Poetic Inspirations and Practical Applications for Blissful Living

Poem: Graces to Savor

Graces to Savor

Graces to Savor

Graces to Savor

Image courtesy kibsfri at www.freedigitalphotos.net

 

“Taste and see that the Lord is good;
blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” (Psalm 34:8)

 

 

My little child,

Come now to hear

The sound of the ocean

Splashing so clear,

 

The sound of the breeze

Dancing through trees,

The sounds of gulls

Over the seas,

 

The sounds of children

Happy at play,

The sounds of birds

On a beautiful day…

 

Yes, little child,

Come now to see

My blessings of bliss,

My graces of beauty,

 

For these are the things

Which make life sweet:

The feeling of sand

Beneath your feet,

 

The peaceful lake,

The mountain high,

The verdant grass,

The brilliant sky,

 

The smile of a baby,

The song of a child,

The rhythm of the ocean,

Melodic and mild.

 

Yes, little child,

These gifts do savor,

Embrace my blessings,

Embrace my favor,

 

As I am the Giver

Of all good things,

Inspiring your spirit

To fly on wings,

 

To lift you high

When you are down,

To transform to smiles

Your every frown.

 

So as a child

Ever happy at play,

Embrace My gifts

On your purposeful way,

 

Smile joyfully

At the dance of trees,

Sing with the gulls

Of the happy seas,

 

Yes, clap with the waves

Splashing so clear…

And rejoice to know

I Am always near!

 

© 2014 Caroline Gavin

I Treasure Your Comments!

 

Guest Post: When One Door Closes

When One Door Closes another Door Opens

Guest Post by Heart and Soul Health Coach Mike Fenton

 

How frustrating is it when an unexpected turn of events disrupts the daily flow of life? If you said very frustrating don’t feel bad because it is how many folks would have responded as well. Most folks spend a lot of time trying to establish a place in life where they feel comfortable and can start to enjoy some of the basic things such as their home, family and friends. They don’t want their “normality” messed with and who can blame them? It takes a long time to reach a level of comfort in which we feel we can put our feet up, rest, relax and enjoy.

But what happens when the life we know no longer exists? We’ve lost our job, we received a bad report following a recent trip to the doctor, or our children are getting in trouble and not getting the grades they once did? It can be very frustrating and disheartening depending on how we perceive it.

The optimist will tell us don’t worry the glass is half-full, the pessimist will tell us we better worry because the glass is half-empty. But neither one takes notice of the water pitcher right next to the glass which gives us the ability to take control of the situation! We can change the glass to whatever level we want it to be, there are options.

Often we miss the pitcher of water just like we often miss the door that has just opened for us because we’re too focused on the door that has closed, and the longer we remain focused on the door that has closed the bigger the problem seems to become. We must try to remember that even if one door closes, another opens.

There may be a good reason the door closed in the first place, and that new door will open which may lead us to bigger and better things. There is someone that is much more knowledgeable than we are and He has a plan for us. He need not give us a reason why a door has closed and/or why another has opened, He only wants us to have faith and to follow along according to His plan.

So if we experience a door that has been closed, we must remember there may be a reason for it to have happened to us, and it may be beyond our own level of understanding. Instead we must immediately begin to look for the new door that most assuredly will open up, because it is probably the door He wanted us to go through all along.

Guest Post: L.O.V.E.

L.O.V.E.

Guest Post by Heart and Soul Health Coach Mike Fenton

   

Each day is an opportunity to move forward, to move back, or to stay right where you are. One of the things that can determine whether you decide to move in any direction at all is your perception of the successes you experience in life. If you feel as though you are being successful your tendency will be to keep moving forward, to climb higher mountains.

But what about when you are not moving forward and you are either moving back or staying right where you are? Circumstance can sometimes play a part in where you are and where you are going, but more often than not it is just an excuse because victory can be found in almost anything. Asking for and receiving forgiveness for the sins you have committed in the past is a victory which can be had anywhere, anytime! Isn’t that enough to make you feel comfortable enough to move ahead?

Are you putting too much emphasis on waiting for “earth shattering” results, while not spending enough time celebrating your small victories? By Living Out Victories Everyday you acknowledge even the smallest successes, which in turn helps you to feel as though you are moving forward.

However, Satan does not want you to acknowledge those accomplishments, he wants you listen to his lies. He wants to keep you weak because he knows that when you are in Total Wellness you no longer listen to his lies and you will continue to win your battles against him. You will then continue to spread God’s word and you become the Christian God wants you to be and the Christian the church needs you to be.

“With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies.” Psalm 60:12. In Living Out Victories Everyday we experience a feeling of getting closer to God and our goals. Our victory does not have to be large, it only needs to be acknowledged by us. There is not a day that goes by that we cannot find something we are victorious over.

Living Out Victories Everyday helps bring our mind and our spirit into Total Wellness. You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” Deuteronomy 8:17.

Do not let a day end without finding a victory (no matter how large or how small), one that you can acknowledge and be thankful for, because it is in those victories you will then move forward.

In Loving Memory of My Grandmother

Ida Jean Antczak: March 27, 1922 to July 12, 2014

In Loving Memory of My Grandmother

Ida Jean Antczak: March 27, 1922 to July 12, 2014

Ida Jean Antczak: March 27, 1922 to July 12, 2014

  

“She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: ‘Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.’ Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” (Proverbs 31:25-30)

 

Who is Nana?

You ask this of me;

She is the beauty

Of many a memory,

 

She is the smile

Brightening the day,

She is the wisdom

Lighting the way.

 

She is the warmth

Making a home sweet,

She is the embrace

When her I greet,

 

She is a wife,

A daughter, a mother,

An example of one

Loving one another.

 

She is my grandmother,

She is my friend,

She is rich with generosity,

Of love without end,

 

She is God’s beloved,

She is His sweet child,

She reflects His virtues,

Bold yet mild.

 

She is in Jesus’ arms,

Resting with delight,

Heaven and its glory

Are now in her sight,

 

With Papa she plays,

With the angels she sings

In joy and adoration

To our King of kings…

 

So who is Nana?

She is the source of this song,

The reason our hearts

Beat with love strong.

 

Yes, though she has departed,

From me she will never part —

For my Nana is with Jesus,

My Nana is in my heart.

 

© 2014 Caroline Gavin

May you rest eternally in Jesus’ loving arms, Nana! We love you!