June

To look across the wheat field's tossing sea

Splashing against a shining rim of sky;

To hear a slow and sibilant tune

Whispering through the dancing spears;

To lie immersed within the ocean of the afternoon

Feeling the green and golden waves slide by;

Sometimes I think that this is heaven enough,

Heaven enough, this singing sea and I afloat

This fragrant waves of June.

~ Catherine Eckrich

Golden Days

Here's to the blue-gold days of summer,
Far skyline and field of wheat,
Old road curving past a meadow,
Cool grass underneath my feet,
Cloud-boats dipping, drifting closer,
Catfish tugging on my line ---
Everything seems close to heaven
In the peaceful summertime.

~ Margaret Williams Stevens

The Gold of Summer

Long bars of golden light slant down
Through the oak tree's canopy;
And, shadow-flecked, the hillside lies
Near the brook's soft melody.

The drowsy bees go humming by
Like treasure ships of lore
That, steering through an unknown sea,
Find wealth along the shore.

Like gold, the fragrant hay is piled
In heaps beneath the trees,
And summer dreams are wafting by
On each caressing breeze.

 ~ Wilfred E. Beaver

Beauty of Our Land

Oftentimes our dreams are forming
Where the winds and waters sing;
Where the rugged trails are winding
Through a meadow to a spring
Rushing from a snow-capped mountain;
Warbling with a passing breeze;
Rippling rhythms toward a fountain
Framed in swaying willow trees;
Far from all the crash and tumble
Of a busy city street.
With our spirits high but humble,
While we stroll at Nature's feet,
Let her music charm and cheer us
Till the heart can understand
That a Father's love is near us
In the beauty of the land.

~ Bessie Trull Law

Give Me a Day

Give me a day when winds blow free
And white clouds scurry over;
I'll lock my door and hurry forth
And be gypsy rover.
I'll journey to the splashing sea
Where the waves swell wild and wide;
I'll wash my face in the salty spray
Of the savage, surging tide.
I'll visit neighbors of the wood,
Great oak and towering pine;
Inherit a hundred years of peace
From those ancient friend of mine.
Give me a day when wild winds sweep
Over hill slopes green and high;
I'll race to the summit's tallest peak
Flinging kisses to the sky.

~ O.J. Robertson

Things I Love

I love to sit by a shallow stream

And watch the ripple

over small pebbles

And there weave my long daydream,

Away from the world's worry and troubles.

I love to lie beneath a leafy tree

And look up high at the blue sky,

See the leaves create a fancy pattern of lace

While sail-clouds like a flimsy veil flit by.

I love a clouded sunset

With the sun gently peeping through

Cloud-castles tinted from fawn

to rosy hues.

I love a slow, drowsy dawn;

The beautiful awakening of day;

The twittering of birds on my lawn;

The mysterious night slipping away.

I love to stand on a high hill,

Scan the deep emerald valleys below,

See the friendly, peaceful rill

Like a silver ribbon zigzagging its flow.

I love the twilight shadows,

Silhouetted trees against the sky,

The vast sweet silence

Of day's gentle passing by.

~ Daisy Covin Walker

A Quiet Place

Beneath white limestone cliffs,

Our spring sent crystal waters running

Along a golden gravel path

With lazy turtles sunning.

When summer days were close and hot,

We gathered new-mown hay;

And in the languid afternoon,

We often slipped away

To sip cold water and relax

With summer's drowsy mood

And rest beneath tall sycamores

In shady solitude.

~ D.A. Hoover

Summer Magic

The river wends its restless way

Through clear, cool eve of summer day.

Cottonwoods shed their downy charms

While bullfrogs croak throaty alarms.

The robins sing in poplar trees;

Their voices blend with bumblebees'

And chirping crickets', load and shrill.

Wonderland beckons, and I thrill

To endless pleasure --- sight and sound ---

And summer's magic treasures found.

~ Doris Gregerson

Summer Pastorale

Give me a catbird in a tree

Showering the air with melody;

 flock of geese; a hissing gander

Near where willowed streams meander;

Droning bee in fields of cover;

Fragrant breezes whispering over.

Give a faithful canine friend.

