Leaves of Love
May your marriage be filled with the infinite love
That is born in the realms of Heaven above:
Caring, unselfish, forgiving and true...
With God's love in your heart
These things you will do!
Then, like we, in 55 years you will say:
"We love each other even MORE than on our Wedding Day!"
Are your dresses or garments so very fine
With beautiful jewels that almost outshine
The sun?
It doesn't matter to Jesus.
Is your home a palace with carvings of gold
And its grounds a fairyland to behold
Here below?
It doesn't matter to Jesus.
Perhaps your clothes are simple...even torn
And your shoes may also be a little bit worn
At times.
It doesn't matter to Jesus.
What matters to Him is beneath the facade
Of the garments we wear, be they lovely or odd.
HE LOOKS AT OUR HEART...
Is there love there, or scorn
For He Who died for us before we were born?
THAT'S WHAT MATTERS TO JESUS!!
You've loved us now through many years--
Together we have known laughter and some tears.
We could never estimate your priceless worth
But thank God He put you on this earth
So we could love each other!
Couldst I but have had a VCR
Embedded in my brain and heart
To record many precious memories
Then the past would be a visual part
Of today!
I could turn on my TV
To relive those bygone days!
I would see loved ones in the flesh
Whilst envying their quiescent ways
Of living!
A Mr. White and a Mr. Brown
Attended our church in Eureka, California
Where my husband was a Banker in that seaside town.
One Sunday morn to them we were talking
While our five year old son stood there gawking.
Suddenly queried our little 'clown'
"How come Mr Brown is so WHITE
And Mr. White is so BROWN?!
To make this story more amusing
I must add something quite confusing:
Mr. Brown delivered mail and should have been brown,
Mr. White should have been pale..for he was a white-collar man!
This little boy is now a grown man...
An inventor, engineer, and yes, born again!
His name is Don Johnson, and he is now fifty-five
And we think he is the greatest son, husband, and father
...alive!!
It matters not what I have on
Or even what I might have done...
If I'm pretty, ugly, thin or fat,
My Lord does not perceive of that!
And this I know without a doubt
LOVE is what it's all about!
Upon us ALL His love He pours
Giving us His heart,
Now give Him YOURS
This Valentine's Day!
There was a man named 'Noah'...
No, he did NOT build an ark!
But his contribution to us is priceless,
I shall relate it, so please 'hark':
He is someone not often thought of
I am sorry to admit...
But without NOAH WEBSTER'S DICTIONARY
Wouldn't we all have a fit? The Bible is the world's greatest Book
Inspired by God and written by man...
But, also indispensible is WEBSTER'S DICTIONARY
For, doesn't he spell words as nobody else can?!
Happy Birthday, dear Jesus, Son of God!
My, how you must think it a bit odd
How we mortals busy ourselves
Much like Santa Claus and his elves
Buying gifts for one and all,
Then FORGETTING Thee
Born in a manger stall!
Help us, Lord, please, to remember
There would be no Christmas each December
Had God not planned Your wondrous birth
Giving to those who believe
True 'peace on earth'!
So, "Happy Birthday, dear Jesus"
And humbly we say:
YOU are the GREATEST Gift...
YOU ARE CHRISTMAS DAY!!"
Oh, what is so grand as a bright Autumn day
When brooks sweetly ripple and leaves softly play;
When skies that were gray are now azure blue,
And leaves that seemed faded now bear a bright hue!
When our orchards are gleaming with apples so mellow
And our fields are glowing with pumpkins so yellow...
Then Johnny is hunting for plump ruffed grouse
In the woods surrounding his cozy farm house...
When our birds seem to leave us for lands far away,
And as winging they go, seem to inaudibly say:
"Farewell to fair weather, to beauty of hue
When green leaves come again we'll return too!"
When our trees are aflame with a beauty most rare
'Neath sunny, clear skies so cloudless and fair...
Then I know I shall never see a scene quite as grand
AS WHEN THE ARTIST'S PALETTE IS IN THE MASTER'S HAND!!
During my happy childhood I lived by a lake
Surrounded by trees that only God can make.
In our garden we planted many a seed
Then kept eradicating weed after weed.
