Quotes and Verses (Part 2)

T S Elliot
The Cocktail Party

You will have to live with these memories and make them - into something new - Only by acceptance of the past will you alter its meaning.

Cristian Kerr 11-10-44

Love walks with grief.
With wistful feet,
With war-worn wing,
Sharing the leaded burden sorrow brings.

Love walks with grief.
Lifts the crushed flowers,
Whispers of hidden light and healing showers,
Tells tenderly of hope,
Gathers fragments of the golden bowl,
Restores the scars and wraps the shaken soul.
Love walks with grief.

Sunday Post 03/09/1995

The clock of life is wound but once
And no man has the power
To tell just when the hands will stop
At late or early hour.
Now is the only time you have;
Live, love, toil with a will,
And wait not for tomorrow, As
the clock may then be still.

Count your joys and not your woes,
Count your friends and not your foes,
Count your courage and not your fears,
Count your laughs and not your tears,
Count your health and not your wealth,
Live for others, not yourself.

The following prayer is from a tiny booklet Jesus, my Shepherd, subtitled a Book of Catholic Prayers for Seniors, but I could empathize, since MS seems to share many of these complaints. I hope you will appreciate its gentle humor.

A Litany of Gentle Complaint

Lord, just a few things on my mind today, as I sit and rest for awhile. I think you won't mind listening, for you made me this way and you already know me through and through:

Lord, it's my eyes: they're tired. I can't see too well, it's hard to read the paper or watch TV, and I just can't find the right glasses when I need them: Lord, have mercy.

Lord, it's my ears: nobody speaks loud enough, the music is always too strong, I can't hear the priest at Mass, but I do like the quiet at home: Christ, have mercy.

Lord, my knees and legs: they won't do what I tell them, they fall asleep too fast, and those steps are just too steep: Lord, have mercy.

Lord, food: it just doesn't taste the same, it gets harder to shop and cook, and I can't eat what I want to anyway: Christ, have mercy.

Lord, pains and aches: there are new ones every day, at times I'm embarrassed before other people, and then I worry about having something serious happen: Lord, have mercy.

Lord, there are too many pills: I can't seem to keep them straight or take them at the right time, and I sometimes worry I may take too many or too few: Christ, have mercy.

Lord, I'm lonely: the phone never rings, I haven't had visitors in ages, and when they do come I'm not much of a host: Christ, have mercy.

Lord, sleep: can't rest all night, and then I nod off all during the day, it makes me impatient and irritable, and my memory has gone to the dogs: Lord, have mercy.

Lord, you sure do have a sense of humor, you've made me for Yourself. Bear with me as I try to figure out how best to give myself to You these days:

Lord, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us. Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me.

Burns right (1759 - 1796)
1795 Dumfries volunteers

'O let us not like snarling tykes,
In wrangling be divided,

Be Britain still to Britain true,
Among oursels united, for never
But by British, maun
British wrangs be righted.'

You may not have much cash to spare,
But there are things that you can share:
A cheerful word, a thoughtful deed,
A helping hand where there is need,
A hug for someone feeling down,
A joke to change a child's sad frown,
A chat with a mum at her tether's end,
A smile for all. You're rich my friend.

Smiling is infectious -
You catch it like the flu,
When someone smiled at me today
I started smiling too.
If you feel a smile begin
Don't leave it undetected,
Let's start an epidemic now,
And get the world infected.

When things turn green these days, you don't know whether it's spring, envy or chlorophyll.

Progress is based upon a universal desire on the part of every organism to live beyond it's income.

Paul Eddington, actor died 04-11-1995
His choice of epitaph: "he did very little harm"

Strength Through Sympathy

Though the tears of today are drawn from the wells of sorrow,
They will flow from the springs of memory,
Through which will come your strength for tomorrow.

Self

A Note of Encouragement, from the inspirational writings of Emily Matthews.

Whatever happens, God is there to keep you safe within His care.
Although each day brings
Challenges and things that are unknown,
You don't have to face them by yourself
or deal with them alone,
For others care about you
close in prayer
And, above all,
God will guide you -
for He's truly always there.

God brought you this far
He won't abandon you now
... and neither will we.

From The Sunday Post 26/11/1995

Lady, at pedestrian crossing, waiting to cross the road saw the little Green Man and heard the audible sound so duly crossed over to the other pavement. An American visitor asked what was the purpose of the audible sound. On being told it was for blind people said, 'Oh, we don't let them drive in America' !!

The following was printed in a magazine called Argosy (?) seen by me when in Malaya (1945), and sent home to my parents. Then on 12/04/95 I came across the original cutting in a suitcase belonging to my mother.

