A brand-new year, a hopeful start, Let’s embrace it with a joyful heart. Leave behind the weight of doubt and fear, For brighter days are drawing near.
With a positive mind and spirits high, We’ll spread our wings and touch the sky. Each challenge we face, a chance to grow, Through trials, our strength will always show.
Let gratitude guide each step we take, And kindness bloom in the choices we make. Together we rise, as dreams come alive, Hand in hand, let us thrive in ’25.
For every sunrise brings a chance anew, To build, to create, to follow through. With courage and love as our steadfast guide, There’s no mountain too steep, no ocean too wide.
So onward we march, with hearts so true, In ‘25, there’s nothing we can’t do. Let’s lift each other, and together we’ll strive, To make this the year we truly thrive!
To live for the moment, to cherish the now, To savor each heartbeat, to make this my vow. The past is a story, its chapters complete, Its lessons are learned, its echoes retreat.
The future looms vast, with worries untold, A tapestry woven in threads of pure gold. But why should I fret for a time yet to be, When the present is waiting, as boundless as sea?
I’ll laugh with the sunrise, I’ll dance in the rain, Find joy in the simple, find peace in the plain. For life is a gift, too fleeting to waste, Each moment a treasure, too precious to haste.
So here’s my resolve, as the old year departs, To live for the moment—with all of my heart.
In battles fierce with vices, take your stand,
A warrior within, against the shadows grand.
Let peace with neighbors be your constant song,
Harmony that echoes, enduring and strong.
As the new year dawns, a chance to renew,
A better version of yourself, tried and true.
Forge ahead with wisdom, leave the past behind,
A journey of growth, in every step you find.
January 1, 2024
Mark waldrop
Created from a quote from Benjamin Franklin, in his December, 1755 edition of Poor Richard's Almanac.
Happy New Year
To all those who Can Hear
Only Look For The Very Best
Discarding the Rest With Cheer
With GOD Ahead of Me
And JESUS By My Side
There’s Nothing I Can’t Do or Decide
In Good Times, I Will Rejoice
In Hard Times, I Will Pray
In All Other Times, I Will Remember
To Do The Very Best, I Can Today
When Time Comes to an End For Me
I Will Gladly Say
Thank You, GOD, for walking with me all the way.
January 1, 2022
Mark Waldrop
In the glow of the twinkling holiday light, There are hearts cloaked in shadow, longing for night. For the laughter once shared, the love once near, Now echoes in memories, cherished yet clear.
Some face the first of the holidays alone, With aching hearts for the love that has flown. Others, the last, with each moment they hold, Precious as diamonds, more valuable than gold.
So as you revel in the season’s cheer, Pause for the silent, the grieving, the near. For joy’s bright mantle may not always show The weight of the burdens others may know.
Be kind in your words, be tender, be true, Give a smile, lend a hand, share what’s good in you. For a small spark of love, a moment of grace, Can light up the darkest, most sorrowful place.
This season of giving is more than a time, It’s a chance to heal wounds, to soothe and to climb. Together, through joy, through sorrow, we’ll find, The strength in compassion—the heart of mankind.
After the feast, the table’s clear, Yet leftovers linger, bringing cheer. I thought I’d never eat again, But hunger returned, as it always does then.
The turkey, the pie, the cranberry spread, Flavors dance anew, though the meal’s long fled. Somehow, they seem to taste better this time, As if patience has seasoned them, oh so sublime.
Imagination turns scraps into treasure, A casserole here, a soup beyond measure. Thank You, Lord, for abundance and grace, For meals reborn, no morsel a waste.
So here’s to leftovers, a second delight, A testament to blessings, day and night.
Amid the lights and holiday cheer, Let us pause and make it clear, The gifts, the songs, the joyful feast, Point to the birth of the Prince of Peace.
Not silver, nor gold, nor worldly treasure, But love eternal, beyond all measure. A Savior born, a gift so pure, For every heart, His love is sure.
The star that shone so long ago, Guided the world to the love we know. In a humble manger, a King was laid, A promise kept, salvation made.
So as we gather this Christmas time, Let His name in our hearts shine. For all we celebrate, all we believe in, Is because Jesus is the reason for the season.
A kind and gentle man was he, Full of love and honesty. But the mystery of Christ’s descent, To him, seemed strange and poorly spent.
“The incarnation makes no sense,” He said, with logic as defense. God becoming man to save, Felt like a tale the faithful gave.
On Christmas Eve, his family went, To church, in worship reverent. He stayed behind with hearth aglow, Unmoved by truths he didn’t know.
But then a sound, a frantic thud, Shook his peace and stirred his blood. At the window, again it came, A muffled beat, a desperate aim.
He ventured out into the cold, And there, a scene began to unfold. A flock of birds, lost in the storm, Shivered, seeking shelter warm.
His heart, so tender, swelled with care, To save the birds from bitter air. The barn! A haven, safe and dry, He opened the door, the light held high.
But fear had gripped the fragile flock, His human presence felt a shock. He scattered crumbs, he waved them near, But still, they fled in helpless fear.
“If only I could be like them,” He thought, beneath the moon’s dim hem. “To speak their tongue, to share their way, And guide them to the light of day.”
Then from the distance, church bells rang, A holy song the heavens sang. And in that moment, truth took hold, A story ancient, yet retold.
God became man, He stooped so low, To guide the lost through blinding snow. The man, now kneeling, bowed his head, The bells’ sweet song, his spirit fed.
For now he saw what once was dim, Why Christ had come to dwell with him. Like the man and the frightened birds, God showed His love through deeds, not words.
So on that night, beneath the star, The man found God was never far. And in his heart, a fire burned bright, A newfound faith, a guiding light.
A tale unfolds, a melody sweet,
"Come," they beckon, a journey to greet.
Gifts adorned with love, laid at His feet,
In homage to the King, a joy complete.
Yet a humble drummer, giftless it seems,
No treasure to rival the wise men's dreams.
With a beat, a rhythm, his offering beams,
A heart's cadence echoes in silent streams.
Pa rum pum pum pum, the ox and lamb sway,
To the rhythm of love on that sacred day.
A drum played with devotion, a child at play,
He smiled, for in simple gifts, kings find their way.
December 17, 2023
Created by
MarkWaldrop
