The Waterfall

By: Korinthia Guenther 2/28/2014 (age 5)

Waterfalls make noise.
They have a stream with it.
And there are trees by it.
And the trees have leaves.

The Rope Swing

By: Lillie Guenther 2/28/2014 (age 7)

There is a rope swing over the water.
There were leaves in the water.
I thought I was going to fall in.
There were waterfalls on the left side.
I had fun.
I had lots of fun playing.
My foot touched the water.
Then I was going to explore around.

Swords

By: Donald Guenther 1/26/2014

Painful memories of sharp swords
Piercing slander and cutting ridicule.
Let the healing ointment of an
Understanding heart bind your wounds
And restore your soul.
Acquire a shield, the truth to hold
In worldly battles
There’s protection for your soul.

These Truths

By: Donald Guenther 1/26/2014

Life, Liberty and The Pursuit of Happiness are no longer friends.
Life is using Liberty maliciously in the Pursuit of Selfish Happiness.
Liberty is allowing perverted Pursuits to walk over lives.
Pursuit of Happiness is driving Lives in reckless Liberties.
Life, Liberty and The Pursuit of Happiness need to stop quarreling.
Life must realize without Liberty there can be no Pursuit of Happiness.
Liberty needs motivation from The Pursuit of Happiness to bring about better Life.
Pursuing Happiness by sharing Life is the friendly use of Liberty.

The Search

By: Donald Guenther 1/27/2014

The search to find something on my mind.
The prayers that bedesires from God for me.
The struggle, the anguishdetermination not extinguished.
The skies are clearedtruth in me is mirrored.
The something from God for my being God has developed in me a “state of being”.

A Successful Journey

By: Donald Guenther 1/27/2014

A child sails a ship alone
An adult sails with others
And truth is at the helm.

Growing Old

By: Donald Guenther 3/23/2014

A chest once brave and bold
drops down for your food to hold
A small mind
has enlarged with each find
Bronze and might
fail to serve you in fight
Wisdom, understanding and knowledge
Learned in life’s college
are now your tools for success
and everlasting happiness.

Father

By: Corena Landess 1924 (reflection on her father’s death)

Some 20 years ago today
They took our papa away
Never more his smile to see
Yet he’s ever dear to me
Gone to that far distant shore
Where we’ll see him never more
How we need to sit and watch him
As he sat beside the fire
He would sleep and dream of childhood
Then he’d wake with a smile

The Book My Mother Read

By: Rena Wiley Stahl 1920

I have it yet the dear old book
That lay upon the stand
In which she often used to look
And always at her hand;
The corners rounded are with age
The leaves are worn and thin,
And dim the lines on many a page
She so delighted in. A half hour rest in household toil
For needed strength she caught
And in the light of fragrant oil
She found the place she sought,
And heavy labor turned to love
And duty led away
To visions of the land above,
A sabbath hour each day. The Book remains more sacred still
Because of her dear eyes,
That saw there God’s Wondrous will
And seen not otherwise;
For thus she found a way to him
Who down to evening late,
And through the valley, line(lone?) & dim,
Brought her to his dear gate. 

Simpleness

By: Madeline Snigaroff July/Aug 2011

I love it when it’s raining
and you’re driving
and you pass under a bridge
and the rain stops
for just a moment.

I love it when you walk outside
on a wet morning
and you can smell damp clay
and freshly mown grass
under the gray morning light.

I love it when it’s nighttime
and you’re under a cool blanket of stars
and you feel like
you should be able to see your breath
or taste the air.

I love it when you’re at the beach
and you let the water
stream to your toe
sand your ankles sink into the sand
and the water streams back out again.

I love it when you look at someone-just glance at them barely-and you both know
that you’re about to burst out
in laughter.

I love it when it’s snowing outside-just gently, though- and you
sit outside in the snow
and let the snowflakes fall on you
in their quiet, peaceful way.

I love it when a spacious room
becomes absolutely quiet
except for the sound of a
clock ticking away the time
of silence in the room.

I love it when you bite into
a perfect apple
and you can hear that
satisfying crunch that just
makes it taste so much better.

I love it when a gust of gentle wind
streams through the strees
so that they rattle
and it sounds like water
is passing through.

I love it when you read the last words of a book
and you read them over
and then the first words
and then the title
because you just can’t believe it’s over.

I love it when you do that:
when you smile like that at me.
Do it again;
smile like that
again
at me.