Eternity’s Treasure

From 1 Timothy 6:10:  “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.”

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Many pursue worldly riches

Studying today’s balance sheet

Counting every single dollar

Sadly, sailing away from God’s fleet

 

Darkness harbors each earthly thought

Bending to desire . . . needing more

Chasing abundance without peace

Another day posts wealth’s losing score

 

Jesus speaks with Father’s wisdom

Holding eternity’s treasure

Teaching man to follow His light

Salvation’s gift fills mercy’s ledger

 

Enlightened spirit today sails

Sharing deposits of His grace

Leaving sinful journey behind

Jesus navigates faith to hope’s place

 

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From Mark 6:35-37:  “For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for My sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.  For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life?  Indeed, what can they give in return for their life?”

Life’s Precious Links

Courtesy of Pinterest.

Modest home’s hidden treasures

Forgotten for many years

Covered in dusty cobwebs

Docked at legacy’s lost pier

 

Climbing rickety ladder

Stepping into lifetime past

Lonely attic’s been waiting

Ship’s sails secure at each mast

 

Granted permission to board

Organized in tidy rows

Yesteryears displayed with love

Past voyages say hello

 

Quartermaster, our tour guide

Opening one box, then more

Years from long ago, shine bright

Emotions begin to soar

 

Resurrected memories

Each surprise follows with more

Connecting life’s precious links

Echoes from past come ashore

 

Courtesy of Pinterest.

Monday Memories: Ridgetop Treasure

From above the ground, a trellis provides a fertile place for grapes to grow.

From a ridgetop garden

Nature’s treasure hides out

Offering its harvest

Flora lives all about

 

Flowers blooming early

Winter now disappears

Colorful bouquets reign

Sweetest fragrances cheer

 

Warming springtime sunshine

Changes the ground cover

New, tender shoots of grass

Young deer will discover 

A young deer finds the tender grass to her liking.

Trellis roof shelters grapes

Ripen in summer’s sun

Fill with juicy flavor

Birds enjoy tasty fun

 

Apple and black walnut trees

Shading nature’s grand shrine

Fruit dropping to the ground

Squirrels and deer will dine

 

Former home site lives on

Garden paradise waits

Coming alive each spring

Winking back at its mates

Apples ripen in the warm summer sun.

All of the photographs were taken during a couple of recent morning walk at Chestnut Ridge Metro Park, which is just minutes away from Canal Winchester, Ohio.  The hilltop garden remains long after the house (built in the 1930s) was abandoned.  I was blessed to spend several minutes photographing a very cooperative deer while I was quietly standing near a tree.  

Originally published July, 2020.

Monday Memories: Treasures as Friends

This poem was inspired by Lisa’s post where she shares a series of brilliant and encouraging quotes about friendship.  Take a moment and visit her post at The Road Back to Life.

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Destiny unites true friends

Transforming life with its spark

Sincere friendship fills two hearts

Never alone in the dark

 

Never take friends for granted

Honesty, laughter, and tears

Staying connected insures

Treasures shared over the years

 

Sharing life’s pain, healing wounds

Long-lasting friendship endures

Glue holding life together

Truly caring, reassures

 

Always count on each other

Offering silent support

“Forever minutes” share love

Caring never falling short

 

Life travels through forest trails

Friends together, all these years

Brings us home through darkest times

Greatest love when friendship cheers 

Photo by Jaime Reimer on Pexels.com

From Proverbs 18:24:  “Some friends play at friendship but a true friend sticks closer than one’s nearest kin.”

Originally published June, 2020.

Monday Memories: Step by Step

One of my favorite places to walk is a short drive from my home.  Walnut Woods Metro Park (the Woods) is a special place to find nature’s treasures along its easy to moderate trails.  The photographs shown with this poem were taken a few days ago.  Enjoy!

Peaceful Walnut Creek meanders along the northern border of park.

Early morning light beckons

Putting on worn hiking shoes

Overcast skies hold back rain

Nature waits with charming views

 

Driving to a park, the “Woods”

Tranquility always waits

Peace and beauty reaching out

Eager feet, needing no skates

 

Step by step, walking farther

Park’s vastness, shouting with joy

Around each bend, nature smiles

Many sights and sounds deploy

 

Morning excursion teases

Birds sing back and forth on cue

Precious blossoms smelling sweet

Coffee can’t top nature’s brew

 

Time seems to pause with each step

Today’s time comes to an end

Ticket punched for return trip

These “Woods” remain a best friend

 

A few signs of spring’s early blossoms still can be found, but they will soon be gone.

