Saturday, December 31, 2016

Wherever


Wherever we are, it is our friends that make our world.

~ Henry Drummond

Friday, December 30, 2016

True Wealth


The world may take away from me
My money or my gold,
The riches that I might have had,
Or treasures I may hold.
My substance may be squandered and
New wealth not be accrued;
I may have missed the chance from which
Prosperity ascends,
But I'll be happy anyhow
Can I but keep some friends.

~ Fred Toothaker

Thursday, December 29, 2016

Tender and Warm


Tender and warm the joys of life -
Good friends, the faithful, and the true.

~ John Hay

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Friendship


Though Love be deeper, Friendship is more wide;
Like some high plateau stretching limitless,
It may not feel the ultimate caress
Of sun-kissed peaks, remote and glorified,
But here the light, with gentler winds allied,
The broad horizon sweeps, till loneliness,
The cruel tyrant of the soul's distress,
In such sweet company may not abide.
Friendship has vision, though dear Love be blind,
And swift and full communion in the fair
Free flight of high and sudden ecstasy,
The broad excursions where, mind knit to mind,
And heart renewed, can all things dare,
Lit by the fire of perfect sympathy.

~ Corinne Roosevelt Robinson

Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Still All I Prize




Still all I prize,
Laughter and thought and friends, I have.

~ Rupert Brooke

Monday, December 26, 2016

Lamps of Love



Each friend is like a lamp of love
That makes a tiny glow
To shine in every darkened place
My feet may chance to go.

I treat each lamp with tenderness
And trim the wicks with care,
For I would lose my way, I fear,
Unless their light was there.

I polish each with kindly thoughts
And fill it to the brim
With oil of faith that tells my friends
How much I cherish them.

I marvel at their brilliance as
A king with treasures might,
For should I lose one lamp of love
My path would be less bright.

~ June Masters Bacher

Sunday, December 25, 2016

Summer's Eve



The sun moves westward out of sight;
Its warmth remains to greet the night
When sounds of crickets fill the air
And fireflies venture from each lair
To fascinate in unseen flight
Those who watch their twinkling light.
And from the south a gentle breeze
Ruffles the leaves of maple trees
That try to shade the moon's rich glow
As it reflects the porch below,
And folks are reluctant to leave
Enchantments of a summer's eve.

~ Neil C. Fitzgerald

Saturday, December 24, 2016

River Grove


We walked along the river grove
One scented August night
And saw the moon's bright scimitar
Etch scenes of pure delight.
We watched the calm and noble elms
Adjust their dusky robes,
Touched with living sequins
Of fireflies' dancing globes.
The poplar trees seemed as candles,
The stars their winking flames,
And the breeze kept us enraptured
With thoughts of far-off names.

~ Robert Freeman Bound

Friday, December 23, 2016

Fireflies



Fireflies
Punctuate the darkness
With periods of light.
A meteor's dash
Erases its meaning
From the sky's blackboard.
The sum of man's knowledge
Is not equal
To the quiet equation of the stars.

~ Robert Lee Brothers

Thursday, December 22, 2016

Lazy Days


The lazy, languid August days
Foretell the mist autumn haze
Which soon the summer sky will glaze.
The locusts call both day and night;
The ants are storing all in sight
As birds prepare for southward flight.
I cannot bring myself to stir
Because on these days I prefer
To drift along and dream awhile
And bask in summer's final smile.

~ Mrs. Garnet Alley Hampton

Wednesday, December 21, 2016

The Friendly Brook


This lazy little brook I saw
Was such a friendly one.
It strolled along all glittery
From playing in the sun.
It had a pleasant chuckle too,
Soft laughter barely heard.
It went its careless, smiling way
As free as any bird.
It toyed with leaves and
small brown rocks;
It splashed green ferns and reeds.
It gave a rink to bird and beast,
Decked watercress with beads.
I wondered where it wandered to,
Rippling by with joy inside it.
So to find where it was going,
I just strolled along beside it.

