MASQUERADE

 

MASQUERADE

There's a party on Saturday.

I plan to dress up silly

or maybe I'll choose spooky.

Perhaps something pretty.

What will I decide to be?

I really can't wait to see.

Will you think I'm cute?

Maybe you'll laugh and hoot.

Will you look afraid

or a little scared?

I'll try to confuse

with what I choose.

Perhaps I'll be a clown.

Should I smile or frown?

A red wig and big shoes?

What get-up should I choose?

I might put on makeup

after I eat my sup

because when I masquerade

I wear a disguise to dissuade.

Or when it's dusk

I'll put on my mask

in order to surprise someone.

I won't tell because I'm mum.

But I'll tell you about my friends.

They're also known as pumpkins.

Have you seen my friends?  They're cool!

They like to masquerade too.

Yesterday my friends were found in a field.

Today they smile with orange teeth drilled.

Maybe they'll look surprised

looking through their two eyes.

All summer long they're known as orange pumpkins.

October 31^st they're called jack-o-lanterns.

I like this game of masquerade.

At school there'll be a parade.

The most original might win;

perhaps a big blue ribbon.

They'll be candy corn to eat

as an annual sweet treat.

October 31^st is Halloween

when witches with green faces are queen

and orange jack-o-lanterns gleam

when the darkness of night is seen.

* * * * *

Do you tend to masquerade?

Do you pretend, though you are afraid?

Do you wear a disguise

but there's hurt hidden behind your eyes?

Does no one know the real you?

Does no one know when you're blue?

Does depression haunt you

like a bad case of the flu?

One sure way to beat the blues

is to offer praise to God who

has a solution

to all your problems.

You'll find that "giving God the glory"

will bestow blessings and bring glory

to the Almighty Creator of everything, God,

who will always remain with you when life is hard.

You're not alone

with Jesus along.

Wherever you roam

be sure to sing this song:

Safe am I, safe am I,

in the hollow of His hand.

Sheltered o'er, sheltered o'er

with His love forevermore.

No ill can harm me,

no foe alarm me,

for He keeps both day and night.

Safe am I, safe am I,

in the hollow of His hand.

(Mildred Leightner Dillon)

Why are you downcast, O my soul?

Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God,

for I will yet praise him,

my Savior and my God.

My soul is downcast within me;

therefore I will remember you.

Psalm 42:5-6a

I remember my affliction and my wandering,

the bitterness and the gall.

I well remember them,

and my soul is downcast within me.

Yet this I call to mind

and therefore I have hope...

The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,

to the one who seeks him;

it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.

Lamentations 3:19-20, 25-26

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RECYCLING

 

RECYCLING

Can’t wait for the maple leaves to turn

from green to red, gold, yellow, or orange.

A rainbow you will see

hidden in the trees.

Colors that will stun

when the autumn sun

shines on them.

Most welcome.

The sky is bluer, we cheer,

when autumn comes each year.

Orange opposite blue on the color wheel.

For picture takers, that is a big deal.

Quietly fluttering down

multi-colored leaves are found

piled on the ground

creating a mound.

It’s now time to put the flower gardens to bed

by piling on dried leaves that were gold or red.

It’s not all done in a single day

for several afternoons of work lay.

Raking in the dappled sun

mottled leaves that have fallen,

a blanket of leaves lie on the gardens

now offering their winter protection.

Winter will work its magic, you'll see,

for when next year's flowers you see

the leaves have turned into compost

of which gardeners always boast.

Those falling leaves of autumn

are a gift for the garden.

A time and purpose for everything.

Recycling, it's a good thing.

* * * * *

Recycling does take place in your spiritual life too.

It’s what the Lord meant when He said to us, “be made new

in the attitude of your mind” –

it’s leaving the old behind.

It's no longer seeking worldly pleasures,

but only seeking what gives God pleasure.

Rather it’s your Words, Actions, Thoughts,

your Companions or your Habits

all should bring God glory –

your lifelong, new story.

Guard or WATCH your mind,

then your heart will shine.

W – Words

A – Actions

T – Thoughts

C – Companions

H - Habits

There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under heaven:

a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-2

I have hidden your word in my heart

that I might not sin against you.

Psalm 119:11

Above all else, guard your heart.

for it is the wellspring of life.

Proverbs 4:23

You were taught with regard to your former way of life,

to put off your old self,

which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;

to be made new in the attitude of your minds,

and to put on the new self,

created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Ephesians 4:22-24

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Confused

I’m confused!

Are you confused?

It’s not April.

It’s still fall.

In fact, the month of October

according to the calendar.

Yet here and there are

spring-time flowers.

Bright yellow among decaying leaves.

I’m not certain if these flowers please.

Seen here at my place,

they seem out-of-place.

What flowers bloom in October?

I think you’ll be bewildered.

Their saw tooth leaves are a giveaway.

Their bloom is bright yellow always.

In the spring their seeds blow every which way,

though I prefer they leave and not stay.

To see the first one in spring is a treat.

To see one in October: trick-or treat!

