"Father, We Thank Thee"

Wishing you a beautiful Sunday...

“We Thank Thee”
For the flowers that bloom about our feet;
For the song of bird and the hum of bee;
For all things fair we hear and see,
Father in heaven we thank Thee!
For the blue of the stream and the blue of the sky;
For the pleasant shade of branches high;
For the fragrant air and the cooling breeze;
For the beauty of the blooming trees,
Father in heaven we thank Thee!
For the mother-love and father -care,
For brothers strong and sisters fair;
For the love at home and here each day;
For guidance lest we go astray,
Father in heaven we thank Thee!
For this new morning with its light;
For rest and shelter of the night;
For health and food, for love and friends;
For everything His goodness sends,
Father in heaven we Thank Thee! –Ralph Waldo Emerson
Amen

The Golden Rule

Jesus wrote of the Golden Rule. Yes, it can be found at Matthew 7:12: "Therefore, however you want people to treat you, so treat them, for this is the law." It's so simple, yet so apropos for these days of turmoil.

There is a poem, What We Learned in Kindergarten. They were all those simple little rules to live by that we were taught that could carry us through our whole life, most of which told us to just be nice to one another.

Here's a little poem on this thought:

"If you'd help the world a bit,
Do as you'd be done by:
If you'd help to brighten it,
Do as you'd be done by;
If you have a blessing, let
Someone share it; don't forget,
Selfishness will bring regret;--
Do as you'd be done by.

So, simply do unto others as you'd have them do unto you. The Golden Rule is summed up in just one little word-Love.

In love-God bless you,
Donna

Count the Day Well Spent

If we sit down at set of sun
And count the things that we have done,
And after counting find
One self-denying act, one word
That eased the heart of him who heard,
One glance most kind,
That fell like sunshine where it went,
Then we may count the day well spent.

In a world such as what we have seen in the last week, give a kind word or deed to someone least expecting it so as to spread a glimmer of hope to them. Thousands of glimmers make a beam of light. Let's bring love, hope, faith back into the lives of those who so desparately need it.

In love & joy,
Donna

Just a Little Word

If any little word of mine
May make a life the brighter,
If any little song of mine
May make a heart the lighter,
God help me speak the little word
And take my bit of singing,
And drop it in some lonely vale
To set the echoes ringing.

If any little love of mine
May make a life the sweeter,
If any little care of mine
May make a friend's the fleeter,
If any lift of mine may ease
The burden of another,
God give me love and care and strength
To help my toiling brother.

Your words and deeds can lift another person high above his cares. Help someone today to build his faith in God and mankind, and yours will be strengthened, also.

Love to you,
Donna

Rule for Happiness

This poem is so simple. Written by Kant, "Rule for Happiness" couldn't have been said any better:

Something to do,
Some one to love,
Something to hope for.

Happiness doesn't come from the outside. It comes from within. We don't have to have a specific reason or receive something material to be happy. True happiness comes from a continual inward state of joyousness and contentment and a bright outlook as we greet every new day with hope. More often than not, it takes some time to develop that happiness from within but it is so worth the effort. Be patient with yourself in the process, because then no matter what occurs in life, that inner happiness is always there to light your way.

Stay happy; live in joy,
Donna

Do Good for Others

Joy can be had from simply doing good for your fellow man.

John Wesley said it best in the following poem:

"Do all the good you can
By all the means you can,
in all the places you can
At all the times you can,
As long as ever you can."

Have a great day. It's getting a bit chilly and windy in many places. So stay warm and dry wherever you are.
Donna

Footprints on the Sands of Time

Lives of great men all remind us,
We may make our lives sublime;
And, departing, leave behind us,
Footprints on the sands of time;
Footprints, that perhaps another
Travelling o'er life's solemn main:
Some forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, may take heart again.--Longfellow

Have a great day,
Donna

Meet Trials with Smiles

There was a saying years ago that holds true for all of us today:

Thank God for the man who is cheerful
In spite of life's troubles, I say;
Who sings of a bright tomorrow,
Because of the clouds of today.
His life is a beautiful sermon,
And this is a lesson to me---
Meet trials with smiles and they vanish;
Face cares with a song and they flee.

Just be joyful. And, the more you are joyful, the more good things will come your way.

