"Treasures of Green"

When she was small, she ate pureed comfrey and apricots as baby food. She rolled up comfrey leaves and ate them as a snack. "Belly Buttons" from mallow tasted like peas, and the scent of tansy reminded her of happy times playing in the chicken yard. And of course, the smell of sagebrush mixed with rain was like Heaven itself.

Little wonder then, that although she left behind her country roots after growing up (except for hiking with the dogs are much as possible), the plants began calling her back. Back to who she was. Back to wholeness.

Little feelings of curiosity and wonder became great passions of joy, as her eyes were opened to not only the power of physical healing the plants possessed, but the powerful spiritual healing created by just being in their  presence.

She felt that she had come home to her own house of belonging, and knew that she must share that passion with others. It was her calling and her destiny. She was created to be a member of the race of healers, who had been since the world's beginning.

~The Call of the Woods~

She could not recall a time when she did not love to be in the  woods: there was always a sense of peace and solace there.

Yet with each passing year, as the moon draws the ocean, the woods beckoned her more strongly to make her home in the sheltering shade.

"Come see," whispered the poplars in the wind. "Hurry, hurry," said the evergreens. Sometimes she felt as though her spirit would leak through her skin, so great was the longing to be where she knew she belonged.

But she would be patient, knowing all that was meant for her would come in it's own due time.

In the meantime, she could go there as often as time and transportation permitted, drinking in the healing peace of the air, fragrant with the scent of living things.

"Further Down, Higher Up, Deeper Within"

It was always there, in the corner of her consciousness. Sometimes it came in flashes of light, but mostly it came softly, when she was rocking a baby, washing the dishes, or weeding the garden.

"Further down, higher up, deeper within," whispered her heart. "Keep reaching, keep going within; it is there that you will find it. You WILL find that greatness within you, that you must have to accomplish all the Lord has planned for you. Go deeper, further, higher than you are." Sometimes she felt as if she were almost there, while other times she felt afraid and alone, and doubted that voice within that urged her on.

But her heart did not give up, though she might try to dissuade it. Her heart knew she was bound for greatness. She, who always felt small and insignificant, was, without knowing it, fulfilling the measure of her creation.With each trial, each new idea, each time she woke up and prayed for grace to be given her, she was going further down, higher up, and deeper within.

"She"

"She was a mother, a housewife, an old-fashioned girl." These things defined her. Home and family were everything to her, and she was most happy there, where she could be herself; without feeling she must excuse herself for being who she was.

There were, of course, times when she felt overwhelmed with the work; when her exhaustion became more intense with each baby; when it seemed that the Lord had given her something impossible to achieve.

But always in her heart was a desire to please her Heavenly Father, in all that she did, and that desire helped her endure all the trials and tribulations that life brought to her.

She was a free spirit , and she chose to believe; to believe that "love finds a way", and that "all things are possible to him that believeth."

“Fireflies”

 

Flickering flames of phosphorescence,

Little lanterns lighting the way.

For they know the way to Fairyland,

The fireflies that fly.

And they show the way to that merry land,

You can find it if you try.

They blink and they wink, and they go drifting by

On their way to Fairyland.

Follow, oh follow with feet that are spry

To that oh, so airy land,

To that sometimes “bewarey” land,

Fairyland is nigh!

~M. J. Graham

{Photo Credit: Getty Images}

Lessons From the Garden

This little poem was written a few years ago while working, of course, in the garden!

Tiny plants push their way through the earth,

Turning their faces to the light.

Dangers surround them from their birth;

The killing frosts and deadly blight.

Yet ever onward do they grow,

Reaching up with all their heart.

Whether food or flower they know

They must not shrink, but do their part.

Lord, help us all to do as they,

When facing turmoil, grief, or strife.

              

Let us confidently say,

"I will grow each day of life!"

~M. J. Graham

One True Friend

 

(This poem was written during a transitional time of my life, when I was learning more and more to depend on the Lord for strength, instead of trusting in the "arm of flesh.")

 

A stranger in a strange land,

Sometimes I feel that's what I am.

But then I hear a voice inside

That says, "I, too, have walked alone."

Though loved ones surround us

We cannot always open up to them,

For they have troubles of their own.

At times like this it's nice to know

That into our rooms we may go

To speak to One with whom we can

Our hopes, fears, dreams, 

Complaints, and sadness share.

One who wants to hear it all,

And never judges when we bare.

So, oft times, we must walk alone

And hold our feelings deep inside;

For they are not always welcome in this busy world.

But souls may speak to Souls, you know,

Who've walked the lonely path;

And those Souls fill the heart with love,

So that through tears we feel to laugh.

Until at last, when time has gone,

And life's struggles reach their end,

We'll find ourselves encircled by the arms

Of our one true Friend.

~M. J. Graham

23 July, 2000