~~~ Judge Gently ~~~

Pray, don’t find fault with the man that limps
Or stumbles along the road.
Unless you have worn the shoes he wears
Or struggled beneath his load.

There may be tacks in his shoes that hurt
Though hidden away from view.
Or the burden he bears placed on your back
Might cause you to stumble too.

Don’t sneer at the man who’s down today
Unless you have felt the blow
That caused his fall or felt the shame
That only the fallen know.

You may be strong but still the blows
That was his if dealt to you
In the selfsame way, at the selfsame time
Might cause you to stagger too.

Don’t be too harsh with the man that sins
Or pelt him with word or stone
Unless you are sure – yea, doubly sure –
That you have no sins of your own.

For you know, perhaps,
If the tempter’s voice should whisper as soft to you
As it did to him when he went astray
It might cause you to falter too.

Author Unknown

We Wear the Mask

We wear the mask that grins and lies,
It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,–
This debt we pay to human guile;
With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,
And mouth with myriad subtleties.

Why should the world be overwise,
In counting all our tears and sighs?
Nay, let them only see us, while
We wear the mask.

We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries
To thee from tortured souls arise.
We sing, but oh the clay is vile
Beneath our feet, and long the mile;
But let the world dream otherwise,
We wear the mask!

Paul Laurence Dunbar

THE SINGLE PARENTS PRAYER

LORD GRANT ME . . .

Time enough to do all the chores,
join in the games, help with the lessons,
say the night prayers, and much more.

Strength enough to be bread baker
and bread winner,
knee patcher and peace maker,
ball player and billjuggler.

Hands soft enough to hug and to hold,
to tickle and touch,
yet strong enough to pick up
and put away, and then to iron and fold.

Heart enough to share and to care,
to listen and to understand,
and to make this home the best
a single parent can.

— Author Unknown

IF NOBODY CARED

If nobody smiled and nobody cared
and nobody helped us along.
If every moment looked after itself and
good things always went to the strong;

If nobody cared just a little about you
and nobody cared about me,
and we stood alone, in the battle of life,
What a dreary old world this would be.

Life is sweet, just because of friends we have made
and the things which in common we share.
We want to live on, not because of ourselves,
but because of the people who care.
It is doing and giving for somebody else
on which all of life’s splendor depends.
The joy of this world, when you’ve summed it all up,
is found in the making of friends

by Dr. James Robert Rowe-Loy

Children Learn
If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn.
If children live with hostility, they learn to fight.
If children live with ridicule, they learn to be shy.
If children live with shame, they learn to feel guilty.

If children live with tolerance, they learn to be patient.
If children live with encouragement, they learn confidence.
If children live with praise, they learn to appreciate.
If children live with fairness, they learn justice.

If children live with security, they learn to have faith.
If children live with approval, they learn to like themselves.
If children live with acceptance and friendship,
they learn to find love in the world.

….by Dorothy L. Nolte

To believe… is to know that every day is a new beginning.
It is to trust that miracles happen,
And dreams really do come true.

To believe… is to see Angels dancing among the clouds,
To know the wonder of a stardust sky,
And the wisdom of the man in the moon.

To believe… is to know the value of a nurturing heart,
The innocence of a child’s eyes and the beauty of an aging hand,
For it is through their teachings we learn to love.

To believe… is to find the strength
And courage that lies within us.
When it is time to pick up the pieces and begin again.

To believe… is to know we are not alone,
That life is a gift and this is our time to cherish it.

To believe… is to know that wonderful surprises
Are just waiting to happen,
And all our hopes and dreams are within reach.
If only we believe.
Author Unknown

The Seasons Of My Soul

Why am I cast down
And despondently sad
When I long to be happy
And joyous and glad?

Why is my heart heavy
With unfathomable weight
As I try to escape
This soul-saddened state?

I ask myself often …
“What makes life this way,
Why is the song silenced
In the heart that was gay?”

And then, with God’s help
It all becomes clear,
The “Soul” has its “Seasons”
Just the same as the year.
Flowers
I, too, must pass through
Life’s autumn of dying,
A desolate period
Of heart-hurt and crying.

Followed by winter
In whose frostbitten hand
My heart is as frozen
As the snow-covered land.

Yes, man too must pass
Through the seasons God sends,
Content in the knowledge
That everything ends.

And, Oh! What a blessing
To know there are reasons
And to find that our soul
Must, too, have it’s seasons.
Flowers
“Bounteous Seasons”
And “Barren Ones,” too.
Times for rejoicing
And times to be blue.

But meeting these seasons
Of dark desolation
With strength that is born
Of anticipation
That comes from knowing
That “autumn-time sadness”
Will surely be followed
by a “Springtime of Gladness.”

The Seasons Of My Soul by:
Helen Steiner Rice

The Parable of the Rose

A certain man planted a rose and watered it faithfully. Before it
blossomed, he examined it. He saw a bud that would soon blossom.
He also saw the thorns, and he thought, “How can any beautiful
flower come from a plant, burdened with so many sharp thorns?”
Saddened by this thought, he neglected to water the rose, and
before it was ready to bloom, it died.

So it is with many people. Within every soul, there is a rose.
The “God-like” qualities planted in us at birth, growing amidst
the thorns of our faults. Many of us look at ourselves and see
only the thorns, the defects. We despair, thinking nothing good
can possibly come from us. We neglect to water the good within
us, and eventually it dies. We never realize our potential.

Some don’t see the rose within themselves. It takes someone else
to show it to them. One of the greatest gifts a person can
possess is to be able to reach past the thorns and find the rose
within others. This is the truest, most innocent, and gracious
characteristic of love – to know another person, including their
faults, recognize the nobility in their soul, and yet still help
another to realize they can overcome their faults. If we show
them the rose, they will conquer the thorns. Only then will they
blossom, and most likely, blooming thirty, sixty, a hundred-fold,
as it is given to them.

Our duty in this world is to help others, by showing them their
roses and not their thorns. It is then that we achieve the love
we should feel for each other. Only then can we bloom in our own
garden.

Author Unknown

If we might have a second chance
To live the day’s once more,
And rectify mistakes we’ve made
To even up the score.
If we might have a second chance
to use the knowledge gained,
Perhaps we might become at last
As fine as God ordained.
But though we can’t retrace our steps,
However stands the score,
Tomorrow brings another chance
For us to try once more.

Meanings

Standing for what you believe in,
Regardless of the odds against you,
and the pressure that tears at your resistance,
… means courage.

Keeping a smile on your face,
When inside you feel like dying,
For the sake of supporting others,
… means strength.

Stopping at nothing,
And doing what’s in your heart,
You know is right,
… means determination.

Doing more than is expected,
To make another’s life a little more bearable,
Without uttering a single complaint,
… means compassion.

Helping a friend in need,
No matter the time or effort,
To the best of your ability,
… means loyalty.

Giving more than you have,
And expecting nothing,
But nothing in return,
… means selflessness.

Holding your head high,
And being the best you know you can be
When life seems to fall apart at your feet,
Facing each difficulty with the confidence
That time will bring you better tomorrows,
And never giving up,
… means confidence.