An ally till my journey's end;

The sight of placid, large-eyed cows

And upland gestures where they browse.

Far from the city's noise and strife,

Give me the simple country life.

~ May Allread Baker

Country Born

We who were born

In country places

Far from cities

And shifting faces,

We have a birthright

No man can sell

And a secret joy

No man can tell.

For we are kindred

To lordly things:

The wild duck's flight

And the wild owl's wings,

The pike and the salmon,

The bull and the horse,

The curlew's cry

And the smell of gorse.

Pride of trees,

Swiftness of streams,

Magic of frost

Have shaped our dreams.

No baser vision

Their spirit fills

Who walk by right

On the naked hills.

~ Eiluned Lewis

New Year's Eve

Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky, 

The flying cloud, the frosty light;

The year is dying in the night.

Ring out, wild bells, and let him die. 

Ring out the old, ring in the new;

Ring, happy bells, across the snow; 

The year is going, let him go.

Ring out the false, ring in the true. 

Ring out the grief that saps the mind, 

For those we see no more;

Ring out the feud of rich and poor;

Ring in redress to all mankind. 

Ring out a slowly dying cause, 

And ancient forms of party strife; 

Ring in the nobler modes of life,

With sweeter manners, purer laws. 

Ring out false pride in place and blood, 

The civic slander and the spite; 

Ring in the love of truth and right;

Ring in the common love of good. 

Ring out old shapes of foul disease,

Ring out the narrowing lust of gold,

Ring out the thousand wars of old, 

Ring in the thousand years of peace. 

Ring in the valiant man and free, 

The larger heart, the kindlier hand.

Ring out the darkness of the land;

Ring in the Christ that is to be. 

~ Alfred, Lord Tennyson

When We Hear Old Beloved Carols

When we hear old, beloved carols

And crystal stars wink from the tree,

We read each card and old friends smile

From the corners of our memory.

~ Helen Darby Berning

Christmas Cards

When the holidays are over,

And I have some time to spare,

I gather all the Christmas cards

And find an easy chair.

I pull up closer to the fire,

Take time to reminisce,

I read again each line and verse,

Lest something I might miss.

I try to pick the prettiest,

But I can't decide.

The ones I think of longest

Contain messages inside.

There between the pages

Is a special bit of news

About the crops or weather,

Or when the baby's due.

"I can't explain the way I feel,"

Says a friend as pure as gold.

But the simple words, "We love you,"

Make our blessings manifold.

The postman living here receives

A special one of beauty,

"Thanks for all the little things,"

Beyond his call of duty.

Oh, yes! The ones with pictures

We cherish most of all;

It's amazing how the children

Have grown to be so tall.

We sign cards with our heartstrings

And send them out to share

Our love and hopes for "Peace on Earth"

To people everywhere.

~ Louise Dale Nelson

Christmas Message

Beside the doorway a wreath is hung

Of cedar and cones with a tinsel bow,

And a cluster of miniature bells is swung

To tinkle a welcome. Now the snow,

Silently falling, tips with white

Each spray of cedar or tasseled pine;

And covers the doorstep snug and tight

With a snowy coverlet, smooth and fine.

Through the window, lamplight gleams

Warm and golden; its finger seeks

To reach beyond the pane. It seems

The night is articulate, waiting to speak.

Quietly I stand until,

All around in the hush, I hear

That age-old message of "Peace, goodwill"

Breathed into my listening ear.

~ Luella Bender Carr

December's Visitor

Christmas

comes calling

with pageants and wings,

with ribbons and holly

and popcorn on strings,

with boxes of tinsel,

with chestnuts and pies.

Christmas comes calling

with joy in her eyes.

Christmas

comes calling

with carols and bells,

with sparkling trees

and gingerbread smells,

with snowflakes and starlight

through cities and farm.

Christmas come calling

with peace in her arms.

~ Eileen Spinelli

An Old-Fashioned Christmas

Let's have an old-fashioned Christmas;

What a day of delight it will be,

Hanging wreaths of spruce and cedar,

Bringing home the fresh, green tree.

Candlelight shines by each window,

Sprigs of holly on mantel and door,

Sweet aroma or gingerbread cookies,

Pies and pudding baked by the score.

