A MORNING SONG FROM TAYLOR

Two hours of sleep, two hours of wakefulness, that's how Wednesday's night went. When the second round of wakefulness occurred I had a "morning song" running through my head. I knew it was from Taylor. These are the words that came:  

"...but 'till that day, I'll be your man and love away your troubles if I can."

It was from a Glenn Yarbrough song called THE WORLD I USED TO KNOW. Here's the whole song if you want to listen to it. Click here.

I knew that he was telling me he would help me through the rest of my life, being there when I needed him. He always wanted to know how he could help me. 

Not all the words came, just those few because they were relevant. "...I'll be your man and love away your troubles if I can." 

He always said about himself, "I'm you boy, Momma." Oh how I miss my boy. 

Here's the rest of that stanza:

"Some day the world I used to know
Will come along and bid me go
Then I'll be leavin' you behind 
For love is just a state of mind
But 'till that day, I'll be your man
And love away your troubles if I can

"But 'till that day I'll be your man
And love away your troubles if I can"

Thank you, my boy.

MORNING SONG

The words for this song (I Feel My Savior's Love) were running through my head this morning when I woke up. The words are so appropriate for what has been happening in my life. It was very comforting.

Hold on Tight--by Liz Lemon Swindle

(That's what I'm doing, holding on tight.)

I love morning songs. I hope you have some too. Go to the link and listen to the words. They very well might change your life.

I FEEL MY SAVIOR'S LOVE

I feel my Savior’s love,

In all the world around me

His Spirit warms my soul

Through everything I see

He knows I will follow Him,

Give all my life to Him

I feel my Savior's love

The love He freely gives me.

by Liz Lemon Swindle

I feel my Savior’s love
Its gentleness enfolds me
And when I kneel to pray
My heart is filled with peace
He knows I will follow Him
Give all my life to Him
I feel my Savior’s love
The love He freely gives me.

by Liz Lemon Swindle

I feel my Savior’s love
And know that He will bless me
I offer Him my heart;
My shepherd He will be
He knows I will follow Him,
Give all my life to Him
I feel my Savior’s love,
The love He freely gives me.
Mother by Liz Lemon Swindle


I’ll share my Savior’s love
By serving others freely,
In serving I am blessed,
In giving I receive
He knows I will follow Him,
Give all my life to Him
I feel my Savior’s love,
The love He freely gives me.

Maybe in the morning I'll have another morning song. Maybe you'll have one. Listen for it. Morning songs are gifts and sometimes I'm so preoccupied I forget to stop and see if there's one there. I'm glad I listened this morning.

WHY CAN'T I WRITE? MAYBE I SHOULD USE THIS PEN

How come I bring two or three pens to the computer desk and in a week this is the only one left? Week after week, this one is in the drawer and the others are gone.

Today in our writer's critique group. We decided that we need some new blood to give us a jump start. And we need to do a lot of other things, none of which I seem to remember. I blog every day but today to group I took less than a fourth of a sheet of paper with anything written on it. Why can I blog but not write a story?

It's a mystery, as are the missing pens.

PS My morning song was: There is Sunshine in my Soul Today. Very nice.

SNOW AND THE MORNING SONGS

Today was a little snow, big snow day

It sifted down for hours, starting way before sunup and I guess we got six to eight inches. It made the world clean and fresh. If only it were as easy to make me the same. And I guess the message is I can do it. Little by little, sifting the bad tendencies out, embracing the good ones. Refusing to be brought down--that is the hard part--rejoicing in life and trusting that all will be well.

Embracing the joy. I think God wants us to have joy. He says so in the scriptures. If I believe Him, and I do, I should have joy. All the time? I'm beginning to think that may be possible. Even in trials and sorrows? I think if we remember who we are and where our destiny lies then I think so. Can I do this? There isn't a font large enough to say "no" with as much emphasis as I feel it needs. But can I, really is it possible? I think so. Today? No, today was not a joyful day. It was a fearful day, but should it have been? Probably not. I must learn to trust more and have more faith.

And I must re-read and then re-read again Carol Tuttle's book Remembering Wholeness. Phil read the first seven chapters to me today and then I felt better. There is so much good information coming out into the world at this time. It is a good time to live.

One of the reasons it is a good time to live is because there are some great people out there. Two friends I talked to tonight. Two friends who reassured me and offered help and an email from a family member too. (Bless you, Sharee and may your children always be obedient.) My husband, who is my rock. He helps me every day in one way or another. He is patient and not always understanding but he's getting better at it. How can you understand an irrational woman, anyway? So, mostly he's understanding even though I'm not mostly rational.

My world is full of people who are so willing to help. Some of you, who comment on my blog are those people too. Thank you, one and all for your goodness, your humor, for your own beautiful/funny/insightful/tender, etc. blogs where I spend far too much time every day.

