A few spring poems to encourage the winter-weary and housebound!
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THE DANDELIONS
Upon a showery night and still,
Without a sound of warning,
A trooper band surprised the hill,
And held it in the morning.
We were not waked by bugle notes
No cheer our dreams invaded,
And yet, at dawn, their yellow coats
On the green slopes paraded.
We careless folk the deed forgot;
Till one day, idly walking,
We marked upon the self-same spot
A crowd of veterans, talking.
They shook their trembling heads and gray,
With pride and noiseless laughter,
When, well-a-day! they blew away,
And ne'er were heard of after.
Helen Gray Cone
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WAITING TO GROW
Little white snowdrop just waking up,
Violet, daisy, and sweet buttercup,
Think of the flowers that are under the snow,
Waiting to grow!
And think what a number of queer little seeds,
Of flowers and mosses, of ferns and of weeds,
Are under the leaves and under the snow,
Waiting to grow!
Think of the roots getting ready to sprout,
Reaching their slender brown fingers about,
Under the ice and the leaves and the snow,
Waiting to grow!
No seed is so small, or hidden so well,
That God cannot find it; and soon he will tell
His sun where to shine, and His rain where to go,
Making it grow!
Frank French
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THE DAISIES
Over the shoulders and slopes of the dune
I saw the white daisies go down to the sea,
A host in the sunshine, an army in June,
The people God sends us to set our hearts free.
The bobolinks rallied them up from the dell,
The orioles whistled them out of the wood;
And all of their saying was, "Earth, it is well!"
And all of their dancing was, "Life, thou art good!"
Bliss Carman
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Surprisingly, these were poems that were presented to eight and nine year old school children for memorization back in 1906. Kids that age today can barely memorize their addresses and phone numbers. I should make my children memorize more. I should memorize more!
I've been convicted about memorizing scripture for a while. There is a man named Rod Carlson from Living Logos Ministries who has spoken in our church a few times since we've been going there. He is a wonderful man with a unique gift of bringing God's word to life by reciting it from memory. He dresses in costume and speaks so matter-of-factly, that you almost forget he's just 'playing a role' and you begin to feel like you are listening to the Bible character speaking directly to you.
He presents a pretty compelling argument for memorizing scripture; not that I needed much encouragement. Between him, some other wonderful ministers that I have heard who have memorized huge portions of the Bible, the conviction I already felt, and the fact that a short one hundred years ago a small school child could memorize pages of poetry, I believe I will apply myself to the task of memorizing scripture.
I have actually been working on memorizing the Lord's sermon on the mount in Matthew chapters five, six and seven for some time. How am I doing? Well, not all that well. I can recite about half of it along with a recording, but without the recording I get lost easily. I am not discouraged.
I will continue to work on that, because it is possibly may favorite portion of scripture, if I have a favorite portion. Right now, I think I may slice off a smaller portion to work on. I think I can be successful if I choose something a little shorter. I am excited to accomplish it! I would love to be able to recite something the way Rod Carlson did. It really ministered to me. No matter that I'd read the same scriptures he presented many times before, it seemed to reveal itself anew when he presented it conversationally like that.
I also want to have the portions of scripture that has impacted my life the most committed to memory so that I can recall it correctly when I need them. I know that all scripture is important, but some just stands out in my heart and mind, and I'd like to be able to correctly recall it or relate it to others at the drop of a hat; ready in season and out of season.
I know it requires a lot of discipline, but who couldn't use another dose of discipline in their life?
Anyway, I just meant to throw out a quick post of encouragement to my frozen friends that the winds of change are a-comin', so start looking out there just under the snow. It's just about time for the crocus and the daffodils!
Blessings to you all. :)
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