Healthy Life Creative Life

8 Weeks In A Life
It’s just you, your children are grown.
There is no spouse, you are alone.
You have managed to secure a place to stay,
in exchange for domestic duties as pay.

You have your vehicle insurance/maintenance and gas.
Your bills are the lowest they’ve been in the past
Your phone to stay connected and for a job look
You agreed to buy food, do dishes, and cook.

$700 a month is a minimum sum
That’s $175 for each week to come
It’s a brand-new month and your bills are caught up.
You’re feeling so good you consider a pup.

You have a couple of projects in the pipeline
You know you need more so you make a sign
3 weeks go by before you get any pay
I’ll come for dinner again if I may

At this point you owe 525, but 200 dollars is what’s in your check
Where’s the rest, Man? What the heck?
So you pay $100 toward the bills,
And live off the rest as God wills

Balance now owed is 425
I’ll get this work done or take the dive
Week 4, you get another $200
“I need my money!” the creditor hollers

$600 is now past due,
What in the world is a woman to do?
Split it again and say my prayers
That the creditors are lambs instead of bears

Week 5 you bring in a big $500
You may be able to buy those collars
But wait here now, just a minute
675 is the past due that’s in it.

So you pay 400 and make the rest last
And pray these hard times will soon be past
Week 6 you receive a big fat nothing
You’re working so hard you begin huffing

Add 175 for 450 owed
Something’s got to give to lighten this load
Week 7 you get a big 1 2 0
You are thankful and grateful, but energy is low

You owe 450
So it’s not that nifty
I tell myself something’s got to stick
More jobs and clients I have to pick

By week 8 you feel like your ship has sunk
But wait, let’s look in the bottom of the trunk
Let’s see what else we can pull out of our hat
We still have things to work with, let’s use this and that

A thousand dollars comes in the door
At which point I hit the floor
All the work I’ve put in to keep things afloat
God has now fixed my boat

No, I don’t have anything left over
After paying the bills and tending the clover
By week 8 I am out of everything
For that vacation I will have to sing

For those day-to-day little expenses
Sometimes you have to pay in past tenses
Then throw in some kind of repair
and it’s enough to pull out all your hair

Everyday things cost money in life
But no one should have to go through this strife
When you work hard at finding work
You shouldn’t be made to feel like a jerk

So, what do you do? You give it to God.
Keep sowing your seeds in the good sod
Never give up and keep it clean
God will make sure you stay lean and mean

Choose to get up with a smile on your face
And God will be sure to guide your pace.

Debra Brading
July 7, 2014

Our Family

From 1643 our history is long,
A line of people determined and strong.
From this point forward our history begins.
I’m finding the secrets in all the old tins.

From the East, we moved to the West.
Each generation doing their best.
In times of trouble and times of good,
History shows they did what they could.

They served in the wars and worked the land,
And to each other, they lent a hand.
Census shows us they took care of each other,
Food and shelter from brother to brother.

Their personal lives are a mystery,
And documentation is only part of the history.
It is important today, for us to complete
Our family history so we all can meet.

As future generations go down the line,
I’d like to leave this for yours and mine.
They should know the lessons and the story,
Of their family heritage and all its glory.

Debra Brading
Oct 2013

Happiness Is as Happiness Does

One doesn’t always have to be right
If you listen to your insides, you’ll get the insight
One does not always have to be in control
At times life will put you on quite a roll

It’s also not right to put blame on others
For something you chose when you had your druthers
Never, ever put yourself down in your brain
It’s eternal life for which you train

Believing you can do it is half the battle
No matter what; don’t let your brain rattle.
Complaints are taken in customer service
Buck up or get out, you’re making me nervous

Criticizing others for what they say or do
Is just a reflection that comes back on you
What makes you think you have to impress?
Go out of God’s bounds and you’ll get a mess

Change can be quick or it can be slow
Embrace it with your heart and go with the flow
Don’t put labels on others or you may find
Someone labeling you and it’s not so kind

Fear not my children the good Lord said
My Father is with you in heart and head
I can’t, I can’t is just an excuse
For living large and being loose

But it’s this and that, and the garbage of the past
That’s got your mind bound up all tight and fast
Getting attached to too much can sometimes hurt
When the wind comes along and blows up your skirt

Stop trying to be what everyone wants
It’s time to go on your own little jaunts
So get up and put a smile on your face
Do these things daily and you’ll have Grace

Happiness is as happiness does
In the end, it all just was

Debra Brading
July 11, 2014
(Inspired by an article written by Luminita Saviuc, “15 Things You Should Give Up To Be Happy“)

Balance is the Key

God made a woman straight from a man
To obtain a balance and hold his hand
The plan was simple before the first sin
Balance each other and all will win

Both of you have your weakness and strength
Each being different can further your length
Physical strength was built into a man
To build God’s world the best he can

Women were built to nurture and care
The soft side is required within the lair
Men help women to be physically strong
Women help men understand when it’s wrong

Sometimes brute force can get the job done
It’s the men who see that the battle is won
Feed the family and build the home
Be spiritually strong up under that dome

But sometimes brute force can just make things worse
Women have always got stuff in their purse
Because she looks at things differently
A new perspective can give you glee

How to work things from the gentle side
Is sometimes something men haven’t tried
Listen to each other when the time is needed
To grow a great marriage this must be heeded

Balance is the key to everything
By working together we can all sing
Life is much more than just one voice
To partner with someone is a big choice

Where one is lacking the other picks up
That’s the way to have a full cup
Life is a bunch of give and take
What kind of life are you going to make?

