Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Hope's Brightest Ray






Alone beneath the wind’s white drifting
A lonely, yet not surprising sadness stirs his heart
For a time when life served him so much more
Oh how he longs to go back before it all fell apart

When loved ones were close beside and never far
And laughter sounds a stronger note than tears
He sits on the park bench and questions why
His aching heart longs for those lost yesteryears

 A more simple time moved much slower back then
And a home meant joy within his boyhood breast
To hear those old familiar voices calling him back
Would give him a new song filled with joy and rest

His eager youth could never find a way to hold it
Although his yearning heart tried so earnestly
The wind’s directions pulled at his heart strings
But life’s lessons unfolded bitter and so strongly

A young man in his prime set out to do his duty
To conquer the world and see a magnificent place
Fighting for freedom, his homeland and country
But war’s wounds can never be forgotten or erased

The cold‘s sting, the wind’s own flying breath
Stirs more so, the old hurts his mind has bore so long
And that long ago boy that fast became a man
Wonders how he’s suppose to live and carry on

There’s been to many days of anguish, nights of pain
Since the hands he held in his, long loosed their hold
Through the summer’s heat and winter’s wrath
After a while a lonely heart tends to lose all control

 If for one brief moment he could see a friendly smile
It would help his mind find a stillness of it’s own
Such a thing is worth it all and would last for quite a while
And has the power to lift one from a combat zone

If he could tell his stories of how he grew and lived
Working hard to feed his family, he’d welcome it in
And how he missed out on an education cause life was slim
He’d forget about his lost years and smile once again

He grew up knowing what he had to do and how
Oh the things he could tell, what joy it would bring
And the wisdom he learned down through the years
Common sense will take you far and means everything

Maybe if listening ears could spare a little time
And relive an old man’s life, what knowledge they’d gain
It would shed new light on a past that’s never gone
For the ways of the old, time well spent is never in vain

Till then he’ll sit and wait for the spring birds to sing
Perhaps the sun’s warmth might brighten his day
Bringing joy to his lonely heart and food for his soul…and
  Loneliness might be left smoldering in hope’s brightest ray

© Susie Swanson, 2015

I know this is a sad poem but I found this picture and this is what I came up with...


Please pray for our family as we lay my sweet brother in law (my husband's brother) to rest tomorrow.
He was an old soldier that served his country in World War 11.. He was a giant of a man and has left Big shoes to fill.... We lost him on Father's Day and  he's up there where both Fathers and Mothers shine and our loss is heaven's gain.
Most of the old soldiers are all gone now, not many left around from his era. He lived to be 94 years old (same age as my daddy) and oh what stories he could tell... I never tired of hearing him talk about his yesterdays, the Great depression, etc.. Like so many old Soldiers his mind was filled with so much knowledge of times that we can't even imagine and hardships that made for strength and determination.

He and his wife raised a family and shared over 50 years of marriage before she was laid to rest back in 2001.. He grieved for her everyday but he made his way on through. There was nary a day that he didn't get up in the morning and go to the Senior Citizen's Center where he met up with old friends for Lunch, socializing, etc. He did this on up till two days before he was hospitalized.. 
He set an example for all of us to live by and everybody else that knew him. He knew his Bible from front to finish and lived it everyday..He has received his reward.... Our hearts will forever be void without him but the path he paved for us will forever be shining bright for all to follow........ I'll be back to catch up without ya'll's posts soon as possible... God Bless ~Susie

Thursday, June 18, 2015

My Hero




                                              When I go home across the hills at evening
                                               My little flock of memories gather in
                                               A gentle peace and quietness will settle
                                               I look back and remember my hero once again

                                               The man I always knew and called daddy
                                               That worked so hard to keep us fed
                                               With a wrinkled brow and callused hands
                                               He provided a roof and a place to lay our head

                                               I see him in the garden come early spring
                                               With his overalls on and his favorite hoe
                                               He stayed with it from beginning to end
                                               Nary a weed was allowed to grow

                                               I see him in the winter in the fallen snow
                                               Splitting pine for kindling to start a fire
                                               Gathering in the night's water and wood
                                               In his plaid coat and gloves, his favorite attire

                                               Each day I hear and see him with his dog Toby
                                               I'm going out to the old place, he'd say
                                               As they happily walked through my yard
                                               Oh what a keepsake memory today

                                               I see those big apple trees he planted
                                               Tall just like daddy, oh how they grew
                                               So many treasures I've come to enjoy
                                               When it comes to my daddy, I'm like glue

                                               He'd tell straight out, he never had much school
                                               Couldn't read or write, certainly no degree
                                               The gift of knowledge flowed through his veins
                                               For ninety four years he taught constantly

