Hello everyone!

Two years ago I posted these lyrics on the fourth and I thought they were well worth re-publishing.

I hope you all have a wonderful Holiday!

I walked through a county

courthouse square
On a park bench, an old man

was sittin' there.
I said, "Your old court house is kinda

run down,
He said, "Naw, it'll do for our little town."
I said, "Your old flag pole is leaned a little bit,
And that's a ragged old flag

you got hangin' on it."
He said, "Have a seat", and I sat down,
"Is this the first time you've been to our

little town?"
"I said, "I think it is."
He said "I don't like to brag,
but we're kinda proud of That

Ragged Old Flag
"You see, we got a little hole

in that flag there,
When Washington took it

across the Delaware.
and It got powder burned
the night Francis Scott Key sat watching it,
writing "Say Can You See"
It got a rip in New Orleans,
with Packingham & Jackson

tugging at its seams.
and It almost fell at the Alamo

beside the Texas flag,
But she waved on though.
She got cut with a sword at Chancellorsville,
And she got cut again at Shiloh Hill.
There was Robert E. Lee and

Beauregard and Bragg,
And the south wind blew hard on

That Ragged Old Flag
"On Flanders Field in World War I,
She got a big hole from a Bertha Gun,
She turned blood red in World War II
She hung limp, and low, a time or two,
She was in Korea, Vietnam,
She went where she was sent
by her Uncle Sam.
She waved from our ships

upon the briny foam
and now they've about quit wavin'

back here at home
in her own good land here

She's been abused,
She's been burned, dishonored,

denied an' refused,
And the government for which she stands
Has been scandalized throughout the land.
And she's getting thread bare,
and she's wearin' thin,
But she's in good shape,

for the shape she's in.
Cause she's been through the fire before
and I believe she can take a whole lot more.
"So we raise her up every morning
And we bring her down slow every night,
We don't let her touch the ground,
And we fold her up right.
On second thought I *do* like to brag
Cause I'm mighty proud of
That Ragged Old Flag"

Song By Johnny Cash the Man in Black.

 I hope you all have a wonderful Fourth of July

Make my life Your temple
L-rd at this season start
To pull down every idol I have raised up in my heart

On this Chanukah
On this Feast of Dedication
I dedicate myself to You

Take my defiled altar
Come and cleanse and come repair
So every time I falter I can run to meet you there

On this Chanukah
On this Feast of Dedication
I dedicate myself to You

And with every candle on the menorah
That illuminates the night
Comes a prayer You’d kindle
In me Y’shua
A desire for Your fire, for Your light

Make of my mortal body
A house worthy of Your name
Rid me of what’s ungodly and every hidden thing of shame

On this Chanukah
On this Feast of Dedication
I dedicate myself to You

Take my supply of oil
Not enough to burn long I fear
But, oh how I pray I may one day say “A great miracle happened here!”

On this Chanukah
On this Feast of Dedication
I dedicate myself to You

Chanukah
Music and Lyrics by Marty Goetz
©1997 Singin’ in the Reign Music/ASCAP

Image: John Waterhouse

The Author of Life,
the King of all Kings
was wounded, and beaten, and hung on a hill.
The Truth of the world
the sacrifice made
has risen, was given the power to save.

Only His wounds can heal the broken,
Only His wounds can save us from sin,
Only His wounds give faith to the faithless,
Only His wounds can restore us.

The Day of the Lord,
the promise foretold,
the judgment upon us is soon to unfold,
but still there is hope,
the way has been made,
before us is Jesus, with power to save

Only His wounds can heal the broken,
Only His wounds can save us from sin,
Only His wounds give faith to the faithless,
Only His wounds can restore us again.

Lyrics: Michael Card

The Innocent Age

Capture the moment
Carry the day
Stay with the chase
As long as you may
Follow the dreamer,
The fool, and the sage
Back to the days of
The innocent age.

Storybook endings
Never appear
They're just someone's way of
Leading us here
Waiting for wisdom
To open the cage
We forged in the fires of
The innocent age.

Back at the start
It was easy to see
No one to own to
Nowhere to be
Deep in the heartlands
A sad memory
Calls to me.

Fretful horizons
Worrisome skies
Tearful misgivings
Burning your eyes
Yearnings unanswered
Reckon the wage you
Pay to recapture the innocent age.