In those peaceful, quiet years, TV was unknown,
My folks had a radio but no telephone.
We had no hippies, no porno, no drugs
And Mom and Dad's discipline was intermingled with hugs!
One thing that's the same as it was way back then
Is that Jesus lives in my heart as He did even then.
Thank You, Lord, YOU never change year after year...
You are my Saviour, my Friend...always dear, and ever near!!
Long ago when I was only seven
My dear Grandmother went to Heaven.
She said to remember that she awaits
For me at Heaven's pearly gates!
Her love for God was oh, so real
As every day I would see her kneel
As she prayed I would listen and her words consume...
There was no doubt God was in that room!
Her unwavering faith overcame all strife
And I thank God for her influence she had on my life.
Now that I am a grandmother too, you see
I pray my grandchildren see some of her in me!
And when she died at eighty-two years old
...She knew that I was in the fold!
My lovely cousin Evelyn was a WAC during World War II
While cousin Mae joined the WAVES, elegant in navy blue.
Because I was diminutive, observed my friend Mildred Knipple,
"You're too small to be a WAVE, you should become a 'Ripple'"!
How did the word 'diet' come to haunt
You and me and make us gaunt
When many of us can afford to flaunt
The 'horn of plenty' instead of want?
Well, I have a notion to take a jaunt
And FORGET my diet at my favorite restaurant!!
How well I remember...
That lovely road lined with trees
Leading to a Wisconsin mink ranch
Where I spent my happy childhood years.
Especially do I remember this:
One day rounding a bend on this road coming from school,
A car was parked and we cautiously slowed.
My father's eyes were on the narrow road so he did not see
That the man in the car was pointing a gun at him and me!!
HOW WELL I REMEMBER!!
We saw him no more, in person that is,
But the next day that cruel face of his
Stared at us beneath headlines I can NEVER forget:
"JOHN DILLINGER IS HERE AND ISN'T CAUGHT YET!!"
He was that ruthless gangster of the thirties you'll relate
And his hide-out was at 'Little Bohemia' not far from us
And the police were irate!
He escaped, but in a Chicago theater met his fate.
Had he that day fired at us and we had been shot
I would not be here to ponder these thoughts!
How well I remember...
HOW COULD I FORGET?!!
The trees outside my window
Bring back memories of the past,
But they can't compare with the trees back home
Where the forests are so varied and vast.
There the birch, the many-hued maple,
The mighty oak and the fragrant pine
Surrounded me--God made them--they were mine!
Colorful birds would sing, frogs would croak
By the lake beside our home.
My roots are there, and though I love it here
We sometimes go back there to roam
To northern Wisconsin to reminisce
Where we had our very first kiss
Forty years ago--my dear husband Wally
And me--that very shy little miss!
It was on the Old Rugged Cross that for ME Jesus DIED
Because of my sins, and for that I have cried.
But, wonder of wonders that was only the start:
For because I repented, HE NOW LIVES IN MY HEART!
At night the wakeful hours that I spend
Are very aptly put to use...
For I talk to the Lord, my dearest Friend
Who listens whether I am awake or I snooze!
This line to Heaven is never, ever busy
And no charges for 'calls' we all know..
So, insomniacs, don't get into a tizzy
For you can talk to God without dialing "O"!
Ironically, we are all born to leave the nest
Of the ones we love the best!
Now that our children are grown
We look back on the joys we have known,
But we can't help but wish they had tarried
yet awhile before they left or got married.
Oh, how we love them, but we cannot cleave
For they are born to live and born to leave!
So young parents, cherish these early years
For soon they will go as you smile through your tears.
I am constantly praying
And my petitions conveying
To my God Who is obeying
His promises to fulfill!
Lord, to know you are there
And are ever aware
Of my joy and my care.
And, friends, the times He forgives
Sinners like you and me
Outnumbers the sands of the sea!
When I am writing poetry
My thoughts fly indescribably.
But much to my consternation
Often with little or no deliberation
On my part...
God speaks to me
The words He would have me hear or see!
So when I write a thought
That satisfies your whim,
Don't give ME the praise...
That all belongs to HIM!
I have never aspired
To keep up with the Joneses,
And the Joneses
Do not aspire to keep up with me.
