Time
Time, are you a friend or foe? At times it's difficult to know,
If you are on my side or working hard to make me weak.
Some Time's slow and some Time's fast, I some Time's long for you to last,
Instead you just ignore my wish and past me you will sneak.
A clock to beat, a race to run, from early dawn to setting sun,
You some Times give me too much Time, and other's not enough.
A gift to treasure and embrace, moving at a steady pace,
Some Times you are a pleasure, yet some Times can be so tough.
Golden Moments that you give, will allow me to forgive
The proof of your existence by these lines upon my face.
Help me make the mountain climb, where flows your gentle stream of Time.
And let me age along with you with dignity and grace.
You wait for no one, still I wait, because within you lies my fate.
My future good or bad and for whatever life may bring.
I have a date with destiny, we'll keep each other company,
For every second flying softly on your gilded wings.
-Honna, New Year's Eve, 1998
Facing Today
There is a candle burning brightly in my room not far away,
But as I struggle in this darkness it dims and fades away.
I'm groping in the blackness trying to find the door
That leads me out into the life I had before.
I hear a voice behind me beckoning me to stay:
"What will you achieve from trying to run away?"
I turn toward the voice and catch a glimpse of light
And in its gentle flicker I feel a small delight.
For if I had not suffered the feelings I've been through
I never would have known what that little light could do.
As I tiptoed closer the light began to glow
And through its gentle flame I saw a figure I well know:
My daughter's smiling face and her brightly shining eyes
Drawing me towards her and making me realize
That having her here with me today is the most important thing,
And today I shall not worry about what tomorrow may bring.
Kerryn Brookes, mum to Terri
CAN'T
Can't is the worst word that's written or spoken;
Doing more harm here than slander and lies;
On it is many a strong spirit broken,
And with it many a good purpose dies.
It springs from the lips of the thoughtless each morning
And robs us of courage we need through the day:
It rings in our ears like a timely-sent warning
And laughs when we falter and fall by the way.
Can't is the father of feeble endeavor,
The parent of terror and half-hearted work;
It weakens the efforts of artisans clever,
And makes of the toiler an indolent shirk.
It poisons the soul of the man with a vision,
It stifles in infancy many a plan;
It greets honest toiling with open derision
And mocks at the hopes and the dreams of a man.
Can't is a word none should speak without blushing;
To utter it should be a symbol of shame;
Ambition and courage it daily is crushing;
It blights a man's purpose and shortens his aim.
Despise it with all of your hatred of error;
Refuse it the lodgment it seeks in your brain;
Arm against it as a creature of terror,
And all that you dream of you some day shall gain.
Can't is the word that is foe to ambition,
An enemy ambushed to shatter your will;
Its prey is forever the man with a mission
And bows but to courage and patience and skill.
Hate it, with hatred that's deep and undying,
For once it is welcomed 'twill break any man;
Whatever the goal you are seeking, keep trying
And answer this demon by saying: "I can."
Edgar A. Guest
Don't - Fight OneMore Round
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest! if you must---but never quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won, if he's stuck it out;
Stick to your task, though the pace seems slow-
You may succeed with one more blow.
Success is failure turned inside out-
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt-
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit-
It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit.
Unknown
It Couldn't Be Done
Edgar A. Guest
Worthwhile
IT Is EASY ENOUGH to he pleasant,
When life flows by like a song,
But the man worth while is one who will smile,
When everything goes dead wrong.
For the test of the heart is trouble,
And it always comes with the years,
And the smile that is worth the praises of earth
Is the smile that shines through tears.
It is easy enough to be prudent,
When nothing tempts you to stray,
When without or within no voice of sin
Is luring your soul away;
But it's only a negative virtne
Until it is tried by fire,
And the life that is worth the honor on earth
Is the one that resists desire.
By the cynic, the sad, the fallen,
Who had no strength for the strife,
The world's highway is cumbered today;
They make up the sum of life.
