From A Preacher's Note-Book
Thankful Hearts
The hearts of God's people should be filled with thanksgiving every hour of every day for the riches of God's grace and the abundance of his blessings. In the great storehouse of earth's blessings no jewels shine brighter nor exceed in value the children which our homes have been blessed by the Almighty. Recently we have run across two lovely little poems that so well express the poignant yet often inexpressible feelings of parents' heart's that we share them with our readers: (.J. W. A.)
Mother Wish If I could only follow,
Little son, little son, Your way by hill and hollow
Till your long road's done!
You have so many miles to go;
So many things to meet Where I can never, never guide
Your careless feet .
Will they know you true and kind, The stranger-girls you find
When you journey from your mother Where the world's road's wind?
But I can only strive to build you strong and wise Before your path leads far from me and childhood dies.
Brother James R. Cope writes in "Shake Friend" that this anonymous poem was recently sent by his 73-year old Mother to his wife, Sister James Cope, with a note saying that she had possessed the poem ever since Brother Jim was a little boy and wanted to pass it on to Jim's wife and her little boy. We think it beautifully describes the thoughts of many anxious, loving grateful mother's of little boys. We think the next could well express the sentiments of every father with a little daughter.
My Daughter
God gave me a little flower
To tend with loving care,
And never earthly garden held,
A blossom half so fair!
Her smiling eyes, my stars, my skies,
Her laughter, rippling water!
Her joy, her woe; mine doubly so
Flesh of my flesh, my daughter!
God gave to me a little flower!
And yet, not mine alone ...
Someday he will require of me
The blossom, fully grown.
Her smiling eyes, my stars my skies,
Her laughter, rippling water!
Her joy, her woe; mine doubly so.
Heart of my heart, my daughter!
— Author Unknown We trust that these beautiful little gems of poetry may strike a responsive chord in your hearts as they have in ours impressing us anew with the priceless contribution made by our children to the happiness of life. May the Lord who has thus richly blessed us grant unto us the wisdom, courage, and strength to guide their restless feet in paths of honesty, purity, faith, and righteousness leading ultimately to the "more abundant life." (J.W.A.)
Since writing the foregoing, we have, among my wife's file of such things, found a prayer in poem form which was mailed by a good woman with four sons to Sister Adams (Gertrude) on the occasion of the birth of son in 1948. It follows:
Prayer For A Baby Son Dear Lord,
til time shall pass that he
Can lisp his own at Mother's knee,
Hear Thou our prayer when day is done
For him who is our little son.
He is too tiny yet to ask
For guidance in a daily task;
Or pray each night that Angels keep
Their kindly watch while he's asleep.
Help us, Oh God, this little child
His heart and mind all undefiled,
Nor yet can aught of evil know
Help us, we pray, to keep him so.
Help us to teach him, day by day,
To tread the straight and narrow way,
Keep soul and body clean and true
Just as they came, Dear Lord, from You.
Father, who hath, Thyself a Son
Thy Hand to lead our little one
Most children are like the homes from whence they come. Every Father and Mother, however poor or unlettered they may be, can give to their children the priceless heritage of having been reared under the influence of the teaching of Christ and the example of godly living. And how rich, indeed, is such a heritage! (J.W.A.)