But, you see, my treasures
Are safely laid up in Heaven...
They are priceless
And yet they are FREE!!
Someday to Norway my husband Wally and I would like to go
To see those lovely fjords my dear Dad loved so!
When I was a child I learned to converse
In his native tongue, so I am not adverse
To sojourn there in Vikingland.
I would view the bay where my Dad did skate
So well, with World Champion Speed Skaters he did rate!
Oscar Matthiessen beat him by barely a nose...
My father was then just seventeen I suppose.
Karl Nilsen, World's Champion Skiier was too a kinfolk of mine
He was famous during Sonja Henie's time.
In l9l4 America welcomed Carl Christopher Larsen, my Dad...
He was about eighteen, a very handsome lad.
With a Viking physique, energetic, and ambitious;
His zest for work was very auspicious:
Never do I remember him without a job
And he never took a handout, never was a snob.
When Dad was nineteen he met a lovely Christian gal
Who spoke his native tongue very well.
They married in Chicago my dear mom and Dad
And were the very best parents anybody ever had!
My dear brother Harvey was the first to see the light of day
Then I came, just four and one-half pounds did I weigh!
I cherish those memories of my childhood years
With the peaceful times without ripoffs or fears.
We had no telephone, TV, no AIDS or drugs
And we got our kicks from Mom and Dad's many hugs!
Unselfish love was planted in my heart then
That still lives and has lived again and again
In raising OUR dear children and grandchildren too...
I give GOD all the glory for giving me parents like you!!
Hear the winds blow clear and chill
Down the valley, up the hill
O'er the ocean's briny deep
Rousing fishes from their sleep.
This cold north wind we all know
Causes cold to come and warmth to go...
Leaves to wither, flowers to die
Windows to rattle, and trees to sigh.
We shudder as its cold blasts blow
Knowing that we'll soon see snow
Lying on the ground so white
E'er the dawn surpasseth night!
(written when I was in High School)
Sparkling snowflakes, gently falling
Dancing, fluttering through the night!
To each other singing, whispering,
"Are we not a gorgeous sight?"
Happy snowflakes, light is dawning
Bringing with it pure delight
To the world...gazing, gasping
At splendor wrought in dead of night!
You can't judge a book by its cover
And you can't judge a man by his looks!
I am sure that you will discover
Man's 'cover' reveals less than a book's!
You can't judge a bride by her beauty
Her trousseau, her color, her veil...
Though she may be the world's cutest cutie
You can't judge a man by his looks!
You can't judge a home by its paint job
Nor by its flowers, its size or its trees...
LOVE is a home's main 'heart throb'
And you CAN judge a man...on his knees!!
The prairie vast stretched ever on
When at the light of dawn
I saw lonely bits of tumbleweed
Snuggle closely by a post in need
Of shelter from the sun.
The hills and mountains from afar
Where roam the elk and grizzly bear
Seemingly caressed the sky--
Their snow-tipped apertures reaching high
To kiss the clouds so fair!
Some folks go to school for years
Are they smart--or are they dumb?
For the lesson they have failed to learn
Is how to live within their income!
She doesn't care if I am poor or rich
Whether I am famous or dig a ditch!
Though all my world should fall apart
My dog 'Bonnie' would love me with all her heart!
She licks my hand to show her love
And sniffs the air to judge my worth!
My thanks to God in Heaven above
For putting canines on this earth!
I recently attended a funeral
And viewed the corpse there so cold.
I could look at him with rejoicing
For I knew he was in the fold
Of the redeemed in the Heavenly mansion
With streets that are paved with gold!
But, oh, how my heart aches with sadness
For those who live each day here in sin...
What if that corpse didn't know Jesus?
The gates of Heaven would not let him in!
We must ALL account for our life...one by one
Repent NOW and BELIEVE, for tomorrow may never come!
Oh, what a wonder of wonders
That Jesus died for ME!
I plan to gratefully thank Him
Through all eternity.
Another unceasing wonder
Is YOU and YOU and YOU--
My friends so true and precious
All because you know Jesus too!
When I was twenty I applied for a job
In a bank in Wisconsin's Northwoods.
