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A HELEN STEINER RICE® Product
© 2013 Barbour Publishing, Inc.
All poems © Helen Steiner Rice Foundation Fund, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cincinnati Museum Center. All rights reserved.
Published under license from the Helen Steiner Rice Foundation Fund, LLC.
Print ISBN 978-1-62029-786-5
eBook Editions:
Adobe Digital Edition (.epub) 978-1-62416-108-7
Kindle and MobiPocket Edition (.prc) 978-1-62416-107-0
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted for commercial purposes, except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without written permission of the publisher.
All scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.
Published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 719, Uhrichsville, Ohio 44683, www.barbourbooks.com
Our mission is to publish and distribute inspirational products offering exceptional value and biblical encouragement to the masses.
Printed in China.
If you know the poems of Helen Steiner Rice, you know this book will bring you page after page of the soaring uplift, the inspiring faith, the spiritual challenge, and the down-to-earth directness that always speak to the heart.
If you haven’t yet fallen in love with this amazing author, let us introduce her to you with a few comments based on her name:
H—Humility. “I am a very ordinary person,” this woman whose writings have sold in the millions always insisted. But she had the extraordinary gift of bringing ordinary people life-changing inspiration, faith, and hope.
E—Empathy. Losing her husband almost as soon as she married, Helen Steiner Rice knew the depths of shadow—and the heights of sunshine—that can touch any soul. Readers immediately sense that she is attuned to every human emotion.
L—Love. These verses demonstrate her heartwarming love for her fellow humans, for God’s beautiful creation, and for the Creator Himself.
E—Enthusiasm. The word means “God within.” Helen was filled with His spirit of contagious interest in everyone and everything, a spirit of zest for life and vibrant creativity.
N—Naturalness. Many people don’t read poetry because it seems to be written in an unknown tongue. The writings of Helen Steiner Rice are so readable because they are in words everyone can immediately appreciate.
S—Spiritual Strength. Thousands of readers draw divine power for living from these verses.
T—Thankfulness. The spirit of gratitude to God for His wonderful world and His love and grace overflows each word.
E—Energy. We sense a divine empowerment as Helen’s lyrics fill our minds.
I—Inspiration. Although this word is much overused today, men and women who feel they have hit bottom constantly find in these lines the inspiring courage to soar again.
N—Neighborliness. When you read one of these poems, you immediately feel in touch with a kindred spirit, a spiritual neighbor. Helen Steiner Rice’s writings, published in many countries, make her neighbor to the world.
E—Enlightenment. A little boy, used to seeing saints in stained glass windows, said, “A saint is somebody that lets the light through.” These poems lighten our dark corners by helping us to see the Light of the world.
R—Radiance. The radiant optimism and faith and love that characterized the author’s life shine through her writings.
R—Religion. Although this word often has negative connotations today, the apostle James wrote, “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world” (James 1:27). Helen Steiner Rice’s life was filled with that kind of loving concern and dedication, and these writings reflect it.
I—Intelligence. Not the abstract intellectualism of the ivory-towered philosopher, but the practical, spiritual wisdom of the Bible shines through Helen’s writings.
C—Comfort. Tragedy strikes us all, sooner or later. The inspiring thoughts in these verses have enabled thousands of readers to face the aftermath of disappointment and sorrow with the consolation of renewed courage and confidence.
E—Excellence. The book of Proverbs ends with the words, “Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all …. Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the gates” (Proverbs 31:29, 31). We believe the excellence of these works speaks for itself. “Let her own works praise her.”
We are proud to present these Love Gifts from one of the world’s best-loved authors, Helen Steiner Rice.
The Publisher
THE MAGİC OF LOVE
Love is like magic and it always will be,
For love still remains life’s sweet mystery.
Love works in ways that are wondrous and strange,
And there’s nothing in life that love cannot change.
Love can transform the most commonplace
Into beauty and splendor and sweetness and grace.
Love is unselfish, understanding, and kind,
For it sees with its heart and not with its mind.
Love gives and forgives; there is nothing too much
For love to heal with its magic touch.
