Show and Tell Friday ~ Edgar A Guest Books

I am sharing my collection of books filled with sweet poems by the prolific

poet and journalist, Edgar A. Guest

A picture taken from the inside of one of the volumes.

Edgar A. Guest with his dog, Bismarck, in 1938

Edgar Albert Guest ( August 20, 1881, Birmingham, England - August 5, 1959, Detroit, Michigan) (aka Eddie Guest) was a prolific American poet who was popular in the first half of the 20th Century and became known as the People’s Poet.

In 1891, Guest came with his family to the United States from England. After he began at the Detroit Free Press as a copy boy and then a reporter, his first poem appeared December 11, 1898. He became a naturalized citizen in 1902. For 40 years, Guests sentimental and optimistic poems were widely read throughout North America.

From his first published work in the Detroit Free Press until his death in 1959, Guest penned some 11,000 poems which were syndicated in some 300 newspapers and collected in more than 20 books, including A Heap o' Livin' (1916) and Just Folks (1917). Guest was made Poet Laureate of Michigan, the only poet to have been awarded the title. (wikipedia)
~*~

Most of these small books have a short inscription inside the cover, lovingly given as a gift to a dear recipient.

Easy reading, full of everyday life, patriotism, being a person of character, love of family and home, God and faith. Up-lifting and encouraging, written in simple rhyme ~ old fashioned values and humble living make these poems endearing.

When you're up against a trouble,

Meet it squarely, face to face,

Lift your chin, and set your shoulders,

Plant your feet and take a brace,

When it's vain to try to dodge it,

Do the best that you can do.

You may fail, but you may conquer--

See it through!

--Excerpt from "See It Through"

So many sweet examples... here is just one:

When You Know A Fellow
Edgar A. Guest

When you get to know a fellow, know his joys and know his cares,
When you've come to understand him and the burdens that he bears,
When you've learned the fight he's making and the troubles in his way,
Then you find that he is different than you thought him yesterday.
You find his faults are trivial and there's not so much to blame
In the brother that you jeered at when you only knew his name.

You are quick to see the blemish in the distant neighbor's style,
You can point to all his errors and may sneer at him the while,
And your prejudices fatten and your hates more violent grow
As you talk about the failures of the man you do not know,
But when drawn a little closer, and your hands and shoulders touch,
You find the traits you hated really don't amount to much.

When you get to know a fellow, know his every mood and whim,
You begin to find the texture of the splendid side of him;
You begin to understand him, and you cease to scoff and sneer,
For with understanding always prejudices disappear.
You begin to find his virtues and his faults you cease to tell,
For you seldom hate a fellow when you know him very well.

When next you start in sneering and your phrases turn to blame,
Know more of him you censure than his business and his name;
For it's likely that acquaintance would your prejudice dispel
And you'd really come to like him if you knew him very well.
When you get to know a fellow and you understand his ways,
Then his faults won't really matter, for you'll find a lot to praise.

From the book "A Heap o' Livin'" ©1916
Thanking Cindy from My Romantic Home for hosting Show & Tell Friday... click button above to see more.

Behold, he is praying

The following is from Alistair Begg's Daily Devotional for November 3, 2009. It encouraged me greatly and perhaps it will you as well.

Behold, he is praying
Acts 9:11

Prayers are instantly noticed in heaven. The moment Saul began to pray, the Lord heard him. Here is comfort for the distressed but praying soul. When our hearts are broken and we bow in prayer, we are often only able to employ the language of sighs and tears; still our groaning has made all the harps of heaven thrill with music.

That tear has been caught by God and treasured in the receptacle of heaven. "Put my tears in your bottle" implies that they are caught as they flow. The petitioner, whose fears prevent his words, will be well understood by the Most High. He may only look up with misty eye; but "prayer is the falling of a tear."

Tears are the diamonds of heaven; sighs are a part of the music of Jehovah's court and are numbered with "the sublimest strains that reach the majesty on high." Do not think that your prayer, however weak or trembling, will be unregarded.