Should you pick a bouquet

their beauty will fade away.

Did you guess dandelions?

I’m telling you, I’m not lying,

though it’s October my yard is in bloom

from these weed seeds that came in the month of June.

Are these dandelions confused?

Or perhaps they seek to amuse?

Some say dandelions are good news.

They leave me rather bemused.

* * * * *

What confuses you?

What amuses you?

When life seems upside down

instead of wearing a frown,

think of something amusing

then a smile you’ll be choosing.

When we choose to smile it lifts our countenance,

our spirits are happy despite our circumstance.

We feel better inside and out

when we wear a smile about.

So put on a happy face

despite what happens to take place.

You’ll even find a smile is contagious

as others will return a smile to us.

Pay attention to your countenance.

It does display your heart’s contents.

It also sets the mood

for others attitudes.

Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick?

This is nothing else but sorrow of heart.

Nehemiah 2:2 (KJV)

A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance:

but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.

Proverbs 15:13 (KJV)

Thou hast made known to me the ways of life;

thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.

Acts 2:28 (KJV)

The Lord bless thee and keep thee;

the Lord make his face shine upon thee,

and be gracious unto thee:

The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

Numbers 6:24-26 (KJV)

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COLORS

 

COLORS

I've noticed the burning bush and dogwood are turning red

in celebration of the changing season just ahead,

as if putting on their party dress.

They certainly do get noticed.

The hostas and peonies are turning yellow.

Tomorrow more will turn yellow in my hollow

as if the sun is shining

although it's been raining.

The maple tree is turning gold

then will shine in the sunlight bold

for a few days before its golden leaves

quietly float down – causing some to sneeze.

What once was green, now is orange.

As summer came and went, it turned

into a plump round pumpkin which now waits

to turn into a jack-o-lantern for someone to make.

Round green concord grapes turning purple

will later make a tongue purple

when someone makes purple grape juice,

but there's none if the goose is loose.

Cloudy gray skies

gives way to blue skies

as the celebration draws near

when autumn comes year after year.

Other leaves turn colors

like a bouquet of flowers

of red, orange, yellow, gold -

autumn's here, we're told.

Everyone gets dressed

in their festive best

to celebrate autumn.

Isn't it just awesome!

* * * * *

There's something to celebrate everyday.

Sometimes it's when your child receives an A.

Or maybe when the last of the hay

is baled then put in the haymow today.

Celebrate when the doctor's report comes back okay.

Always when friends come to visit from far away.

Of course, when there's a raise in your pay.

Especially when good news is conveyed.

Celebrate when someone chooses the right way.

Definitely after forgiveness is displayed.

Celebrate when less you weigh,

perhaps by shopping today.

Celebrate with a bouquet.

You'll make someone's day!

Celebrate – go out and play

maybe with a sled or sleigh.

Much celebrating is done at a cafe

or even around an all-you-can-eat buffet.

Yearly celebrate special days:

birthdays, anniversaries – always.

Celebrate when a long-awaited answer comes after you've prayed

or when troublesome anxieties are finally allayed.

Celebrate the blessings from the Lord each day

when you praise and thank Him each and every day.

Celebrate God's goodness without delay

under the sun's rays or clouds of gray.

Celebrate with someone special today.

There's much to celebrate each day. Yeah!

This is a day you are to commemorate;

for the generations to come

you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord -

a lasting ordinance.

Exodus 12:14

Then all the people went away to eat and drink...

and to celebrate with great joy...

Nehemiah 8:12

We had to celebrate and be glad,

because this brother of yours

was dead is alive again;

he was lost and is found.

Luke 15:32

I will exalt you, my God and King;

I will praise your name for ever and ever

Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever.

Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;

his greatness no one can fathom.

One generation will commend your works to another;

they will tell of your mighty acts.

They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty,

and I will meditate on your wonderful works.

They will tell of the power of your awesome works,

and I will proclaim your great deeds.

They will celebrate your abundant goodness

and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

Psalm 145:1-7

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DAPPLED

 

DAPPLED

Dappled sunlight can be seen

on the afternoon grass so green

through the maple tree's leaves.

Its picture does somehow please.

Peace it evokes

as pale sunlight pokes.

There's calm found in the shade

where there are green grass blades.

Where sunlight pokes

bees are seen, not slow pokes,

in the clover blossoms.

Busy bees. More than one.

Squirrels seen gathering in the afternoon shade

scampering around the hosta's broad blades.

Their fluffy tail

does tell a tale.

Blue jays now seen flying overhead

on their way to the sunflower bed.

Seeds will be dropped to the ground

where next year more will be found.

Red maple leaves seen falling down

making a gentle rustling sound.

One day soon the dappled light will be gone

when the trees no longer their leaves will don.

Weeks later shadows stretch out,

where leaf-green grass once did sprout,

on cold, white drifts of snow

and the winter wind blows.

Keep a lasting memory of the dappled light.

Get the camera to take a picture just right

of the ever-changing dappled light

on an autumn day that was just right.

