Where joy and sorrow meet!

Were I to plan my daily life
And fill each hour as I would ask
And feel no check, no hindering strife,
My only work a pleasing task...

Could I but fly from flower to flower
And drink the sweet as doth the bee,
Know only joy, no painful hour
How good would seem my life to me.

Yet would not I be satisfied
My yearning soul would not be blest
I´d be but dead, had I not cried,
For heavenly peace, for heaven´s own rest.

Oh, not for me an earthly peace
Nor yet for me this worlds renown.
No warrior sunk in worldly case
Could ever win a conqueror´s crown.

For tears, are but the heavenly dew
Which fall where joy and sorrow meet,
Tears which royal David knew
And Mary wept at Jesus feet.

Oh, link me with creations groan.
Thus shall I feel the strengthening power,
Which holds me when I feel alone,
And soothes me in my saddest hour.

So thus, I lift mine eyes above
And ask no surcease from my pain
All sorrow has been given in love
All earthly loss is heavenly gain.

By Edith Lowe

My Great-Grandma

Grannie Alice was her daughter

Hymn of Promise

In the bulb there is a flower,
In the seed, an apple tree.
In cocoons, a hidden promise;
Butterflies will soon be free;
In the cold and snow of winter

There is a spring that waits to be,
Unrevealed until its season 
Something God alone can see.

There’s a song in every silence
Seeking word and melody,
There’s a dawn in every darkness
Bringing hope to you and me.
From the past will come the future;
What it holds a mystery,
Unrevealed until its season
Something God alone can see.

In our end is our beginning;
In our time infinity;
In our doubt there is believing;
In our life eternity.
In our death a resurrection;
At last the victory,
Unrevealed until its season
Something God alone can see.

Wisdom

A wise woman builds her house.

To do right honors God.

The wise man’s speech is respected.

The wise man looks ahead.

The common bond of godly people is good will.

The work of the godly will flourish.

The backslider gets bored with himself;
The godly man’s life is exiting.

A prudent man checks to see where he is going.

A wise man is cautious and avoids danger.

The wise man is crowned with knowledge.

To despise the poor is to sin.
To help the poor honors God
Blessed are those who pity them.

Those who plan GOOD shall be granted mercy and quietness.

Work brings profit;
Talk brings poverty!

Reverence for God gives a man deep strength;
His children have a place of refuge and security.

Reverence for God is a fountain of life,
Its waters keep a man from death.

A wise man controls his temper,
He knows that anger causes mistakes.

A relaxed attitude lengthens a man’s life;
Jealousy rots it away.

The godly have a refuge when they die,
But the wicked are crushed by their sins.

He has also set eternity in our hearts!

Our hope and faith,
Strong and steady...

"I am the LORD.
Those who wait for me
Shall never be ashamed!"
Isaiah 49:23

Blessed is the man
Who trusts in the LORD
And has made the LORD his confidence.
Jeremiah 17:7

He will keep in perfect peace
All those who trust in Him,
Whose thoughts turn often to the LORD!
Trust is the LORD God always,
For in the LORD Jehova is your strength!
Isaiah 26: 3 and 4

There is sunshine in my soul today,
More glorious and bright
Than glows in any earthly sky,
For Jesus is my Light.

O there’s sunshine, blessed sunshine,
When the peaceful, happy moments roll;
When Jesus shows His smiling face,
There is sunshine in the soul.

There is music in my soul today,
A carol to my King,
And Jesus, listening, can hear
The songs I cannot sing.

There is springtime in my soul today,
For, when the Lord is near,
The dove of peace sings in my heart,
The flowers of grace appear.

By Eliza E. Hewitt

Hewitt suffered a severe back injury,
But after six months in a cast,
She was finally able to take a simple walk in the park.
The joy she felt at her recovery prompted these words.

Music: John R. Sweney.

Do not be anxious!

Do not be anxious about tomorrow.
Let not your heart be troubled.
Trust in the LORD!
Entrust your times into His hands.
He promises to lead us
and tell us clearly what to do!

Commit everything you do to the LORD.
Trust Him help you do it and He will!
Because the LORD is our Shepherd
we have everything we need.
He lets us rest in meadows green
and leads us beside the quiet streams.

He is like a Father to us,
Tender and sympathetic to those who reverence Him
for He knows we are but dust.
Let Him have all your worries and cares,
for He is always thinking about you
and watching everything that concerns you.

The high and lofty one who inhabits eternity,
The Holy One says this:
"I live in that high and holy place
where those with contrite, humble spirits dwell;
And I refresh the humble and give new courage
ao those with repentant hearts."

How precious is your constant love, O God!
All humanity takes refuge in the shadow of your wings.
You feed them with blessings
from your own table
and let them drink
from your rivers of delight!

Going for a walk together :)

Walking with my husband
Chatting as we go arm in arm
Along the streets of the Villa Ventana.
A day of rest and meditation.

So much to thank God for
As we look back,
Reflecting on our lives,
Remembering our path.

We value every effort
Keeping a job
Working so many hours
Away from home.

But in our hearts
We are always praying
For our loved ones,
Hoping, waiting, loving...

Knowing that you are a merciful God,
Who sees, who feels,
Who hears our prayers! :)

So today you bring blessed rest
And the assurance of faith
Knowing you are our strength!

Lilian and Alexander M.
Buenos Aires, Argentina