BE NICE

Let’s make this world a
brighter place and bring a smile
to someone’s face

Each day at work or leisure too,
just think of something nice to
do for someone else, to make
their day. A thought, a gift,
nice words to say.

And when to others you are kind,
a special little joy you’ll find,
that all the goodness that you do,
will come back daily unto you.
******

ALL WILL BE WELL

All will be well
God has it in hand

All will be well
He has it all planned

Trust in the Lord
He knows what to do

Let Him be your guide
And He’ll see you through
******

A Prayer FOR YOU

This little gift from me to you
Is meant to last
your whole life through
Just read these words
and you will see
The special prayers
for you from me

A prayer for peace
when there is strife
A prayer for love
throughout your life
A prayer for strength
and glowing health
A prayer for all
you need of wealth
A prayer for joy
when you are sad
A prayer that good
defeats all bad
A prayer that you
will always praise
Our God who blesses
all your days
******

THINKING OF YOU

It’s ok to be angry
And ask “why me?”
When you know that you’ve
Got to fight the “big C”

It’s hard to be brave
when you’re feeling unwell
and you may fear much more
than you want to tell

Please don’t be alone
feeling worried and fraught
Remember your loved ones
are giving support

And so that you know
just how much we all care
We think of you lovingly
each day in prayer
******

BE HAPPY!

Why am I happy all the day long?
Why am I always singing a song?
The answer is so easy to see
I know that God in Heaven loves me

How do I cope when problems arise
I take my worries up to the skies
God finds the answer,
His is the way
Because He cares for me every day

What do I do when life lets me down
Moan all the day and wear a big frown?
No, I rejoice because I still know
Jesus my Saviour, He loves me so

When you’re unhappy, lonely or sad
Don’t let negatives make you feel bad
There is only one thing you should do
Call out to God – for He loves YOU too
******

I Wrote this one for my nephew Paul, many years ago

BECAUSE I LOVE YOU

I want you to have the best gift
in the world –

Peace and contentment
in this life and everlasting life
afterwards

Give your heart to God and He
will give you
all you ever need
******

COMFORT

When troubles all surround you
and you feel all alone
Remember in His loving care
your heart still has a home

For though the things that happen
may make you feel so blue
They may be just a little part
of His great plan for you

And through all days of darkness
You know that He is there
To comfort and to light your way
for He will always care

So look towards the future
and face it not with fear,
but with the strength of knowing
that His love is ever near
******

DAWN

The dark sky hangs over
velvet sea in the silent
stillness of the night
Then the horizon is
slashed by red with
the glorious coming of light
Now clouds appear,
touched with pink and gold
over a widening band of blue
A lonely fishing boat
passes by and birds begin
soaring into view
Dark mountains etch
against fiery sky, the sea turns
to blue tinged with gold
A stunning Power paints
the morning sky with a
wonderful sight to behold
******

This was originally written for my friend Dolores, in hospital with leukemia.

FEAR NOT

If your dear heart is filled with fear
By daytime or by night
Remember He is always near
To bring eternal light

He’ll soothe your sorrows,
ease your pain
Sweet comfort bring your way
Until your heart can smile again
To face another day

So put your trust in His dear care
And He will see you through
For all His love is always there
For ever, just for you
******

FIGHT ON

When things go bad
and the future’s grim
Remember this –
don’t let the devil win
Put on a smile
like you just don’t care
And arm yourself
with another prayer

If the devil’s putting
up a fight
Then you must be doing
something right!
Just keep doing God’s
work, as before
And you’ll be the victor
– that’s for sure
******

FRIENDS

We make many friendships
along the way
Some of them fleeting,
some of them stay
But the best friends of all,
with us or apart
Are those who take residence,
deep in our heart

Thank you
for being
my friend
******

I wrote this for myself, prior to having surgery!