                                               To all that listened and wanted to know
                                               Wisdom from the most wise is a gift to behold
                                               As my daddy eased on down through life
                                               So much joy came in pouring out his soul

                                               He walked each road, climbed every hill
                                               He knew everybody for miles around
                                               If they didn't know him, they came to know
                                               He owned and had many a stomping ground

                                               So many examples he set before me
                                               So many memories, such good times
                                               From when I was little and even grown
                                               He taught me life's lessons, only he could design

                                               My daddy is now walking and talking in heaven
                                               Up there where fathers are a chosen kind
                                               I'm now left with my precious flock of memories
                                               And my hero's love he gladly left behind

                                               © Susie Swanson, 2015

This is a Repost from last year but I just had to put it up again. Father's Day is upon us and like so many I'm thinking of my dad and missing him more each day...I could write several books about him and the things he saw and lived through, the kind of life I can only see in my mind. I wish so much I'd  listened more but the things I did hear and learn will last me a lifetime. Happy Father's Day in Heaven daddy and to all the Father's out there. I wish you the best Father's Day ever and may it be as special as you all are.. ~Susie

Monday, June 8, 2015

Plenty More Left To Tell







Seek a cool, green hilltop close to the sky
Where the refreshing winds of heaven blow
And the birds spread their wings as they pass by
Seeking some destination that they only know

Then close your eyes and listen…… You will hear
Calling, calling out your name 
Old voices that you once knew so dear
Calling you back to where they laid claim

Upon the mighty land they loved so well
Across this beautiful Blue Ridge they called home
There’s so many stories they are waiting to tell
Left behind for all of us, to share and carry on

Winds of time sweep many golden memories
Paths of ancestors become streets of gold
Like the tall, tall mountains born from the trees
These are the things to cherish and lay hold

They tell their stories of hard work and sacrifice
With plenty of satisfaction, joy and pride
Knowing those big fields of corn was suffice
Putting bread on the table, knowing how to provide

Riding a wagon on an old gutted out road
If we look closely the roads are still there
Those mules worked hard and pulled many a load
Can’t ye hear the Gee’s and Haw’s still in the air

And when the noon time sun was mighty hot
They snaked out wood for the winter’s cold
Always thinking ahead and on many a trot
A way of life that should never become old

The gardens were a plenty and always bountiful
Leaving a harvest of knowledge behind
Going by the signs is a priceless jewel, so beautiful
For planting and canning from a mastermind

When the fog lays stretched across the horizon 
Remember a father’s feet hit the ground at dawn
His work never done, even at setting of sun
Leaving his footsteps and pathways to travel upon

 A mother’s calloused hands scrubbing the way she knew
Washing clothes on an old rub board many a day
 Toil and labor for her family only grew and grew
  Love and dedication became her reward in every way

And they set an example of people coming together
On hog butchering  days everybody was akin
Neighbors helping neighbors through all kinds of weather
When sickness hit, help was just around the bend

 There’s nothing as spiritual than an old timey meeting
Many a spirit-fed soul is now walking through eternity
 Can’t you still hear those old church bells ringing
Music to our ears, food for our soul through all adversity

 And when we drift far away and travel many miles
Let’s not forget where we came from, our ancestral plan
Our great heritage will surely bring tears and smiles
If we but only go back to where it all began

Seek a cool, green hilltop close to God’s creation
Climb on up and let’s sit a long spell
Mountain hospitality needs no invitation
Believe me, there’s plenty more stories left to tell

© Susie Swanson, 2015


Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Barbed Wire And Roses

                                                 

   
                                                      The beauty is twined along the fence
                                                      Where roses grow amidst the wire
                                                       Across the green meadow
                                                       In greenbrier

                                                      They appear in spring so luminous
                                                      Kissed by the morning dew
                                                      In sweet insistent wind
                                                      Refreshing and new

                                                      One single red rose among the thorns
                                                      Placed with love and certainty
                                                      A rose of crimson red
                                                      Bright and lovely

                                                      A young girl's heart is mesmerized
                                                      For a thing of beauty so strong
                                                      She stands breathless
                                                      Such beauty strewn

                                                      Across the years and distant shore
                                                      My grandma smiles upon me
                                                      The red roses she placed
                                                      Lives in my heart
                                                      Through eternity

                                                      What shall we leave behind when gone
                                                      For those who follow behind
                                                      Twined in barbed wire
                                                      Roses so divine

                                                      © Susie Swanson, 2015



These  are a few of my grandma's roses from last year.. Some call them Seven Sisters. She planted them all over the community. Every year when they bloom I think of her and her love of these beautiful roses and all flowers. She sure did leave a beautiful legacy behind for all to enjoy.. Blessings to all... ~Susie