The Old Rugged Cross

On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,

The emblem of suff’ring and shame;

And I love that old cross where the dearest and best

For a world of lost sinners was slain.

So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,

Till my trophies at last I lay down;

I will cling to the old rugged cross,

And exchange it someday for a crown.

Oh, that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,

Has a wondrous attraction for me;

For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above

To bear it to dark Calvary.

In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,

A wondrous beauty I see,

For ’twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,

To pardon and sanctify me.

To the old rugged cross I will ever be true;

Its shame and reproach gladly bear;

Then He’ll call me some day to my home far away,

Where His glory forever I’ll share.

Adapted: Warriors of God (http://www.facebook.com/pages/WARRIORS-of-GOD/332956166734737)

What is LOVE???

A Parent's LOVE

I gave you life,
but cannot live it for you.

I can teach you things,
but I cannot make you learn.

I can give you directions,
but I cannot be there to lead you.

I can allow you freedom,
but I cannot account for it.

I can take you to church,
but I cannot make you believe.

I can teach you right from wrong,
but I cannot always decide for you.

I can buy you beautiful clothes,
but I cannot make you beautiful inside.

I can offer you advice,
but I cannot accept it for you.

I can give you love,
but I cannot force it upon you.

I can teach you to share,
but I cannot make you unselfish.

I can teach you respect,
but I cannot force you to show honor.

I can advise you about friends,
but cannot choose them for you.

I can advise you about sex,
but I cannot keep you pure.

I can tell you the facts of life,
but I can't build your reputation.

I can tell you about drinking,
but I can't say "no" for you.

I can warn you about drugs,
but I can't prevent you from using them.

I can tell you about lofty goals,
but I can't achieve them for you.

I can teach you about kindness,
but I can't force you to be gracious.

I can warn you about sins,
but I cannot make you moral.

I can love you as a child,
but I cannot place you in God's family.

I can pray for you,
but I cannot make you walk with God.

I can teach you about Jesus,
but I cannot make Jesus your Lord.

I can tell you how to live,
but I cannot give you eternal life.

I can love you with unconditional love all of my
life . . . and I will!!!

~Author Unknown~

Maybe This Time

One of the first songs I composed...old school but I miss singing it. Just unearthed it from my "baul"...it's reminiscing time!


I really thought father time
Has healed my wounds
That time has dried the tears in my eyes
I put our painful past behind
In my every song
And for so long lived a life of lies.

When you said goodbye,
It broke my heart in two
My world then has never been the same
Sheltered my heart
With every girl I knew
Yet still it's you, I'm calling out your name.

Just now I knew
I've never forgotten you
Your eyes still makes me quiver
Like they always do
Please tell me now
You feel the same way, too
Maybe this time
Our hearts will beat again
Just maybe this time
Our love will never end.

A Day's Question

What does the day holds for me
That every step of the seconds hand takes...
What does Destiny whisper?
       What does Fate reveal?
                What discernment awaits?

WHEN is not a question of impatience...
WHY is not a question of pessimism...

For in every horizon
     Exist a path of uncertainty
            And discernment can only be known
                    Through one's HEART!

A heart of STRENGTH lives with Faith...
             of COURAGE prevails with Love...
             of PEACE sleeps with Hope.

For with the LORD's presence
     and an open Heart...
The day's question will just be:

Who Am I??

"Happiness"

Happiness, oh gentle soul,
Speak where can thee be found?
Is thou a kin of Wisdom,
Or need one be abound?

Do thou come only when sought
Or need pray'r summon thee?
Need thou be bought with gold
Or 'ol silver can be?

Do thou need to come with Love
With Knowledge or with Faith...
Are ye throned by Success
Be others' pain an' hate?

Need Morality speak
For thy soul to be free...
Need man's Justice dictate
How, when, an' where you'll be?

Does the chain with which you're bound
Lies with man's Contentment?
Does one find only Freedom
Lest one locks Fulfillment?

Alas, thy will be known d'vine
When at last Man submits...
To Fate being thankful
'Til then will thou exist!

"Sir Lancelot's Ode to Lady Guenevere..."

How I wished I was NUMB...
        But then I couldn't have felt thy reciprocation even for a whilst;

I wished, too, to be MUTE...
        But then again if I was, thou wouldn't have known of thine true feelings for thee;

Still, I wished I was BLIND...
        But then, too, I would've failed seeing thine love deep within thy mesmerizing eyes.

Aye, FATE was so cruel to have bested me faculties
But so sweet to make me realize

That if I didn't see...
            didn't feel...
            nor didn't speak...

I wouldn't have known that I am capable
            of knowing...
            of loving...
            of revering someone...

In just three mornings...

Yet suffer it FOREVER!

Notes On Gratitude

"When people got used to be comforted when they wallowed on their pains, they forget that the blanket that covers them gets worn out and get ripped into threads. But they never really noticed, 'til the thread snaps leaving the blanket into strain of threads...and then they have none."

I got those words from my BFF a couple of months back. That was when she was downtrodden after she felt that the people to whom she devoted a lot of time and energy with, and not to mention resources, seemed to have left her at the time she felt so weak, so helpless, and so alone.

She was their little big sister, their confidant, their defender, their crying shoulder. She stood by them when everyone else didn't and stayed with them til they grew their own wings and was able to fly. And so they did. And then there's none but her.

"At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us." ~ Albert Schweitzer
 
People get to be too complacent with their security blankets. They dwell too much on the thought that they have something, or someone, to turn to to alleviate their worries, failures, disappointments and pains, So much so that often times, they lose touch of their self-esteem and their capacity to see and do things alone...just by themselves. And once they got the best of themselves, once they learned the ropes of life, the blanket is left of no use...often left taken for granted or worse, discarded.

How many of us remember that teacher in our grade school who went out of her way and schedules just to make sure you understand your lessons? How about that old neighbor who never gets tired of listening to your stories, no matter how far-fetched they may be just so you'll be kept company because your parents aren't home yet? How about that classmate from whom you owe your homework, projects, and even answers on your exam? That P.A. or secretary or utility in your office, have you given them anything to appreciate their effort of being your "shock absorber" during stressful moments in your office?

Never forget to acknowledge even the littlest of efforts that people has done for you. It doesn't mean that we have to be indebted or be obliged to return that goodness. At least, the thought of us appreciating their efforts and at some point being there for them when they need a listening ear, a shoulder to cry on, or even minutes of undivided attention would be a big thing...and just maybe, much more than you think it will be.

"Freedom"

How does a prisoner feels
Seeing a sparrow fly
From his god-forsaken cell?


Freedom is not with space.


It is beyond ball and chains...
It is beyond the cold bars...
it is beyond the four-walled cells.


Freedom is within you.


Freedom comes with choice...
       it is a mindset...
       it is a decision.


Let not your woes limit you...
Let not your pain incarcerate you...
It is your your choice not to be.


It is your choice to be FREE.

       






     

"Silence"

Do I need to speak...
      of how I feel
      of what I yearn (?)


Do I need to shout
      of what disturbs me
      of my happiness
      of my pains (?)


Eloquence speaks not
      with words...
      with poetry...
      nor with music...


Sometimes,
     
SILENCE shouts...


      What can't be said...
      What can't be felt...
      What can't be known.