Crossing the Bar

Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!

And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea,

But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.

Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark;

For though from out our bourne of Time and Place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crost the bar. 

Alfred Lord Tennyson

Excelsior!

The shades of night were falling fast,

As through an Alpine village passed

A youth, who bore, 'mid snow and ice,

A banner with the strange device,

    Excelsior! 

His brow was sad; his eye beneath,

Flashed like a falchion from its sheath,

And like a silver clarion rung

The accents of that unknown tongue,

    Excelsior!


In happy homes he saw the light

Of household fires gleam warm and bright;

Above, the spectral glaciers shone,

And from his lips escaped a groan,

     Excelsior! 

"Try not the Pass!" the old man said;

"Dark lowers the tempest overhead,

The roaring torrent is deep and wide!

And loud that clarion voice replied,

    Excelsior! 

"Oh stay," the maiden said, "and rest

Thy weary head upon this breast!"

A tear stood in his bright blue eye,

But still he answered, with a sigh,

     Excelsior! 

"Beware the pine-tree's withered branch!

Beware the awful avalanche!"

This was the peasant's last Good-night,

A voice replied, far up the height,

     Excelsior! 

At break of day, as heavenward

The pious monks of Saint Bernard

Uttered the oft-repeated prayer,

A voice cried through the startled air,

     Excelsior! 

A traveller, by the faithful hound,

Half-buried in the snow was found,

Still grasping in his hand of ice

That banner with the strange device,

    Excelsior!

There in the twilight cold and gray,

Lifeless, but beautiful, he lay,

And from the sky, serene and far,

A voice fell, like a falling star,

    Excelsior! 

Scots Wha Hae

Scots, wha hae wi' Wallace bled,

Scots, wham Bruce has aften led,

Welcome to your gory bed

    Or to victorie!

Now's the day, and now's the hour:

See the front o' battle lour,

See approach proud Edward's power

    Chains and slaverie!

Wha will be a traitor knave?

Wha can fill a coward's grave?

Wha sae base as be a slave?

    Let him turn, and fleel

Wha for Scotland's King and Law

Freedom's sword will strongly draw,

Freeman stand, or freeman fa',

    Let him follow me!

By Oppression's woes and pains,

By your sons in servile chains,

We will drain our dearest veins

    But they shall be free!

Lydia's Lavender Boutique

I am starting a blog for my sewing projects! Check it out! http://lydiaslavenderboutique.blogspot.com/

What a Grievous Tragedy!!

I can't believe how long it has been since I've written! So much has happened in the last few months! My family and I went to Ohio twice and now we are living in a different town! Whew!

If I could write blogs like I write stories, I would have many more posts for you, dear readers. I just can't type fast enough! :)

Knights of Arrathtrae Series by Chuck Black

To me, The Knights of Arrethtrae series is one of the best allegorical book series ever written since Pilgrim's Progress. I love this series!

This series by Chuck Black is an allegory of Christians vs. Satan and his evil minions. The books are full of adventure, drama, emotion and faith. They each have discussions in the back that explain the different parts of each book. I have read every book and have found that they are absolutely hard to put down! I highly recommend the Knights of Arrethtrae.

Also by Chuck Black is the Kingdom series that is an allegorical retelling of the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation that makes you want to reread the Bible yourself! Absolutely WONDERFUL! (Only one thing though....the fall of Adam and Eve is an apple according to this story...)

A Tale of Two Horses (Author Unknown)

Just up the road from my home is a field, with two horses in it.

From a distance, each horse looks like any other horse.

But if you stop your car, or are walking by, you will notice something quite amazing....

Looking into the eyes of one horse will disclose that he is blind.

His owner has chosen not to have him put down, but has made a good home for him.

This alone is amazing.

If you stand nearby and listen, you will hear the sound of a bell.

Looking around for the source of the sound, you will see that it comes from the smaller horse in the field.

Attached to the horse's halter is a small bell.

It lets the blind friend know where the other horse is, so he can follow.

As you stand and watch these two friends,

You'll see that the horse with the bell is always checking on the blind horse,

And that the blind horse will listen for the bell and then slowly walk

To where the other horse is,

Trusting that he will not be led astray.

When the horse with the bell returns

To the shelter of the barn each evening,

It stops occasionally and looks back,

Making sure that the blind friend isn't too far behind to hear the bell.

Like the owners of these two horses,

God does not throw us away just because we are not perfect

Or because we have problems or challenges.

He watches over us and even brings others into our lives

To help us when we are in need..

Sometimes we are the blind horse

Being guided by the little ringing bell of those who God places in our lives.

Other times we are the guide horse, helping others to find their way....

Good friends are like that..

You may not always see them, but you know they are always there..

And remember...

Be kinder than necessary-

Everyone you meet is fighting

Some kind of battle.

Live simply,

Love generously,

Care deeply,

Speak kindly.......

And leave the rest to God!

FOR WE WALK BY FAITH AND NOT BY SIGHT!