But the virtue that conquers passion,
And the sorrow that hides in a smile,
It is these that are worth the homage on earth
For we find them but once in a while.
Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Comes The Dawn
Virginia Shopstall
Thanks for Always Being There
The world is moving faster now;
We're on a changing course.
But you have helped me deal with life;
You've been a stable force.
When I have had to follow;
New directions, you were there.
When the world was hard on me;
You always seemed to care.
When nothing held together;
Made the slightest bit of sense.
You have always helped restore;
My inner confidence.
Everyone needs someone;
Who's reliable and true.
Through the moments I've endured;
I'm grateful there was you.
Unknown
If I Had My Child to Raise Again
Author Unknown
Time is too slow for those who wait,
too swift for those who fear,
too long for those who grieve,
too short for those who rejoice,
but for those who love, time is ETERNITY.
by Henry van Dyke
shared by Gigi (gigiNT@aol.com)
The Strength of an Egg
Parents of children with cancer, or really any serious condition, are often referred to or viewed as having strength "like a rock." Albeit flattering, it isn't quite true. It is more like the strength of an egg. An egg, you ask? Yes, an egg. If you think about an egg, you will see the point I make.
An egg has a polished smooth outer appearance with no cracks or weak spots visible. It seems almost inconceivable that the inside might not be as smooth and solid as the outside. Most children, at some point in their lifetime, are shown the famous egg trick. An egg set at just the right angle can withstand enormous amounts of pressure and cannot be cracked or broken. Yet that same egg, tapped gently at an even slightly different angle will break. The contents, once so neatly concealed inside, will come spilling out, and the no longer perfect shell will be crushed. Then the shell looks so fragile that it seems inconceivable that it ever held any strength.
That is where parents of children with cancer are more like eggs than rocks. A rock is solid all the way through. If you tried to break a rock, it would be almost impossible. If successful, one would find that there was nothing inside but more rock. It takes a lot more than pure hardness to hold the hand of hope. These parents are not solid all the way through. They hurt, they fear, they cry, they hope. It takes a very careful balancing act to keep the shell from being shattered.
Balancing an egg while running a household, going for doctor visits and hospital stays, keeping the family together, and holding on to the constantly unraveling ties of your sanity can be very tricky indeed. Occasionally, the angle will be off and the shell will break, shattering hope and the neatly secured appearances of a truly fragile existence. Unlike Humpty Dumpty, though, parents of kids with cancer will pick themselves up and put themselves back together again.
by Juliet Freitag
in honor of Kyla
Slow Dance
Have you ever watched kids on a merry-go-round,
or listened to rain slapping the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight,
or gazed at the sun into the fading night?
You'd better slow down, don't dance so fast,
time is short, the music won't last.
Do you run through each day on the fly,
when you ask "How are you?" do you hear the reply?
When the day is done, do you lie in your bed
with the next hundred chores running through your head?
You'd better slow down, don't dance so fast,
time is short, the music won't last.
Ever told your child, we'll do it tomorrow,
and in your haste, not seen his sorrow?
Ever lost touch, let a good friendship die,
'cause you never had time to call and say "hi."
You'd better slow down, don't dance so fast,
time is short, the music won't last.
When you run so fast to get somewhere,
you miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day,
it is like an unopened gift . . . thrown away.
Life is not a race, so take it slower,
hear the music before the song is over.
author unknown
Philosophy of The Universe
Carl Zwanzig: "Duct tape is like the Force. It has a light side, a dark side, and it holds the universe together . . . "
Douglas Adams: "There is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened."
Albert Einstein: "Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."
Unknown: "Astronomers say the universe is finite, which is a comforting thought for those people who can't remember where they leave things."
Edward P. Tryon: "In answer to the question of why it happened, I offer the modest proposal that our Universe is simply one of those things which happen from time to time."