Shortly before someone did rob
This bank of much of its 'goods'!
The men who worked there I will never forget:
There was Tom, there was George, there was Chet.
After World War11 ended we hired two men
Who were ever so glad to be home again!
Melvin had a wife, but Wally had none...
But before much time passed, a wife Wally won:
ME!!
I thank God for him these past fifty-six years,
And we now often reminisce about our banking careers!
As I look back in restrospect
At the countless weeks,
The months, the years...
My life's mirror reflects
A myriad of joys that far outnumbers the tears!
Incredibly dear is each dawning day
As beside me my dear husband sleeps,
And I am so thankful Jesus paid the way
So that we can be happy
FOR KEEPS!!
When sorrows come or heartaches
We become so close my God and I...
That it almost becomes a blessing
When everything goes awry!
Land O'Goshen
Though I live near the ocean
The sea I seldom see!
I am so busy livin'
This life that's God-given
And time will soon run out on me!
So whether the weather
Be bitter or better
Perchance on the morrow
A boat we will borrow
And the sea we shall see
My dear hubby and me!
I gazed into the deepest blue
I ever had beheld
Surpassed by nothing I e'er had seen...
It seemed my heart had quelled!
The grandeur was magnificent
As I stood in breathless awe
And marvelled at God's handiwork
WHEN CRATER LAKE I SAW!!
My darling, I love you, keep thinking of me
When I'm in battle on land or on sea.
Your face is before me and through we're apart
My love grows yet deeper for you, my sweetheart.
Our task lies before us--with shell and with gun
It must be done very nobly e'er victory is won.
Soon Old Glory will be flying so carefree again--
There'll be laughter, not tears when we two meet then.
In the meantime my darling, don't fret, don't despair
When the fighting is thick on land, sea, and in air.
Remember to pray if you're sad and alone
For our Father in Heaven cares for His own.
Life's moments are fleeting
So swiftly away
I feel I must hasten
Day after day
To work for the Master
Before He takes me away
To dwell in His mansion
With its heavenly array!
Each moment is precious
For me and for you--
If you belong to Jesus
You'll go there too!
Their magnificent splendor in the distance looms
And, as a flower in early spring that blooms
Grow lovelier as their presence nears--
Then, as we leave them behind, like the years
Their magnificence into nothingness succumbs!
The face that I love is the face of the man
God chose for me e'er time began!
I have loved that face for forty years...The wrinkles we have are from laughter, not tears.
God gave us a son and a daughter to bless
Our home that overflows with happiness.
Do we have grandchildren? A proud 'Amen'
Ages fourteen, thirteen, twelve, eleven, nine and ten!
Says my husband, a retired banker,
"Our life has been blessed...
We gave Jesus our heart and He did the rest."
You will find us in church each Sunday morn...
Our love is true...our Bible is worn."
Aunt Ingrid, the first time I met you I was very impressed...
You were attractive, intelligent, and impeccably dressed.
You lived on the farm with your dear Mother and brother
While teaching school in one town or another.
Then years later you put aside your chalk and your board
To care for your Mother till she went to be with her Lord.
Not many of us when we have our 'druthers'
Put first in our lives the welfare of others!
Your dear nephew Wally who has been my husband the past 40 years
Is the greatest of men, and we love and respect you, as do your peers.
Though now you are perhaps eighty, you are as active as we
Working in church functions and as busy as can be.
Befitting you is this Biblical truth I have known since my birth:
"Honor thy Father and Mother, that thou may live long on this earth!!
(Written almost 20 years ago:Wally's Aunt Ingrid lived to be l00)
Strolling down the green embankment
Of the Rio Grande one day,
A bent old man was seen to halt then stagger on his way...
His wrinkled hands were trembling and his eyes were wet with tears
As on his well-trod pathway a grass-covered mound appears.
He slowly bent his graying head and lifting up his eyes
Breathed a fervent prayer to his Maker in the skies:
"Dear God" he prayed, "You've taken my one and only friend
Yet I hope that in some way this broken heart You'll mend!"
His voice suddenly quavered, he could utter not a word,
His hands weakly trembled, and, as if struck by a sword
Fell inertly to the earth...his cheek upon the mound:
HIS SOUL IS AT REST IN HEAVEN THOUGH HE LAY UPON THE GROUND!!
