Helen Steiner Rice Foundation - A Collection of Comfort and Encouragement: From Americas Best-Loved Poet

A HELEN STEINER RICE Product A Collection of Comfort and Encouragement 2014 by Barbour Publishing, Inc. All poems Helen Steiner Rice Foundation Fund, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cincinnati Museum Center. All rights reserved. Published under license from the Helen Steiner Rice Foundation Fund, LLC. Print ISBN 978-1-62836-643-3 eBook Editions: Adobe Digital Edition (.epub) 978-1-63058-075-9 Kindle and MobiPocket Edition (.prc) 978-1-63058-076-6 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted for commercial purposes, except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without written permission of the publisher.

Published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 719, Uhrichsville, Ohio 44683, www.barbourbooks.com Our mission is to publish and distribute inspirational products offering exceptional value and biblical encouragement to the masses. Printed in the United States of America.

Happiness is something we create in our minds; Its not something you search for and so seldom find. Its just waking up and beginning the day By counting our blessings and kneeling to pray. Its giving up thoughts that breed discontent And accepting what comes as a gift heaven sent.

Its giving up wishing for things we have not And making the best of whatever weve got. Its knowing that life is determined for us And pursuing our tasks without fret, fume, or fuss For its by completing what God gives us to do That we find real contentment and happiness, too.

May peace and understanding Give you strength and courage, too, And may the hours and days ahead Hold a new hope for you; For the sorrow that is yours today Will pass away; and then Youll find the sun of happiness Will shine for you again. Dont start your day by supposin that trouble is just ahead; Its better to stop supposin and start with a prayer instead For supposin the worst things will happen only helps to make them come true, And you darken the bright, happy moments that the dear lord has given to you So if you desire to be happy and get rid of the misery of dread, Just give up supposin the worst things and look for the best things instead. Step by step we climb day by day Closer to God with each prayer we pray, For the cry of the heart offered in prayer Becomes just another spiritual stair In the heavenly place where we live anew So never give up, for its worth the climb To live forever in endless time Where the soul of man is safe and free To live and love through eternity. Often your tasks will be many, and more than you think you can do.

Often the road will be rugged, and the hills insurmountable, too. But always remember, the hills ahead are never as steep as they seem, And with faith in your heart, start upward and climb till you reach your dream. For faith is a mover of mountains theres nothing that God cannot do So start out today with faith in your heart and climb till your dream comes true.

Be glad that your life has been full and complete, Be glad that youve tasted the bitter and sweet. Be glad that youve walked in sunshine and rain, Be glad that youve felt both pleasure and pain. Be glad that youve had such a full, happy life, Be glad for your joy as well as your strife.

Be glad that youve walked with courage each day, Be glad youve had strength for each step of the way. Be glad for the comfort that youve found in prayer. Be glad for Gods blessings, His love, and His care.

Yesterdays dead, tomorrows unborn, So theres nothing to fear and nothing to mourn, For all that is past and all that has been Can never return to be lived once again And what lies ahead or the things that will be Are still in Gods hands, so it is not up to me To live in the future that is Gods great unknown, For the past and the present God claims for His own So all I need do is to live for today And trust God to show me the truth and the way. For all I need live for is this one little minute, For lifes here and now and eternitys in it. When life has lost its luster and its filled with dull routine, When you long to run away from it, seeking pastures new and green, Remember, no one runs away from life without finding when they do That you cant escape the thoughts you think that are pressing down on you So when your heart is heavy and your day is dull with care, Instead of trying to escape, why not withdraw in prayer? For in prayer there is renewal of the spirit, mind, and heart, For everything is lifted up in which God has a part Somehow the good Lord gives us the power to understand That He who holds tomorrow is the One who holds our hands. Each day there are showers of blessings sent from the Father above, For God is a great, lavish giver, and there is no end to His love And His grace is more than sufficient, His mercy is boundless and deep, And His infinite blessings are countless, and all this were given to keep If we but seek God and find Him and ask for a bounteous measure Of this wholly immeasurable offering from Gods inexhaustible treasure For no matter how big mans dreams are, Gods blessings are infinitely more, For always Gods giving is greater than what man is asking for. When life seems empty and theres no place to go, When your heart is troubled and your spirits are low, When friends seem few and nobody cares, There is always God to hear your prayers And whatever youre facing will seem much less When you go to God and confide and confess, For the burden that seems too heavy to bear God lifts away on the wings of prayer And seen through Gods eyes earthly troubles diminish, And were given new strength to face and to finish Lifes daily tasks as they come along If we pray for strength to keep us strong So go to our Father when troubles assail you, For His grace is sufficient and Hell never fail you. The more you give, the more you get. The more you give, the more you get.