Which Path Have YOU chosen?

I sit here on my chosen path
That I have known so well
Yet a neighbor has decided
That nature he will sell.

As he cuts a road, or path or house seat
Past the 100 year old oak
Upon which I now lean.

I see the wildflowers blowing in the wind,
Thinking of their diversity and how each of them has become a friend to the forest floor beneath them,
How each has nourished upon death,
And grown to be so beautiful.

Rebirth, and death simultaneously
All about me in this forest.
I see the shadows so very long
For it is near afternoon, late at that;
And I sit alone
Amongst the rusted barbed wire fence
Between the great oaks and hickory trees
Looking at the shagginess of its bark
Amazed at the diversity about me.

And I wonder just how do all these trees, quite different in their size, shape and variety
Seem to get along so well?
Living side by side
With nothing horrible to tell,
Yet they’ve seen man come through here
And mark his place on this land,
Whether during Underground Railroad times,
Or when the natives toured their homeland.

Yet we ran them out too, just as we are the trees
Bit by bit we take over
What God had meant to be
Yet with a smile they pull those bulldozers ever closer still
To my precious Appalachian Mountain;
Where I want nothing to change,
Yet still,
It matters not
That is something I’ve learned
Quite the hard way
As always has been my case.

My opinion is just that an opinion
Everybody has one.
Some their opinion matters more than others,
Mine at this point,
Is rather mute.

Is that by choice?
Or is that by defeat?
Is that by effort that can’t give anymore,
Or by simply giving up?

All I know is 45 years of effort is not giving up,
Forty-five years is trying until you can’t take it anymore.
And you’ve tried everything possible
For people to hear the call
To listen to the woods
To take them internally
Not just to let the sounds and smells pass through
Letting it pass through sight, smell, touch and out of the brain.
The whispers of nature, the pleas from me for others to see,
As soon as the words are spoken are they forgotten?

I don’t speak a lot
But when I do, it’s for a reason
It’s to share something I have to share
A feeling that must come out.
Yet the words are oft not heeded,
Nor it seems needed.

The lord has blessed me so much with these woods
For since I started these walks
Serenity has taken over me,
Prayers spoken softly have seen me through
This only I KNOW to be true.

Yes the path is narrow
But it is something I must do
I must trudge ever onward
And hold my head up high
And know that to someone;
Somehow, these words will not fall nigh upon deaf ears.

Somehow they’ll be heard,
Not like the shot around the world,
But somehow,
Through my actions, my behavior, or better yet other’s own personal experience
Of what I am desperately trying to reveal.

Is that the answer? To keep rotely repeating myself?
Or is it just plain muteness?
for perhaps that is best,
Which is what I have now chosen.
It would be a time of evil if the things I could have spoken
Like the forked tongue of the snake
Injecting poison, exited my mouth,
Alas, The things I know and do not share!

But would it matter if I dared?
I think not.
God, wipe the tears from my eyes
With the wind that blows by my side.

I thank you Lord for this place
That has seen so few human face
And for allowing me to be
Amongst all of your wonderful beauty
For giving me the solace to see
That this is really all we need
To get back to the trueness of self,
The trueness of life
Which is what you gave us without resentment or strife.

You offered it freely
Yet so many forsook
But I promise you Lord
I promise
I took,
I took your word and believed each phrase
I believe in my heart each and every day.
And I thank you for the peacefulness
For the unity of nature.
One plays upon another here in the natural world,
Yet there isn’t the spitefulness that we see in the human race.

Living and dying is a natural thing here upon the forest floor
Predator or prey alike, (in the animal or plant kingdom)
Must face their OWN final day.
Yet man tries to speed up that demand for their death,
In order to fill their troughs with monetary or territorial rights.

Needless to say,
Depression has hit;

I can’t endure the unobservant human much more,
And their total disregard for your created way,
They destroy any and everything in their wake
Without a second thought, and it makes me so distraught,

And I’m fighting it with all my might Lord
Please help me make it quit.
Please help me make it quit.

Ctrygirl 2009

Are you Planting Weeds or Flowers?

Galatians 6:7-8
(7) Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. (8) For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.

Veteran's Day Tribute Poem by Joanna Fuchs

Veteran’s Day Tribute


When America had an urgent need,
These brave ones raised a hand;
No hesitation held them back;
They were proud to take a stand.


They left their friends and family;
They gave up normal life;
To serve their country and their God,
They plowed into the strife.


They fought for freedom and for peace
On strange and foreign shores;
Some lost new friends; some lost their lives
In long and brutal wars.


Other veterans answered a call
To support the ones who fought;
Their country had requirements for
The essential skills they brought.


We salute each and every one of them,
The noble and the brave,
The ones still with us here today,
And those who rest in a grave.


So here’s to our country’s heroes;
They’re a cut above the rest;
Let’s give the honor that is due
To our country’s very best.


By Joanna Fuchs

ctrygirl09

Thank YOU!