In love & joy,
Donna

Do It Now

Today-Your "today" is the most important day to you. Live each day as it comes along with as much gusto and joy as you can possibly give it.

Now

If you have hard work to do,

Do it now

Today the skies are clear and blue,

Tomorrow clouds may come into view,

Yesterday is not for you;

Do it Now!

If you have a song to sing,

Sing it now.

Let the notes of gladness ring

Clear as song of birds in spring,

Let every day some music bring;

Sing it now!

If you have kind words to say,

Say them now.

Tomorrow may not come your way,

Do a kindness while you may,

Loved ones will not always stay;

Say them now!

If you have a smile to show,

Show it now.

Make hearts happy, --roses grow,

Let the friends around you know

The love you feel before they go;

Show it now!

God bless,

Donna

Squeeze A Laugh

To go along with yesterday's post, here's another to remember about the importance of laughter:

Why in the world do you want to carry
Things that annoy and harrass and harry?
Stop them and drop them, a new day is here,
Squeeze a laugh from it instead of a tear.--Herbert Kaufman

A wise man from the past said that "man was meant for laughter, not tears." There is great wisdom in those words since laughter is nature's medicine for the soul. We stay healthier and have more mental fortitude by being happy and joyful, and by turning the lemons of life into lemonade.

As Byron wrote:

"Always laugh when you can;
It is cheap medicine.
merriment is a philosophy not well understood.
It is the sunny side of existence."

Stay joyful.

Love,
Donna

A Recipe for Sanity

Sometimes our days can be a little stressful. As we go into a new week, I hope that this little poem will be brought to mind when you get into situations that tests your patience.

A Recipe for Sanity

Are you worsted in a fight?

Laugh it off.

Are you cheated of your right?

Laugh it off.

Don't make tragedy of trifles,

Don't shoot butterflies with rifles--

Laugh it off.

Does your work get into kinks?

Laught it off.

Are you near all sorts of brinks?

laugh it off.

If it's sanity you're after,

There's no recipe like laughter--

Laugh it off.

Have a great week,

Donna

Secret of Happiness

One of the secrets of happiness known through out the years is to set abot the task of making every person we come in contact with better for knowing us--more cheerful, more courageous, and with greater faith in the knidness of God and man. In that moment, we begin to attain personal happiness for making the world around us a better place.

"He who goes forth bent upon always being kind, always helpful in the little daily events of life, will find skies tinted with gold, all his nights set with stars, unexpected flowers of pleasure springing forth up in his pathways, and all his tears shall turn into smiles."

As Byron once said,
"To have joy, one must share it,
Happiness is a twin."

Share your joy with others, and happiness will follow you,
Donna

The Spring Cleaning

Most of us are opening up our windows and letting the fresh air come in while doing our spring cleaning. Well, here's a poem for a little different kind of spring cleaning that is just as necessary, if not more so, for our life that I hope you'll enjoy:

Now open up the windows of the heart,
And let the sunshine penetrate the gloom;
Clear out the fears and doubts that grimly start
Like ghosts within the mind's dim haunted room.

Brush out the cobwebs that your malice worught,
And sweep away the grudges that you bear;
Replace each petty and ungracious thought
With one that is forgiving, true, and fair.

And when the task is finished, you will find
That happiness is destined to remain
Within the sunlit room of heart and mind,
And know your work has not been done in vain.

Have a beautiful day,
Donna

Open the Door

Open the door, let in the air,
The winds are sweet and the flowers fair;
Joy is abroad in the world today,
If our door is wide, it may come our way--
Open the door!

Open the door, let in the sun;

God hath a smile for every one;

He hath made the raindrops gold and gems,

He may change our tears to diadems---

Open the door!

Open the door of the soul; let in

Strong, pure thoughts which will banish sin;

They will grow and bloom with grace divine,

And their fruit shall be sweeter than that of the vine---

Open the door!

Open the door of the heart; let in

Empathy sweet for stranger and kin;

It will make the halls of the heart so fair

That angels may enter unaware---

Open the door!

God bless you,

Donna

Thought for a Sunday

"God has not given us vast learning to solve all the problems, or unfailing wisdom to direct all the wanderings of our brother's lives. What He does give us, to every one of us, is the power to be spiritual, and by our spirituality to lift and enlarge the lives we touch."
Philip Brooks