True Grit True Pearls True Beauty

"At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, not winning one more verdict or not closing one more deal.  You will regret time not spent with a husband, a friend, a child or a parent."

~ Barbara Pierce Bush  June 8, 1926 - April 17, 2018

Her life had such an impact on many some near and others far

like a stone cast upon a river that ripples out

 from one generation to another and heart to heart

We knew her our whole lives a figure in papers and on the TV screen

always upholding honesty and integrity a giver and mentor to hopes and dreams

She will be missed greatly but her legacy is alive and ever strong

for when one gives and teaches so many

it shall inspire for decades and centuries long.

©Carrie Van Horn 2019

Follow Hope's Tracks

Puddle, 1952, M.C. Escher

The Mag #122

"If you knew that hope and despair were paths to the same destination, which would you choose?"  ~Robert Brault,

Trudge forward brave soldier with the fearless puddle stomping of a child.
Plow through the sludge like a bulldozer pushing deep into the wild.
Life is messy with plenty of beautiful lessons down many muddy paths.
You can turn around or stop, but what is the use in that?
We are all in a journey that either progresses or lags behind.
The roads we take are opportunities that we can lose or we can find.
So take each step courageously and get back up when you slip and fall.
For life is a big puddle of tests and learning that is meant for us all.



Words of Hope Still Speak

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase." ~Martin Luther King, Jr

I wanted to take the time to give tribute to a great man in history on this special day. One of the things that I love about Martin Luther King, Jr is the fact that he was full of so much hope and bravery.  There are few other people that have had such an impact on society.  His words are still being spoken, and will continue throughout the ages.  He certainly is a hero of the past,present, and the future....his many speeches know no time limit.  His dream lives on inspiring us all forward. 

The Great Golden Bowl

"The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread."

~Mother Teresa

There is so much hunger in this world, but I am not speaking of the hunger for bread and gravy, I am of the need for spiritual growth, and the fulfillment, and nurturing of the human heart.  In the past, there have been many times that I have felt much like the grand canyon.  I felt a great emptiness hidden deep within. On the outside I had all the things necessary to survive. I had food,a roof over my head, a warm bed to sleep in, and a job to keep it that way, but there were things missing...holes to be repaired, and canyons to be filled.  I tried to fill that place with chocolate.  I burried it with things.  I ignored it with needless distractions.  Going about my way burdened with worries I could not fix, and the loss of something greater and meaningful in my life and heart that I had not yet grasped.  For God is the only one that can fill that deep void, and He is the only one that can bear the burden of our worries, and fix the hurts.  Having found God in my early adulthood, I learned early the freedom of letting go, and letting God.  I no longer had a void to attempt to fill nor a grief that I could not lay down.  There is such a wonderful peace and freedom in having a relationship with God.  It is like our heart is a great golden bowl, that waits to be filled by Him.  There are so many people in this world that are still trying to fill that bowl with something else....food,possessions,distractions,whatever they can get their hands on...but it will not satisfy no matter how plentiful the serving it may be.  This Thanksgiving, I pray that those that are hungry in every way will be given plenty.  That their great golden bowl will be filled with the eternal blessings of God, not just food, drink, and things.  I realize more and more as I get older, how much I have to be thankful for.  There are so many people that have so many needs unmet.  I want to take this time to acknoledge the plenty that matters in our lives...Peace, Hope,Love, and God.  May your heart be fulfilled with these blessings this Holiday season. 

Linking with Emily and Imperfect Prose

A Scarrie View....

Poets United Think Tank Prompt #21 FEAR

The mind is a mighty force that can change what our eyes see

it can lock open doors and keep our hearts from truly being free

yet the most frightening place we can ever stand

is where hope has been utterly abandoned.

Hope is like milk...you gotta have it to be strong and deal with the spooky things we face in this world.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Halloween.

Enjoy The Moment

Hello everyone,
I just want to wish everyone a weekend that you can take slow like a turtle, and enjoy the moments that matter.  Hope it is a wonderful one.
:-)

Balloons for Heaven

When my children were young we had a precious tradition that my step daughter started that her daughters still do to this day.  In the late 80's, we lost several family members way too soon.  The youngest of these was Heather. She was merely 4 years old when she was in a car accident that took her, and her 27 year old Daddy.  They were on their way to our house that day, and our whole family was forever changed by that agonizing experience. 
Sometimes when you go through something that devestating, you try to find ways to have hope and solace.  One of the ways that we did that ,was thought up by little Amber.  It was something special that we did whenever the kids would receive a balloon at a party or restaurant.  The moment we got outside, and to the car, the kids would look to heaven, and give their balloons to Heather.  It was such a simple, yet awesome act of faith and love, that gave us all hope in a time of grief.
That has always kept me aware of how powerful the faith of a child truly is.  We certainly can learn so much from a child.  I have learned my greatest lessons from my children.


What has a child in your life taught you?