John Andrew Holmes: "It is well to remember that the entire universe, with one trifling exception, is composed of others."
Max Frisch: "Technology is a way of organizing the universe so that man doesn't have to experience it."
Kilgore Trout: "The universe is a big place, perhaps the biggest."
Woody Allen: "I'm astounded by people who want to 'know' the universe when it's hard enough to find your way around Chinatown."
Douglas Adams: "In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move."
William J. Broad: "The crux . . . is that the vast majority of the mass of the universe seems to be missing."
Rich Cook: "Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs, and the Universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning."
Fred Hoyle: "There is a coherent plan in the universe, though I don't know what it's a plan for."
Ray Bradbury: "We are an impossibility in an impossible universe."
Christopher Morley: "My theology, briefly, is that the universe was dictated but not signed."
Edward Chilton: "I'm worried that the universe will soon need replacing. It's not holding a charge."
Calvin and Hobbes (Bill Watterson): "The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that it has never tried to contact us."
submitted by Honna
(dhodder@nfld.com)
Smile, it's the second best thing you can do with your lips.
Sex is like air, it's not important unless you aren?t getting any.
If vegetable oil is made of vegetables, what is baby oil made of?
No guts, no glory, no brain, same story.
Cocaine is God's way of telling you that you make too much money.
If quitters never win, and winners never cheat, then who is the fool who said "Quit while you're ahead?"
If everything is going well, you don't know what the hell is going on.
One good turn gets most of the blankets.
It is better to be looked over than overlooked.
There are three kinds of people -- those who can count and those who can't.
It is not what a teenager knows that bothers his parents, it is how he found out.
My homework is like a juicy steak -- rarely done.
There are two kinds of pedestrians -- the quick and the dead.
An unbreakable toy is useful for breaking other toys.
If at first you don?t succeed -- give up! No use being a damn fool.
Falling is love is awfully simple. Falling out of love is simply awful.
No job is so simple that it can't be done wrong.
You can only be young once, but you can be immature forever.
submitted by Honna
(dhodder@nfld.com)
Why Us
Most women become a mother by accident, some by choice, a few by habit.
Did you ever wonder how mothers of children with cancer are chosen?
Somehow, I visualize God hovering over the earth selecting his instruments for propagation with great care and deliberation. As He observes, He instructs His angels to make notes in a giant ledger . . .
"Armstrong, Beth, son, patron saint Matthew."
"Forest, Marjorie, daughter, patron saint Cecilia."
"Rutledge, Carrie, twins, patron saint Gerard. He's used to profanity."
Finally, he passes a name to an angel and says, "Give her a child with cancer."
The angel is curious. "Why this one, God? She's so happy."
"Exactly," smiles God. "Could I give a child with cancer a mother who does not know laughter? That would be cruel."
"But does she have patience?" asks the angel.
"I don't want her to have too much patience or she will drown in a sea of self-pity and despair. Once the shock and resentment wears off, she will handle it."
"I watched her today," said God. "She has that feeling of self-independence that is so rare and necessary in a mother. You see, the child I'm going to give her has its own world. She has to make it live in her world and that's not going to be easy."
"But Lord, I don?t think she even believes in you," said the angel.
"No matter. I can fix that. This one is perfect. She has just enough selfishness."
The angel gasps, "Selfishness? Is that a virtue?"
God nods. "If she can't separate herself from the child occasionally, she'll never survive. Yes, here is a woman I will bless with a child less than perfect. She doesn't realize it yet, but she is to be envied. She will never take anything her child does for granted. She will never consider a step ordinary."
"I will permit her to see clearly the things I see . . . ignorance, cruelty, prejudice . . . and allow her to rise above them."
"And what about her patron saint?" asks the angel, his pen poised in mid-air.
God smiles and says, "A mirror will suffice."
Author: Erma Bombeck (May 1980). (Although it was written as mothers of "handicapped" children.)
submitted by several of us on different occasions.