Susan Noyes Anderson

In Every Thing, Give Thanks

admin — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 19:15:35 +0000

When wintry winds and stormy seas

Make all the world seem bleak,

When hope is difficult to find

And peace is hard to seek,

Through troubled times and dreary days,

In glorious and simple ways,

My eyes are somehow turned to Thee;

And once more, all is well with me.

For this, my heart will ever raise

A song of love, a song of praise.

Ode Owed to a Tree

admin — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 17:03:36 +0000

When life is getting hard for me,

I climb up in my favorite tree

and look down on the world below

where grass is green and flowers grow.

I start to feel good sitting there,

secure within my branchy chair.

Up high, the things that made me frown

look way too small to bring me down.

The sky’s more blue; the sun’s more bright,

and all my dark clouds turn out white

when I climb up my favorite tree.

Oh, what a friend he is to me!

Grandpa’s A Really Good Guy, Oh My!

admin — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 16:19:24 +0000

Grandpa’s a really good guy.

He knows how to make a kid fly.

He fills up his jeanses

with bright jelly beanses

and blasts our blood sugar sky-high.

~ the end ~

but not the end

A Daughter’s Prayer

admin — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 16:05:47 +0000

Some of Thy children think of Thee

in terms that make no sense to me:

“…as large as life itself, yet small,

with no body or parts at all.”

Others claim Thou art as naught––

a figment of man’s fear and thought,

a panacea for the weak

to conjure up the peace they seek.

But I have felt within my soul

Thy perfect love, and I am whole

because Thou callest me by name

and whisperest of whence I came.

In Christ, and by the Spirit’s power,

Thou livest with me every hour.

This gift, dear Father, helps me see

Thy glory and my destiny:

To fill the measure of my birth,

To walk with honor on the earth,

To find my place eternally,

As Thy child, to become like Thee.

Winter Has a Beauty

admin — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 17:28:09 +0000

Winter has a beauty all its own,

a framework plying men to look within

and find the quiet hush in every soul…

that peaceful place where new growth must begin.

Christmas Bliss

admin — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 17:31:23 +0000

Christmas Bliss

We’re picking out a Christmas tree.

Oh boy, I just can’t wait!

December 25th is near––

It’s time to celebrate.

The family piles into our car

and finds the biggest lot.

“Let’s get the best,” my mother says,

“the very best they’ve got!”

But this one’s crooked, that one’s short,

and those are almost dead.

The rest have broken branches, holes,

or something worse instead.

Five hours pass and still no tree;

my dad’s about to break.

“You want the perfect tree?” he growls.

“Then let’s go buy a fake!”

Spinning

admin — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:18:25 +0000

(photo not taken from the book)

If ever earth and sky should spin away

and love and truth lie crumbled at your feet,

when all around and in you cries defeat

and hope and faith seem merely words to say–

Say nothing; hear Him whisper to your soul:

My peace lies in acceptance, not control.

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding,

Shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:7

Thanks Be to God

admin — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:47:37 +0000

Photo courtesy of O Charm of Nothingness, So Madly Decked!

Though troubles come and troubles go

amidst this life of joy and tears,

while things we love and things we know

are sometimes lost to grief or fears;

yet always in the heart remains

the memory of sacred strains,

of truth eternal, joy divine,

and gifts bestowed by God’s design.

In hope, we take the leap of birth.

In thanks, we dwell upon the earth.

In death, all things must pass away,

but all will be restored one day;

when mortal pain and sorrow cease,

when every soul is moved to sing,

then all shall bow and all embrace

the grace of Savior, Lord, and King.

The Weaver

admin — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 20:35:48 +0000

(images depicted here are not taken from His Children)

To see her hands

their beauty weave

restored my faith

made my heart conceive

of a graceful life

and a peaceful day

a man and wife

a place to stay

Moving Mountains

admin — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 17:14:26 +0000

To move a mountain was my aim,

the highest goal I could achieve.

I knew all things were possible

to every soul who would believe.

The road was long, the passage hard.

Sometimes a mountain blocked my way,

but through my faith and God’s own grace,

each stony peak was swept away.

The world was mine; no pile of rocks,

however high, could hold me back.

Surely the Lord would always grant

the strength and courage I might lack.

And then, one day, the mountain came,

the one that would not move for me.

I pounded it with all my might,

prayed day and night for victory.

To my surprise, the mountain stayed;

each vain attempt to move it failed.

I plied my faith, petitioned God,

and yet, the obstacle prevailed.

How could it be? I pled. I wept.

I broke my skin against the stone

to no avail. The mountain stood,

and I stood at its feet, alone.

Humility engulfed my soul.

Contrite, I fell upon my knees,

for they who wait upon the Lord

rise up with answers to their pleas.

By still, small voice the counsel came

in words both simple and profound:

Must every mount bend to your will?

Climb over, child…or walk around.

“…for I have learned, in whatsoever condition I am, therewith to be content.”

Philippians 4:11