The Morning Songs.

This morning, actually for a lot of the mornings for as long as two or three weeks, I have had the same song going through my head when I wake up. The third verse of a hymn. At first I thought it was for me but it came so often and was so persistently there that maybe it is for someone who might read this blog, too.

"Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid;
I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by my righteous, upheld by my righteous,
Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand."

I couldn't remember what hymn it was for a couple of weeks. It's How Firm a Foundation. It has brought me a lot of comfort. I hope it will help someone else.

Nothing funny to report today. Some days are like that. Other days are hysterical. Come to think of it, this day will probably be hysterical in a year. I'll re-write it then and you will laugh and so will I.

Won't we?

MORNING SONG, MOVIES AND MISSING THE KIDS

Morning song: Count Your Blessings. I don't know if this was for me or for someone who reads this blog, not that many read this. Here are all the words.

When I was a teenager and Mom and I would have a fight she would walk away singing this song. It nearly drove me crazy, CRAZY. The thought of someone telling me to count my blessings still bothers me a little but the message is comforting.

This afternoon we went to the movie "I Am Legend." Oh my. I love any movie about the end of the world, genetic engineering, big scary monsters--to a point--etc. When I write a story it is almost always about the protagonist hiding from someone or tragedy taking a large part of the population and the protagonist being alone, but this one was too much for me. I've used enough adrenaline for a month. And what's with poor Will Smith? This is the second movie where there was too much pursuit and not enough happiness. I'm ready for a good comedy.

The company was good, Phil, my son and daughter-in-law. After the movie we came home and had a feast, a little of everything imaginable and polish hot dogs. Trish and I were freezing so we brought mint truffle hot chocolate downstairs in front of the fire. They are leaving tomorrow and I am so sad. I want to freeze time and keep them here for a week. I hate separations. I am selfish, I know it. I want those I love around me a lot. I miss the rest of the kids. I wish I had a huge house--well, except for the cleaning it would take and the mortage and the cost to heat it--but, if I did have a huge house I would fill it with people I love.

So, though I am content tonight I am lonesome already for Bentley and Trish. And my other kids and their spouces and the grandkids and my friends, that I don't see enough of.

So, I'm forcing myself to be happy with the time I have left and not to be sad when I see them drive off. But, now I understand why Mom stood outside--in the summer--or on the back porch--in the winter--and waved and wiped her eyes until we were out of sight. I do that now too, even before they leave.

THE MORNING SONGS

In another six minutes it will be Christmas. I hope everyone has a lovely day. I have been thinking of Mary, tonight, giving birth to a child far from home, with perhaps no one but Joseph to help. I remembered the births of each of my five children. Each one so wanted, loved, fussed over, worried over and finally we realized we had to cut the apron strings and let them become who they wanted to be. I love them with all my heart. Merry Christmas, my children.

Mary had to do that too--let Jesus go, let him be who he was going to be. Jesus knew who he was from such a young age. He said he was "about my Father's business." Bless Mary's heart, a woman so in love with her child and seeing him grow up sooner than any other child, leaving her--so to speak--to become who he was destined to be. She will always be honored by mothers, I think who understand a bit of what she went through. A bit.

Okay, a different topic.

This morning I woke up with a song sending words and melody into the day. I had rather a disturbing night. My troublesome knee kept waking me.When I wasn't awake, trying to get comfortable, I was sleeping with a worrying set of dreams rambling around. All kinds of weird things. Big things and odd little things. I dreamed Costco no longer carried printer paper and Phil was upset. I told him it would be okay because I had at least four reams printed on only one side and we could just turn it over. In my dream he wasn't any more pleased about it than he would be in real life.

I woke up disturbed, thinking of the big things that aren't exactly to my liking. But there was a gift for me this morning. I listened. "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," was strumming through my head. The line, "Let nothing you dismay," kept returning until I finally got it. I wasn't to be dismayed. Then, over and over again came the words, "Oh, good tidings of comfort and joy." I knew I wasn't to be dismayed. I was to be comforted and to have joy. This song, those lyrics, have gone through my head all day.

And so I have been comforted and have had joy, even though it has been a hectic, I'm-not-going-to-get-it-all-done kind of a day. Even though I didn't get any advance preparations done for tomorrow's dinner. Even though I didn't get all my to-do list done and I'm beyond tired. It's been a lovely day.

I hope you will listen for the morning songs. There is always a message there for me, always. Except once when the song was, "I saw Momma kissing Santa Claus." This was not in December, it was months and months ago. I am still puzzling over it because, honestly every other morning song has a message.

I wish for you a nice morning song on Christmas. And it is Christmas now. I wish you a wonderful day and a knowledge you are watched over, cared about, and loved.

Merry Christmas.