(written in high school)
There is something that haunts my soul
And cries out from my heart of hearts:
Why, oh why, is the mother-in-law role
The target of so many darts?
She loves her children it is true
Does not the Bible agree with that?
The grandchildren come and it is her pleasure and due
To baby-sit whoever needs to be 'baby-sat'.
So what if she loves and even spoils them a bit?
It leaves you parents free to sup and dine.
You don't have to pay her to baby-sit...
It's paid for in their arms that entwine!!
You do so much for me each day
What can I do for you, Lord?
A Voice to me did clearly say:
"Just trust--and obey My Word."
I know my eyes shall never see
A scene more lovely than a tree
Whose limbs bedecked with new-shed snow
Bow down beneath a snow-white glow!
My, oh my, what a pity
We have no escalator in our little city!
Our hospital does have an elevator inside--
But most people are sick who go therein to ride!
Their names are Jennifer, Wendy, Erin, Steven, Jonathon and Danny
And are we PROUD to be their Grandpa and Granny!
Because of them we are never lonely, unloved or bored..
We thank You for them, oh, precious Lord!
Danny, when you came first in l975
Our whole world seemed to suddenly come alive!
In the hospital nursery folks could not get a glimpse of you
For your proud Daddy and Grandma kept hogging the view!
Steven arrived next in l976
Then there were two grandsons with diapers to fix.
Steven has wanted to be a doctor almost since he could see
Now he is eleven and taller than me!
Lo and behold, another boy, Jonathon came in l977
A very precious bundle from Heaven
Delivered to the Miller family who lived on Ninth Street.
Now Danny had a brother with whom to compete.
l978 became a most memorable year
For that is when Erin, our first granddaughter chose to appear!
With her dimpled chin and most beautiful eyes
The boys soon will be swarming around her like flies.
But she now has competition, for in the year l980
Little Wendy appeared, the cutest little 'lady'!
She was named after Great-great Grandma Wendla who is now in Heaven.
Wendy is oh, so smart, though she is only seven.
A few months after Wendy saw the light of day
Another granddaughter--in l980 came our way.
She is our youngest grandchild, little Jennifer Lynn...
A pretty blue-eyed blond with a great big grin!
God must give them to you before you can understand
THE LOVE THAT GROWS BETWEEN GRANDPARENTS AND THAT LITTLE GIRL OR MAN!!
When I evaluate the average child's life today
It behooves me to say
I am appalled!
Who is his teacher almost more than at school?
Who comforts him when life to him is cruel?
It's not a WHO--it's a WHAT:
TELEVISION!
Who do you leave him with that doesn't cost a dime
But often portrays to him how to commit a crime?
TELEVISION!
I can't help but think we are on the brink
Of being controlled
BY TELEVISION!
I have been wondering if we are aware
That if people behaved, we'd need no prisons anywhere!
We would need no guns to protect us
At home, work, or at play-
No drunks driving cars at night or noonday.
No locks on our doors,
No ripoffs in stores,
No homos, no porno, no drugs to fear,
Adn we'd know there was safety
For those we hold dear!
These things could happen--
It would be easy you know
If we'd swallow our pride and to God we would go.
He made us, then bought us
With His blood on the cross.
He'll change the whole world
If we let Him be 'boss'
Of all that we do, of all that we say.
WHY don't we do things the Master's way?
And think of the money this nation would save--
It's expensive and sinful--that word, 'misbehave'!
These hands
Have willingly performed many tasks
Too numerous to relate...
These hands!
The guided my pencil in school
When I first learned to write.
They enabled me to type so fast
I got many awards and left my classmates aghast...
These hands!
They received a lovely ring
From a most wonderful man...my husband Wally
Who holds them with love in his eyes...
These hands!
They have enabled me to cook for him
Care for our children and grandchildren too
These hands!
In the past I was frequently told
I had beautiful hands...
God made them and gave them to me...
These hands!
There are many benefits derived from being a writer
And my thoughts they engulf me like the web of a spider!
My time is not wasted when I cannot sleep
And I do not resort to the counting of sheep.
