Love Gifts (14 page)

Marriage is the union of two people in love,

And love is sheer magic, for it’s woven of

Gossamer dreams, enchantingly real,

That people in love are privileged to feel …

But the exquisite ecstasy that captures the heart

Of two people in love is just a small part

Of the beauty and wonder and miracle of

That growth and fulfillment and evolvement of love …

For only long years of living together

And caring and sharing in all kinds of weather

Both pleasure and pain, the glad and the sad,

Teardrops and laughter, the good and the bad

Can add new dimensions and lift love above

The rapturous ecstasies of falling in love …

For ecstasy passes, but it is replaced

By something much greater that cannot be defaced,

For what was in part has now become whole,

For on the wings of the flesh, love entered the soul.

It takes a groom, it takes a bride–

Two people standing side by side.

It takes a ring and vows that say

This is our happy wedding day …

But wedding vows are sanctified

And loving hearts are unified

When standing with the bride and groom,

Unseen by others in the room,

The spirit of the Lord is there

To bless this happy bridal pair …

For God is love, and married life

Is richer for both man and wife

When God becomes a partner, too,

In everything they plan and do …

And every home is specially blessed

When God is made a daily guest …

For married folks who pray together

Are happy folks who stay together,

For when God’s love becomes a part

Of body, mind, and soul and heart,

Their love becomes a wondrous blending

That’s both eternal and unending–

And God looks down and says, “Well done,”

For now you two are truly one.

Amid stresses and strain, much too many to mention,

And pressure-packed days filled

with turmoil and tension,

We seldom have time to be friendly or kind,

For we’re harassed and hurried and always behind …

And while we’ve more gadgets and buttons to press

Making leisure time greater and laboring less

And our standards of living they claim have improved

And repressed inhibitions have been freed and removed,

It seems all this progress and growth are for naught,

For daily we see a world more distraught …

So what does it matter if man reaches his goal

And gains the whole world but loses his soul?

For what have we won if in gaining this end

We’ve been much too busy to be kind to a friend?

And what is there left to make the heart sing

When life is a cold and mechanical thing?

And are we but puppets of controlled automation

Instead of joint heirs to God’s gift of creation?

My days are so crowded and my hours so few

And I can no longer work fast like I used to do.

But I know I must learn to be satisfied,

That God has not completely denied

The joy of working—at a much slower pace—

For as long as He gives me a little place

To work with Him in His vineyard of love,

Just to know that He’s helping me from above

Gives me strength to meet each day

As I travel along life’s changing way.

So many things in the line of duty

Drain us of effort and leave us no beauty,

And the dust of the soul grows thick and unswept,

The spirit is drenched in tears unwept.

But just as we fall beside the road,

Discouraged with life and bowed down with our load,

We lift our eyes, and what seemed a dead end

Is the street of dreams where we meet a friend.

God is no stranger in a faraway place

He’s as close as the wind that blows ‘cross my face.

It’s true I can’t see the wind as it blows,

But I feel it around me and my heart surely knows

That God’s mighty hand can be felt everywhere,

For there’s nothing on earth that is not in God’s care.

The sky and the stars, the waves and the sea,

The dew on the grass, the leaves on a tree

Are constant reminders of God and His nearness

Proclaiming His presence with crystal-like clearness.

So how could I think God was far, far away

When I feel Him beside me every hour of the day?

And I’ve plenty of reasons to know God’s my friend,

And this is one friendship that time cannot end.

What a wonderful time is life’s autumn,

when the leaves of the trees are all gold,

When God fills each day as He sends

it with memories, priceless and old.

What a treasure-house filled with rare jewels

are the blessings of year upon year,

When life has been lived as you’ve lived it

in a home where God’s presence is near …

May the deep meaning surrounding this day,

like the paintbrush of God up above,

Touch your life with wonderful blessings,

and fill your heart brimful with His love.

And now that you’ve come to the end of this book,

Pause and reflect and take a swift backward look

And you’ll find that to follow God’s

commandment each day

Is not only the righteous and straight, narrow way

But a joyous experience, for there’s many a thrill

In going God’s way and in doing His will …

For in traveling God’s way you are never alone,

For all of your problems God takes as His own,

And always He’s ready to counsel and guide you,

And in sadness or gladness He’s always beside you …

And to live for God’s glory and to walk in His truth

Brings peace to the angel and joy to the youth,

And at the end of life’s journey,

there’s His promised reward

Of life everlasting in the house of the Lord.

America’s beloved inspirational poet laureate,
Helen Steiner Rice
, has encouraged millions of people through her beautiful and uplifting verse. Born in Lorain, Ohio, in 1900, Helen was the daughter of a railroad man and an accomplished seamstress and began writing poetry at a young age.

In 1918, Helen began working for a public utilities company and eventually became one of the first female advertising managers and public speakers in the country.

In January 1929, she married a wealthy banker named Franklin Rice, who later sank into depression during the Great Depression and eventually committed suicide. Helen later said that her suffering made her sensitive to the pain of others. Her sadness helped her to write some of her most uplifting verses.

Her work for a Cincinnati, Ohio, greeting card company eventually led to her nationwide popularity as a poet when her Christmas card poem “The Priceless Gift of Christmas” was first read on
The Lawrence Welk Show
. Soon Helen had produced several books of her poetry that were a source of inspiration to millions of readers.

Helen died in 1981, leaving a foundation in her name to offer assistance to the needy and the elderly. Now more than thirty years after her death, Helen’s words still speak powerfully to the hearts of readers about love and comfort, faith and hope, peace and joy.