More Christmas poems

The Signs

A sign was given of His birth
Way on the other side of the earth:
For the Savior was born that day
That all mankind might find thieir way.

The sun went down that night
But the world was filled with light.
With glory the earth was adorned,
For the Son of God was born.

A day and a night filled with light;
A star appeared shining bright
On the other side of the earth
From our dear Savior's birth.

God sent His Son down from above
To show forth His great love.
The greatest of all light
Shone bright that special night.

23 Dec 2009 Suzanne Halliday

3 Nephi 1:13, 19-21


The Journey

The journey was long and hard
And Mary was probably jarred.
But the journey was meant to be
To fulfill anchient prophecy:
For Bethlehem was the place
That God would reveal His grace.

The wisemen too traveled far
To follow the prophesied star.
They were guided on every turn
As they made their arduous sojurn
To Bethlehem to see the Child,
The promised Savior, meek and mild.

Our journeys too are meant to be
That the Savior too we might see.
He will lead us on from morn to night
And help us to set our lives aright
That we might find that Heavenly place
And once again behold His face.

24 Dec 2009 Suzanne Halliday


Everyday

Everyday the Lord walks with me
And from worry and fear sets me free.
He gives me ears His voice to hear
And a heart to feel His love so dear.
His Spirit is there daily my soul to lift.
To me it is such an amazing gift.

He walks beside me through it all
And lifts me up if I should fall.
Sometimes He heals me from an ill,
But othertimes it is not His will:
Instead He strengthens my soul
And leaves it pure and whole.

He knows what is best for me
And He helps me His will to see.
When life takes a wrong turn
And everything begins to churn,
He reaches down from up above
And blesses me with His gift of love.

19 Dec 2009 Suzanne Halliday

The Promise

May your hope shine bright
And your soul fill with light
On this bright Christmas night.
May His star guide your way
And feel with joy your day.

May this day your soul know:
He came to earth long ago
His great love for us to show.
He promised to return again
And a millenium usher in.

May His promise fill your soul
Leaving you pure and whole
That you may renew your goal
To watch for that glorious day
When Christ will come to stay.

Christmas 2009 Suzanne Halliday


The Day of His Coming

What will the day be?
What will my eyes see
When Jesus comes again?
Will I be with Him then?

Will I be filled with love
And rise high above
All that might annoy,
His Word to enjoy?

When the world fills with light
Will I have pure sight?
Will I be free of whim
So I can truly see Him?

May I be filled with grace
That I might see His face.
May I kneel at His feet
And enjoy His love so sweet.

13 Dec 2009 Suzanne Halliday


Christ is the Reason

Christ is the reason
For the Christmas season.
No matter the storm
He will our hearts warm;
For if to Him we belong,
He will make us strong.

God sent His only Son
This earthly battle to run.
He gave to us a way
To return to Him one day.
From His great court above
He sent us all His love.

Jesus ran for us the race
That we might have grace
To walk in His low way
And return to Him one day.
This earthly battle He won,
With God we might be one.

Christmas 2009 Suzanne Halliday
Isaiah 9:6, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given."


Christmas On A Mission

Christmas on a mission is a special time
No matter the place or the clime.
Serving the Lord is the best way
To spend your time on Christmas day.
He will bless you where ever you are
Be it right at home or somewhere far.

God's eye is on his publishers of peace.
He will bless them each with increase.
He knows each need and sees each tear;
For them He will be ever so near.
He will grace them with the joy and love
That only come from Heaven above.

God knows each and every missionary.
To Him they are each extraordinary.
He hears their humble prayers everyday,
And sends help to guide them on their way,
But on Christmas Day He sends special grace
To help them each to envision His place.

He will take them each into His arm
As a shepherd keeps a lamb from harm
He will wipe the sweat off their brow
As before Him they reverently bow.
He will heal the ones with a broken heart,
With a promise that He will not depart.

15 Dec 2009 Suzanne Halliday


The Christmas Star

The Star of his birth was foretold
By God's holy prophets of old.
The wise men traveled afar
Following this Christmas star.
They came to worship a King
And wonderful treasures bring.

The star led them on their way
Giving off the brightest ray.
The Star was a gift of grace
To guide them to that place
Where the Christ Child stayed.
There their gifts they displayed.

The Star shone in another land
Giving off its light so grand.
For others too needed the sight
To testify of His birth that night.
The story of the Christmas star
Brings hope to all near and far.

Christmas 2009 Suzanne Halliday

Helaman 14:5, "And behold, there shall a new star arise, such an one as ye never have beheld; and this also shall be a sign unto you."
Matthew 2:1-2, 9 -11. "When they saw the star they rejoiced with exceeding great joy."


Christmas Tree

Oh beautiful Christmas tree,
What do you mean to me?
What is wonderful about you?
Is it your beautiful green hue?
Oh, what is the reason
You touch me each season?

It is more than your hue
Or the lights on you too.
It is more than a colored ball
Or your beauty in a snowfall.
It is more than your light
That shines through the night.

It is the meaning of the tree
That really touches me.
You are of great worth
For you stand for Jesus' birth;
You stand for Christ's life,
For victory over all strife.

Oh beautiful Christmas tree
Every year you touch me
And remind me of Christ's light
That shines thru the dark night.
You point upward to the sky,
Reminding me His coming is nigh.

Christmas 2009 Suzanne Halliday


Shepherds

Shepherds watched their flocks by night
When an angel appeared in a great light.
The sight made the shepherds sore afraid.
He told them their Savior in a manger laid.
A multitude of Heavenly host filled the sky,
Our Savior's birth on earth to glorify.

When the angels had departed from sight,
They sat and wondered about the light.
The shepherds decided to go on their way
And find the place where the Christ child lay.
They made with haste to find the place
That they might look upon the Child's face.

They found the babe lying in a manger;
To the earth the newborn was a stranger,
But to them He was their Savior and king.
They raised their voices His praises to sing.
The shepherds made known all they saw.
They that heard the story stood in awe.

16 Dec 2009 Suzanne Halliday

Luke 2:8-18

Difference

This morning as Missie (my Bassett Hound) and I took are usual shortcut thru the convenience store parking lot, the clerk stuck her head out the door and wished us a Happy Thanksgiving. She often comes out as we walk by and says hi to Missie. Her greeting warm my heart and made me think about the difference people make just with a smile or a warm greeting.

You Make a Difference

In all you say and all you do
You make a difference too.
You make it a brighter place
When you give another grace.
When you give away a smile,
You lift one's burden for awhile.

The effect may not show today;
It will grow in its time and way.
But in heaven angels will know
And they will aide it to grow.
God knows the good you do.
He has by far a better view.

Remember you are needed too,
And blest for all you say and do.
Every little deed fills some need
And grows big with God's speed.
So do not weary in doing good,
In blessing God's brotherhood.

16 Nov 2009 Suzanne Halliday

Stayed on Thee

Perfect Peace

May my mind be stayed on thee
That in perfect peace I may be.
May my mind be pure and true
That I might have a clear view.

Forgive me my mind full of flurry,
One troubled by much worry.
Help me to give all this away
That in thy rest I might stay.

Bless me to be free and clear
With a heart full of good cheer.
Bless me with a happy heart
That love to others I may impart.

20 Nov 2009 Suzanne Halliday

Isaiah 26:3, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee."

Gratitude

Thanksgiving

My gratitude doth abound
For the earth and all around,
For blessings big and small,
For God's love most of all.

I love the beauty of the sky,
And all the birds that fly by.
I love the beauty of each flower
And the cleanse of a shower.

I love the smiles of a child
And the beauty of the wild.
I love to walk amid the trees
And feel God's cool breeze.

I love the things I cannot see
But yet I feel them around me,
Like the love of God above
And the presence of His Dove.

My gratitude doth abound
For God's presence all around,
For each gift He doth bestow
And for His love that I know.