~ Ruby Lee Mitchell

Tuesday, December 20, 2016

A Day Up River



Breathe in this quietness of earth and sky,
The river shining in the summer sun
As wavelets lap the shore and willows sigh;
Such hours, such lovely hours are halcyon.
The sky is very blue this August day;
The lazy white clouds hardly move at all.
I watch two bright green dragonflies at play;
I hear, far off, a crow's discordant call.
The riverbank is edged with pickerelweed,
Blue vervain, and the pearly arrowhead.
A day like this can fill the heart's deep need
For something more than meat and daily bread.
A hidden cricket chirps, a wood thrush sings;
God gives His peace in simple, common things.

~ Edith S. Butler

Monday, December 19, 2016

Picnic


We hike the road for a picnic
This sun-dappled summer day,
Under the lace of willow trees
That trims the winding roadway.

We find a cool spot by the brook
And spread good things to eat
Across a checkered tablecloth ---
What a wondrous noontime treat.

We pick blackberries for dessert
And search for rare wildflowers;
We're entertained by sweet birdsong
That floats from  nearby bowers.

The sun is sinking in the west;
We head home filled with pleasure,
With memories of this summer day
Stored in our hearts to treasure,

~ Earle J. Grant

Saturday, December 17, 2016

The Face of the Warm, Bright World


The face of the warm, bright world
is the face of a flower.

~ Algernon Charles Swinburne

Friday, December 16, 2016

Gingham Girls


The zinnias are gathered on my lawn;
The gingham girls in pinafores are neat
Are whispering low in voices soft and sweet
And reaching heavenward toward the sun;
They'll turn and follow it till day is done.
And if they could in summer free their feet,
I think they'd follow with a dancing beat
And sway and polka with fancy run.
Their pinafores would flutter in the breeze,
The pretty pinks, the reds, maroons,and blues.
The tangerine, the lilacs, and the rose ---
Their blooms would open, and they'd look so pleased
And nod at me to say, "How do you do?"
And I'd smile at the gingham girls' bright clothes.

~ Edna Staples

Thursday, December 15, 2016

These I Have Loved


These I have loved since I was little:
Wood to build with or to whittle.
Wind in the grass and falling rain,
First leaves along a country lane,
Yellow flowers, cloudy weather,
River-bottom smell, old leather,
Fields newly plowed, young corn in rows,

Back-country roads and cawing crows,
Stone walls with stiles going over,
Daisies, Queen Anne's lace, and clover,
Night tunes of crickets, frog songs too,
Starched cotton cloth, the color blue,
Bells that ring from a white church steeple,
Friendly dogs and friendly people.

~ Elizabeth-Ellen Long

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Dog Wanted


I don't want a dog that is wee and effeminate,
Fluffy and peevish and coyly discriminate;
Yapping his wants in querulous tone,
preferring a cake to a good honest bone.
I don't want a beast that is simply enormous,
Making me feel as obscure as a dormouse
Whenever he hurtles with jubilant paws
On my shoulders and rips with his powerful claws
My sturdiest frocks; the kind of a mammal
That fits in a parlor as well as a camel,
That makes the floor shake underfoot when he treads,
And bumps into tables and bounds over beds.
The sort of pet that I have in mind
Is a dog of the portable, washable kind;
Not huge and unwieldy, not frilly and silly,
Not sleek and not fuzzy, not fawning, not chilly -
A merry, straightforward, affectionate creature
Who likes me as a playmate, respects me as teacher,
And thumps with his tail when he sees me come near
As gladly as if I'd been gone for a year;
Whose eyes, when I praise him, grow warm with elation;
Whose tail droops in shame at my disapprobation;
No pedigreed plaything to win me a cup -
Just a portable, washable, lovable pup!

~ Margaret Mackprang Mackay

Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Hiding


Little Puss and I
Like to hide in the grass
And wonder
About all the things that pass,
Like wind that sings
In the evergreen tree
And puffy white clouds
Floating by in the sky;
Or a ladybug that climbs
A stem
But just can't flit
Like a butterfly.
Then Little Puss reaches
To pat my cheek,
As though she's
Really trying to speak
In her kitten way
To say, "Mew.
It's a wonderful world,
And I love you."

~ Emily Brueske

Monday, December 12, 2016

My Tiger


He rubs his head against my legs,
He arches up his back,
He does quick rolls upon the floor
Or takes a different tack
By jumping on my lap to purr,
His tail against my chin;
He uses all his bag of tricks
Each time I let him in.
I love these demonstrations,
But do I think them true?
Nobody really owns a cat;
The fact is, he owns you.