* * * * *

Peace. Peace is hard to find

everyday, all the time.

Troubles wear you down.

You think you might drown.

The Bible calls it being at wits’ end.

That’s usually when we seek the Lord’s hand.

We usually seek God last

when we should seek him first.

Do you realize the Lord is now waiting to hear from you?

Not just when you have no peace and are stressed with much to do,

but also to hear you say “thank you”

for keeping all His promises to you.

If you are in the habit to telling God thanks,

then seeking God will be something you do first.

Don’t wait to seek God just when big problems burden you.

Do seek God concerning everything and thank Him too.

…they were at their wits’ end.

Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,

and he brought them out of their distress.

He stilled the storm to a whisper;

the waves of the sea were hushed.

They were glad when it grew calm,

and he guided them to their desired haven.

Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love

and his wonderful deeds for men.

Psalm 107:27-31

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SEPTEMBER 10

 Apparently this story was written September 10th, years ago.

September 10

After several chilly, cloudy, sunless days,

the sun peaked out for a moment on Friday

beckoning visitors to take a tour

before rain showers begin to pour.

The butterfly bush begins the tour

where winged creatures are often lured.

Today there's monarchs and bees,

then hummingbirds come to tease.

Are they filling up before they venture south?

They certainly will be missed in the north.

I'm off to get my camera

to enjoy their pictures this winter.

They must have eyes in the back of their heads

or maybe they caught my odd scent instead

for before I could zoom

they were airborne - zoom, zoom.

The sunflowers beckon next.

Bees never seem to take a rest.

All day long here they reside

on days when the sun doesn't hide.

The bees have an important job to do

beginning long before the morning dew

dissipates.

Employment awaits

A photo shows a quartet of bees

working side-by-side happily,

always sharing

while buzzing.

Today these yellow sunflowers have another guest.

This Friday afternoon yellow finches come on a quest

to dine to their stomach's content

on the sunflower heads content.

Although I try to take a picture,

they're quickly off to the neighbors

until I turn my back on them

then they suddenly fly in again.

Shy

guys

these feathered friends

with yellow and black plumes.

Checking out the zinnia border,

I see monarchs. Four or more.

Flying flowers these monarchs are

for when I zoom in, they zoom afar.

They're seen sharing with the bees

although sometimes they disturb the bees.

The bees are as happy as can be

heard humming loudly and merrily.

In a few short weeks they'll be sorely missed,

these butterflies and bees who today kiss

a zinnia of every color

in this colorful flower border.

Today visiting hummers are attracted to me

as I'm wearing a red top with sleeves.

Just inches away from my face, I hear loud humming

and I can feel a breeze from their fluttering.

It's magical to stand among

winged creatures having such fun

who all around me float, buzz, and hum

this afternoon under the welcome sun.

Another visitor on today's tour

was a dragonfly who perhaps was lured

by the rainbow of delights

under the sunlight bright.

Yes, red and yellow

attracts winged fellows

as does pink, purple, orange, and gold, too -

and, of course, morning glory blue.

Although not seen today,

on other sunny days

I've seen a hummingbird moth

as the butterfly bush it sought.

No pictures taken to date

as it zooms through the gate

faster than I can zoom

the camera zoom.

A lovely afternoon, it was,

trying to capture bees that buzz,

butterflies who act shy,

and hummers zooming nigh.

Soon these special flying friends

will float along on the wind

on an adventure southward bound

bringing delight to another town.

* * * * *

How wonderful that God created our beautiful earth

where bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and dragonflies bring mirth

as they entertain us each summer here in the north,

too soon beginning their yearly journey south.

I hope whatever turf

you happen to inhabit

gloriously exhibits

wondrous winged creatures births.

How Great Thou Art

by Carl Boberg

O Lord, my God, when I in awesome wonder,

Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made;

I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,

Thy pow'r throughout the universe displayed.

When thru the woods and forest glades I wander,

And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;

When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur

And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze.

And when I think that God, His Son not sparing,

Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;

That on the cross my burden gladly bearing,

He bled and died To take away my sin.

When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation

And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!

Then I shall bow in humble adoration,

And there proclaim, "My God, how great Thou art!"

Refrain:

Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee,

How great Thou art! How great thou art!

Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee,

How great Thou art! How great thou art!

How great you are, O Sovereign Lord!

There is no one like you,

and there is no God but you.

II Samuel 7:22

Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth

by your great power and outstretched arm.

Nothing is too hard for you...

O great and powerful God,

whose name is the Lord Almighty,

great are your purposes

and mighty are your deeds.

Jeremiah 32:17-19

There's something even more wonderful

than having a flower garden full

of pollinators

each and every summer.

It's knowing that God call us His children.

We, although quite rebellious, are God's children.

Here's a variation of the above chorus:

Then I shall sing, how wonderful God is

that I am His, that I am His.

Then I shall sing, how wonderful God is

That I am His, that I am His!

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us,

that we should be called children of God!

And that is what we are!

I John 3:1

To all who received him,

to those who believed in his name,

he gave the right to become children of God.

John 1:12

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