21 Nov 2009 Suzanne Halliday

Indexing

A Mighty Work

It is a mighty work we are called to do
But the Lord's angels will see us through.
He will give us each a protective shield
If to Him we will our whole heart yield.
This shield will protect us from harm
And will our many challenges disarm.

As missionaries we are on the Lord's errand
And are involved in this work so grand.
Since we have pledged to daily do His will,
We know each task He will help us fulfill.
Let us not be weary in doing this well,
And He will bless us that we will not fail.

Indexing is indeed a mighty endeavor
And no matter what combines to sever,
We know that His angels will be there
To guard us and extend His loving care.
Out of the small things great things will grow
And His glory we will personally know.

Doctrine and Covenants 64:29, 33

18 Nov 2009 Suzanne Halliday
The preceeding poem was inspired by a vision my hometeacher saw of the Mighty Work we do and a statement that was made by an engineer in Tuesday's indexing call: "It's a powerful work we are involved in."

Excitement over a new call

The following poem was written Saturday afternoon because I was feeling excitement from the Spirit over the new mission call I was being set apart for on Sunday.


God Is Smiling

God is smiling down on you
At all the good you say and do.
You may not know exactly why
He smiles on you from on high,
But nevertheless it is true:
He is pleased with the good you do.

Perhaps it was just your smile
That helped someone go another mile,
Or maye it was the call you made
That helped their faith not to fade.
Perhaps it was your listening ear
That helped another to draw near.

God is watching you every day,
All you do and all that you say.
You may see what you did not do
But He see the level of difficulty too.
He knows the plce where love starts
Deep in the recesses of your heart.

14 Nov 2009 Suzanne Halliday

The below poem was written yesterday morning because my blood sugar was a little high. I humbly prayed for the Spirit to sweep me from my feet to my toes and that I would feel the Spirit. I prayed for every cell to be cleansed by the Spirit. The Spirit did sweep me and my blood sugar dropped 20 points.

What The Lord Can Do

It is amazing what the Lord can do.
When He touches your very soul,
He can make every cell feel new
And leave you pure and whole.

He can touch your dry barren earth
Where nothing now seems to grow
And give it a wonderful new birth
That eternal waters of life may flow.

He can send His Spirit to touch you
From your feet to the top of your head.
And every cell within sweep anew.
By His Almighty hand you can be led.

Every bitter memory He can set free
So all that is good and true may rise:
For He hears your every heartfelt plea
And can lift you to the glory of the skies.

It is amazing what the Lord can do
To turn your life completely around.
He can give you a brand new view
And lift your eyes off the ground.

15 Nov 2009 Suzanne Halliday

A miracle

Had a miracle yesterday. It started with a silly mosquito bite on my right forearm on Saturday. Happened in Fry's parking lot. It started to swell but was not bad until Sunday morning. In church I started to notice the joints in my fingers hurting and my forearm was aching. My right shoulder was hurting bad. I had my husband vibrate my shoulder because it was so tight. Took a zyrtec and advil. Then I decided that I needed a priesthood blessing. My hometeacher was out of town so I called the church. Bishop came down with another brother and gave me a blessing. Within minutes the aching stopped and I was able to do my job on the call system. Good thing as it was busy.

The blessing itself was interesing and made me cry. Bishop said that Heavenly Father was aware that because we are a small ward and I am always available members take me for granted and work me more than they should but that He never takes me for granted. He promised that when I reach heaven I will be greatly rewarded.

After the blessing Bishop explained to his companion about my mission. I told him my time was going to be up the first part of December and I wanted to reapply but I needed his and the stake president's permission. He said it was fine by him.

A Poem With a Story

"Be Still" Psalm 46:10

Oh, that time of inward still
When all around you is thrill,
But within there is no noise at all,
So you can hear the Spirit's call.

Even when He does not speak,
You can feel the love you seek.
You may not hear His voice,
But His love is cause to rejoice.

It is a special time so very sweet
Where you can kneel at His feet,
If only in your soul of souls,
A place where He can make you whole.

Then He can whilsper in your ear
Of a deep love so very dear.
It is then deep can speak to deep,
And let His word within you seep.

"Be still, and know that I am God:"
With His word let your feet be shod.
Hear with joy and gladness His voice
That your broken bones may rejoice.

18 Sep 2009 Suzanne Halliday

Psalm 46:10, Psalm 42:4 and 51:8

This poem has a story. Last night while on the phones my house was very noisy, full of children and a dog. The phones themselves were very quiet. The Spirit entered my heart and my room. There was no real conversation but I was filled with undescribable feelings. For weeks now I have been pondering Psalm 42:7, "Deep calleth unto deep". I knew it belonged in the fourth stanza. When I got to the last stanza I had my scriptures open to Psalm 46:10. While I was writing, a breeze blew the pages to Psalm 51:8 and I knew I had to include that line about broken bones rejoicing.

On growing old

I have been looking around my house at all the things I cannot do very well anymore. I have to have help from my daughter in laws and my husband at times. I have to measure my energy because there is just not enough to go around a lot of days. But yet God helps me to serve him in many little ways everyday and I know I am of great worth to Him no matter how old I get. All of this pondering brought the following poem:

Growing Old in the Lord

So many things you cannot do
As the years go marching by,
But God will see you through
And will hear your every cry.

If you grow old in the Lord,
His fruit you will always bear.
He will give you your reward
And answer your fervent prayer.

Maybe you can't sweep the floor
But you can serve in other ways.
God will open for you a door
To serve Him all your days.

When autumn leaves fall on you
Or winter touches your brow,
God has something for you to do
And He will show you how.

He has promised to carry you
And all your burdens bear.
He will your strength renew
And lift you from despair.

15 Sep 2009 Suzanne Halliday

Isaiah 46:4, "And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you; I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you." Psalms 92:14, "They shall bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing."

Being A Shepherd Today

Sometimes before poems are born, I truly suffer birth pains and do not even realize at the time what they are for until the poem comes out. This one was no exception. I had a real rough week last week. I am a mission leader and I was struggling with one of my missionaries. My team lead talked to us Friday about how to reach the ones who are doing well and are not a problem, how to assure them that they are doing well. All of this brought me to the birth of the following poem:

A Shepherd

Were you His shepherd today?
Did you show the sheep the way?
Did you search diligently for the lost
And look for all the tempest tossed?

Did you look for one who went astray?
For her or him did you kneel to pray?
Did your heart pour out for them all
That they might not stumble or fall?

Did you encourage each lamb today
And praise him when he did okay?
Did you plant love's little seed
And pull out each selfish weed?

If you do your very best each day
In keeping His sheep from going astray,
Then He will say to you, "Well, done
My good and faithful daughter or son."

3 August 2009 Suzanne Halliday

Matthew 25:21 "His Lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of the Lord."

I have been humming the hymn: "I'll Go Where You Want Me To Go", off and on since yesterday and tonight the words began to flow. Then as I was writing the poem the hymn "Have I Done Any Good?" began coming to me. "Have I done any good in the world today? Have I helped anyone in need? Have I cheered up the sad and made someone feel glad? If not, I have failed indeed. Has anyone's burden been lighter today Because I was willing to share? Have the sick and the weary been helped on their way? When they needed my help was I there? Then wake up and do something more Than dream of your mansion above. Doing good is a pleasure, a joy beyond measure, A blessing of duty and love."

His Touch

Friday I was under a lot of stress. I had planned on cleaning house after my morning meeting but the meeting lasted all morning. Reports were due; I had missionaries to contact and things to iron out. My internet was acting up in the morning and that prevented me from seeing everything I should have been in the meeting. My excell report got damaged and had to repair itself and then became totally unusable. By the time my evening shift was over my soul was in turmoil. I was standing at the kitchen sink when I felt a physical touch on my shoulder and I knew all was well. The following poem describes my feelings:

His Touch

I was down in a hole
When He touched my soul
And made it whole.
By the world I was battered
And left torn and tattered
But His hand touched me
And from turmoil I was free:
For His peace filled me
And drew me ever nigh
Releasing my sigh.