Jacob's ladder is lofty, but our prayers shall lean upon the Angel of the covenant and so climb its starry rounds.

Our God not only hears prayer but also loves to hear it.

He does not forget the cry of the humble. True, He does not regard high looks and lofty words; He does not care for the pomp and pageantry of kings; He does not listen to the drums of war; He does not regard the triumph and pride of man.

But wherever there is a heart enlarged with sorrow or a lip quivering with agony or a deep groan or a penitential sigh, the heart of Jehovah is open.

He marks it down in the registry of His memory; He puts our prayers, like rose leaves, between the pages of His book of remembrance, and when at last the volume is opened, there will be a precious fragrance springing from it.

Outdoor Wednesday ~ Backyard Birds

Here are just a few of the visitors we've had at the feeder this week.

Tufted titmouse

Blue Jay

sparrows
I wasn't fast enough to get a picture of the chickadees or cardinals ~
they are more skiddish and quickly flew off.

And...
even with the chilly, rainy weather, there is another bloom on the Angel Trumpet

There are lots more Outdoor Wednesday over at Susan's place.
Click button to visit A Southern Daydreamer

Tilapia

Surprisingly good, was my reaction! I love, love, love most all foods with few exceptions. I love shellfish... shrimp, crab, lobster. But fish... ugh... even so-called mild fish... it just always tastes... well, fishy!

My husband and kids love all kinds of fish and serve it often. I have to turn the other way when they slurp down oysters and muscles and other nasty looking ocean stuff. So, when I found a package of individually wrapped Tilapia for a very inexpensive price in the frozen section of the grocery store, I reluctantly put it in my cart.

After a fast and easy preparation and just a few minutes in a grill pan, there sat what looked and smelled rather appetizing... even, do I dare say, inviting.

I served it with a lemon pasta dish, asparagus and crusty bread and planned on leaving the Tilapia for my husband.
(See, I didn't even dress the plate with pretty lemon slices and sprigs of parsley 'cause I never thought I'd be posting this recipe)

My senses thought...
hmmm... well... maybe I should give it another chance... after all, I am trying to add more healthy omega-whatever to my diet. I'll just take a tiny piece of the golden, crusty edge just to sample it...

and... i liked it. a lot.

Here is the very easy recipe:

-->

Blackened Tilapia

4-6 tilapia
2 tablespoons paprika
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons lemon pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground red pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons dried, crushed basil
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup unsalted butter, melted (I used far less)

Heat iron skillet (I used a grill pan) on high 5 minutes. Mix all seasonings in a bowl. Dip fillets in melted butter and coat with seasonings. Place fillets in hot skillet and cook 2 minutes on each side.

Mosaic Monday and Cake Mix Lemon Cookies

 recipe from the Cooking Photographer

Cake Mix Lemon Ricotta Drop Cookies

Ingredients
¼ cup (1/2 stick) melted butter
1 cup ricotta (not non-fat)
1 large egg
1 teaspoon lemon extract
Zest of 1 lemon
1 (18.25 ounce) package lemon cake mix
Canned or homemade lemon frosting (optional), whipped well

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 Degrees. Position rack in the middle of the oven and line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Parchment can be reused one time.

2. In a stand mixer beat together butter and ricotta until fluffy. Add egg, lemon extract, and lemon zest and beat until combined and fluffy. Add the cake mix and beat until combined.

3. With a mini or standard size cookie scoop drop dough onto parchment two inches apart. Dunk scoop into a glass of hot water and shake well after every few scoops when the dough gets difficult to release.

4. Bake a sheet at a time for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned on the bottom. I used a mini cookie scoop; it might take a minute or two longer for standard sized cookies.

5. Let sit on the cookie sheet for a couple of minutes and move to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

6. Once cool, whip frosting until fluffy and pipe a dollop on top of each cookie.

Recipe by Laura Flowers

Joining Mary of Little Red House for Mosaic Monday.

Stop by to see all of the beautiful photo mosaics!