NEWS FROM THE HILLS

MY CREED
To live as gently as I can;
To be, no matter where, a man;
To take what comes of good or ill
And cling to faith and honor still;
To do my best, and let that stand
The record of my brain and hand;
And then, should failure come to me,
Still work and hope for victory.

I have no secret place wherein
I stoop unseen to shame or sin;
To be the same when I’m alone
As when my every deed is known;
To live undaunted, unafraid
Of any step that I have made;
To be without pretense or shame
Exactly what men think I am.

To leave some simple mark behind
To keep my having lived in mind;
If enmity to aught I show,
To be an honest, generous foe.
To play my little part, nor whine
That greater honors are not mine.
This, I believe, is all I need
For my philosophy and creed.
By Edgar A. Guest

The New Year has begun, and with it comes the eternal hope that his year will be better. Thousands of resolutions are made to become a better person, quit undesirable habits, achieve higher aims and many, many other vows. Many of these resolutions are wasted efforts, as these lofty ambitions fall beside the wayside in the weeks to come.

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The New Year does seem like a time for new beginnings. The old year, with its failures and sorrows is gone, and the calendar is unmarred as yet. It is useless to dwell on the past hurts and disappointments, as it will only bring more sorrow and depression. If you have wronged someone, now is the time to ask forgiveness. If someone has done you hurt, forgive them even if they never ask.

It is wonderful to start the New Year with a clean slate. The apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 3-13:14 “…but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth to those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

I’ve had people tell me that they can’t forgive so-and-so because they never asked. Yes, you can. You can forgive in your heart and be clear before God. Holding unforgiveness in your heart is like a cancer that will eat away at your mental well being and eventually destroy you.

The New Year stretches ahead like a box of treasures that has not been opened. We can open one day at a time with hope and optimism. I like to wake up when morning dawns with this thought, “What good thing might happen today?” Of course sometimes we are disappointed, or hurt, or grieved. That is part of life. God brings us through the bad times, as well as the good. Then we can look for a better tomorrow . . .

The sun is shining on the scattered patches of snow left by the last snowfall. Songbirds flock around the bird feeder, with the bright cardinals assuming leadership. Smaller snowbirds and wrens are content to peck away at the scattered seed on the ground, while a group of squirrels are taking advantage of the corn put out for the chickens. It is a bright winter day, and the small creatures are taking advantage of it.

January is a long winter month, but there are many things that a person can do to redeem the time. Many industrious housewives are busy making quilts. Mom had a large, round quilting hoop that she used to piece quilts. Our beds in winter were heaped with handmade quilts; many of them pieced from remnants of our dresses.

Sadly, this talent was not passed down to me. My daughter Patty took to a sewing machine like a duck to water, but I think I’m allergic to needles. When I sew on a button, it shocks Criss. He doesn’t get shocked very often. I thought about making a New Year’s resolution to keep up with the mending, but why should I do it when Patty loves the job?

There are other things I like better. My picture albums need to be updated, and my filing cabinet is a mess. It’s too early to spring clean (never mind that the fall cleaning wasn’t finished.) Anyway, I think cobwebs makes a place look homey. The computer is my favorite thing, though—maybe I’ll just write some more.

This makes 12 days that my telephone has been out, so I know I am far behind in my emailed requests. I will try to catch up in the near future. Right now I have a song that was requested some time back, and we got several responses from readers—thank you so much.

We heard from Claude Ball of Ripley, and from Jeanette Riffle of Rosedale, who adds, “Our quartet used to sing this song years ago at church revivals and funerals.” We also got a reply from Janet White of Hewett, and from a “faithful reader” of Ripley.

THE CORONATION DAY
There is soon to be a meeting, free from trouble, care, and sorrow
When the saints will all assemble in the air.
‘There’ll be prophets, priests and sages,
Saints that lived down through the ages;
But they’ll never crown Jesus till I get there.

Chorus:
On that coronation day, Heaven’s courts will ring with praise
When the blood-washed army gathers in the air.
Millions sing a glad refrain,
Friends and loved ones meet again;
But they’ll never crown Jesus till I get there.

Tho’ the way may be long and lonely, deep the valleys and the shadows,
Many times the trials seem more than my share;
But if I am true and faithful, keep my trust in God the Father,
They’ll never crown Jesus till I get there.

We may suffer many sorrows, often meet with disappointments,
But the losses and the crosses gladly bear.
Matters not how long the journey,
There’s a day that’s surely coming;
But they’ll never crown Jesus till I get there.

They will come from every nation, every tribe of God’s creation;
Thru the blood of Christ their souls are pure and fair.
Of the multitudes that gather,
I may be the least among them;
But they’ll never crown Jesus till I get there.