Poems by Jac Judy A. Campbell

Bullseyes and targets, marbles and darts.
Little green bugs and bicycle parts.
Frogs in their pockets, worms in their shirt.
A boy is a boy for all he is worth.

Cowboys and Indians, Gene Autry boots.
Guns in their holsters that are sure to shoot.
Big mud puddles, rocks in their shoes,
A chip on their shoulder, a black eye or two.

Little red wagon, scraped up chins,
Scuffed up pants, and old tin cans.
A laugh, a holler, a tear, a shout.
Into mischief but truly a scout.

Old clubhouses, flying a kite,
Up a tree, a fall on the bike.
Skinned up knees, bruises, and cuts.
A boy is a boy when his dukes are up

C----Christ born upon this earth
H----Hallelujah, praise God for his birth
R----Rejoicing our Lord has come
I-----Immanuel, God's chosen one
S----Star shining brightly from heaven
T----Treasures and gifts Christ was given
M----Mother Mary who bore us God's son
A---- Angel, God's messenger from above
S----Savior - and Sins Christ has forgiven

Love sits on my shoulder and whispers in my ear.
It tells me how you love me and the words I want to hear.
Love is growing with you and filling in the gaps.
Love is our tomorrows, our future, and our past.
Love binds the ties together and secures them with a knot.
Love is our plans that we outgrew and the ones that we forgot.
Love is what we've had together, all these blessed years.
Love sits on my shoulder and whispers in my ear.

Mama with her babies in her rocking chair, she sings
The soothing sound of lullabies,
Her voice so sweetly rings.
Singing in her rocking chair,
she holds her babies tight.
The soft voice of an angel
Keeps singing through the night.
As children crawl upon her lap
And play upon her knee,
She sings the silly, joyful tunes
They love so playfully.
Mama sang the hymns of blessings,
With love and grace so tenderly.
She sang "How Far is Heaven,"
And "Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me."
When young years turn to golden
And memories go back in time,
She clenches now her dolly
And sings rhythm with a rhyme.
When words of songs have been forgotten,
She hugs her dolly tight.
She tries so hard to sing the words
But just can't sing it right.
She now sings la la la la la la la,
As she holds her dolly tight,

I believe there's a unique rose garden
Where a sturdy rose bush grows.
Among the twigs and branches
There sits a beautiful rose.
Though the stocks are strong and thorn-less,
The stems are never bare.
Here grows a large enchanting rose,
Her beauty so elegantly rare.
Standing out among the others,
Her uniqueness is heavenly fine.
A rainbow of many colors
Throughout her pedals are entwined.
In God's unique rose garden,
The rose will never wilt away.
The blossoms will bloom again and again,
And the rose will never fade.
In God's unique rose garden
It's a wonderous sight to behold,
To see the birth of eternal growth,
Where the rose will forever grow.

When worries and fears I claim for my own,
When I feel helpless and all alone,
When my deepest memories come to mind
And all my sadness I leave behind,
Then yes, I'll go on laughing.
When I feel I'm going under with nothing
To hold onto,
When dark shadows cloud my senses,
My sadness and fears I'll be through.
When sweet, gentle ways have come to pass
And I get my fill of sadness at last,
Then yes, I'll go on laughing.
When I give up and go on living
And become wiser than I am,
I'll try not to cry tomorrow
So this heart and soul shall mend.
Then yes, I'll go on laughing.

A fine lady.
So gallantly strong,
She stands for the good,
The righteous, and God.

At a small little church she faithfully arrives.
She walks quietly about as she silently sighs.
She greets with a hug with outstretched hands.
"How are you doing today? Glad to see you," she says.

I gently embrace her and ask, "How are you doing?
You look pretty today."
With a sad glow in her eyes, she says,
"It's been kinda rough,
But our God's on my side,
And I'm hanging in tough."

With a soft smile on her face, she sits in a pew,
Among family and friends and others she knew.
She graciously prays with her head slightly bowed,
Singing God's hymns with a soft whispering sound.

As she rises to leave, I squeeze her arm and say,
"You look so beautiful and much better today."
She speaks with a quick grin as she touches my cheek
And replies with a voice that's suddenly weak.
"It's a little rough, but you know me,
I'm hanging in tough."

She faithfully arrives at the little church
One last time.
She was carried by loved ones
And friends by her side,
A bouquet was placed on the pew
Where she once sat,
With flowers and ribbons and banner that read:

God's taking me home.
His ride won't be rough,
For my days are all over for me.
Hanging in tough.