9-13-04

Graphic by MamaBear

Roads Go Ever On

Roads go ever ever on,
Over rock and under tree,
By caves where never sun has shone,
By streams that never find the sea;
Over snow by winter sown,
And through the merry flowers of June,
Over grass and over stone,
And under mountains in the moon.

Roads go ever ever on,
Under cloud and under star.
Yet feet that wandering have gone
Turn at last to home afar.
Eyes that fire and sword have seen,
And horror in the halls of stone
Look at last on meadows green,
And trees and hills they long have known.

The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way,
Where many paths and errands meet.

The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with weary feet,
Until it joins some larger way,
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.

The Road goes ever on and on
Out from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone.
Let others follow, if they can!
Let them a journety new begin.
But I at last with weary feet
Will turn towards the lighted inn,
My evening-rest and sleep to meet.

Still 'round the corner there may wait
A new road or secret gate;
And though I oft have passed them by,
A day will come at last when I
Shall take the hidden paths that run
West of the Moon, East of the Sun.

JRR Tolkien

Pathways

Sometimes there are decisions,
You don’t know what to do.
You must accept either this, or that.
When neither is right for you.

The word is antinomy,
A choice between two hells,
A crystal ball in stereo,
Misfortune that it tells.

There is a third discomfort,
The fact that you must choose,
No one else can do it,
And either way you lose.

Of ethical dilemmas,
With this I’m not impressed.
While anyone can flip a coin,
No one can pass the test.

I like a third alternative,
How did it come to this?
Along decision’s path you trod,
What did you seem to miss?

Somewhere there must have been a time,
One didn’t think it through,
And took a devious shortcut,
Which seemed equal to the true.

Having to choose between two bads,
Means good’s the other way,
How did we get this far along,
With choices made today?

It wasn’t recent choices,
That got us where we are,
Not long ago we skipped a step,
That now seems very far.

Oh, to go back and change the thing,
That brought us to this place,
And let us greet this turning with,
A smile upon our face!

Whenever you are choosing,
The way that you will go,
Look long, and study well,
Those miles you have to go.

The choices that you make today,
Will shape the world to come,
And where you get to will depend,
On where you’re coming from.

NicknamedBob . . . April 9, 2004

September 13, 2004

A Life-Long Issue

Read: Psalm 90

The days of our lives are seventy years; and if . . . they are eighty years, yet their boast is only labor and sorrow. —Psalm 90:10

Bible In One Year: Proverbs 16-18; 2 Corinthians 6

Scientists predict that the average lifespan in the United States may reach 100 by the end of the 21st century. They say the genetics that control aging could be altered to extend life beyond the 70 to 80 years referred to in Psalm 90:10. Life's final chapter, however, will still read, "It is soon cut off, and we fly away."

Moses, who wrote those words, likened our existence to grass that flourishes in the morning and is cut down and withers in the evening (vv.5-6). Although he lived to be 120 (Deuteronomy 34:7), life's brevity was never far from his mind. That's why he prayed, "Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom (Psalm 90:12).

D. J. De Pree, a longtime member of the RBC Board of Directors, took those words literally. He calculated the number of days from the date of his birth until he would turn 70. At the end of each day he'd reduce his total by one. To see that figure decline reminded him to make each day count for the Lord.

We are all part of a rapidly passing scene. That should sober us, but not discourage us. Moses affirmed God as his "dwelling place" (v.1). That's the way to face the life-long issue of our fleeting earthly existence. —Dennis De Haan

To gain a heart of wisdom takes a lifetime,
And we are told to seek it all our days;
But whether life is long or too soon ended,
God's lovingkindness fills our heart with praise. —Hess

A life lived for God will count for eternity.

A positively good morning to everybody! Today is:

Peanut Day
Helicopter Day
Positive Thinking Day

Good Morning, Amy! I hope you got some needed rest and you have a wonderful Monday!

Mornin', everybody ! Happy Monday!

Have a cup while you Freep !

Thank you so much for the lovely poem and graphic!

Running Through Fields

We are all children
running through the fields of life,
some taking worn paths,
some racing through tall grass,
others rolling in wildflowers,
but
we are all together,
here,
running through the fields of life,
and some,
the ones that see beyond the fields,
they catch themselves
in laughter
and make chains with dandelions
to wear upon their heads,
and hold hands with others,
giggling,
casting off shoes
to run barefoot
in the variety of possibilities.

There are so many paths each day, today I found yours.
from Straight Vermonter's wife