Bright sleds skim frozen hilltops,

Velvet snowflakes in radiance beam,

Ice skater glide like quicksilver

In the moonlight's golden gleam.

Make it an old-fashioned Christmas!

May each waiting heart feel the glow

That grows with the ringing of sleigh bells,

Drifting over the soft-silvered snow.

~ Elisabeth Weaver Winstead

Who Can Be Insensible

Who can be insensible to the

outpourings of good feeling and the

honest interchange of affectionate

attachment which abound at this

season of the year? A Christmas

family-party! We know nothing in

nature more delightful! There seems a

magic in the very name of Christmas.

~ Charles Dickens

The Message of Christmas Bells

Once more the bell of Christmas

Are ringing sweet and clear;

Once more our hearts are lifted up

And filled with hope and cheer,

For friendship  knows no barrier

Of distance, time, or space,

And loving thoughts can wing their way

To any clime or place.

Each year the message of the bells,

Over mountain, plain, or sea,

Reminds us love is born anew,

Steadfast, tender, strong, and true,

Wherever we may be.

~ Mabel Clare Thomas

Christmas Chimes

Ring bells! Joy impart!

Every eager, hungry heart

Yearns to catch that angle song;

Ages echo it along.

It halts the throng

With listening ear,

Inspiration new each year.

Sing it. Live, once again:

"Peace on earth, goodwill to men."

~ Kate Strauss Shibley

Carolers

It's a radiant world this Christmas night,
As the darkness glows with brilliant light
From homes where faith and Christmas cheer
Are the blessed part of this time of year.
Then, suddenly on the frost-crisp air,
Bright carolers' songs ring out everywhere
With "Hark! The herald angels sing
With glory to the newborn King."
And in our heart we join with them
The star-led trek to Bethlehem.

~ Louise Preston Greene

The Merry Bells of Christmastime

The merry  bells of Christmastime
Ring joyously to send the word;
In solemn notes of earthly cheer,
About the world their truth is heard.

Within their rhythm and their time,
Somehow they strike a harmony,
Though separated by the miles,
Bound only by humanity.

Yet in those ancient bells that chime,
A certain message seems to cling,
Uniting every Christian heart
To Jesus, Savior, Lord, and King.

Oh, let them ring, those Christmas bells;
Let every mortal heart rejoice,
For God, the Father, wills it so
That we might hear His gentle voice.

~ Anton J. Stoffle

Christmas Bells

The bells peal forth
on Christmas Day,
Pleading the world
to kneel and pray.
Each stroke comes sweet
The world to greet
With peace, sweet peace,
on Christmas Day.

Christmas has come
throughout the land
And brings the Christ-child
to every man.
The story old, but true,
Of peace, sweet peace,
on Christmas Day.

The chimes peal out
along the way
To bless the land
both night and day,
A chant so sweet,
All hearts to greet
With peace, sweet peace,
on Christmas day.

Silently I pray, I know the need,
"Give us peace on earth," I plead,
"Remove the wrong,
Fill hearts with song
And peace, sweet peace,
on Christmas Day."

The bells ring out with great elation
And reach the heart of every nation,
The right will grow,
Wrong  fail, we know,
With peace, sweet peace,
on Christmas Day.

~ Mamie Ozburn Odum

Always Christmas

There'll always be a Christmas

Wherever our path may lead

As long as hearts reach out

To help someone in need.

As long as little children kneel

Beside their bed to pray,

:God bless the Baby Jesus,

And help me be good each day."

There'll always be a Christmas

With hope and peace again,

As long as there is caring

And goodwill toward all men.

As long as there is faith and love

To keep hearts warm and kind,

No matter where our path may lead,

There'll be a Christmastime.

~ Kay Hoffman

Thou Whose Birth

Thou whose birth on earth

Angels sang to men
While the stars made mirth,
Savior, at Thy birth
This day born again;

As this night was bright
With Thy cradle-ray,
Very light of light,
Turn the wild world's night
To Thy perfect day.

Bid our peace increase,
Thou that madest morn;
Bid oppresions cease;
Bid the night be peace;
Bid teh night be born.