The world is a busy place,
But for those who seek His face,
He daily offers grace.
The world touches us all
And somedays we fall,
But He hears our humble cry
And feels our very sigh.
And draws us ever nigh.
Upon us in our darkest hour
His love will shower.

1 August 2009 Suzanne Halliday

Matthew 9:22, "...Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole."

Opening the heavens

On the day the August 2009 Ensign arrived last week I was drawn to the cover story: Opening the Heavens. I read it immediately and it prompted me to write "A Promised Land" and now this little poem. The math major in me sees formulas in spiritual things as well as physical things and in this article I saw a powerful formula for opening heaven. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Our Own "Sacred Grove"

May we each be one
With the Father and the Son.
May we commit to His way
At the beginning of each day.
May we draw close to Him
And give away worry and whim.

May we each find an alcove,
Our own special "sacred grove",
Where His voice we can hear,
Where His presence can draw near.
May He walk daily by our side
And may with Him we one day reside.

25 July 2009 Suzanne Halliday

"Opening the Heavens" by Elder Yoshihiko Kikuchi, August 2009 ENSIGN "Do you want to feel the love of God more powerfully in your life." "There is a way you can feel a daily renewal of God's everlasting love and drink from 'the fountain of living waters' (1 Nephi 11:25). I speak of a morning devotional time spent in prayer, meditation, and scripture study. If you have a devotional every morning, even if only for a few minutes, you will be deeply blessed. I know this to be true. "The key to gaining the spiritual strength we need lies in what President Thomas S Monson once described as entering a 'sacred grove' of our own. He was teaching bishops, but the counsel applies to all members of the church: 'Every bishop (every member) needs a sacred grove to which he can retire to meditate and to pray for guidance... "We don't enter into these devotional times expecting to see the Father and the Son any more than Joseph Smith did. But we can trust that Heavenly Father will answer our prayers; how He answers them, however is up to Him. "There is great power in setting aside quiet, prayerful, meditative time. In the stillness that accompanies our pondering, we can come to know the Father and His son (see Psalm 44:10; D & C 101:16) I know from personal experience the spiritual power that can flow into your life if you follow this practice. You will feel the love of God and a cleansing, purifying regeneration of your spirit (see 1 Nephi 11-25; D & C 50:28-29). You will experience moments of revelation, when the Spirit whispers to your spirit what you need to do to be a better father, a better mother, a better son or daughter, a better disciple of Jesus Christ. See Elder Melvin J Ballard's account of his dream. "I don't know if you will have that same kind of experience in this life. But I do know that if you continue to meet daily with Heavenly Father in the private chambers of your home, you will come know Him and our Savior in ways you couldn't otherwise. May you do so and have the heavens open to you in whatever glorious ways your Heavenly Father has prepared for you."

God will see us through.

As my walking partner and I walked by a neighbor's home, we marveled that she was still able to sit on the ground and pull weeds, while we can no longer even sit on the floor and if we should somehow get down there, it takes helping hands to get us up again. I thought too about this neighbor's problems. She can sit on the ground and pull weeds but she has her own set of troubles. All of this thinking prompted me to write the following poem:


Growing Old

Things I could do before
Like sit on the floor,
I can do no more.
Bending down too
Is very hard to do,
But God sees me through.

Maybe you can't bend
Or a mountain ascend
Without loosing wind.
What is hard for me to do
Might be easy for you,
But God will see us through.

Growing old is not easy;
Sometimes even queasy,
Or at times quite breezy.
But there is more to do,
And no time to be blue.
God needs us to be true.

16 July 2009 Suzanne Halliday

Hymn 52, "Still let us be doing, our lessons reviewing, Which God has revealed for our walk in his way; And then wondrous story, the Lord in his glory Will come in his pow'r in the beautiful day."

Hope

Thread of Hope

There is a thread of hope
That can run through your life.
It will bring power to cope
And to risie above the strife.

Don't let the thread break;
Hang on through thick and thin.
Ride out your heart ache
And one day you too will win.

Let not your thread bend down
And touch upon the ground:
For God has promised a crown
To all whose hope doth abound.

Sing songs of faith and hope;
For they will strengthen your thread.
As you braid the thread into a rope,
Blessings will break upon your head.

17 July 2009 Suzanne Halliday

In my mind's eye I beheld a thread of hope broken in two and bending down to touch the ground. It had been severed by despair. I knew I must get up and write about the thread of hope.

Freedom of America

I believe that this country is a promised land and that many were gathered from other countries to come to this land where they could be free from oppression. But we must take lessons from our forefathers and work hard to keep America free.

Keep America Free

To keep our country free
Takes work from you and me.
We cannot ever sit idly by
And just moan and cry.

We must be up and doing,
The ways of truth pursuing.
We must love one another
And treat each other as a brother.

We must turn our hearts to God,
And learn how His path to trod.
We must each come to see
What a gift it is to be free.

We must come to always cherish,
And never let this freedom perish.
Let us learn from forefather's past
How to make this freedom last.

4 July 2009 Suzanne Halliday

You will be taken care of.

Yesterday I was feeling quite down. As I stood in the kitchen, I remembered a quote from an article I had read: "If we live as we should live, then we will be taken care of." The words, you will be taken care of touched my soul. I knew this was true. I will be taken care of. No matter what happens around me, God will take care of me.

Instantly my spirits lifted and I felt lighter. About 5 minutes later my son Stephen called to say that a recent physical had shone that he may have something wrong with his liver. I was able to be cheerful and to feel that all would be okay. He is to have an ultra sound on his liver this week. I was able to bear testimony to him that God would take care of him too.

Measure of the Day

Last Sunday was Flag Day. I woke early and had ideas for a poem running in my head. I didn't intend on finishing it until after church but my grand daughter was running slow so instead of pushing on her to hurry, I took the time to finish the poem: Flag and I printed it before church. During church ideas came to me for another poem about the Savior. I wrote lines down on my program and typed it up after church. After church Bruce came over and I made spaghetti. Then it was time to get on line and answer the phones. We were busy. All this time I was not feeling well. In the evening I realized that because of how I was feeling physically, I was judging my day to be a bad day when in reality it was not. One of the patrons I helped, told me that I did good work and another was so excited with the answer I gave her. As I looked back I could see that I should not measure my day by how I feel physically but rather rejoice in how the Lord works through me and what I am able to accomplish despite how I feel.


Measure of A Day

What is the measure of a day?
Is it imbedded in how you feel?
Or is it in all you do and say
After the Lord you humbly appeal?

When you look back on a day,
Look for answers to your prayer,
Look at how he guided your way
To help others know His care.

Let your heart find cause to rejoice
Over all He helped you to do and say,
Over all that came because of your choice,
To ask him humbly to guide your way.

How you physically feel in a day
Is you see not really a true measure,
But rather it is your choice to follow His way
That leads you to a wonderful treasure.

So when the sun goes down on your day
Look around to see His hand guiding you,
Leading you to help others along your way,
And helping you to make it through.

Look deeper than the surface of each day.
Feel within your soul His loving care.
See Him leading you along the way.
See the answers to your humble prayer.

20 June 2009 Suzanne Halliday

Little miracles

Today I have had many little miracles. It all started with a poem I wrote early this morning, "Wonder", which helped to focus on beautiful things.

We are getting ready to take a trip on Monday and I had several loose ends. One was a mishandled case that I wanted to resolve by getting an arbitration batch with a similar problem where both key A and key B were the same but yet the wrong answer. I have been looking and praying for days. Tonight it simply fell into my lap and I was able to take screen shots and send it to my assistant so she can show them to the team.

The second was a problem one of my missionaries was having with his skype phone. He has been on vacation for 2 weeks and this week was his first week on phones for indexing. Nothing went well this week. He kept dropping calls. I helped him set his skype options but it did not help. Tonight he was still dropping calls. Finally he thought to have me call his skype phone. The message I got was that his phone was disconnected. He called Skype and discovered that it had happened when he renewed his contract with him. He got it straightened out, was back on the phones and took two calls. I am so thankful. Now I do not have to worry about him and the phones next week.

