February 26, 2011

For Bill

Written by Charlotte Laughlin



I am the wife,

Of the love of my life;

And the love of my life. . .

Is Bill.



I have loved him,

More than forty years;

And I love him. . .

Still.



What's the secret way,

I'm sure you will say;

To make love stay?

Just pray.



We prayed for the joy.

Got a girl and two boys;

And a ninth grandchild. . .

On the way.



When we are in the tall weeds,

Because he disagrees;

We get down on our knees. . .

It's time to forgive.



We go to the Word,

Best advice we've ever heard;

It's in front of the curve. . .

On how to live.



I say, "You go first,"

He offers the reverse.

We hold to the verse. . .

The last shall be first.



Again.

February 14, 2011

For Dan 2011

by Leigh Ann Crawford/Valentine's Day 2011

You warned me not to fall too hard.
You played it cool.
You played it smart.

I knew I loved you and told you so,
But I had to wait
For your love to grow.

I never waited for anything,
But I patiently listened
To you play and sing.

You warned me not to fall too hard.
I played it cool.
I played it smart.

Faithful and thoughtful everyday,
You were so real
Each time you prayed.

You were so careful with my heart.
I waited for words.
I prayed it smart.

You said the words and bought the ring.
You wrote our song.
No more waiting.

February 12, 2011

For My Wife

By Newton E. Delchamps, Jr.
Circa 1945

To me, you are the sweetest wife,
And to my heart, eternal life.
You hold my heart between each beat,
And love is there, when our lips meet.

Your hair is brown, your eyes are too
And Dear, your favorite color's blue
Each little thing I like so much
Is made outstanding by your touch.

Each day is spent in thoughts of you
And then at night my dreams come true
At first I see your smiling face
And then I feel your fond embrace.

February 10, 2011

The Mosaic of Life

By Diane Lytle

Your life together is like a beautiful mosaic picture,
Each piece through the years is unique and special.

There are memories still sweet on your mind
And there are times that you've had that you'd rather not find.

In 50 years, love has shown you great things,
From seaside travels, Rocky Mountains to a cool autumn breeze.

The frequent beach trips and family affairs,
Your love and example showed us all how deeply you cared.

A gentle mother's touch and friendship that stands up through time,
All your daughters, granddaughters, sons and grandsons are proud to call you mine.

As a dad you believed in the best we can do,
We've always felt love and admired by you.

As years tick by on your life clocks,
Your foundation of love and faith is a solid rock.

Marriage matters and you've taught us well,
To cherish and remember our family, our friends and our heritage to tell.

Through hard times and joyful times your lives are a great example to us,
Precious moments are captured and remembered because each piece is a must.

Pieces of love,
Pieces of family,
Treasured memories,
To love and to carry.

Hold this time close and dear to your heart,
Now celebrate life- everyday-each and every part.

With all my love and thankfulness for two wonderful,
loving, giving and very special parents at the celebration
of their 50th Wedding Anniversary, Orlando, Florida, May 2007
Love always, Diane

February 8, 2011

Love Letter

Charlotte Laughlin wrote this poem honoring her mother, my Grandmother Delchamps, that we lost in 2009. It's fitting to share it today on February 9, the author's birthday! Happy Birthday, Mom! Thank you for contributing this precious piece.


My heart -shaped birthday cakes,

Fashioned by her hands.

Hoping my feet looked like hers,

When we squished our toes in the sand.


Her voice, melodic and comforting,

As she read or sang to me,

Memories of my own dear Mother,

Remain strength to me.


I could never get enough of her words,

Though they freely flowed to me.

She was just the kind of mother

That I hoped someday to be.


Never could I imagine,

Being able to set her free.

She was my mother,

A wealth of wisdom to me.


How like her to have prepared me

When I was so very young,

Sharing with me the answer

To a question that would come.


"I won't be here," she declared

"When you need me most,

But our Jesus will remain with you,

Through His Holy Ghost."

"I with Him and you with me,

Then you with Him and me,

And then, of course, together,

Throughout eternity."

"Don't you cry, Charlotte Ann,"

I can still hear her say,

"You must not be sad,

On my glorious heavenly day!"

I did cry; she knew I would.

But soon His Spirit reigned.

And sadness bowed to the joyful promise,

That I would be with her again.

What a gift she gave to me,

I pray my children see;

That I love them. . .all of them,

The way my mother loved me!

February 6, 2011

The Real Deal

Proverbs 31 is all the rage
For Christian moms of any age.
Hardworking women and wives,
Though we can't all boast of organized lives.

Don't we treasure those productive days
When we overhear our husband's praise?
When grateful children bless our names
And God's love we can fully claim?

Let me confess that if truth were shared:
I've had some rough patches here and there.
On those days, I cling to a different list
It's filled with love notes I almost missed.

The truth is I'm loved even when I fail:
When we're out of milk or I've misplaced the mail.
The missive in I Corinthians 13:7
Offers me encouragement directly from heaven.

As a young bride, I did not have a clue
How much protecting one girl could do
My husband, my children, my friends in need,
"Love always protects" was for me to read.

Trade insecurity and jealousy here
This version of love is free and clear.
God started love and He shared it with us.
Here we learn that "love always trusts."

When stress and strife have stolen the fun
God replants love that was torched in the sun
"Love always hopes" to be realigned
Remember this is possible with His design.

Has commitment become just a sentence to serve?
Are you not enjoying this part of the curve?
Each season of life needs His power to thrive.
"Love always perseveres" and brings new life.

Those Proverbs 31 women are great, no doubt
But Love Chapter women make me shout!
God directs us to loves that last.
He adds the "always" to any cast.

LOVE:
It always protects,
always trusts,
always hopes,
and always perseveres.
I Corinthians 13:7

February 2, 2011

Is it love?

My heart is overflowing.

I want to credit my blessings to something wise that I have done.

Or to the wonderful protection that I was offered as a young girl.

Or even trace it back to that early age when I first heard the Lord speak to me.

But I can't.

I can't claim any of those reasons as I sit in His presence.
Because I know what love looks like and feels like.

And this is love all right.
This could be nothing else.

It's not a reward for doing well.
I've had those.

It's not an effect from a great cause.
I've experienced that.

It's not arriving at a destination from using Holy Spirit GPS.
(That is, by the way, 100% reliable.)

This life of mine:
That husband,
Those kids,
These friends,
This pair of parents,
And that whole lot of extended family,
Proves that I am loved by God.

Yes, I know I am loved!
This is what love looks like and feels like.

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us,
that we should be called the children of God!
And that is what we are!"
I John 3:1