Love is the language that every heart speaks,
For love is the one thing that every heart seeks …
And where there is love God, too, will abide
And bless the family residing inside.
WARM OUR HEARTS WİTH THY LOVE
Oh, God, who made the summer
and warmed the earth with beauty,
Warm our hearts with gratitude
and devotion to our duty …
For in this age of violence,
rebellion and defiance,
We’ve forgotten the true meaning
of dependable reliance.
We have lost our sense of duty
and our sense of values, too,
And what was once unsanctioned
no longer is taboo.
Our standards have been lowered,
and we resist all discipline,
And our vision has been narrowed
and blinded to all sin.
Oh, put the summer brightness
in our closed, unseeing eyes
So in the careworn faces
that we pass we’ll recognize
The heartbreak and the loneliness
the trouble and despair
That a word of understanding
would make easier to bear.
Oh God, look down on our cold hearts
and warm them with Your love,
And grant us Your forgiveness
which we’re so unworthy of.
MAKE YOUR DAY BRİGHT BY THİNKİNG RİGHT AND YOUR LİFE WİLL BE BLESSED İF YOU LOOK FOR THE BEST
Don’t start your day by supposin’
that trouble is just ahead,
It’s better to stop supposin’
and start with a prayer instead …
And make it a prayer of thanksgiving
for the wonderful things God has wrought,
Like the beautiful sunrise and sunset,
God’s gifts that are free and not bought …
For what is the use of supposin’
that dire things could happen to you,
Worrying about some misfortune
that seldom if ever comes true …
But instead of just idle supposin’,
step forward to meet each new day
Secure in the knowledge God’s near you
to lead you each step of the way …
For supposin’ the worst things will happen
only helps to make them come true,
And you darken the bright, happy moments
that the dear Lord has given to you …
So if you desire to be happy
and get rid of the misery of dread,
Just give up supposin’ the worst things
and look for the best things instead.
A FAVORİTE RECİPE
Take a cup of kindness,
mix it well with love,
Add a lot of patience
and faith in God above,
Sprinkle very generously
with joy and thanks and cheer—
And you’ll have lots of “angel food”
to feast on all the year.
THİNGS TO BE THANKFUL FOR
The good, green earth beneath our feet,
The air we breathe, the food we eat,
Some work to do, a goal to win,
A hidden longing deep within
That spurs us on to bigger things
And helps us meet what each day brings—
All these things and many more
Are things we should be thankful for…
And most of all, our thankful prayers
Should rise to God because He cares.
THERE’S SUNSHİNE İN A SMİLE
Life is a mixture of sunshine and rain,
Good things and bad things,
pleasure and pain.
We can’t have all sunshine,
but it’s certainly true
That there’s never a cloud
the sun doesn’t shine through …
So always remember, whatever betide you,
The power of God is always beside you …
And you’ll find when you smile
your day will be brighter
And all of your burdens
will seem so much lighter—
For each time you smile you will find it is true
Somebody, somewhere will smile back at you,
And nothing on earth
can make life more worthwhile
Than the sunshine and warmth
of a beautiful smile.
NEVER BORROW SORROW FROM TOMORROW
Deal only with the present—
never step into tomorrow,
For God asks us just to trust Him
and to never borrow sorrow,
For the future is not ours to know,
and it may never be,
So let us live and give our best
For to meet tomorrow’s troubles
before they are even ours
Is to anticipate the Savior
and to doubt His all-wise powers,
So let us be content
to solve our problems one by one,
Asking nothing of tomorrow
except “Thy will be done.”
WHAT MORE CAN YOU ASK?
God’s love endures forever—
what a wonderful thing to know
When the tides of life run against you
and your spirit is downcast and low.
God’s kindness is ever around you
always ready to freely impart
Strength to your faltering spirit,
cheer to your lonely heart.
God’s presence is ever beside you,
as near as the reach of your hand.
You have but to tell Him your troubles—
there is nothing He won’t understand …
And knowing God’s love is unfailing,
and His mercy unending and great,
You have but to trust in His promise,
“God comes not too soon or too late” …
So wait with a heart that is patient
for the goodness of God to prevail,
For never do prayers go unanswered,
and His mercy and love never fail.