I helped with both calls but the last one was amazing. God helped me to remember something that I had learned earlier in the week and brought to mind an Australian Project I saw two weeks ago. I was amazed. Jesus said that he would send the Holy Ghost and the Holy Ghost would bring all things to our remembrance. John 14:26

I also was able to remember countless things that I needed to take with us. But the last miracle was one of prevention of a bite. Bella found a tarantula on my bookcase. Daniel was able to get it outside. The bookcase is right over my bed. If it had bitten me, I would have swollen up and had to go to the emergency room. Blessed be the Lord my God. In the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

Wonder

To stop and wonder
At the world around,
To ponder the thunder
Is to let miracles abound.

The world is a busy place
From morning to night.
We must stop the race
And ponder God's might.

Wonder at a mountain tall
With its towering peaks
Or listen to a cricket small
And wonder what he speaks.

The world is full of wonder.
Do we stop and look around?
Do we listen to the thunder
Or is our nose to the ground?

God's work is everywhere.
It can be seen and heard
If we but look here and there
And let our hearts be stirred.

5 June 2009 Suzanne Halliday

Amazing Grace

Today did not start out very well. I am stiff and hurting and my blood sugar is up. Sydney was whimpering at 6 AM and I found him all wet so I had to strip everything, give him a bath and do a couple of loads of laundry. I began to pray that despite how I was feeling God would bless me that the Light of Christ might shine through my eyes and that I might feel His love and His presence with me. As I have mentioned before, I am always humming and God sends me messages through song.

I cannot remember the music that was coming to me when I first woke up but after I had finished everything and was out the door to give Missie her walk, an amazing thing happened. As I prayed once more, the strains of amazing grace came to me and I found myself humming and then singing outloud the verse that begins, "The Lord has promised good to me."

"The Lord has promised good to me; His word my hope secures; He will my shield and portion be as long as life endures."

As I sang the words over and over again, an amazing thing happened. I began to feel His light shining through me and I felt His presence beside me. I still felt stiff and in pain, but with His presence I was able to rise above it. The words are true. He has promised good to me, His word does my hope secure and He will my shield and portion be as long as life endures.

Romans 8:28, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."

Poems

Follow The Master

Sometimes our visibility is poor,
But the Master stands at the door.
If we but follow the Master's lead,
We will find those in need.

If we follow the Master,
He will calm each disaster,
But if we follow the world,
With each wind we'll be hurled.

If you put your feet upon His path,
He will save you from all wrath.
Serve others as He serves you.
Follow the Master in all you do.

The Master will take you in His arm
And keep your soul from harm.
Day by day, hour by hour,
The Master will bless you with power.

17 May 2009 Suzanne Halliday
John 8:12, "Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."


He Will See You Through

If you but stop to ask,
God will help with the task.
He will see you through
All that you need to do.

He will help you to teach
And to each soul reach.
He will help you to lead
And to plant many a seed.

He will help you to find
Love and peace of mind.
Consecrate to Him all you do
And He will see you through.

14 May 2009 Suzanne Halliday
2 Nephi 32:9


His Arms Around Me

Today while just sitting in a weekly indexing call, I felt Jesus arms around me. It was like a hug.

Jesus put his arms around me
And gave me a gentle hug.
From worry He set me free
And made me feel warm and snug.

Often for a purpose I cannot see
Father blesses me wih His grace
That a better servant I might be,
And opens my eyes to see His Place.

I cannot imagine dealing with life
Without Father's many gifts of love.
In moments of the greatest strife
He often sends help from above.

10 May 2009 Suzanne Halliday

Doctrine and Covenants 6:20, "Be faithful and diligent in keeping the commandments of God, and I will encircle thee in the arms of my love."

Extractors

I am an assistant Extraction Director in my stake and have workers in my ward. Up until last October I had still had two very faithful extractors along with several indexers. They both just could not work any longer. Last Thursday Don G Excel died and Doris Gardener is in a coma and not expected to live. Because of this I wrote the following poem and gave it to Don's family.

Extractors

Those, who while on this earth
Work diligently for the other side,
Are doing something of great worth.
With them the Spirit doth abide.

God is pleased for every hour
They spend extracting each name.
He grants to them great power
That they might fulfil their aim.

When they pass to the other side,
They are welcomed with great joy
By those whose names they spied.
To them the work was a life buoy.

Name by name day after day
The extractors index each record:
Birth to death and along the way,
Hoping each by someone is adored.

Through their fingers the work flows
Until someones life pattern is drawn.
In their hearts the extractors know
heir importance to someone gone on.

25 May 2009 Suzanne Halliday

Some Days

Doctrine and Covenants 24:8-9 "Be patient in afflictions, for thou shalt have many; but endure them, for lo, I am with thee, even unto the end of thy days." "And in temporal labors thou shalt not have strength, for this is not thy calling..."

Often that last verse applies to me. In temporal labors I often lack strength but when I am serving the Lord He buoys me up and I am able to accomplish amazing things. Last night one of my new missionaries was wondering how I manage to do it all. She said, "It seems like there are not enough hours in the day."

I replied, "Sometimes I find that God gives me strength only to serve Him and I feel the Spirit and get energized when I am serving him by being on call or helping my missionaries but I have to struggle to wash a dish." That statement is what inspired me to write the following poem:

Some Days

Some days it is hard to wash a dish
Or make a broom go swish.
But God is always there for me
Giving me strength to like Him be.

I may not have strength to sweep
But spiritually I can take a leap.
He gives me all the strength I need
To one of his children lead.

I can help someone on the phone
When all other strength has flown.
He helps me His servant to be
And from fear He sets me free.

My great desire is to with Him abide
And for that I will willingly set aside
Many an earthly task I cannot do.
For I know He will see me through.

8 May 2009 Suzanne Halliday

Sitting at Jesus' feet

I had a bad night and woke up in pain. I asked Heavenly Father to let me go and sit at Jesus feet for a little while. In my mind's eye I went and sat at his feet. I could feel His love for me and for a short while the pain lifted. Several of my friends have been going through troubling times and I have been praying that Jesus would hold them. One friend in particular has a grand daughter in a lot of pain. I want her to be held by the Savior. I woke up and wrote the following poem.

At Your Feet

Let me come sit at your feet
And hear your Word so sweet.
Put your loving arm round me;
Of this world may I be free.

Shadow me in my pain;
Let it all be to my gain.
In the storm give me peace
And from concern a release.

May I choose the better part
And feel your love in my heart.
May I always be filled with joy
And songs of praise employ.

May I always be your little child,
Loving, sweet and mild.
When I reach heaven's door,
May I sit with you once more.

In your loving arm may I rest.
Help me daily in my quest.
Lead me on each day;
Lovingly show me the Way.

7 May 2008 Suzanne Halliday

Luke 10:39, "And she had a sister Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard His word." Isaiah 33:2, "O Lord, be gracious unto us; we have waited for thee: be thou their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble."

Commitment

I have been thinking about the principle of commitment for sometime. Early this morning Diane Pederson posted something called "The Ladder of Achievement" in a group chat of mine. It really hit home and inspired me right away to first find a scripture on commitment, Psalms 37:5 and then to write a poem about it.

Ladder of Achievement

100% I did
90% I will
80% I can
70% I think I can
60% I might
50% I think I might
40% What is it?
30% I wish I could
20% I don't know how
10% I can't
0% I won't

Commitment

Blessings seem to accrue

When God we commit to

In everything we say and do.

It begins in one small way

And grows bigger everyday.

The more we commit our way

To follow Him everyday

As we humbly kneel to pray,

The more we will hear His Word

And know what we have heard.

As we make the choice

To commit to follow His voice

We will have cause to rejoice.

He will set our hearts on fire

And bring to pass our great desire.

As we set a steady pace,

He will add grace to grace

And lead us toward His place.

He will fill our hearts with peace

As our many fears we release.

