Bittersweet Ballad

Ps.19:14Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer. Christmas season stirs reflection.As I reflect on another year where sorrow and joy clashed, again and again, the word 'bittersweet'seems to have taken a deeper, more sacred root in the soilof hope, trust... and gratitude! Before it is too late to say 'I love you' by our words and deedsLet's take a fresh look at todayAnd make the most of moment-seeds... Moment-seeds may appear as commonplaceas shoveling snow or loads of laundry, but as we take a closer look at the'who' and the 'why' of themthey steal our breath!! With changes that each year unfoldsWhere birth and death's charges competeLove and longing's uncharted holdsCompose a ballad, bittersweet Between a world of yesterdaysAnd morrows, life's moments untwistIn sunshine golds and storm cloud graysYears melt away like morning mist ...while making us more humble stewardsOf  Today's gardens-vineyards-fields To gather love's grains, grapes and gourdsWith gratitude for what soon yields ...to scenes of once-upon-todayThe heart, a gallery that gleamsWith buds that bloom and fall awayLike petal-fray on rushing streams ...pushed by relentless winds of changeWhere hold and letting go competeIn tangos of embrace-estrange To time's bold ballad, bittersweet Before it is too late to say 'I love you' by our words and deedsLet's take a fresh look at todayAnd make the most of moment-seeds ...so when the bud unfolds to bloomUpon the tomb of yesteryearsThe bitter-sweetness of its plumeWill stir a hymn of smiles and tears Janet Martin