Debra Brading
July 12, 2014

Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

Yesterday is gone, never to return
Living in our memories, images we burn
Some will make us laugh and some will make us cry
Yesterday, we said good-bye

Today is a gift, and all things can be new
A new day, a new chance, and new memories too
We all have a choice as to how the day goes
So dance through your day on the tip of your toes

Be kind to each other and spread a big smile
You just never know who may be walking a mile
Make the day the best it can be
Because tomorrow, it will be a memory

Debra Brading
11/22/15

What Makes Me Tick?

Sitting here thinking about what makes me tick
Into place it all went click
From Grandmother one I learned about God
How to grow a garden and plant a pod

From Grandmother two, family is what it was all about
Big gatherings at holidays and the food was stout
Both Grandfathers taught me strength in their ways
Both were no-nonsense and could see through the haze

From my Dad I received patience abound
A love for life and all of nature around
From my Mom came great strength too
Half German and Irish no time to be blue

All of them were about ‘get up and do what you must’
Don’t just eat the inside and leave the crust
Life is too short to live it half way
Do your best always and you’ll have peace where you lay

Be kind and loving and manners you mind
Or swats can come quickly upon your hind
It was loving discipline for our own good
That kept us safe and out of the hood

I am all of this and so much more
Family and experience, with God at the core
The sum of my life is who I am
A child of God, close to the Lamb

Debra Brading
July 19, 2014

Recipe for Healing

So, the doctor says the news is certainly not the best.
You feel the weight of life, just sitting on your chest.
Like a punch from a glove, it hits you in the heart,
To know that it is possible, you may just have to part.

But then, God within you, takes over clear and strong.
You have a job to do now, it may be short or long.
Envision in your mind, the cancer cells are dying.
With every day you open your eyes, you keep right on trying.

Envision in your mind, as clear as clear can be,
A perfect body, full of light, for everyone to see.
Envision in your mind with all the passion you can chew,
Those little suckers running off and leaving at your queue.

Search out those foods that help us heal.
God will point you to the right meal.
Keep your body moving and laugh all you can.
Watch all of those comedies you never have time for, Man!

It’s the perfect combination and you must come to it.
The healing powers of the trio; mind, body, and spirit.
God gave us everything we need, right here on this great Earth.
Partner God and medicine; you’ll have a whole new birth.

The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, in their images we are made.
With perfection on our side, of what are we to be afraid?

Blessed Be!
Debra Brading
September 14, 2014

Quiet

Quiet is not silent.
Quiet can be pretty noisy.
Coffee pot brewing with a rhythmic hum.
Ice maker sounds like a wind-up toy.

Sirens in the distance…help is on its way.
The song of a sparrow and the hoot of an owl.
The wind swirls leaves as it blows by the window.
School children laugh on their way to the bus.

Neighbors are leaving to start their day jobs.
And the sound of the fly caught inside of the window.
So many sounds to life.
So many sounds to nature.

No, quiet should not be silent.
Quiet is knowing life.
Quiet is sensing self.
Quiet is listening so you can hear.

Debra Brading
April 18, 2015

Look At Self First

To change a child’s behavior, you first must change your own.
Children are a gift from God, given to us on loan.
Feed them, clothe them, and keep them safe.
Raise them up in God’s good Grace.

The choices you make, they will see.
Be very careful what you put in your tea.
They model what they see and hear.
From their environment far and near.

From home to school, church and more.
Mind your manners inside the store.
Show them good things and if you don’t know how.
Open a book and do your homework now.

Possibly some changes YOU need to make.
To show your kids how to refuse the cake.
But don’t just sit there and tell them NO.
And then go off and do your own show.

Children need to know the “why.”
Taught respect and not to lie.
Children need good food to grow.
For heart and soul, and so they’ll know.

They need your love and time most of all.
Just listen, converse, or even throw a ball.
Get them outside and let them run.
Fresh air is great with a little sun.

Respect them with a parental hand.
And they’ll spread sunshine across the land.
Being a parent is hard to do.
You have to be doctor, warden, and sculptor too.

No one is perfect but you can come close.
Look at self, first or you’ll get a big dose.

Debra Brading
July 15, 2014

I am Rich
I may not have money but I am very rich.
Experience and lessons sewn stitch by stitch.
The purpose of life is not to gain money.
Tell that to some and they’ll think it’s funny.
Some people can’t see past the end of their nose.
Their world is so small it could fit in a hose.
The world does not revolve around me.
In the whole scheme of things, I’m the size of a pea!
But God created me to do my part.
Love other people and give of my heart.
For that, there is no money needed.
Tending God’s garden and keeping it seeded.
The Earth is the Garden into which we were all born.
Good deeds are the seeds that grow fruit for the horn.
You don’t need money to have the world at your feet.
You already have it, so you don’t have to cheat.
Make others feel special and say a kind word.
Being mean and hateful is completely absurd.
God expanded my vision so there is more I see.
I have a small part to play in the world around me.
When I do my part, I am at peace.
I sleep comfy in my flannel and fleece.
When God calls me to do a job.
He equips me to handle grabbing that k**b.
So yes, I am rich beyond belief.
Knowing I am God’s child is such a relief.
Debra Brading
March 22, 2015