4 May 2009 Suzanne Halliday

Psalms 37:5, "Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and he shall bring it to pass."

His Smile

Despite taking medication before I went to sleep, I woke up at 3 my time in pain from arthritis. My prayer brought the Savior's presence. He filled me with such love and joy that I had to write the following.

His Life Buoy

Jesus held my hand today.
His light showed me the way.
He bouyed up my heart,
Promised He would not depart.
His smile filled me with joy
As He threw me His life buoy.

Those who do not believe
Cannot this miracle conceive.
But Jesus' love is very real
And He alone doth truly heal.
He comes as answer to prayer
And helps me all pain to bear.

Even in the darkest night
He brings me peace and light.
He bids me to keep going on
Even when my strength is gone.
He touches my very soul
And leaves it pure and whole.

He will sustain me thru the day
And chase each cloud away.
His love will my constant be
And His grace will set me free.
He will surely lead me on
To a much brighter dawn.

1 May 2009 Suzanne Halliday

Hebrews 13:5, "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."

Miracles never cease.

Today we had a miracle. One of the missionaries on my team has tried unsuccessfully for two weeks to send a reply to a patron in Austalia. The email address in the contact file was obsolete and the phone number did not work. I even contacted someone in APAC and they tried looking the patron up in an Australian phone book. Our team lead said we had done enough and to give it up. But then we had a miracle. A missionary I had contacted in Australia went the extra mile for us and located the right phone number with a little detective work. She also provided us with the information that the patron had requested. I got all the information to Elder Pedersen. He called the patron and she was so pleased.

I know this would not have happened had I not gone the extra mile myself last fall and taken on the assignment of teaching a missionary in New Zealand the indexing program. This lead to me being put in both the New Zealand Chat and the APAC Chat. I have helped them and they have helped me many times.

Gift of a happy spirit

This morning I was very tired and easily frustrated. I fell asleep for about a half an hour and dreamed about the hymn: How Firm a Foundation but I woke up humming: How Gentle God's Commands and feeling completely different. Now I had a happy spirit. I was able to completely trust God. "Come cast your burdens on the Lord And trust his constant care." It was definitely a gift that I did not have this morning. With it came a greater sense of humor.

After looking at the hymn How Firm a Foundation, the verse that sticks out at me is verse two: "In every condition in sickness, in health, In poverty's vale or abounding in wealth, At home or abroad, on the land or the sea--As thy days may demand, as thy days may demand, As thy days may demand so thy succor shall be."

Mother would have loved it.

My mother loved birds and could identify them just by sound. She was incredible. Today I think she must have been around.

This morning I was given a url for a site where you could observe a peregrine falcon nesting in downtown Salt Lake City. http://wildlife.utah.gov/peregrine/ I went there and saw her get off her eggs at one point and was able to see her eggs.

As I went to close the blinds this evening, I remembered we have our own nesting mother under the window eave. The closing of the blinds scares her off her nest. I peaked through the blinds and their was the nest with 5 eggs. My husband's comment as I told him was: you are getting to be just like your mother. What a nice compliment.

Still later as I went out to walk Missie, I noticed two morning doves sitting on our front gate. One on one side and one on the other facing each other. Mother would have loved it.

Sydney

Yesterday about 8:45 PM Kellie called to tell me that Sydney was spiking a fever and she was going to take him to the ER. I asked if Sydney wanted Grandma there. She asked and he did; so 20 minutes later Missie (my bassett hound) and I were on our way to the ER. I thought about all the times we have been with Sydney in the ER. Some were for accidents that needed stitches and quite a few for these high fevers in the middle of the night. I also thought about the committment Kellie and I have made to get to the bottom of these fevers. I knew the only way is to keep taking him in. We had God with us last night.

Kellie debated about which ER to go to: Prescott or Prescott Valley. She decided on PV which is a little closer to me. We both got there at the same time. It was way over crowed and we had to wait which made the decision look iffy. But we got the best doctor and the best x-ray technician. To my ear Sydney's cough did not sound that bad but when the doctor listened to Sydney's lungs he heard something and ordered an x-ray. Kellie and I thought they would take the x-ray with Sydney lying down but no the technician said that Sydney was a big boy. He had Sydney stand on a step stool in front of the x-ray machine and stand real still. Don't move, he said. Sydney moved once and one had to be redone but other than that he did it perfectly. Then he took Sydney on his lap and let Sydney look at his own pictures. I was so proud of Sydney.

All this time Sydney had said that Grandma needed to stay. He even mentioned that his mama could go but not Grandma. The doctor came in and said it could be his immagination but he saw a spot on Sydney's lung and Sydney has pneumonia. Now Sydney was ready to leave and said Grandma could go. He trusted all of us that we would get him well so he could to do his job: play and enjoy life.

I thought about our commitment to figure out what was causing these fevers and I think we have it pneumonia. Now we will be on the lookout. My friend Evelyn said that one of her daughters had walking pneumonia every year followed by anemia from the time she was four until she was a teen ager. God was with us.

Music gets me up.

I must preface all of this by saying that I have a gift of humming that my mother had and her mother before that. Songs come to me and I find myself humming them. It drove my mother crazy at times because she would get a piece of the song and not be able to finish it. I have found that the songs are inspired for my life. I hum it until I figure out what the tune is and often I find the message in the song. Years ago when I was feeling sorry for myself the song would be: "O Susanna". If my thinking was way off track, it was "Oh, my darling Clementine, you are lost and gone forever." Immediately I would repent of my thinking and get back on track.

Yesterday evening I called my friend Jeunesse and told her the story behind the two poems I had written: Spring and The Spirit's Whisper. She and one of her sons were in the dream that prompted the poem about miracles: The Spirit's Whisper. I told her I would meet her this morning at the church when she took her son, Skye, to early morning seminary.

Last night I had trouble sleeping because of the pain. I was awake at 3 AM and then again at 5 AM. When I roused a little bit later, I thought about sleeping in completely forgetting about Jeunesse. Instantly a song came to mind, "O My Darling Clementine". Since I try so to keep my thinking on track that one has not been around for years. I instantly repented and started to get out of bed. The song changed to a hymn: "How gentle God's commands; how kind his precepts are; Come cast your burdens on the Lord and trust his constant care." The time was about a quarter after six. It was then that I remembered the reason I needed to get up: Jeunesse. If I had not gotten up then I would have missed it.

Dream about miracles

This morning I was dreaming about miracles when I woke up at 4:45 AM. I remember telling a friend that a miracle can begin with a habit. As I thought about it after I woke up, a poem began to form. Now I know why yesterday's poem filled me with the Spirit. It was a message that the storm is over and Spring has begun with its miracles. I realized that the miracles have already begun.

The Spirit's Whisper

The Spirit stirred my heart today,
Whispering: a miracle is on its way.
I may not see it for a day or a year
But my heart will be of good cheer.

I will exercise faith in His Word
And believe what I have heard.
I may not know exactly when
But to His word I add amen.

I claim the promised miracle now
And before His throne I humbly bow.
I give Him my heart and soul
And He will make me whole.

The world will keep going around
But in me the miracle will abound.
Through my faith it will grow
Until one day the truth all will know.

They will see what I see now
And before His throne bow.
Miracles, you see, often begin
With the Spirit's whisper within.

23 Apr 2009 Suzanne Halliday

Spring

I was taking a nap and dreaming about spring. Words began to come so I woke up and repeated the first two lines to myself until my computer was up and running.

Spring

Spring has closed winter's door;
The flowers are here once more.
Gone is the cold bitter night;
Here to stay is the sun so bright.
As the days grow longer,
All nature grows stronger.

Most of winter's damage done
Will be healed by Spring's Sun.
Spring will everything review
And in her glory grow anew
Leaves destroyed by a late frost;
All is not forever lost.

22 April 2009 Suzanne Halliday

The Savior is smiling.

My son Steve has been waiting for weeks to know the results of his recent teaching evaluation. Sunday night he told me that the evaluator was going to meet with him on Monday. I remembered about 9:30 last night and since he had not called me. I called and left a message. He called me back about 10:30.