~ O.L. Abbott

Sunday, December 11, 2016

The Cat


The cat could very well
be man's best friend but
would never stoop to 
admit it.

~ Doug Larson

Saturday, December 10, 2016

My Treasures


I have a thousand pictures
That are near and dear to me;
And when I'm feeling lonesome,
I enjoy their company.

These are my valued treasures,
And I view them one by one.
Then I realize just how wealthy
In this world I have become.

The diamonds are my children
And my wife of many years.
My relatives are all pure gold
Through laughter and through tears.

The silver are my loyal friends
Who are scattered near and far.
They give me joy and gladness.
God protect them where they are.

~ Royce Cookson

Friday, December 9, 2016

Small Gift


A small gift arrived today;
Many would consider it poor,
But your small letter gave me more
Than any surprise in a box:
It brought your dear, kind voice
And memories of evenings we talked
Hours past when students should sleep.
This new letter I now will keep
And hold dear to my heart,
For tonight we'll share words
Though we are miles apart.

~ Fanny Washington

Thursday, December 8, 2016

Light


I am Light.
I bring warmth and happiness.
I seek out all places on the earth,
Even to the depths of the sea.
I am the spark of happiness on the face of a child
And the glow of remembrance in the eyes of the old.
I shine in the hearts of all men;
And, though I be hidden from sight,
The ember still burns,
Waiting to be rekindled in the look of a friend.

I am in the greeting of a boy for his first puppy,
and a man for his bride.
I am Light.
I am a rainbow reaching to the heavens
to renew man’s covenant with God.
My colors reflect the peace of a meadow
and the tranquility of a lake.
I am Light.
I guide the wanderer to a place of rest.
I breathe life into all things,
and watch over them as they grow.
I am Light.
I am Love.

~ Jackie Cavalla

Wednesday, December 7, 2016

The Happiest Miser


The happiest miser is the man
Who treasures every friend he can.
May our good friends forever see
More of heaven smiling through me.
May our friendship embrace like a hug
And lovingly give their heart a tug.
Lord, make of me a faithful friend
Upon whose loyalty another can depend
The happiest miser is the man
Who treasures every friend he can.

~ Douglas Raymond Rose

Tuesday, December 6, 2016

There Is a Place


There is a place in the shadows of my mind
Where, on occasion, I travel just to find
The sweetest memories of two friends
Sharing conversation and coffee and the day begins.
The subject of talk I can't seem to recall;
The weather or season doesn't matter at all.
It's the time that we spent there sharing our thoughts,
Wondering how many life lessons we've yet to be taught.
This brings me comfort, a smile that's free.
No matter the distance between you and me,
You'll always be close in spirit and mind,
Somewhere in the shadows where I dwell sometimes.

~ Tazka Azbell-Pavlas

Monday, December 5, 2016

The Sweetest Music


The sweetest music is
not in the oratorio,
but in the human voice
when it speaks from its
instant life tones of
tenderness, truth, or courage.

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Sunday, December 4, 2016

A Friend


A bright sunset may flare and die
Unnoticed by the human eye.
Flowers may grow and bloom and fade,
A gay unheralded parade.
A man may have his work and food
And never think to call it good.
But when a friend, unknown or true,
Extends a helping hand to you,
it strikes a chord complete and strong
That in your heart become a song.

~ Gladys Rappe

Saturday, December 3, 2016

A Friend Hears


A friend hears
the song in my heart
and sings it to me
when my memory fails.

~ Pioneer Girls Leaders' Handbook

Friday, December 2, 2016

Friendship Between Women


Friendship between women
can take different forms.
It can run  like a river, quietly and
sustainingly through life; it can be an
intermittent, sometime thing; or it can
explode like a meteor, altering the
atmosphere so that nothing ever feels
or looks the same again.

~ Molly Haskell

Thursday, December 1, 2016

Vision by Sweetwater


It was like a dream of ladies sweeping by
The willows, clouds, deep meadowgrass, and the river.

Robin's sisters and my Aunt's lily daughter
Laughed and talked and tinkled light as wrens.

~ John Crowe Ransom