AT THE DOOR
Edgar Guest
He wiped his shoes before his door,
But ere he entered he did more;
'Twas not enough to cleanse his feet
Of dirt they'd gathered in the street;
He stood and dusted off his mind
And left all trace of care behind.
"In here I will not take," said he,
"The stains the day has brought to me.
"Beyond this door shall never go
The burdens that are mine to know;
The day is done, and here I leave
The petty things that vex and grieve;
What clings to me of hate and sin
To them I will not carry in;
Only the good shall go with me
For their devoted eyes to see.
"I will not burden them with cares,
Nor track the home with grim affairs;
I will not at my table sit
With soul unclean, and mind unfit;
Beyond this door I will not take
The outward signs of inward ache;
I will not take a dreary mind
Into this house for them to find."
He wiped his shoes before his door,
But paused to do a little more.
He dusted off the stains of strife,
The mud that's incident to life,
The blemishes of careless thought,
The traces of the fight he'd fought,
The selfish humors and the mean,
And when he entered he was clean.
Hello Ladies,
If you tend to look on the down side of things, the poem will help you understand how the home is so sacred, we must do what we can to curb those critical attitudes. I learned something about that years ago: don't critisize, complain, or condemn, when it comes to the home and family. Real success comes from identifying what needs to be fixed, and fixing it!!! Then enjoy the success. The other method which I call "blame and punish" does not produce progress at all. It does not train or teach and it doesn't improve anything. It just makes pessimistic people. That is largely what goes on in government, right? Instead of fixing things, they blame and punish and nothing changes. So let us begin at home!! Leave all that pessimism outside the door!
I've seen people spend more time trying to find someone or something to blame, and then attempting to punish them, when they could fix things in less time. It is just ridiculous the lengths people will go to avoid really working and getting something changed for the good.
I like the poem's message because it shows that we have a choice. We can choose to be gloomy and we can live a "giving up" life, or we can choose to go for it and live, live, live.
This is a good poem to read aloud over and over until the whole family has it memorized. Its teachings are good to discuss, too!
Nothing expresses this better than the following plaque from Hobby Lobby.com. This is the attitude that gives us the ability to create, invent, plan and build.
Today I am taking a day off to do some walking around in HL just to get some new ideas. I like taking a notebook and writing down everything I like, and noting the price. As you know, there is a cycle of sales that goes on there. One week the lamps will be half price, and another week, the furniture, etc. and patterns go on sale for $1.99 about once a month. You can get the sale schedule somewhere online.
Mr. S. likes to go with me because he likes the model car section and he is amused by the signs and plaques with clever saying.
When I come back, I hope to prepare something for a video, so don't lose hope. Maybe there is an advantage to such a long gap between videos: You will be able to see how much I have aged, haha!!!!
In the photograph of the door:
Curtain:Home made, using muslin fabric dyed light sage green with liquid dye, ball fringe sewed on and also dyed.
Lamplight: these are sold at Walmart during the Christmas season, in two sizes. I like this so much I will keep it there year-round.
Wicker chair and cushions: I got these on lay-away at Walmart almost 30 years ago!
Door: from a local building supply store. Yes, that's MY door!
As I've quoted from the Quiet Man time and again: "The house may belong to my brother, but what's in it belongs to me!!"
Foot update: Mr. S. had a foot injury back in the early part of December, involving surgery and a ten-day hospital stay. After three months of visits to at least 8 medical people, the wound care center and all the health care departments have dismissed him, with no further appointments, but we are still watching the situation and keeping it bandaged a little longer. He has resumed his former lifestyle of just going and going, and he is still working. I am the foot-watcher and I notice every little scratch or skinned area, because that is how the piece of wood got under his skin in the first place. I noticed a place yesterday that needed attention. So we are being foot-aware. Take care of your feet!! Remember real cowboys don't wear flip-flops or sandals. Even in the city, it is not safe to wear shoes that barely cover your feet. And, it isn't safe to go barefoot, especially in the kitchen!!! Leave the bare feet to the paintings by Adolphe Bouguereau.
Edgar Guest
He wiped his shoes before his door,
But ere he entered he did more;
'Twas not enough to cleanse his feet
Of dirt they'd gathered in the street;
He stood and dusted off his mind
And left all trace of care behind.
"In here I will not take," said he,
"The stains the day has brought to me.
"Beyond this door shall never go
The burdens that are mine to know;
The day is done, and here I leave
The petty things that vex and grieve;
What clings to me of hate and sin
To them I will not carry in;
Only the good shall go with me
For their devoted eyes to see.
"I will not burden them with cares,
Nor track the home with grim affairs;
I will not at my table sit
With soul unclean, and mind unfit;
Beyond this door I will not take
The outward signs of inward ache;
I will not take a dreary mind
Into this house for them to find."
