“The ordaining of laws in favor of one part of the nation, to the prejudice and oppression of another, is certainly the most erroneous and mistaken policy. An equal dispensation of protection, rights, privileges, and advantages, is what every part is entitled to, and ought to enjoy.” – Benjamin Franklin (1774)
Life's paths can lead us to darkness Wrong choices can bring us harshness But our God's love is good It is how we live and it's understood
That saying yes to God is often forgotten Preferring to live an easy life misbegotten Only we find that the easy is often the bad And it's in no way better than what could be had
The doors of life open and curiously close As we wonder aloud at the paths we have chose Looking forward to walk in step and keep in stride We need to be open to what it is that God provides
This is the truth the pages of the Bible have told We need this genuine truth to think on and behold God is found as the Sun and yet is our sacred shield Pressing forward and into what we find that life will yield
Nothing good will God withhold As long as it is what His will unfolds For the good of His holy kingdom And what will lead to the good needed to come
Like a prodigal son wondering what's left I know that I need to step up to be in step So much I've done that has been wrong Yet, still, I know that I somehow belong
Homecoming is needed to be truly felt To be forgiven for the life that I've been dealt Jesus has come to calm every storm Stillness has come to be my new norm
I've seen the miracles with my own eyes It has been enough to quietly recognize That the Lord does not leave me alone No matter how much I need to atone
There is nothing I've done that I need to hide I know that Jesus is always by my side Everything that happens must be gone through If we are to know the goodness of me and you
It turns out that everyone has their place to be Mines is wherever you are with me...
(c) January 2, 2025 Michael Doyle All Rights Reserved
It's true. God's good love endures forever While I'd love to claim differently, I'm not so clever But I do know this is a promise on which we can rely After chasing false love, I was led to this love I cannot deny
There is more to this than the temporary And I've found that God's eternal love is not contrary I've learned the love given by God is not transactional It's the real of the real thing; no matter how analytical
I process the claims as I approach what I know of life There is only one way to God's peace and overcome strife I look on the heavens composed by God's craftsmanship And I feel my way to the art of living as I worship
Not that which is visible, and that I can readily see But the creator who reveals himself in all of His artistry Does it also get your awareness in your full attention? If so, maybe that's just the truth of God's good intention
Let this, then be my openly stated contention That as we observe all there is for our ready retention Loving and living life at God's open and ready invitation Everywhere around we look and behold His open revelation
Seeing this, in our faith, puts aside any resentment AS our lives lead us to our fullness and contentment Enough is the enough felt in all truth and sincerity And this brings us about to living life in generosity
I have lived long in this faithful sense of clarity Knowing that life is to be lived with content sincerity Walking as I do in every moment of life's circumstance I have become joined in the best of life's mystery dance
(c) January 1, 2025 Michael Doyle All Rights Reserved
As my daughters and I take our moment to reconnect The newsman sings his warnings about a polar vortex We don't care because we are warm and safe inside In our cozy corners, where each of us quietly confides
Our secrets to each other and to our friends Seeking our amusement and trust in a world of pretends Sharing The Sound of Music as is our tradition We offer each other laughter and love without condition
It seems everyone has their place to be Mine is wherever and whenever they're with me I indeed love them more than any other part of life Our joys and good times bring feelings that are rife
Tomorrow is the first day of the next year We bought sushi and sparkling juice for cheer And we wait, watching shows and talking about goals Filled with aspirations of what we do and don't know
My other love lives on the world's other side It's just something to contend with and, sadly, abide I cannot wait until the days will be so much better The days when finally we live our lives together
It seems everyone has their place to be Mine is wherever and whenever she is with me I indeed love her more than just about any other part of life She and my daughters bring good times and feelings that are rife
This old year is quickly beginning to slip away Tomorrow, we'll watch the Rose Parade on New Year's Day Each of us will take part in giving our contribution Telling maybe one or two of our New Year's resolutions
At midnight, we'll toast the fireworks flying high Dancing across this city's unlit portions of the sky We will think about the good and bad of so many things Until someone plays guitar while another sings
It seems everyone has their place to be Mine is wherever and whenever my memories are with me I indeed have loved the passing years of this life With so much to given and be given with love tender and rife
(c) December 31, 2024 Michael Doyle All Rights Reserved
“One ought every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and, if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship
Heading out of Australia to escape this Aussie winter. First stop Japan, then UK/Ireland and if work doesn't call me back, onto Chicago. I will make it up as I go along