The news was good. She told him that she was going to recommend that he be rehired for next year. He was concerned about the comments she made about areas he could improve on. I prayed for him and then I felt the Savior smiling down on Steve and knew all would be well. This morning I awoke with gratitude in my heart. This enabled me to write the poem: "The Sun Is Shining."

A Miracle

I had a miracle. I have been in pain in my right hip and lower back since the wind started the 2nd of March. Sometimes I am real stiff and I limp. My doctor moved last June and I have not been to see him since. I did not want to stay with the office where he was because of my thyroid medication. The doctor that replaced him likes to change things around and I do not want to try someone knew. Yesterday I decided I was going to have to try to make an appointment. The receptionist said I would be considered a new patient and she would send a note to Dr Aranda to see if he would take me. I was concerned and felt trapped into a place I did not want to be in. I prayed that Dr Aranda would want to take me. This morning he called and was very concerned about me and my problem. He asked if it could wait over the weekend. I said yes. I get to see him on Tuesday. I hope he orders tests to see exactly what is going on.

For a couple of days I have been feeling discombomulated. Sometimes I felt I had lost my mind somewhere. Other times I felt I was being to brisk with some people. I just did not know exactly who I was or if I was giving the right answers and doing the right things. Then one daughter in law called me out of the blue and told me how much she appreciated me. She said she felt impressed that I needed to hear that. Last night it was cold so I made a pot of hearty chicken soup with cheese. I heard this small whispering to take some to a neighbor. It was very cold out and I tried to talk myself out of it because I thought she had probably already eaten but I put some soup in a container and went out anyway. To my surprise she had not had her dinner or decided what to cook. I was thankful that I had listened and I knew God had used me as his instrument. It helped me to see that I am becoming who I truly want to be: an instrument in his hands to do much good. The following poem is an attempt to capture my feelings.

Who Am I?

Who am I today?
It is hard to day.
Is my life on track
Or am I walking back?
Today I might feel strange
But everyday I change.

Everyday I do my best
To pass life's test.
Sometimes I feel behind
Or that I've lost my mind
Until God steps in
And I feel the Spirit within.

When I make the choice
To follow the still small voice,
God opens my eyes to see
Who I am meant to be:
A servant of God above
To show others His love.

15 April 2009 Suzanne Halliday

1 John 3:2, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is."

An arm and a leg

I am making these Nona Easter breads. I only had 15 eggs. 3 eggs went into the batter and 12 were colored. I accidentally cracked a green one while dying it and fried it for Missie. Borrowed one from a neighbor but did not notice that I had to beat an egg to glaze them. So I was one egg short. My husband said he would go to the liquor barn to see if he could get a dozen. I said he might have to pay an arm and a leg up there.

He said he thought we could afford it.
He came back a few minutes ago and said that it only cost him an arm. He had his left arm tucked into his coat and in his right arm was my carton of eggs.

Search the Scriptures

Seek His Word

God's promises reach out to all.
His Son will lift us from the fall
If we will but turn to Him
And turn over sin and whim,
If we will but seek His Word
And believe what we have heard,
If we will cling to the Iron Rod,
And try to follow the path He trod.
He will lift us up each day,
And put us back on His way.

As we study and pray every day,
Christ will light for us His way.
As His Word we diligently seek,
He will give us the power to speak
With the tongue of angels as of old
And like them be ever bold.
He will make our weak things strong
And He will carry us along.
He will be there in darkest night
And bring to us His loving light.

7 Apr 2009 Suzanne Halliday

2 Nephi 32:2-3 and Doctrine and Covenants 90:24I believe in formulas (The Math Teacher in me). Search the scriptures + pray always + be believing = Promises of God: 1. All things shall work together for your good. 2. The words of Christ shall tell you all things ye should do.

Away in A Manager

I wrote the following on a piece of paper on the 29th of March. This is the first time I have gotten to type it up.

I had trouble getting to sleep saturday night and then I woke about 4 or 5 AM. I listened within myself to hear the music. (I am always humming.) At first there was nothing important. Then I began to hum "Away In A Manger". I knew Jesus was watching over me. Later I went over the words. The ones that struck out were: "I love thee Lord Jesus; Look down from the sky and stay by my cradle til morning is nigh."

Many Christmases ago my son Steve was given a Christmas cactus. It bloomed that Christmas and on many succeeding Christmases as well as other special times like Valentine's Day. The year Stephen got engaged it bloomed when his fiance came to visit at Thanksgiving.
This year it did not bloom on Christmas or on Valentine's Day. As I looked at the plant I thought, "Maybe it will bloom at a special time for Stephen when something good is about to happen."

Firday Stephen called to ask me to pray for him. He had his evaluation that day and was concerned that the school might not renew his contract. I prayed for him and reminded him of Philippians 4:6-7 and how I believe in that scripture. I told him he cannot live without the peace of the Spirit. I challenged him to turn this over to God, to get down on his knees and stay there until he felt God's peace fill him. I called and put his name on the prayer roll. I contacted my missionary friends on Skype and they all said they would fast and prayer for him on Sunday.

Saturday I looked at Stephen's cactus and lo and behold it was blooming. I called Stephen and told him what I had asked for and that it had been answered. His cactus was blooming at a special time for him.

His Grace

Today while driving to a friend's I was contemplating the peace and joy I have despite the pain and stiffness that have been my companion since the wind came in the second of March. I was thinking about the blessings God has given me through this trial including all of the songs and hymns that are constantly coming to my mind. I began to hum a hymn: "Abide With Me; Tis Evening Tide". The chorus touched me: "O Savior stay this night with me; Behold tis eventide."
Paul's words in Corinthians also came to mind: 2 Corinthians 12:8-9, "For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."
I, like Paul, know that this trial is not going to be taken away from me but Christ's grace is sufficient for me and as I continue to praise Him, His power will rest upon me.

His Grace

I may be in alot of pain
And have trials like rain,
But Jesus is my King;
His praises I will sing.

The trials may rage,
And battles may engage,
But in Chirst will I rest.
In Him I am blessed.

Because of His great love
That shines from above,
I will reflect this light
To all caught in the night.

Because of His grace to me
His servant I will daily be.
As I feel my Savior's power,
I will serve hour by hour.

25 Mar 2008 Suzanne Halliday

The Butterfly

Today I was contemplating 2 Corinthians 13:11, "Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you." I thought about the word perfect and how it means to be complete. Then a butterfly came to mind. I thought about how a butterfly begins as a caterpillar and goes thru a pupa stage which can last from a couple of days to over a year. I read about the word: chrysalis. It is the scientists word for the pupa stage and it comes form the Greek word chrysos, which means gold.

Just as the caterpillar goes through stages to become a butterfly so we go through stages. The caterpillar was not created just to be a caterpillar. It was created to change and become a beautiful butterfly. So were we created to become something of great worth if we rely on our Heavenly Father. 1 John 3:2, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that when he shll appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is."

The Butterfly

The caterpillar begins lowly
And grows very slowly.
But he is not designed to stay
In that humble lowly way.

God meant for him to change
And even his body rearrange,
To go from stage to stage
And a new form to engage.

He weaves a shell so bold,
A pupa the color of gold.
It may seem like the end
But glory is around the bend.

In a few days to a year
His destiny becomes clear.
A butterfly he was meant to be
Just like you and me.

We too must go thru a change
And our beings rearrange.
So we truly may become
Like the Father and the Son.

24 Mar 2009 Suzanne Halliday

An unexpected miracle

I have been having bouts of pain in my hip joints since the second of March when the wind came in. Sometimes it is tolerable and other times it seems extreme. On Friday the 13th it began to get worse. Finally it was so bad I began to talk to myself and wonder if I should get a blessing because I did not think I would be able to talk through the pain Saturday night when I had to speak in stake conference. No sooner had I thought that the pain miraculously disappeared. God is amazing to me. He answers my prayers that are in my heart. I was so thankful.

