And as you live your life and as you write your story, in whatever season you are in, may your cupboards be full and overflowing with an unexpected harvest. — J Scott Swain
UNEXPECTED
HARVEST Reflections Inspiring the Soul
UNEXPECTED
HARVEST Reflections Inspiring the Soul J SCOTT SWAIN
COWS R OUT! Books
Copyright © 2013 by J Scott Swain All rights reserved. Thank you for honoring the author’s rights. If you would like to use material from Unexpected Harvest, other than for review purposes, prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at www.cowsRout.com. First hardcover edition published March 2014. Published in the United States of America by Cows R Out! Books, a division of Cows R Out! LLC. “Touching the world with inspired thoughts . . . .” Lake Mary, Florida U.S.A.
www.cowsRout.com Images used under license from Shutterstock.com. (Images provided by these artists were altered from their original form by Cows R Out!)
Manufactured and Printed on acid-free paper in the United States of America.
Inspiration / Poetry / Spiritual LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CONTROL NUMBER: 2014903683 Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-940606-00-2
FIRST EDITION
First Printing: March 2014
For Kate My friend My best friend My wife unequaled A woman to be praised Undeserved your love for me A gift of grace your love for me Your worth beyond what earth provides Your value in what your heart contains A most precious gift that God has given to me Exceedingly the most beautiful of all women to me You are where love embraces and heals and raises up My friend My best friend My wife unequaled A woman to be praised A woman to be praised
INSCRIBED INSIDE MY WEDDING RING You placed within my wedding ring A secret message to me A reminder of your love — of your love for me It read — Inscribed inside my wedding ring Thoughts written within your heart A message you already expressed to me Inscribed inside my wedding ring It read — Well — that is to me from you And this is to you from me — Thank you Thank you Thank you
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MY HOPE FOR YOU
As you listen to the whisperings within you, in the midst of living life, may the life that you live, the life that is lived about you, and the life that is lived within you touch you in wonderful, meaningful, and sacred ways. And may you be expectant of an unexpected harvest in your life, in the lives you touch, and in the lives that touch yours. — J Scott Swain
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CONTENTS For Kate v INSCRIBED INSIDE MY WEDDING RING v My Hope For You vii Introductory Thought xvii A BUTTERFLY THANK YOU xix
A
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AND WHEN HE LOOKED AT HER HE SAW AN ANGEL 5 MY FRIEND MY BEST FRIEND 9 LAST IN LINE TO BE FIRST 13 IN MY DREAMS AND IN MY LIFE 19 ROUGH DRAFT VERSION 25
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W
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BESIDE HIS BED 31 IN YOUR TEARS 35 SOMEDAY THIS WILL SEEM LIKE A LONG TIME AGO 37 I DID NOT WANT TODAY 45 ALL THAT I HAVE 47
S
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FLOWERS ANY FLOWER 53 GRATEFUL FOR WHO YOU ARE NOT 55 SHE HOLDS LIFE 57 IN THE ABSENCE OF MY WORDS 59 WHAT DO YOU SEE BEYOND THE CLOUDS 61 I NEVER SAW YOU COMING 63
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ALWAYS LOVE 65 AS I GET CLOSER TO HOME 67 MOMENTS SHARED 69 ALL I SEE IS YOU 71 THE SOUND LOVE MAKES 73 LOVE SCENES NEVER CAPTURED 75 I HOPE YOU KNOW 77 WHO YOU ARE TO ME 79 IN THE DISTANCE OF THE DAY 81 ALTHOUGH I AM AWAY 83 ALONE TOGETHER 85 AND I BREATHE 87 YOU ARE STILL WITH ME 89 YOU HELD ME FROM INSIDE 91 A SPEAKABLE LOVE 93
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S
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LITTLE BIRDIES 99 HELP ME BE THE SEED 101 A MOTHER’S LOVE 103 PRESENT ALONG MY PATH 105 AS I BENT DOWN TO TIE MY SHOES TODAY 107 A GOOD LAUGH 109 NEVER IN THE BOX YOU PLACE ME IN 111 SOMETIMES I WANT TO CAPTURE A MOMENT 119 HOW DOES THIS SOUND TO YOU 121 INK PEN 123 HERE IS WHERE I FIND THEE 125 SHOULD YOU BE STILL 127 UNEXPECTED HARVEST 129 FIFTH SEASON 131
xii
Unexpected Harvest Prayer 135
Index of Titles (Alphabetically Listed)
137
A Thank You to Those Touching My Life and Planting Seeds of Love 141
Acknowledgements 143
Author Note 145
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INTRODUCTORY THOUGHT One day while sitting in my flower garden, a beautiful butterfly came and touched the flowers in bloom — not staying very long on any single flower — eventually fluttering over to me and landing on my shoulder, just for a short while. This butterfly, this butterfly moment, made me smile and I heard myself say, “Thank you.”
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A BUTTERFLY THANK YOU Butterfly Butterfly Fluttering by
Bye Bye Butterfly Fluttering by
Bye Bye Butterfly Fluttering by
xix
This is the story of you, the story of me. All of us have within us a story that is being written. Our story is a story that writes itself from our self: we are the ink, the pen, the paper, and the world upon which lines of life are written within our life — within the seasons of our life.
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UNEXPECTED HARVEST
AUTUMN
Autumn
AND WHEN HE LOOKED AT HER HE SAW AN ANGEL They had close to sixty years of marriage In a relationship that was built and building One day My sick grandfather While lying on his bed By the big bay window in the living room Set up and propped up by his wife To get a better view of his garden Of nature Of birds visiting his homemade feeders and houses Of neighbors passing by And really Life Just life The life of a life lived Of a life living Of life Told his wife My grandmother In my presence “You’re my angel.” “You’re my angel.” And while looking at her And lifting his arm And pointing his aged finger at her
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Unexpec te d H arves t: Ref lec tions In sp ir ing the Soul
Told her again “You’re my angel.” “You’re my angel.” Then looking back at me Still pointing at her Saying “That’s my angel.” “She’s my angel.”
Grandpa died At home In his bed With his angel At his side
And when he looked at her He saw an angel And when he looked at her He saw an angel
One day I met you And when I looked at you I saw an angel And when I look at you I see an angel
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