From the top of my head to the tip of my toes
Ideas keep popping until a thought grows.
And when I put it on paper I hope and I pray
That thoughts I have written will brighten your day.
Some of my poems have been published and I thank you, God--
Now they will live on when I am covered with sod!
Have you ever asked this question
As through life you quickly flit--
"Do I REALLY portray Christ to men
--Or am I a counterfeit?"
i often regret that I never had a sister
But I did have a kind, handsome brother
Whom I would not have traded for another
Even if I could!
As we grew up we were the best of friends...
But, after one marries, sometimes that closeness ends
...But not the LOVE!
And then you find a different LOVE
That surpasses any other.
Over fifty years ago I met a man I LOVE even more
Than my brother, father or my mother...
In a different way of course!
Our son and daughter were close
In childhood.
Now they too are married happily
And have children...both had three!
My dear mother, father and brother
Are now all with the Lord.
The point I want to make is this:
God has replaced my first family He gave me
With another so wonderful and dear!
And though my first family is now among the dead
The love that surrounds me is so real...it makes me feel
That angels round me tread!!
fifteen years ago today
Linda, your childhood slipped away
Into the recesses of your memories!
Fifteen years ago today
Mark--you became a groom
Never dreaming what did loom
Ahead for both of you!
In 1975 along came Danny
Making Mom and Dad-Grandpa and Granny!
Jonathon and Jennifer made their debut
Loudly crying, "Now we're here too!"
We pray God will always steer your way
Today and tomorrow as He did yesterday
And as the years pass, may you always remember
"May" was really great--but so is "December"!
From two who know!
Your Mom and Dad
August 5, 1987.
Forty years ago by a love bug I was bitten
And this wonderful man who was also smitten
Became my loving spouse!
Though after money we do not hanker
My hubby and I have both been a banker
Counting money that might just fill a house!
Of course none of it was ours--
Fortunately, for the love of money often sours
Happiness and morality!
Christ is the Head of our modest home by the sea--
And guess what? Tomorrow we finally get our Social Security!
As you look in your mirror
You can smile through your tears
When you notice some changes
Dealt there through the years...
For you can feel like a queen
Wearing a crown
If you have wrinkles from laughter
Instead of furrows from frowns!!
(A story of our Grandchhildren)
"I love you, Mother," said little Steve...
"I love you so much, you wouldn't believe!
And I'm going to be a Doctor when I'm a man
And help all the peoople that I can!"
"I love you, Mother," said little Wendy
As she smiled oh, so friendly.
When Mama wasn't looking she got stuck in a hole
Made in the door for a cat...NOT for a soul!
"I love you, Mother," said little Dan,
"I will make you proud of me when I'm a man...
Because I am going to be a singer
And play the piano with more than one finger!"
"I love you, Mother," said little Jennifer
As the cooky dough she began to stir.
She had all her Barbies in a row
Watching Jennifer eat up the dough!
"I love you, Mother," said Jonathon little
As he was practising on his fiddle.
"When I grow up I'll be a preacher,
Or maybe like Grandpa, a Sunday-School teacher!"
"I love you, Mother," said little Erin
As quickly for pie the apples she was parin'.
Then she tended little Wendy and swept the floor
And dusted and dusted till her hands were sore!
NOW WHO DO YOU THINK LOVED MOTHER THE MORE??
P.S. THEY ALL LOVE THEIR MOTHER!!
I know for I am their Grandmother!!
It is not hard to figure out why AIDS pervades
Among our many gay blades and even some maids--
PROMISCUITY!
It is my prediction
That it's God's conviction
To allow this affliction.
Teaching use of condoms in our schools is an abomination
And we should not allow it in our nation!
The logical thing would be to teach abstinence.
Adulterors and fornicators, we may face
Extinction of the whole human race
If we don't let the Lord's teachings prevail--
For has He not shown us man's ways are so frail??
If there comes another spring
And my spirit hath departed
To where the Heavenly angels sing
My beloved, don't feel thwarted...
For I shall wait at Heaven's gate
Watching, waiting for your smile!
You know God has circled round the date
When we'll walk that long last mile...
So, until then I am so content
Here with Jesus all the while!