HE THOUGHT OF ME

I am worth the coming down,
the silence
in return for mockery.
I am worth the thorns,
the bleeding back,
the wincing, weakening steps to Calvary.
He suffered these and thought of me.
He could have halted soldiers
with a fiery eye,
And pronounced death
in words that rang
from marble palace walls,
And in the garden dreamed instead of prayed.
But as the glistening crimson beads
slipped from his face,
He thought that I was worth the price he paid.
I'm blind to what
he sees in me,
Yet I know thorns
and what it is
to wince and weaken.
Gethsemane and Calvary-
He suffered so
and thought of me.

- Margery Stockseth

THE FRIEND

Let me
Be the hearth
Where you sit
To work your clay.
I'll not say
"Shape it like this,
Or like that",
I promise.

Let me watch
As you
In absolute agency
Mold your
Mortal dream.

Only -
Sit close
And let me give
A little light,
A little warmth.
Yes -
Warmth especially.

Cold clay yields
To no form.
Let me
Be your hearth.
Sit close -
Be warm.

-  Carol Lynn Pearson

THE POWER BEHIND US

"When we face seemingly insurmountable obstacles in the fulfillment of righteous responsibilities, we should remember that when we are involved in the work of the Lord, the obstacles before us are never as great as the power behind us. We should reach out and climb. Handholds will only be found by hands that are outstretched. Footholds are only for feet that are on the move."

- Dallin H. Oaks, Reach Out And Climb, New Era Aug 1985