A Thankful Heart

Take nothing for granted,
for whenever you do
The joy of enjoying
is lessened for you-
For we rob our own lives
much more than we know
When we fail to respond
or in any way show
Our thanks for the blessings
that daily are ours...
The warmth of the sun,
the fragrance of flowers,
The beauty of twilight,
the freshness of dawn,
The coolness of dew
on a green velvet lawn,
The kind little deeds
so thoughtfully done,
The favors of friends
and the love that someone
Unselfishly gives us
in a myriad of ways,
Expecting no payment
and no words of praise-
Oh, great is our loss
when we no longer find
A thankful response
to things of this kind,
For the joy of enjoying
and the fullness of living
Are found in the heart
that is filled with thanksgiving.

~Helen Steiner Rice

Happy Thanksgiving,
Pam

Things To Be Thankful For

The good, green earth beneath our feet,

The air we breathe, the food we eat,

Some work to do, a goal to win,

A hidden longing deep within

That spurs us on to bigger things

And helps us meet what each day brings,

All these things and many more

Are things we should be thankful for...

And most of all our thankful prayers

Should rise to God because He cares!

~Helen Steiner Rice

Here's hoping you have a wonderful day filled with a thankful heart!

Pam

Spring Teaser

It's hard to believe that just a week ago we had a foot of snow on the ground. The only reminders of snow now are the few places where it had been plowed out of the road and stood taller than I do. Oh yeah, that and the big mud pit I will refer to as my back yard! This is always the fun part. The ground is a soppy mess and the dog tracks it in with her. Nice.

It's been 40 degrees for the past couple of days. When we moved back up here from FL I never thought I'd be running around in 40 degree weather with snow on the ground wearing nothing more than a long sleeved shirt. In FL, that was winter coat, hat, and gloves weather! Funny how we change. Anyway, it's supposed to hit 61 degrees tomorrow. Whoo hoo! I'm not naive enough to think that this warm spell is going to last, though. After all it is still February. We had a major blizzard about this time 2 years ago. However, I do know that we are on the tail end of Winter. We will be having more and more days that jump up into the kind of temperatures that get me dreaming about my tulips and irises peeking their heads out of the ground, picnics, sandals, grilling... This Spring teaser has me excited for, well, Spring. I get the feeling I'm not alone in this regard. So, I thought I'd share a poem that I found to be very appropriate right now. Enjoy.

After the Winter...God Sends the Spring

Springtime is a season
Of hope and joy and cheer,
There's beauty all around us
To see and touch and hear...
So no matter how downhearted
And discouraged we may be,
New hope is born when we behold
Leaves budding on a tree...
Or when we see a timid flower
Push through the frozen sod
And open wide in glad surprise
Its petaled eyes to God...
For this is just God saying-
"Lift up your eyes to Me,"
And the bleakness of your spirit,
Like the budding springtime tree,
Will lose its wintry darkness
And your heavy heart will sing-
For God never sends the winter
Without the joy of spring.

~ Helen Steiner Rice