SONG FOR HEALING
IMAGERY

Onward, onward, healing cells,
go and do your stuff
I know you can heal me,
‘cos you are so tough
Germs don’t stand an earthly
Bugs won’t have a hope
For with any problem
my white cells can cope
Onward, onward,
champion white cells,
vanquishing the foe
With your special powers,
healing as you go
******

Years after writing it, I got the music for this one, so it is now on my CD

HOW WONDERFUL

A ripple on the water, a
tiny grain of sand,

the wonders all round me
touched by His mighty hand.

The breeze that stirs the grasses,
a gull that soars above,

the glories of all nature,
created by His love

The flowers in all their beauty
Turn faces to the sun

In praise to their Creator
The glorious Heavenly One
******

HURRY & WORRY

Don’t spend your life
in hurry, hurry
Fretting here and
full of worry
Pause a moment
and look around
Don’t lose all the
good you’ve found

Partners, friends
and children too
Want to spend
their time with you
Work is just
a means to an end
First and foremost,
be their friend
******

HURTING AND HATING

Throughout our lives we’re sure to
find somebody who is not too kind
And when you’re hurt, you start to
hate, but hold a minute – just you wait

Each time that you re-live the pain
you let them hurt you once again
When you feel hate and anger too
the one it hurts the most is you

So why not take the better part
Forgive the person in your heart
And then the best thing you will see
from hurt and hate you will be free
******

LIVE FOR TODAY

One way to happiness
you should know
The two days that you
must let go
Yesterday when
filled with sorrow
And fears you may have
for tomorrow

There may be sorrows
in the past
It’s your choice
if you let them last
And don’t let tomorrow
spoil today
But make it the best
in every way
******

MAKE TIME

Make time each day
to tell someone
how much you really care

Don’t miss a day,
for there may come
a time when
they’re not there

Make time to say
good morning
to neighbours
old and new

For they may be
just waiting to
become a friend to you
******

I wrote this one for Susan, my stepdaughter

MOUNTAINS & MOLEHILLS

There will always be
some problems in your life

And we all have our share
of trouble and strife

But what’s up to you
is the way that you cope

Is it doom and gloom,
or challenge and hope?

Is it a mountain or molehill –
You can choose

How you see it dictates
If you win or lose

So look for the positive
And you will see

Life is only as bad
As you let it be!
******

ONESONG(2)

Your wonderful creation,
this perfect world
And each of our lives
like a dream unfurled
All thoughts interconnect
like a flowing stream
As our lives unfold
in the waking dream


Enlightenment arrives
at the break of day
And all worldly problems
can melt away
Life is full of joy
and with hope anew
In the onesong
universe that is You
******

SMILE

A friendly smile upon your face
Will make the world a happier place

It won’t cost much if you’ll just try
Don’t let happiness pass you by

A compliment here, a kind word there
Says “you’re a stranger but I still care”

Smile at the world and when you do
You’ll find the world smiles back at you
******

SAVING

I used to save up for a rainy day
Any spare cash and I’d stash it away
I’d look at my balance and watch it grow

but what it was for, I just didn’t know

Then I met Jesus, He showed me the way

to claim all His promises day by day
To trust in the Word that He’s given me
“All that you need will be given to thee”

He cares for the sparrows and lilies too

so how much more does He care for you
Now my best account is with God above

and my interest is in His priceless love
******

This was written in the 1970´s for a friend in hospital

SUMMER

I wish that I could catch the sun
that hangs there in the sky

The sound of trickling water
as it passes gently by

The green from grass and tree and fern,
the blue from skies above

I’d wrap them all in summer’s peace
and send them with my love
******

SPRING

The rain falls softly on the trees
And leaves tell secrets to the breeze
A tiny bird is on the wing
Again it’s Spring

The burning grass wafts
fragrance sweet
Gay flowers stretch their heads
to meet the sun, still shining
bright and clear
Spring is here

The rainbow arcs its way above
The hawk may lie beside the dove
And all the world in peace shall prove
Spring is love
******