Back at the start
It was easy to see
No one to own to
Nowhere to be
Deep in the heartlands
A sad memory
Calls to me.

Lyrics: Dan Fogelberg

The Grave Robber

There's a step that we all take alone,
an appointment we have with the grave unknown,
like a vapor this life is
just waiting to pass,
like the flowers that fade,
like the withering grass,
But life seems so long and
death so complete
And the grave an impossible
portion to cheat,

but there is One who has been
there & still lived to tell,
There is One who has been
thru both Heaven & Hell,
and the Grave will come up
empty handed that day,
Jesus will come and steal us away

Where is the sting,
tell me where is the bite?
When the Grave Robber
comes like a thief in the night,
Where is the victory, where is the prize?
When the Grave Robber
comes and death finally dies
Many still mourn, many still weep
for those that they love
who have fallen asleep,
But we have this hope
tho our hearts may still ache,
just one shout from above
and they all will awake
And in the reunion of Joy we will see,
Death will Be swallowed in sweet Victory

But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, "DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory.

"O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?"

1 Corinthians 15:54 & 55

Lyrics: Petra

all pictures were taken from our trip to Jacksonville, Oregon last December.

Sunrise over the San Juan's

Watching the sun
Watching it come
Watching it come up over the rooftops.

Cloudy and warm
Maybe a storm
You can never quite tell
From the morning.

And it's going to be a day
There is really no way to say no
To the morning.
Yes it's going to be a day
There is really nothing left to
Say but Come on morning.

Waiting for mail
Maybe a tale
From an old friend
Or even a lover.
Sometimes there's none
But we have fun
Thinking of all who might
Have written.

And maybe there are seasons
And maybe they change
And maybe to love is not so strange.
The sounds of the day
They hurry away
Now they are gone until tomorrow.
When day will break
And you will wake
And you will rake your hands
Across your eyes
And realize

That it's going to be a day
There is really no way to say no
To the morning.
Yes it's going to be a day
There is really nothing left to say but
Come on morning.

Lyrics: Dan Fogelberg

Image: Henry Thomas Shaffer

Bless the day this restoration is complete

dirty, dusty, something must be underneath
So I scrape and I scuff
though it's never quite enough
I am starting to see me finally
A gallery of paintings new and paintings old
Guess its no surprise that I'm no Michelangelo
every layer of mine
hides a lovely design
It might take a little patience
it might take a little time
but you called me beautiful
when you saw my shame
and you placed me on the wall
anyway.

You who have begun this work will someday see
A portrait of the holiness you meant for me
so I polish and shine till its easier to find
even an outline of mine

but you called me beautiful
when you saw my shame
and you placed me on the wall
anyway

lyrics: Nichole Nordeman

Happy first day of Spring!

When the moon comes out to shine her face
the birds are fast asleep
And the lanterns hang from every post
the faeries leave their keep

They join their hands and sing their songs
that nary a soul can hear
In the springtime when the earth is new
to the faeries they draw near

Lyrics: Loreena Mckennitt

Image: John Waterhouse

Now that the time has come
Soon gone is the day
There upon some distant shore
You'll hear me say

Long as the day in the summer time
Deep as the wine dark sea
I'll keep your heart with mine.
Till you come to me.

There like a bird I'd fly
High through the air
Reaching for the sun's full rays
Only to find you there

And in the night when our dreams are still
Or when the wind calls free
I'll keep your heart with mine
Till you come to me

Lyrics & Music:

Loreena McKinnett

Image: John Waterhouse

My eyes are dry
My faith is old
My heart is hard
My prayers are cold
And I know how I ought to be
Alive to You and dead to me


But what can be done
For an old heart like mine
Soften it up
With oil and wine
The oil is You, Your
Spirit of love
Please wash me anew
With the wine of Your Blood

Lyrics: Keith Green

A Winters Garden

When night comes on with song and tale we pass the wintry hours;
By keeping up a cheerful heart we hope for better days.

We tend the cattle, sow the seed,
give work unto the ploughers,
With patience wait till winter yields before the sun's fair rays.

And so the world goes round and round,
and every time and season
With pleasure and with profit crowns the passage of the year,

And so through every time of life,
to him who acts with reason,
The beauty of all things doth appear.