The Right Moment

Last Monday I got a Blair catalogue in the mail. On the back was a sale on T-shirts with a blue one that had a bassett hound wearing rabbit ears and holding a basket of Easter eggs. Gene said I needed it. I showed it to my friend Evelyn. She said I needed it too. I put off ordering it even though I did want it. But on Friday I felt impressed to look at my email early in the day. There was a post from Blair saying that if you ordered this weekend you could get 25% off. It was the right moment to order. I knew it. It was a blessing from God. I phoned my order in and got the blue T-shirt and the lavender one with butterflies. The lady said I could get $5 off if I ordered one more thing so I ordered the denim dress, I had been wanting. I was so thankful. God truly blessed me.

Saturday night I talked in stake conference on my mission. I had decided that if I had time I would read an email on an inspirational indexing story and use it to emphasis that not only does age not matter in serving the Lord but handicaps do not matter either. God can use any of us as long as we are willing. I read the story and afterwards my stake director who had received the email too said, "I was hoping you would read that story."

Friday I had written a poem entitled "The Path", especially for a friend. I posted it on Skype and several missionaries said it was just what they needed. I took it with me to stake conference and gave a copy to my friend before the meeting started. To my surprise their were several talks that went right along with the poem. Sunday I talked to Pam who had received the poem by email. I told her about the talks going right along with the poem. She said she had noticed that too.

The Path

Pain and sorrow may come and go,
But still every day you may know
You are loved by God here below.
You may feel His Spirit by your side,
And know He may be your guide;
So one day with God you may reside.

It is not easy to walk Jesus' path
And gain all that the Father hath,
But once your heart is on the path,
The Spirit will guide you there
As you kneel in humble prayer
And you will feel the Father's care.

The path does not go downhill.
You must discover God's will
And strive ever His will to fulfill.
As you seek to see His face,
He will fill your soul with grace,
And help you to win your race.

13 Mar 2009 Suzanne Halliday

Power of Prayer

I wrote the following poem because I was seeing a very harsh side of myself but as I prayed about it, God truly blessed me and gave me word to describe what happened. I thought that no one else would get any good out of the poem but I was wrong. I shared it with a friend and it made her feel better. She wondered how I knew.

Power of Prayer

At times when I see a fault,
My soul does a somesault,
But even then I feel God there
Through the power of humble prayer.

He shows me in some little way,
That He is there for me everyday.
It might be in a beautiful sunrise,
That I see His glory in the skies.

Sometimes when I sit and index,
He takes away from me a vex.
And as I discern a hard word,
I truly know my prayer was heard.

Sometimes when the day is strange,
He steps in my soul to rearrange.
Sometimes he sends a treasure
That I might see my true measure.

28 Feb 2009 Suzanne Halliday

God's Surprise

Last night shortly after 5 O'clock I put my shoes on, pushed away from the computer desk and told Missie we were going walking. I was in the kitchen when I heard a ringing come from the computer. One of my missionaries needed help. I did not even have Siebel up. I finally got on and clicked on Monitor so I could join the conversation. The patron needed a transfer to HQ. I talked the missionary through it but it did not work for her. Finally I told her to give me the patron's phone number and the case number.

I called the patron and attempted an announced transfer and got a technician but I lost the "complete transfer" button. I retrieved the patron from hold and tried it again. This time I clicked on "Conference". We got a technician in Japan. (By this time I knew a walk was out of the question and Missie had curled up at my feet. I had a feeling though that God might have a blessing in store for me.)

The HQ missionary did a landesk and talked to the patron as he did it. He remarked how wonderful our technology was that he could help her all the way around the world. He discovered that it was her firewall that was blocking some batches from downloading. By this time it was 6:20 PM and I knew the sun had gone down. I got Missie anyway and out we went to the neighbor's to see if she wanted to walk to the end of our long block and back. On the way to her house I noticed the clouds to the West. They were all gray with a beautiful pattern and I assumed that we had missed a beautiful sunset. As Evelyn and I started out, we saw a little pink to the Northwest. To our surprise it began to spread and got brighter. Soon it had traveled to the Southwest where I had seen the beautiful cloud pattern. All the clouds there turned bright pink and looked like tongues of color spreading upward. It was the most beautiful sunset I have seen in a long time. Evelyn and I said it would have made a beautiful painting.

But that was not the end of God's surprise for me. As Missie and I neared the house, I smelled the most beautiful fragrance and nothing around is in bloom. God blessed me with a beautiful surprise to delight my senses.

Bruce's poem

Bruce wrote a poem about Victory today. It is a truth that I never considered. Everytime we follow God and do what the Spirit whispers or follow counsel, it is a victory and if we claim it as a victory, then more victories will follow.

Victory

Our forefathers fought and died for our freedom
That we hold sacred to this very day.
At the close of every triumphant battle they fought,
Sounded the cry, "Victory, Victory, Victory!!!
Those cries were heralded throughout every battlefield
And used to rally morale to obtain Victory after Victory.
Victory is not just found on a physical battlefield
But on spiritual ones as well.
Everyday we engage in battles to work toward
And obtain our salvation.
These battles at times are taken for granted
And we do not give praise to the victory.
Anytime we win a battle over Satan
No matter how frequent the battle is waged,
"Victory!" should be our rallying cry within our soul.
Every time we go to church. Victory!.
Every time we say a prayer. Victory!
Every time we read our scriptures. Victory!
Every time we visit teach or home teach. Victory!
Every time we do missionary work. Victory!
Every time we give or receive a blessing. Victory!
Every time we act in the name of God.
Victory! Victory! Victory!
When we win a battle no matter how small,
"Victory!" must be our cry in our hearts.
With this cry will come more victories.
Victories without number.
Victory! Victory! Victory!

By Bruce Halliday Feb 23rd, 2009

Decision

Today I finally made a decision to hold regular office hours for my team on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 to 1 PM Mountain time. I felt a load fall off my shoulders. On those days I will index until someone skypes me with a question or something they need. Then I can call them.

God's hand

Today I prayed to see God's hand in me. When I needed to patient be, God stepped in to help me. I was given a kind friendly voice as I helped someone make a wise choice.

My Faith

Founded Upon a Rock

Some days my mind is blown away,
But my faith in Christ is here to stay.
I may fall and skin my knee
But He is always there to heal me.

Sometimes I make mistakes
And some days I am a flake,
But on those days He holds me tight
And leads me back into the light.

Sometimes the wind seems to much
Until I feel His gentle touch.
He always lets me know
That I am not alone here below.

He will always be here for me
And one day His face I will see.
In His time and in His place
I will behold His wondrous grace.

14 Feb 2008 Suzanne Halliday

Matthew 7:24-25, "Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came and the winds blew and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock."

Valentine's Day

Yesterday I first received a Valentine card from Ed and Bonnie and family. Then in the afternoon Missie and I walked up to the mailbox to mail Mike and Steve's valentines. In Mike's card I thanked him for all of the many bouquets of flowers he has sent me. As Missie and I walked and I looked at the mountain many feelings of hope and promise flowed to me. Some involved my friend LaRene who recently moved back to Spring Valley with her husband Don.

When we got back there was a knock on the door and a delivery man was bringing a bouquet of flowers with a Valentine baloon from Mike. The tears of joy are still flowing. It was like a gift of hope. Over 16 years ago Mike was diagnosed with HIV and over 10 years ago he was diagnosed with full blown aides. It is a miracle he is still alive. He has almost died many times and everytime he has been near death's door, the day after his name has been put on the Temple prayer roll he has come off the critical list and recovered. I have had many prayers answered but never like I have seen with the Temple prayer roll and Mike. It helps me to know that God has something special in mind for Mike and in my mother's heart I know he will one day be a believer again.

Mission Family

Two nights ago I realized how much my fulfilling my mission means to others in my mission family which extends across the ocean to New Zealand and Australia. My brother does not understand why it is so important to me to serve my shifts. But I have many brothers and many sisters who depend on me to perform my duty.

