~The Seasons of The Soul

Why am I cast down
and despondently sad

When I long to be happy
and joyous and glad?

Why is my heart heavy
with unfathomable weight

As I try to escape
this soul-saddened state?

I ask myself often,
"What makes life this way,
Why is the song silenced
in the heart that was gay?"

And then with God's help
it all becomes clear,

The soul has its seasons
just the same as the year--

I too must pass through
life's autumn of dying,

A desolate period
of heart-hurt and crying,

Followed by winter
in whose frostbitten hand

My heart is as frozen
as the snow-covered land.

Yes, we too must pass through
the seasons God sends,

Content in the knowledge
that everything ends.

And oh what a blessing
to know there are reasons

And to find that our soul
must, too, have its seasons--

Bounteous seasons
and barren ones too,

Times for rejoicing
and times to be blue--

But meeting these seasons
 of dark desolation

With strength that is born
of anticipation

That comes from knowing
that autumn-time sadness

Will surely be followed
by a springtime of gladness.

~Helen Steiner Rice

~Fathers Are Wonderful People

Fathers are wonderful people
too little understood,

And we do not sing their praises
as often as we should.

For somehow Father seems to be
the man who pays the bills,

While Mother binds up little hurts
and nurses all our ills.

And Father struggles daily
to live up to his image

As protector and provider
and "hero of the scrimmage,"

And perhaps that is the reason
we sometimes get the notion

That Fathers are not subject
to the thing we call emotion.

~Helen Steiner Rice

~Prayers Can't Be Answered Unless They Are Prayed

Life without purpose is barren indeed--
There can't be a harvest unless you plant seed,

There can't be attainment unless there's a goal,
And man's but a robot unless there's a soul.

If we send no ships out, no ships will come in,
And unless there's a contest, nobody can win,

For games can't be won unless they are played,
And prayers can't be answered unless they are prayed.

So whatever is wrong with your life today,
You'll find a solution if you kneel down and pray

Not just for pleasure, enjoyment, and health,
Not just for honors and prestige and wealth,

But pray for a purpose to make life worth living,
And pray for the joy of unselfish giving,

For great is your gladness and rich your reward
When you make your life's purpose the choice of the Lord.

~Helen Steiner Rice

The Gift of Friendship

Friendship is a priceless gift
That can't be bought or sold,

But its value is far greater
Than a mountain made of gold.

For gold is cold and lifeless,
It cannot see nor hear,

And in your times of trouble,
It is powerless to cheer.

It has no ears to listen,
No heart to understand.

It cannot bring you comfort
Or reach out a helping hand.


So when you ask God for a gift,
Be thankful that he sends,

Not diamonds, pearls, or riches,
But the love of a real, true friend. 

~Helen Steiner Rice 

~Before You Can Dry Another's Tears

Let me not love a Idle that's free
From the things that draw me close to Thee.

For how can I ever hope to heal
The wounds of others I do not feel?

If my eyes are dry and I never weep,
How do I know when the hurt is deep?

If my heart is cold and it never bleeds
How can I tell what my brother needs?

For when ears are deaf to the  beggar's plea
And we close our eyes and refuse to see

And we steel our hearts and harden our mind
And we count it a weakness whenever we're kind,

We are no longer following the Father's way
Or seeking His guidance from day to day--

For without crosses to carry and burdens to bear,
We dance through a life that is frothy and fair,

And chasing the rainbow we have no desire
For roads that are rough and realms that are higher.

So spare me no heartache or sorrow, dear Lord
For the heart that is hurt reaps the richest reward,

And God enters the heart that is broken with sorrow
As He opens the door to a brighter tommorrow,

For only through tears can we recognize
The suffering that lies in another's eyes.

~Helen Steiner Rice

~A Tribute To Daughters

Every home should have a daughter,
for there's nothing like a girl

To keep the world around her
in one continuous whirl.

She is soft and sweet and cuddly,
but she's also wise and smart,

She's a wondrous combination
of a mind and brain and heart.

And even in her baby days
she's just a born coquuette,

And anything she really wants
she manages to get,

For even at a tender age
she uses all her wishes,

And she can melt the hardest heart
with the sunshine of her smiles.

She starts out as a rosebud
with her beauty unrevealed,

Then through a happy childhood
her petals are unsealed....

She's soon a sweet girl graduate,
and then a blushing bride,

And then a lovely woman
as the rosebud opens wide...

And some day in the future,
if it be God's gracious will

She, too, will be a mother
and know that reverent thrill

That comes to every mother
whose heart is filled with love

When she beholds the "angel"
that God sent her from above,

And there would be no life at all
in this world or the other

Without a darling daughter
who, in turn, becomes a mother!

~Helen Steiner Rice