SEASONS
Lyrics by: Loreena McKinnett

Gingerbread Cottages

White are the far-off plains, and white
The fading forests grow;
The wind dies out along the height
And denser still the snow,
A gathering weight on roof and tree
Falls down scarce audibly.

The road before me smooths and fills
Apace, and all about
The fences dwindle, and the hills
Are blotted slowly out;
The naked trees loom spectrally
Into the dim white sky.

The meadows and far-sheeted streams
Lie still without a sound;
Like some soft minister of dreams
The snow-fall hoods me round;
In wood and water, earth and air,
A silence everywhere.

Save when Some farmer's sleigh, urged on,
With rustling runner and sharp bells,
Swings by me and is gone;
Or from the empty waste I hear
A sound remote and clear;

The barking of a dog, or call
To cattle, sharply pealed,
Borne, echoing from some wayside stall
Or barnyard far afield;

Then all is silent and the snow falls
Settling soft and slow
The evening deepens and the grey
Folds closer earth and sky
The world seems shrouded, far away.

Its noises sleep, and I as secret as
Yon buried stream plod dumbly on and dream.

"Snow" Music and Lyrics:
Loreena McKennitt

Cottages of the Floral Park
Santa Ana, CA.

In the silence of the night
When the snow lies soft and still
You can see a magic light
And hear the ring of Christmas bells
Though the night seems long and dark
It is the earth just gone to sleep
The stars that dot the sky above
Hold you in their precious keep
So close your eyes and come with me
The Christmas bells will lead you home.

Now with song we fill the night
While magic dances in the light
To wish you now and all the year
The joy that comes with Christmas cheer
Hear our voices fill the air
To drive the winter's cold away
And so our hearts with all will share
The love that comes with Christmas Day
The love that comes with Christmas Day
The Christmas bells will bring you home!

Lyrics: Loreena McKennitt

Image: John William Waterhouse (1849-1917)

End of October
The sleepy brown woods seem to
Nod down their heads to the Winter
Yellows and grays paint the sad skies today
And I wonder when you're coming home
Woke up one morning
The wind through the window
Reminded me winter was just 'round the bend
Somehow I just did not see it was coming
It took me by surprise again

Dan Fogelberg: Old Tennessee

Scarecrows Dream

Seldom seen
A scarecrows dream
I hang in the hopes of replacement
Castles tall
I built them all
But I dream that I'm trapped in
The basement.

And if you ever hear me calling out
And if you've been by paupers crowned
Between the worlds of men and
Make-believe
I can be found.

Plans Ive made
A masquerade
Fading in fear of the coming day
Heroes tales
Like nightingales
Wrestle the wind as they run away.

And if you ever hear them calling out
And if you've been by paupers crowned
Between the worlds of men and make-
Believe
I can be found.

Garden gate
An empty plate
Waiting for someone to come and fill
Scarecrows dreams
Like frozen streams
Thirst for the fall
But they're running still.

And if you ever hear me calling out
And if you've been by paupers crowned
Between the worlds of men and
Make-believe
I can be found.'

Dan Fogelberg

Where dips the rocky highland
Of Sleuth Wood in the lake,
There lies a leafy island
Where flapping herons wake
The drowsy water rats;
There we've hid our faery vats,
Full of berrys
And of reddest stolen cherries.
Come away, O human child!
To the waters and the wild
With a faery, hand in hand,
For the world's more full of weeping
than you can understand.

Where the wave of moonlight glosses
The dim gray sands with light,
Far off by furthest Rosses
We foot it all the night,
Weaving olden dances
Mingling hands and mingling glances
Till the moon has taken flight;
To and fro we leap
And chase the frothy bubbles,
While the world is full of troubles
And anxious in its sleep.
Come away, O human child!
To the waters and the wild
With a faery, hand in hand,
For the world's more full of weeping
than you can understand.

Where the wandering water gushes
From the hills above Glen-Car,
In pools among the rushes
That scare could bathe a star,
We seek for slumbering trout
And whispering in their ears
Give them unquiet dreams;
Leaning softly out
From ferns that drop their tears
Over the young streams.
Come away, O human child!
To the waters and the wild
With a faery, hand in hand,
For the world's more full of weeping
than you can understand.

