Quotes and Poems to Keep You Going

"Start by doing what's necessary, then do what's possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible." -- Saint Francis of Assisi

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I found these quotes while going through old archives of my Hope Chest e-magazine on my computer.

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Here is a small excerpt of an Heirloom Quotation taken from the 1857 book, Home Memories; or, Social Half-Hours With the Household, compiled by Mrs. Mary G. Clarke.

“Now these seasons of “house cleaning” are good in their place, and are duties which every skillful housekeeper deems indispensable. But my friends, now as Spring advances, let us not think only of our earthly dwellings, but turn an eye within and see if our souls are prepared. There are periods for moral “house cleaning.” The time of revival is the great cleaning, renewing time. Perhaps a long winter has supervened in which impurities have been accumulating. The furniture of the soul has become dusty; jars and discords may be found there, and spiritual sloth may have crept in. The harp may need to be taken from the willow and tuned anew. The darkness of winter has hindered us from seeing much of this disorder. But now the Lord begins to shine a light of greater brightness on the soul, and if we wish for clean hearts we must not quail beneath his searching rays. But working together with him as our helper and guide, we may become vessels unto honor meet and fit for the master's use.”
 

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The Things That Haven't Been Done Before
by Edgar Guest

The things that haven’t been done before,
Those are the things to try;
Columbus dreamed of an unknown shore
At the rim of the far-flung sky,
And his heart was bold and his faith was strong
As he ventured in dangers new,
And he paid no heed to the jeering throng
Or the fears of the doubting crew.

The many will follow the beaten track
With guideposts on the way.
They live and have lived for ages back
With a chart for every day.
Someone has told them it’s safe to go
On the road he has traveled o’er,
And all that they ever strive to know
Are the things that were known before.

A few strike out, without map or chart,
Where never a man has been,
From the beaten paths they draw apart
To see what no man has seen.
There are deeds they hunger alone to do;
Though battered and bruised and sore,
They blaze the path for the many, who
Do nothing not done before.

The things that haven’t been done before
Are the tasks worthwhile today;
Are you one of the flock that follows, or
Are you one that shall lead the way?
Are you one of the timid souls that quail
At the jeers of a doubting crew,
Or dare you, whether you win or fail,
Strike out for a goal that’s new?

As you might know, Edgar Guest, an immigrant from England, is among my very favorite poets. Starting as a teenager in the late 1890s, Eddie Guest wrote a daily column for the Detroit Free Press. When he died at age 79, he was world-famous for his thousands of homespun poems that had touched the lives of millions.
 

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Thank God for Dirty Dishes


This poem was written by an anonymous teenage girl, and can be found in The Guidepost’s Handbook of Prayer, compiled by Phyllis Hobe. I copied it on a card to post over our dishwasher so we can be cheerful about this chore.  It's been hanging there (laminated) for well over 10 years!

Thank God for dirty dishes
They have a story to tell.
And by the stack we have,
It seems we are living very well.
While people of other countries are starving
I haven’t the heart to fuss,
For by this stack of evidence,
God’s awfully good to us.

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Do It Anyway 

by Mother Teresa

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis,
It is between you and God;
It was never between you and them anyway.

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Good for good is only fair;

Bad for bad soon brings despair;
Bad for good is vile and base;
Good for bad shows forth God’s grace.
~~ A Welsh Folk Saying