IF YOU MEET GOD İN THE MORNİNG, HE’LL GO WİTH YOU THROUGH THE DAY
The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof …
It speaks of His greatness, it sings of His love.
And each day at dawning I lift my heart high
And raise up my eyes to the infinite sky.
I watch the night vanish as a new day is born,
And I hear the birds sing on the wings of the morn.
I see the dew glisten in crystal-like splendor
While God, with a touch that is gentle and tender,
Wraps up in the night and softly tucks it away
And hangs out the sun to herald a new day …
And so I give thanks and my heart kneels to pray,
“God, keep me and guide me and go with me today.”
HE ASKS SO LİTTLE AND GİVES SO MUCH
What must I do to ensure peace of mind?
Is the answer I’m seeking too hard to find?
How can I know what God wants me to be?
How can I tell what’s expected of me?
Where can I go for guidance and aid
To help me correct the errors I’ve made?
The answer is found in doing three things,
And great is the gladness that doing them brings.
“Do justice”—“Love kindness”—
“Walk humbly with God”—
For with these three things as your rule and your rod,
All things worth having are yours to achieve,
If you follow God’s words and have faith to believe.
THE POWER OF LOVE
There is no thinking person
who can stand untouched today
And view the world around
us slowly drifting to decay
Without feeling deep within
him a silent, unnamed dread
As he contemplates the future
that lies frighteningly ahead …
But the problems we are facing
cannot humanly be solved
For our diplomatic strategy
only gets us more involved
And our skillful ingenuity,
our technology and science
Can never change a sinful heart
filled with hatred and defiance …
So our problems keep on
growing every hour of every day
As man vainly tries to solve them
But man is powerless alone to
clean up the world outside
Until his own polluted soul
is clean and free inside …
For the amazing power of love
is beyond all comprehension
And it alone can heal this world
of its hatred and dissension.
SOMEBODY CARES
Somebody cares and always will—
The world forgets, but God loves you still
You cannot go beyond His love
No matter what you’re guilty of,
For God forgives until the end—
He is your faithful, loyal friend …
And though you try to hide your face,
There is no shelter any place
That can escape His watchful eye,
For on the earth and in the sky
He’s ever-present and always there
To take you in His tender care
And bind the wounds and mend the breaks
When all the world around forsakes.
Somebody cares and loves you still,
And God is the someone who always will.
FİNDİNG FAİTH İN A FLOWER
Sometimes when faith is running low
And I cannot fathom why things are so,
I walk among the flowers that grow
And learn the answers to all I would know …
For among my flowers I have come to see
Life’s miracle and its mystery,
And standing in silence and reverie,
My faith comes flooding back to me.
LET GO AND LET GOD!
When you’re troubled and worried and sick at heart
And your plans are upset and your world falls apart,
Remember God’s ready and waiting to share
The burden you find too heavy to bear …
So with faith, let go and let God lead the way
Into a brighter and less-troubled day.
For God has a plan for everyone,
If we learn to pray, “Thy will be done.”
For nothing in life is without God’s design
For each life is fashioned by the hand that’s divine.
FLOWERS LEAVE THEİR FRAGRANCE ON
THE HAND THAT BESTOWS THEM
There’s an old Chinese proverb that if practiced each day
Would change the whole world in a wonderful way.
Its truth is so simple, it’s easy to do,
And it works every time and successfully, too.
For you can’t do a kindness without a reward
Not in silver nor gold but in joy from the Lord.
You can’t light a candle to show others the way
Without feeling the warmth of that bright little ray,
And you can’t pluck a rose all fragrant with dew
Without part of its fragrance remaining with you.
THE PEACE OF MEDİTATİON
So we may know God better
and feel His quiet power,
Let us daily keep in silence
a meditation hour …
For to understand God’s greatness
and to use His gifts each day,
The soul must learn to meet
Him in a meditative way …
For our Father tells His children
that if they would know His will
They must seek Him in the silence
when all is calm and still …
For nature’s great forces are
found in quiet things
Like softly falling snowflakes