Count your blessings instead of your crosses;
Count your gains instead of your losses.
Count your joys instead of your woes;
Count your friends instead of your foes.
Count your smiles instead of your tears;
Count your courage instead of your fears.
Count your full years instead of your lean;
Count your kind deeds instead of your mean.
Count your health instead of your wealth;
Count on God instead of yourself.
Author Unknown
The Power of Words
A careless word may kindle strife,
A cruel word may wreck a life.
A bitter word may hate instill,
A brutal word may smite and kill.
A gracious word may smooth the way,
A joyous word may light the day.
A timely word may lessen stress,
A loving word may heal and bless.
Author Unknown
What God Has Promised
God has not promised
Skies always blue,
Flower-strewn pathways
All our lives thro’;
God has not promised
Sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow,
Peace without pain.
God has not promised
We shall not know
Toil and temptation,
Trouble and woe;
He has not told us
We shall not bear
Many a burden,
Many a care.
But God has promised
Strength for the day,
Rest for the laborer,
Light for the way,
Grace for the trials,
Help from above,
Unfailing sympathy,
Undying love.
Annie Johnson Flint
DON'T YOU QUIT!
When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh.
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but DON'T YOU QUIT!
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out.
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victors cup;
And he learned too late when the night came down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Don't give up though the pace seems slow,
You may succeed with another blow,
Success is failure turned inside out-
The silver lining of the clouds of doubt.
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far.
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit...
It's when things seem worst that you MUST NOT QUIT!
Anonymous
MY FATHER'S VOICE IN PRAYER
In the silence that falls on my spirit
When the clamor of life loudest seems,
Comes a voice that floats in tremulous notes
Far over my sea of dreams.
I remember the family altar,
And my father kneeling there;
And the old tones thrill with the memory still
Of my father's voice in prayer.
I can see the glance of approval
As part in the reading I took;
I remember the grace of my mother's face,
And the tenderness of her look;
And I know that a gracious memory
Cast its light on that face so fair,
As her cheek, flushed faint - O mother, my saint!
At my father's voice in prayer.
'Neath the stress of that marvelous pleading
All childish dissensions died;
Each rebellious will sank conquered and still
In a passion of love and pride.
Ah the years have held their voices
And melodies tender and rare,
But the tenderest seems the voice of my dreams -
My father's voice in prayer.
May Hastings Nottage
My Father
My father took a firm stand,
He was not a compromising man.
He worked hard,
In his spare time he liked to play cards.
My father was independent,
He made sure a dollar was well spent.
My father also believed in the belt,
His love is what we felt.
He didn’t pay us to do chores,
He paid us to comb his hair while he snored.
He was full of laughter and joy,
He loved his girls and boys.
Though he was quiet most of the time,
He loved to talk about the good times.
His favorite memories of all,
Was when his children were small.
If he could have put those memories in a gold locket,
He would have carried them in his pocket.
My father also had some hysterical ways,
I shall remember him all my days.
The Native American features shone,
Through his deep brown skin tone.
His reflection lives on,
Through his daughters and sons.
My father gave me a gift to me that I cherish much,
A picture of Jesus over a votive cup.
Whenever I light a candle in the votive cup,
The Lord reminds me to look up.
There is a light no matter how dark the path may be,
This is the faith my father gave to me.