Slow and Steady

Today I have been thinking about the race between the tortise and the hare and how the tortise won because he was steady despite the slowness of his pace. He kept at it. It is true with us and especially in our service to the Lord. It does not matter what our disabilities are or how much brain matter we have lost, if we truly want to serve Him, He will help us overcome the obstacles and He will help us to win our personal race for eternal life.


The Race

Who is it that will win the race?
The one who is very swift
Or one with a steady pace
Who humbly prays for a gift?

Is the race won by the strongest
Or the weak things of the earth?
Is it won by the brightest
Or the meek of great worth?

It is not how fast we are
Or how high our I Q.
What matters by far
Is the good we do.

God blesses the humble
Who move slow but steady,
Who do not mumble,
Those who are ever ready.

30 Jan 2009 Suzanne Halliday

Ecclesiastes 9:11, "I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong..."
Doctrine and Covenants 64:33, "Wherefore, be not weary in well doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great."

Everyday Miracles

Everyday

There is a miracle everyday
In some big or little way.
Every day full of sun or rain,
Full of health or pain,
And things that might annoy
God is there to show you joy.

No matter all the thunder
There is always God's wonder.
We have to look around us
To see through all the fuss,
And find the miracle of the day,
The glory of God's way.

It takes a good eye to see
The miracle of you and me,
The true treasure we are,
Each one a beautiful star.
There is a miracle everyday
In some big or little way.

24 Jan 2009 Suzanne Halliday

The Lost is Found

Some time last year I went looking for our safety deposit box keys. I could not find the little green file box that they were in. The file box itself has some 3 X 5 cards that are important to me but the main thing was the keys. The box was not where I had last seen, on the back of the headboard in our room and Gene had no idea what box I was talking about. He looked for me but did not find it. I prayed eanestly over this because I did not want to pay for having the box rekeyed.

Today my prayers were answered. Gene found the box when he was looking for a spot to put a small air filter. I am so thankful.

The Lost Is Found

For a key we searched everywhere,
And I offered a humble prayer.
But that we find the key
Was not then meant to be.

I kept a prayer in my heart
And never let hope depart
That the lost would be found
And my joy would abound.

Time continued to flee
And still there was no key.
But one day we were given grace
To find the key's hiding place.

The lost is now found
And my joy doth abound.

22 Jan 2009 Suzanne Halliday

On Growing Old

On Growing Old

I am too old to climb a tree;
For I might fall you see.
But God loves me so much,
He sends angels to keep in touch.

It matters not that I fall down
And look like a clown.
To Jesus I am not wild;
I am His precious child.

Sometimes I forget a name
And maybe even tomorrow's aim,
But He always remembers me,
And from fear sets me free.

When I cannot tie my shoe,
He is there to see me through.
When I lose my way,
He reminds me to stop and pray.

20 Jan 2008 Suzanne Halliday

One Message At A Time

I have been studying Jan VT message, page 61 of Jan ENSIGN. The very last paragraph by Elder Richard G Scott gives the very reason that my inspiration and power have grown so. He said, "You cannot today remotely imagine what that decision to be unwaveringly obedient to the Lord will allow you to accomplish in life. Your quiet, uncompromising determination to live a righteous life will couple you to inspiration and power beyond your capacity now to understand."

I can look back and see this with clarity:

1. Two weeks after I joined the church (1961) I felt a need to promise faithfully that I would never turn down any speaking assignment of anykind in this church because of my speech impediment. As a result my speech today is almost fluent. 99%

2. When Princess Anne was being married years ago, a friend of mine lost a poem God gave her for Princess Anne because she was tired and neglected to write it down. I felt the prompting to promise that I would never neglect my gift, that I would write whatever God saw fit to send me. I have always kept that promise and as a result I have books and books of poems and many lives have been blessed.

3. Some years ago I was prompted to make a commitment to always make the Visiting Teaching Message personal by writing a poem around the message. I made a commitment to always internalize that message and any other message I was to teach before I taught it. As a result my life has grown one message at a time.

Feeling alone

Yesterday afternoon we went to see what to me was a rather depressing movie and then I read a kid's book: "Griffin's Castle" by Jenny Nimo. The book is about an 11 year old girl who had a lot of pain in her young life. I am not sure exactly why but I began to feel alone. I could not feel the usual closeness I feel to my Heavenly Father. The constant prayer in my heart was not working so I got down on my knees and gave a heart felt prayer. Not too long afterwards I felt a "finger" touch my heart and I knew it was my Lord and Master. It was as if he literally reached in and put his finger on my heart and left his imprint there.

This morning I felt that I could not do anything until I wrote a poem describing what I felt the best that I could.


A Spark of Love

I could not feel the Lord near,
And heaven seemed far away.
But one thing was very clear:
I needed to kneel and pray.

As I lifted my heart in prayer,
The door opened wide,
And suddenly He was there
Walking close by my side.

He touched the lonely place
Deep within my soul
Filling the hole with grace
And making me whole.

His touch left a mark
That only love can do.
It created a spark
That I can share with you.

15 Jan 2009 Suzanne Halliday


James 4:8, "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you..."

My Motto: By small and simple things I do great things can come to pass.

Alma 37:6 has become my motto. "Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise."

Friday night I was reduced to tears by a new job I have of training two new Family History Support missionaries. After much prayer about what to do, a goal, a plan and this motto came to mind. This morning I wrote a new poem: "By Small Things". I chose a plain background but on the side I put a fir tree. It was small but I made it grow until the column went off the paper.

BY SMALL THINGS

Small things grow bigger everyday.
Our small efforts pave the way
For greater things than we can see.
It is small things that set us free.

A fir tree begins as a small seed
And begins growing with little speed.
But given water, and sunlight
It grows to such a great height.

As a ship is guided by a small helm
So from small means grows a realm.
Be not weary in small things you do
For God is there to see you through.

Set a goal and see it in your mind.
Set a small plan so wisdom you can find;
Then lean on God with all your soul
And He will help you reach your goal.

11 Jan 2009 Suzanne Halliday

The writing of the Poem: The Book of First Nephi

Last night when no sleep would come, I began to think about the Book of First Nephi. The stories of Lehi and Nephi came alive in my mind and I saw them as clear as a motion picture. I began to realize that God has given me a gift of turning what I read into my own movie. As I pondered all this words began to come. So here I was after midnight, writing a poem about First Nephi.

Watching an Amaryllis grow

My neighbor Evelyn Kabbage gave me an early Christmas present around the 8th of December. We planted it and right away it began to grow. It seemed slow at first but just today from 7:30 AM to 10 PM it has grown 3 1/2 centimeters or 1 1/4 inches. It is really fun to watch it grow. Its total height as of 10 PM is 25 1/2 centimeters or 10 1/4 inches. Evelyn said that it will bloom soon. She said if we had planted it on Thanksgiving it would have bloomed by Christmas. The flower will be bright red.

This afternoon I watched a movie on TBN called "Facing the Giants". It was about a football team whose coach worked to teach them that playing football was more than a game. It was about doing better than your best for God in whatever you did and win or loose you praise the Lord. He trained them hard until they gave him their very best. He drilled in into them and got them to loose their fear. He taught them to watch their defeatist thoughts and not think that they cannot do it but rather that with God everything is possible. The coach and his wife faced situations that made them ask "If God does not give you a _____, will you still love the Lord." Once they resolved that they would love the Lord no matter what, their lives changed for the better.

It is not that I have not come to face these same ideas before but the movie made me think about them again.

New Year

Changing years from 2008 to 2009 bothers me this year for some reason. I have hopes for this New Year but I am entering it hesitantly. My New Years resolution was to begin this year by starting a blog. I have always used microsoft word to create my journal and Printshop to write my poetrty and then printed the pages as I finished them. The idea was to put them into a notebook at the end of the year. I will probably continue to type my poems into Printshop and print them for my friends but I will post them here instead of printing a copy for myself.