He wiped his shoes before his door,
But paused to do a little more.
He dusted off the stains of strife,
The mud that's incident to life,
The blemishes of careless thought,
The traces of the fight he'd fought,
The selfish humors and the mean,
And when he entered he was clean.
Hello Ladies,
If you tend to look on the down side of things, the poem will help you understand how the home is so sacred, we must do what we can to curb those critical attitudes. I learned something about that years ago: don't critisize, complain, or condemn, when it comes to the home and family. Real success comes from identifying what needs to be fixed, and fixing it!!! Then enjoy the success. The other method which I call "blame and punish" does not produce progress at all. It does not train or teach and it doesn't improve anything. It just makes pessimistic people. That is largely what goes on in government, right? Instead of fixing things, they blame and punish and nothing changes. So let us begin at home!! Leave all that pessimism outside the door!
I've seen people spend more time trying to find someone or something to blame, and then attempting to punish them, when they could fix things in less time. It is just ridiculous the lengths people will go to avoid really working and getting something changed for the good.
I like the poem's message because it shows that we have a choice. We can choose to be gloomy and we can live a "giving up" life, or we can choose to go for it and live, live, live.
This is a good poem to read aloud over and over until the whole family has it memorized. Its teachings are good to discuss, too!
Nothing expresses this better than the following plaque from Hobby Lobby.com. This is the attitude that gives us the ability to create, invent, plan and build.
Proverbs 31 says, "She works with willing hands."
Today I am taking a day off to do some walking around in HL just to get some new ideas. I like taking a notebook and writing down everything I like, and noting the price. As you know, there is a cycle of sales that goes on there. One week the lamps will be half price, and another week, the furniture, etc. and patterns go on sale for $1.99 about once a month. You can get the sale schedule somewhere online.
Mr. S. likes to go with me because he likes the model car section and he is amused by the signs and plaques with clever saying.
When I come back, I hope to prepare something for a video, so don't lose hope. Maybe there is an advantage to such a long gap between videos: You will be able to see how much I have aged, haha!!!!
In the photograph of the door:
Curtain:Home made, using muslin fabric dyed light sage green with liquid dye, ball fringe sewed on and also dyed.
Lamplight: these are sold at Walmart during the Christmas season, in two sizes. I like this so much I will keep it there year-round.
Wicker chair and cushions: I got these on lay-away at Walmart almost 30 years ago!
Door: from a local building supply store. Yes, that's MY door!
As I've quoted from the Quiet Man time and again: "The house may belong to my brother, but what's in it belongs to me!!"
Foot update: Mr. S. had a foot injury back in the early part of December, involving surgery and a ten-day hospital stay. After three months of visits to at least 8 medical people, the wound care center and all the health care departments have dismissed him, with no further appointments, but we are still watching the situation and keeping it bandaged a little longer. He has resumed his former lifestyle of just going and going, and he is still working. I am the foot-watcher and I notice every little scratch or skinned area, because that is how the piece of wood got under his skin in the first place. I noticed a place yesterday that needed attention. So we are being foot-aware. Take care of your feet!! Remember real cowboys don't wear flip-flops or sandals. Even in the city, it is not safe to wear shoes that barely cover your feet. And, it isn't safe to go barefoot, especially in the kitchen!!! Leave the bare feet to the paintings by Adolphe Bouguereau.
8 comments:
Your endless advice is so welcoming!
From, "He wiped his shoes before his door,
But ere he entered he did more;"
to remembering to wear shoes, even in the kitchen.
Both lessons are well received.
What a wonderful poem! Thank you for sharing it, I think I will print it out and read it tomorrow during dinner.
Hello, Christine, Laura,
The poet Edgar Guest has quite a history. He wrote for a newspaper in the 1940's to keep the family encouraged. He wrote many poems on the home and the father, the mother, the house, children. I found a complete works volume of his poems and got it on Ebay. It should be a basic education tool for children and parents.
Wonderful post as always! Thank you for your inspiring blogs. God bless!
Edgar Guest has written many wonderful poems and they always make me feel a little better after reading one. Thanks for sharing your decorating ideas and sources. I am beginning to like Hobby Lobby better than JoAnn Fabrics. They might not have as many coupons but I always find fabric I like and too many other things!
I LOVE Edgar Guest poems....I think it is a lot harder to get find appropriate words that ryhm (spell???) than not.
Granted, going barefoot needs to be done carefully, but you miss out on a hugely healthful thing by going barefoot outside as much as you can...it's called 'grounding'. The electrodes from the earth enter your body and do much for your health. I can't recall the benefits, but they do exist. I walk on grass as much as possible in the warm months.
Lydia I so enjoy your blog.
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