Originally published June, 2020.

Monday Memories: Coast to Coast

worms eye view photography of statue of liberty

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Sightseeing from Atlantic to Pacific coasts

Experiencing America, with much to boast

 

Lady Liberty’s gleaming torch welcomes all

Blazing autumn colors define Vermont’s fall

 

Appalachians conceal valleys, nestled with small towns

Nashville plays music for biggest “Country” hoedown

 

Florida’s Everglades house gators galore

Across America’s skies, bald eagles soar

 

Commanding Mississippi River slices through the land

Florida and California beaches offer up surf and sand

 

Interstate highways transport autos everywhere

Great Lakes provide a waterway, here to there

 

New Orleans offering its French Quarter to entertain

To the South, Rio Grande River creates a watery lane

 

America’s breadbasket reaps harvests from the Great Plains

Loaded grain, freight, and more journey on mile-long trains

 

Towering Rockies sing of marvelous beauty up high

Visiting out West, appreciating a Big Montana Sky

 

Seattle’s Pike’s Market, a distinctive place to treasure

California’s redwoods, their height is one to measure

 

Arid Southwest rains bloom flowers throughout the land

Grand Canyon’s brilliant scenery plays a winning hand

 

Finally reaching the Pacific coast at long last

The Golden Gate Bridge arrives much too fast

golden gate bridge san francisco california

Photo by Ignacio Palés on Pexels.com

Originally published September, 2019.

Monday Memories: Father’s Identity

man in black leather jacket wearing black framed eyeglasses

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Beautiful melodies

Cellos and violins

Stirring memories

New lives, set to begin

 

Father with daughters

Growing up with each one

Precious treasures to bless

Through Father, Holy Son

 

Music playing, forevermore

Images of each step

Laughter filling their rooms

Love knocks at our doorstep

 

Afternoon tea parties

Playing games, singing songs

Favorite storybooks

Life perfect, never wrong

 

Seeing their eager eyes

Savoring school’s first day

Playing in autumn’s leaves

Days never seem too gray

 

Watching each girl mature

Life’s incredible ride

Graduation moments

Wedding days at their side

 

Playing in the background

Peaceful serenity

Past, special moments

Father’s identity

 

My life has been blessed with a splendid and loving trio of daughters who have made fatherhood a true blessing.  I was listening to a rendition of Johann Pachelbel’s “Canon in D Major” as I wrote this poem.  I especially enjoy strings or piano (all three of my daughters are accomplished piano players).  Here is a sample of the music.  Enjoy!

Originally published May, 2020.

Autumn’s Awakening (Elfchen Series #177)

Rendezvous

Experiencing

Timeless pages

Creator’s infinite nature

Colors of autumn’s faithfulness

Transformation

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Epiphany

Discovering

Divine messages

Autumn’s leafy narrative

Searching deeper into faith

Treasures

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Revelation

Witnessing

Autumn’s colors

Another painted scene

God’s faithful hand creates

Harmony

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This series of poems (written in the German-inspired style of Elfchen or Elevenie) shares a total of eleven words in each poem, with a sequence by line of one, two, three, four, and one words.

Autumn’s Scrapbook (Haiku Series #252)

Energizing Minutes

Fall’s invitation

Fulfilling countryside drive—

Witnessing brilliance

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Witnessing Treasures

Autumn’s gifted day

Shaping life before our eyes—

Mum’s changing colors

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Coloring Sketches

Tree-lined avenue

Passing cars stirring up leaves—

Landscape swirls about

Photo by Orhan Pergel on Pexels.com

Conversation at Sunrise (Haiku Series #245)

Illuminating

Nourishing landscape

Radiating at sunrise—

Creator’s spirit

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Gathering

Enduring sunrise

Wakening morning’s treasures—

New day beginning

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Summoning

In early dawn’s light

Nighttime passes her baton—

Horizon’s sunrise

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