness give and not beguile,
To help the weak before they fall
To answer when you hear the call
Believe that God is there for all !
I hear the distant voice of spring
It’s echo now remembering
The pleasant hours it left behind
That time to come may chance rewind.
Those days of calm before the storm
While hearts were young and without form,
Days felt so crisp the air was sweet
Our wishes then knew no defeat !
Crass life recalls those dreams forgot
That moved on by and lingered not
As hope and love did melt away
Into the mist of yesterday !
In the quiet of the room
Angels whisper in the gloom
Do not worry we are there
We shan’t leave you in despair.
God is here and with you now
He remembers all somehow
Child of God just close your eyes
It is time to say goodbyes.
Do not grieve this is the best
Time to seek that final rest
You are not lost or forlorn
The morrow brings your new morn !
The little babe with smile so sweet
Whose tiny hands and wiggly feet
Are perfect as they move about
Is pure within and snuggly out !
Imagine what the years may bring
Dreams and hopes are just beginning
But it could take a bit more time
Before each child begins his climb.
Let’s beg that God will be right there
To guide him and to hear his prayer,
Do not forget him as he grows
Life’s hard enough all heaven knows !
EXCUSE ME while I share ! Over 65 years ago someone shared the following
poem with me when my father died after a 9 year battle with brain cancer. I
have been sharing this piece by James Whitcomb Riley since (less 12 lines) :
I cannot say and I will not say
That he is dead, he is just away
With a cheery smile and a wave of the hand
He has wandered into an unknown land
And left us dreaming how very fair
It needs must be since he lingers there.
And you, oh you who the wildest yearn
For the old time step and the glad return.
Think of him faring on as dear
In the love of there as the love of here
Think of him still as the same I say
He is not gone he is just away.
Sincerely, Claire B.
When but a girl I lost my dad
I could not know the gift I had
I watched occasions pass me by
All those precious years time did fly.
Days that he didn’t hold my hand
When my achievements turned out grand
No one there to cushion my fall
And walks we never took at all,
Especially down that long aisle
When dad and daughter cry and smile,
And here am I at my trails end
Still missing him, my next best friend !
I have searched in vain for a special place
In which to occasion my last embrace
In my mind remains, after many years
How my dear grandma shed her final tears !
Her words to me I shall never forget
As she said her goodbyes with no regret
Though but a child I remember her still
And I love her now and forever will !
In truth, I haven’t forgotten her face
Or the strength of her courage, help and grace
For the child I was, she taught me to be
Honest and fair giving, loving and free,
She spoke with her God day and night
Was angelic in her apron starched white
She lived in that house I’ve told you about
No running water and toilet without.
She left her heart and her dreams behind
And whispered her secret that I might find
Whatever I prayed for would come to be
Especially God keeping watch o’er me !
( SHE JOINED THE ANGELS 7/20/1936 )
The wheel is spinning round and round
Where will my happiness be found
The wheel is turning, see it go
When will it end, how do I know ?
God is my partner all my life
Through all the joy and all the strife
In time of peace or in distress
I owe Him all that I possess !
My heart recalls what used to be
And tugs on strings to set me free
Those days embraced so long ago
Remember love’s sweet afterglow.
While passions bound to yesterday
Whose memories have lost their way
Are moments that we cannot find
No matter how we chance rewind.
A breeze that drifts across the room
And harbors dreams that will not bloom
Are shadows of an old affair
That time alone may lose or share.
It’s true, joy comes in every size
As part of life in which surprise
Makes our existence so worthwhile
And merits us with loving smile.
We’ve known a few with lives quite sad
To hear them laugh makes us feel glad
It takes scarce more to bring them care
With us to work and help and share !
Whilst have I seen my heart take wings
To sail upon a draught that sings
A song of love when twilight clings
That to my soul contentment brings.
I have never cried so many tears
In the length and breadth of all my years
As I did then in that foreign land
On the heights above a beach of sand.
Ten thousand crosses rise in your sight
Lustrous shining in days brilliant light
Row upon row where the eye may fall
Each one had answered his country’s call.
It’s a sacred place you can’t forget
The sight of which will share deep regret
We haven’t learned how to really live
In God’s world of peace, pray and forgive !
Oh, little star up in the sky
You shine so bright please tell me why
This vigil which you silent keep
That watches o’er me in my sleep
Is like some vast and hidden eye
In outer space are you God’s spy ?
Oh, how much fun that job must be
Shining through His infinity !
Oh tender thought so peaceful here
Please whisk away my wildest fear
You mold each frown into a smile
And urge me make my life worthwhile
I beg You not to leave my side
Where will I go, where can I hide ?
For in the dark I will be blind
Where is the road that I must find,
This path that leads to God above
Securing His eternal love ?
The air is crisp, the wind is chill
The sun comes shining o’er the hill
The smell of green is ever sweet
The dewy grass enfolds the feet.
Can it be true, is this the spring
Slow to commence its latest fling,
Rushing to greet its worldly fame
Hoping to save its tarnished name ?
A child of God I chose to be
When I was but the age of three
My nana took me by the hand
To enter God’s great wonderland.
We sang the hymns that I loved best
The years have proved we stood the test
Her faith was strong, I took her cue
I followed God and I still do !
How many hopes have gone astray
And lost their dreams along the way
How many lives have come undone
And lost their values one by one ?
How many ways have we forgot
To do the right and worry not
We are bereft and lost and cold
How will our future world unfold ?
This we have lost and must demand
The law of God and faith of man !
Those memories that bring a smile,
The touches that make love worthwhile
The words that echo in the night
These are the embers of delight.
The sound of childhood’s rush of glee
With happy laughter bubbling free
Angelic faces shining bright
Reflecting God’s eternal light.
These are essentials to request
As life at hand survives the test
We will be saved and kept from harm
There in the crook of God’s left arm !
Oh would that God might smile on me
Remembering how close were we
When every night I say my prayer
I’m thankful for the time we share.
I bow my head in silent grace
For all the wisdom we embrace
I’m grateful for each day we’ve known
With seeds of love forever sown.
My life is all I’ve left to give
I pledge my soul that it may live
Oh blessed Lord, please hear my plea
Two simple words “remember me” !
I had a dream it’s clear to see
The sky was blue the wind was free
It made its way among the leaves
And whispered gently in the breeze.
The grasses swayed as if in tune
The daisies bobbed in their full bloom
The lilies flowered in the field
They stood quite still and did not yield.
It was a view that blessed my soul
And challenged me to see the whole
An image burnt within my mind
Perfection, I shall never find !
I am not lost, I’m not alone
For God has touched each rock and stone
And walks upon this earth so fair
He fills the sky, He is the air.
None but the angels know and see
Such beauty and infinity
It’s left to us to seek and find
His path in life though we are blind !
The night is long while day is fleet
Dawn births the thought that life is sweet
The quiet hours will not remain
They’re like the calm that follows rain.
The tender haze from which we wake
Is filled with hope that morn will break
Upon a sight to warm the heart
And grant our lives a new restart !
It’s not the passion but it is the love
That lifts the hearts seeking to rise above
The pulse and the fray of everyday stress
That tatters our dreams, our spirits depress.
I’d like to know how to set things aright
To parry with foes attacking the light
Granting respect for each other instead
Helping another to share our life’s bread.
This is the way that good folk need to be
If they hope that freedom will remain free,
Peace is the reason we’ve chosen to care
Love is the gift we must learn how to share !
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |||
| 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
| 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
Claire V. Bogdanos 