On this Veteran's day I would like to thank those who have served, those who are currently serving and those who have just begun their journey into honor of serving their country and keeping us all free, safe, and home of the brave. In honor of my precious husband I would like to say "I Love you darling and I am so proud of your service to our nation and all of us living in the USA. I know many do not realize the responsibilities, the dedication and the discipline it takes to be a soldier. You are my soldier in so many ways my darling! I honor you this Vet's day". And to my daddy who was a Marine during the Korean Conflict...I want to say "Dearest Buddy I know you are guarding heaven's gate and I am SOOO proud of you in so many diverse ways. You're service to your country came at a time of turmoil and sorrow, yet i never heard you complain once about your service to your country. We love you so daddy. Semper Fi my budddy until we meet again!" I love you both dearly. And to All VETS There are those of us who appreciate you beyond words, who are awed at your dedication to those that often don't seem to appreciate your laying your life on the line so they can go about their daily life without restrictions. You make this the LAND OF THE FREE AND THE HOME OF THE BRAVE> THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

Can Paradise Be Lost?

Can Paradise Be Lost?
By Ctrygirl, Patty Lake
10-4-09
inspired by one who knows

Memories are better than any silver or gold,
They are the magic that we hold.
Forever with us they will be
When all else fails us miserably,
The memories of days gone by
Will rescue us from today’s sighs;
Too many sit and wish they had,
More “things” instead: oh how sad….
To not realize the value of a life well lived,
Is no doubt what they’ve been deprived.

Ah! Wandering through the tunnels and alleys,
The back roads and the valleys,
The good times and the bad,
The happy and the sad,
The lofty peaks and dark hollers,
Brings back a life more precious than dollars,
More valued than any store bought gift can be,
Oh why can’t others see?
That memories dance inside of our minds,
Waiting patiently for the host to find,
That a solace, peace, and fulfillment unexplainable awaits,
IF they just open those memory gates!
And journey a bit, without a sweat:
To another place or time, they should NEVER forget.

For life is nothing but memory making,
Each hour, each minute, each moment,
Each morning awakening,
Each evening waning,
We are creating a mental mist,
That one-day will insist
On turning into a comforting mind fog
Where we can secretly retreat from the current smog,
Without permission, admission or recognition from others;
We can revisit the times we discovered.
And escape for a while within the cushioned arms,
Of childhood, teen years, and entrance to adulthood without harm,
Perhaps dodging the walls that may not need be rediscovered,
Yet reveling, rolling, and existing in the moment we CHOOSE to hover.

Share the times or keep them locked safe inside your Terabithia:
That is your sole choice, but find it you must!
Memory Lane; it isn’t too far, nor is it EVER left you for any cost;
Your Paradise is NEVER Lost!

Happy Birthday Darling

I can not give you diamonds, I can not give you fame,
I can not give you money, or other material things,
All I have to offer is my love undying and true,
A respect for who you are, & unconditionally always loving you.

You've been my rock in landslides, my umbrella in the rains,
You've been my saving grace to many times to explain.
You're heart is far too large for others to comprehend,
yet my darling I look into your eyes and see it is a Godsend.

And here it is your birthday, and nothing do I hold
nothing to hand you in the morning that in a store is sold.
But my darling I have for you a love that none can touch,
A respect, admiration, and adoration,I know it might not seem like much.

However from my heart I send,
a Happy Birthday to my best friend,
My dearest husband oh so precious to me,
for nothing can ever end the love I have for thee.

We aren't materialistic, nor do we need,
therefore the Lord has blessed us indeed,
given a second chance to be together could be,
HIS birthday present to us both you see.

For his light shines from within you,
it is so evident too,
that you and I were MEANT to be,
together forever a precious gift you see,
for so many never find, that perfect one to be with,
We have been heaven kissed.

I wish you happy birthday my dear,
I wish joy and peace, forever near,
I wish you many years upon this earth with me,
and together one day in heaven to be.

God bless you my dearest husband, and Happy Birthday too
no one can come close to the bond I will always have with you!

Your countrygirl forever,
Happy Birthday darling husband, Happy Birthday!





ctrygirl 9 25 09 (pic our own ctry road to home)

The NOW

The NOW is here and waiting to be discovered,
how often we forage ahead and often hover;
over the past the future or problems at hand
instead of facing that promised land
of the NOW< THE HERE< the present blessings
that we have been lessening
by not appreciating the moment we're given
and forgetting that NOW is what we are livin'.

Did we plant flowers today instead of weeds?
Did we help another who may be in need?
Have we noticed the sunrise or the sunset?
Do we smile at strangers we never have met?
Or do we go about in a state of self absorption
doling out misery, depression, and contortion
of the moment at hand, as seen through OUR eyes
and forgetting those with which we reside
and their well being and the imprint we leave,
each time we diminish what has been achieved?

Think right now on the imprint you leave
each time you face someone in need
or perhaps just an acquaintance you frequent often
did you plant them a flower garden?
Or leave them with a field full of weeds
Where they must work to remove the tarry you leave?

Be positive in your outlook today,
and realize that the light shines on you in every way,
no matter how it FEELS or what you may perceive,
the LIGHT at the end of the tunnel sees!

Sees how you are facing the day,
and what to others you do and say,
remember to keep your face toward the sun,
and face the raindrops with a sense of fun,
for the storm is never to great or the tunnel too dark
but instead the Lord has left his mark
upon this great land and upon your heart too,
so don't waste what great things you can do.

No matter how beaten or how down you may feel,
remember there's a hand in yours...and it's REAL!

Keep that glass half full today
and tomorrow you will see a better day.
Stay open to the goodness within you,
that you often may not even realize is true.
But all of God's children have sparks of light,
that guide us all through even the darkest of nights.

God bless you and keep you!

Live in the NOW,
for there is nothing else to uncover anyhow!

ctrygirl 9-24-09 (pic publicdomain)