Old Books: An Addiction

As I stand beside my bookshelf and gaze upon my collection of aged novels

I consider which of these of whose scent to delight in.

As I open one of Charles Dickens' talented works;

a small and mostly unheard of book named 'The Chimes',

I consider those that have read the novel before me.

I think of the lives they have lived as I inhale the fragrant scent of the novel,

I note the difference between this compilation of pages

and that of other classic works,

works by authors such as Agatha Christie and John Bunyan.

As I inhale their gentle lemon-rose perfume,

cocooned in my many bedclothes and blankets,

I begin to read 'The Fellowship of the Ring'.

Embroiling myself in its pages, I continue my journeyings with

those nine courageous companions making their ways down

those treacherous paths to dispose of the one ring.

I simply cannot contain my admiration of Tolkien's superior

dexterity with the English language, it is singularly enthralling.

My bookcase is like the tinder-box of the literary passion within me,

as soon as I take a novel out of it the fire begins, and is rekindled.

And once it has begun there is no stopping it.

As I finish my chapter I take my last sniff and then...

And then something catches my eye and the fire travels across my vision

to my Ukulele.

I start to play, and the music embraces me like an old friend.

Then as my fingers remember where they should be,

I exchange one addiction for another.

I lose myself in its cluches.

I am absorbed in my music as my fingers remember their skill,

I am driven to a new fuel for my passion.

I am engulfed by it, as I fly on the wings of music.

I use it to praise my Lord and saviour.

Who Am I?

Who am I?

I am a woman who finds her identity in Christ.

I am passionate.

I am someone created in God's image.

I am someone that loves music.

I am someone with a large personality.

I am unique.

I am a lover of colour.

I am a lover of animals, especially the bigger variety of dogs.

I am a person who has the privilege of adoring her job.

I am a person that loves people, finding each one fascinating;

fearfully and wonderfully made by God.

Who am I?

You say?

I am the composer of this poem.

Dedication: to my sister, for your 21st Birthday.

A Mineral in God, the Rock of My Life

She is a listener.
She is a firm friend, and is sure to stand by me to the end.
She is a mineral in God, the rock of my life.
She is as beautiful, as she is loyal.

She has a quiet and gentle spirit.
She has a sense of humour, that is purely her own.
She has and kind and sincere heart.

She is an illustration of humble Christian Womanhood.
She is my sister, and I could wish for no other.

Ants...

Why are ants perceived as being worthless?

When you inquire into their ways you can see that

they have a significant role in the Lord's creation.

We swish ants that aggravate us with a great degree of indifference.

Then we may even begin to recite statements,

inculcated within us from an early age.

However, it is not solely ants that we regard in such a manner.

But a variety of other intricately and uniquely made

animals and insects in his creation.

If you take a moment to reflect, within nature

there are all varieties of marvellous creatures to be seen.

Some of which are the small flying insects of bright

colours and shades,

of which it is difficult for one to remember their numerous names.

Let us recall to ourselves as we reflect upon these things,

the words from that beloved hymn;

'All things bright and beautiful,

All creatures great and small,

All things wise and wonderful,

The Lord God made them all.'

The Symphony of Rain

I like to listen to the gentle rain.

As it descends, accompanied by its soothing sound,

its delicate droplets separate and crack upon the Autumn leaves.

If you really listen to it, you can soon isolate the individual sound of each one.

They all seem the same, and then you concentrate and you realise...

each one warrants an almost imperceptibly different sound.

If you listen carefully, you may begin to entertain the idea that

the rain is a musical symphony, and that each droplet, is an instrument in the orchestra.

And then you may start to inquire of yourself, the question;

"if the rain is a symphony, than who is the conductor of such an orchestra?"

And then;

"what other symphonies in nature does he also conduct so dexterously?"

Perhaps all we need to do, is be the audience, and listen...

God - The Greatest Counsellor

When the time comes to grieve -

God is near.

When all you want to do is scream with frustration -

God is near.

When mental and physical pain becomes too great to bear alone -

God is near.

When you're convinced that the whole world is against you -

God is here.

When you could fill the entirety of a bucket with just your tears -

God is here.

He really is the greatest counsellor, comfort, and companion we could ever have.

...

James 4:8 ; "come near to God and he will come near to you."

Sunset

The conclusion of a day.

Its clouds signify the two manners

in which it has been spent.

The elongated, stretched clouds demonstrate to their beholder

those persons who have felt their days to be alike to such clouds.

In comparison the more condensed, small, cumulus ones

are the narrators of a day into which various things jostle to fit.

And then...

And then I observe the colours and shades of the background of these two tales.

And I am simply awestruck.

But then I see the delicate twisting of the eucalyptus trees 

upon this tranquil scene -

my breath and my words are stolen by what my vision allows me to see through my spectacles:

a spectacular scene.