~ A.C. Swinburne

A Christmas Prayer

I do not ask for riches, Lord,

In this my Christmas prayer,

Nor do I seek fame's transient glow,

However bright and fair.

The gift I seek is richer far,

Purer, undefiled ---

Oh, give me, Lord, the love and trust

In the heart of a little child.

~ Mabel Clare Thomas

Christmas Reflection

I hope my heart has heard the song

The shepherd heard that night.
I hope my heart has found the star
The Wise Men kept in sight.
Then maybe it will ind its way
To the quiet manger too,
So the heart can kneel in worship,
Bringing gifts sincere and true.
My heart can bring no wealth of gold,
Nor perfumes rich and sweet;
But let it bring humility
And lay it at His feet.
It may bring loyalty and truth,
With love wrapped all around;
Then, having looked upon the Child,
Rejoice with gladness sound.
For shepherd went upon their way,
Rejoicing loud and clear.
They spread good tidings so
That my heart, too, might hear,

~ Sarah C. Merrell

Let Us Keep Christmas

Whatever else be lost among the years,

Let us keep Christmas still a shining thing:

Whatever doubts assail us, or what fears,

Let us hold close one day, remembering

Its poignant meaning for the hearts of men.

Let us not get back our childlike faith again.

Wealth may have taken wings,

Yest still there are clear windowpanes

To glow with candlelight;

There are boughs for garlands and a tinsel star

To tip some little fir tree's lifted high.

There is no heart too heavy or too sad,

But some small gift of love can make it glad.

And there are home-sweet rooms 

Where laughter rings,

And we can sing the carols as of old.

Above the eastern hills a white star swings;

There is an ancient story to be told;

There are kind words and cheering words to say:

Let us be happy on the Christ Child's day.

~ Grace Noll Crowell

Flight into Egypt

And when they were departed,

behold, the angel of the Lord

appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying,

Arise, and take the young child and his

mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou

there until I bring thee word: for Herod will 

seek the young child to destroy him.

When he arose, he took the young

child and his mother by night, and departed

into Egypt. And was there until the death

of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which

was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, say-

ing, Out of Egypt have I called my son.

But when Herod was dead, behold, an

angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to

Joseph in Egypt, Saying, Arise, and take the

young child and his mother, and go into the

land of Israel: for they are dead which

sought the young child's life, And he arose,

and took the young child and his mother,

and came into the land of Israel.

~ Matthew 2:13-15, 19-21

Presentation at the Temple

And, behold, there was a man in

Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon;

and the same man was just and devout, wait-

ing for the consolation of Israel: and the

Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was

revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that

he should not see death, before he had seen 

the Lord's Christ.

And he came by the Spirit into the

temple: and when the parents brought in

the child Jesus, to do for him after the cus-

tom of the law, Then took he him up in his

arms, and blessed God, and said, Lord, now

lettest thou thy servant depart in peace,

according to thy word: For mine eyes have

seen thy salvation, Which thou hast pre-

pared before the face of all people; A light

to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy

people Israel.

~ Luke 2:25-32

The Adoration of the Magi

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem

of Judaea in the days of Herod the king,

behold, there came wise men from the was to

Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King

of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east,

and are come to worship him.

Then Herod, when he had privily called thee

wise men, inquired of them diligently what time the

star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and

said, Go and search diligently for the young child;

And when ye have found him, bring me word again,

that I may come and worship him also.

When they had heard the king, they

departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the

east, wet before them, till it came and stood over

where the young child was.

When they saw the star, they rejoiced with

exceeding great joy. And when they were come

into the house, they saw the young child with

Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshiped

him: and when they had opened their treasures,

they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankin-

cense, and myrrh.

~ Matthew 2:1-2, 7-11

The Nativity

And it came to pass in those day,

that there went out a decree from

Caesar Augustus, that all all the world should be

taxed. (And this taxing was first made when

Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all

went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

And Joseph also went up form Galilee,

out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto

the city of David, which is called Bethlehem;

(because he was of the house and lineage of

David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused

wife, being great with child.

And so it was, that, while they were

there, the day were accomplished that she

should be delivered. And she brought forth

her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swad-

dling clothes, and laid him in a manger;

because there was no room for them in

the inn.

~ Luke 2:1-7