SUNRISE

Don’t worry about how dark the sky
How black the clouds above
They’ll soon be turned
to golden-pink
By the power of His love

Though dark your night and
filled with fear
The sun will always rise
Bringing hope for another day
As the Son’s light fills the skies

The Light of the world
will light your life
If you’ll just ask Him in
He’ll fill your world with
His glorious joy
And wash away your sin
******

Inspired by the sight of the moon over the sea at Torre del Mar, Spain

NIGHT

Silver ripples shimmer
across the silent sea
Palm tree fronds sway
gently in the breeze
Haunting calls of night birds
soaring high and free
Echo as they traverse
o’er the seas

Lights on the horizon
sparkle in the night
Diamonds set against
a velvet sky
Reflecting the brilliance
of stars in the height
Bathed by the moon’s
Illuminating eye
******

TRUE FRIENDS

Making friends is easy
if you’ll only do your part
You have to make the effort that
comes straight from your heart

Like making conversation
and showing that you care
Or learning how to listen and
sometimes just “being there”

A true friend is forgiving
when others fail the test
A real friend will stay loyal
and stand out from the rest

True friends will make the effort
to stay friends, strong and true
I pray that there will always be
a true friend there for you
******

Another one I wrote with Susan, my stepdaughter, in mind

RIGHT AT THE TIME

Don’t beat yourself up and blame yourself for decisions you made long ago
It always looks different later on but this is the thing you should know ….
The choices you made and the road you chose were the best you
could do at the time
Your choice was made on the facts right then, but things always change down the line
So when you say “if only I’d known” or “I wish I’d done things differently then”
Remember your choice was right at the time, with all that you knew way back when
We’ve so many decisions in our lives we’re bound to make some we regret
But be proud of your courage to make the choice, then forgive yourself and forget

******

In the 1980´s I went to the Halifax Society for the Blind holiday home in Fleetwood, Lancashire as a guide for my mum. Mum told everyone that I wrote poetry - so they said "write one for us"

I went down to the beach, and this was what I saw

SUNSET

Golden reflections on silver sea
Rock pools aglimmer with light
Gulls in the distance calling to me
This is the start of the night

On the horizon, tiny white sail
Fisherman, are you alone?
Further he travels, dwindling to pale
Hurrying safely to home

Great fiery orb suspended in blue
Painting the earth with strange light
Colours the sky with myriad hue
Then leaves the stillness of night
******

This was the very first poem I ever wrote, at Bermerside Open Air School.

My headmaster, Mr Kendal, introduced us to Keats´poetry, and I was hooked!


AUTUMN

I love to see the autumn leaves
come falling round my feet

And kick them so they fly about
each golden leaf-paved street

For when the north wind
separates them
from their parent tree

They flutter down toward the ground
and settle all round me

Then winter’s long arm reaches out

and kills them, one and all

And we must wait another year
For autumn leaves to fall
******

THREE STAGES OF LIFE

In the first stage of life
when you are a child
someone has to look after you
They guard you and guide you
and show you the way
so you know the right things to do

In the second life stage
you look after them
Your children depend upon you
You’re responsible for them
until they grow
and leave you to start lives anew


In the third stage of life
It’s all up to you
To get the best out of each day
These golden years are
here but once
Take care you don’t throw
them away

******

I wrote this one for my friend Brian Warwick,

for his publication MARKET PLACE in Spain,

for his "bee in your bonnet" column

TOLERANCE

Just because you firmly say
“things have always been that way”
Doesn’t mean that way is best
Have you thought about the rest?
Someone may have ideas new
Respect the other point of view
******

HELP

Don´t be afraid to ask for help
When you are feeling sad
Don´t be too proud
to take some help
When life is looking bad
We all have problems in our lives
And need some help to cope
Don´t turn your back
on those who care
And sit alone and mope
We all need someone
there to share
Our worries and our pain
Just ask and you will
find the help
To make you smile again

******

******

******