Away with us he's going,
The solemn-eyed:
He'll hear no more the lowing
Of the calves on the warm hillside
Or the kettle on the hob
Sing peace into his breast,
Or see the brown mice bob
Round and round the oatmeal chest.
For he comes, the human child,
To the waters and the wild
With a faery, hand in hand,
For the world's more full of weeping
than he can understand.

The Stolen Child
William Butler Yeats

Christopher Robin and I walked along
Under branches lit up by the moon.
Posing our questions to Owl and Eeyore
As our days disappeared all too soon.
But I've wandered much further today than I should
And I can't seem to find my way back to the wood.

So help me if you can
I've got to get back
To the house at pooh corner by one
You'd be surprised.
There's so much to be done.
Count all the bees in the hive.
Chase all the clouds from the sky
Back to the days of Christopher Robin and Pooh

Winnie the Pooh doesn't know what to do
Got a honey jar stuck on his nose.
He came to me asking help and advice
And from here no one knows where he goes.
So I sent him to ask of the owl if he's there
How to loosen a jar from the nose of a bear.

So help me if you can
I've got to get back
To the house at pooh corner by one
You'd be surprised
Theres so much to be done.
Count all the bees in the hive
Chase all the clouds from the sky
Back to the days of Christopher Robin
Back to the ways of Christopher Robin
Back to the days of Pooh.

Kenny Loggins

What I’ll give you
Since you’ve asked
Is all my time together
Take the rugged sunny days
The warm and rocky weather
Take the roads that I have walked
Looking for tomorrow’s time
Peace of mind --

As your life spills into mine
Changing with the seasons
Filling up the world with time
Change time to reasons
I can show you all the songs
That I never sang to someone before.

We have seen a million stars
Lying by the water
You have climbed the hills with me
To the mountain shelter
Taking off the days
One by one
Setting them to breath
In the sun.

Take the lilies and the lace
From the days of childhood
All the willow winding paths
Leading up and outward
This is what I give
This is what I ask you for
Nothing more.

Since You’ve Asked Lyrics:
Dan Fogelberg

I walked through a county

courthouse square
On a park bench, an old man

was sittin' there.
I said, "Your old court house is kinda

run down,
He said, "Naw, it'll do for our little town."
I said, "Your old flag pole is leaned a little bit,
And that's a ragged old flag

you got hangin' on it."
He said, "Have a seat", and I sat down,
"Is this the first time you've been to our

little town?"
"I said, "I think it is."
He said "I don't like to brag,
but we're kinda proud of That

Ragged Old Flag
"You see, we got a little hole

in that flag there,
When Washington took it

across the Delaware.
and It got powder burned
the night Francis Scott Key sat watching it,
writing "Say Can You See"
It got a rip in New Orleans,
with Packingham & Jackson

tugging at its seams.
and It almost fell at the Alamo

beside the Texas flag,
But she waved on though.
She got cut with a sword at Chancellorsville,
And she got cut again at Shiloh Hill.
There was Robert E. Lee and

Beauregard and Bragg,
And the south wind blew hard on

That Ragged Old Flag
"On Flanders Field in World War I,
She got a big hole from a Bertha Gun,
She turned blood red in World War II
She hung limp, and low, a time or two,
She was in Korea, Vietnam,
She went where she was sent
by her Uncle Sam.
She waved from our ships

upon the briny foam
and now they've about quit wavin'

back here at home
in her own good land here

She's been abused,
She's been burned, dishonored,

denied an' refused,
And the government for which she stands
Has been scandalized throughout the land.
And she's getting thread bare,
and she's wearin' thin,
But she's in good shape,

for the shape she's in.
Cause she's been through the fire before
and I believe she can take a whole lot more.
"So we raise her up every morning
And we bring her down slow every night,
We don't let her touch the ground,
And we fold her up right.
On second thought I *do* like to brag
Cause I'm mighty proud of
That Ragged Old Flag"

Song By Johnny Cash the Man in Black.

Whenever my hubby and I take a road trip I never leave the house without my Johnny Cash. I first time I heard this song I cried and every time since then. We have been blessed with a great nation and it's my prayer that we would not take that for granted.