A soldier's prayer

(This poem by an unknown writer was found in the desert during the battle of El Agheila, December 14th, 1942. It was quoted by Field-Marshall Montgomery in his personal message to the 21st Army Group before the attack on the Rhine, and reproduced in the English Digest.)

Stay with me God. The night is dark,
The night is cold. My little spark
Of courage dies. The night is long,
Be with me God, and make me strong.
I love a game, I love a fight.
I hate the dark, I love the light,
I love my child, I love my wife,
I am no coward. I love life.

Life with its changes of mood and shade,
I want to live. I'm not afraid,
But me and mine are hard to part -
Oh, unknown God, Lift up my heart.
You stilled the waters at Dunkirk
And saved your servants. All your work
Is wonderful, Dear God. You strode
Before us down that dreadful road.

We were alone and hope had fled.
We loved our country and our dead,
And could not shame them, so we stayed
The course, and were not much afraid.
Dear God, that nightmare road ! And then
That sea ! We got there... We were men,
My eyes were blind, my feet were torn,
My soul sang like a bird at dawn !

I'm but the son my mother bore,
A simple man and nothing more.
But - God of strength and gentleness,
Be pleased to make me nothing less.
Help me, Oh God, when death is near
To mock the haggard face of fear,
That when I fall - if fall I must -
My soul may triumph in the dust.

The above has been considerably altered by me in an attempt to take the main message into the present time.

Stay with me God. The night is dark,
The night is cold. My little spark
Of courage dies. The night is long,
Be with me God, and make me strong.

I love a game, I love a fight.
I hate the dark, I love the light,
I love my kids, I love my wife,
I am no coward. I love life.

Life with its changes of mood and shade,
I want to live. I'm not afraid,
But me and mine are hard to part -
Oh, unknown God, Lift up my heart.

I'm but the son my mother bore,
A simple man and nothing more.
But - God of strength and gentleness,
Be pleased to make me nothing less.

Help me, Oh God, when death is near
To mock the haggard face of fear,
That when I die - if die I must -
My soul may triumph o'er the dust.

Two recipes. (Sunday Post 12/17/95)

Sprinkle with fun and merriment, Flavour with wit, and mix throughly with pure spirit of love. Warm through with bright looks and serve immediately.

Take equal parts of kindness, unselfishness and thoughtfulness. Mix in an atmosphere of love. Add spice of usefulness, scatter a few grains of cheerfulness, season with smiles, stir with a hearty laugh, and dispence to everyone.

On a calendar from 'those' three Grandchildren in Oxford on 12/25/95

There used to be so many
Of my fingerprints to see
On furniture and walls and things
From sticky grubby me

But if you stop and think a while
You'll see I'm growing fast
Those little handprints dissapear
You can't bring back what's past

So here's a small reminder
To keep, not wipe away
Of tiny hands and how they looked
To make you smile someday.

Newsgroups: rec.humor.funny
Turnabout is fair play... (True?)

Here is a true story someone found regarding exams at Cambridge University. It seems that during an examination one day a bright young student popped up and asked the proctor to bring him Cakes and Ale. The following dialog ensued:

Proctor: I beg your pardon?

Student: Sir, I request that you bring me Cakes and Ale.

Proctor: Sorry, no.

Student: Sir, I really must insist. I request and require that you bring me Cakes and Ale.

At this point, the student produced a copy of the four hundred year old Laws of Cambridge, written in Latin and still nominally in effect, and pointed to the section which read (rough translation from the Latin):

"Gentlemen sitting examinations may request and require Cakes and Ale".

Pepsi and hamburgers were judged the modern equivalent, and the student sat there, writing his examination and happily slurping away.

Three weeks later the student was fined five pounds for not wearing a sword to the examination.

A Prayer that God Will Comfort You

"Trust Him when doubts assail thee,
Trust Him when thy strength is small,
Trust Him when to simply trust Him
Seems the hardest thing of all".

And

Many thoughts are with you
In the sorrow you must bear,
For many friends are close to you
In sympathy and prayer.
May God, who loves each one of us,
Stay always at you side
To comfort you throughout these days
And be your Friend and Guide.

On a picture by my son in law John, of the river Etive taken from Bidean mam Bean in Sept 1986 while walking with my son Andrew. his wife Judith added the following:-

The lonely stream that rode through darkness, Leaps the gap of light.
It's voice grown loud and starts it's winding journey
Through day and time and war and history.

Edwin Muir, The Wayside Station