At the head of the hollow, in fair West Virginia ,sat Grandma’s house, neath a hugh hickory tree,
A humble little dwelling, with chickens and a garden, a grape arbor, and her precious plum trees,
On each side of her house, her children built homes, so her grandchildren, always were near,
She raised food and flowers, and was the heart of her ‘clan’, surrounded, by all she held dear,
We could play in the cellar, the woods or the toilet, anywhere, besides her plum trees,
I made that mistake once, and that sweet angels hand, made a lasting impression, on me,
She’d fix us a sandwich, of canned milk and sugar, for a treat, on a hot summer day,
Sit in her swing, like a queen on her throne, smiling, and watching us play,
When us kids would argue, her eyes would grow sad, “Play Pretty children”, she’d say,
Her eyes touched our hearts, so we’d settle the fight, none could bear to hurt Grandma, that way,
Those words were oft spoken, and we’d try to oblige, but the meaning, of her words passed us by,
“Play pretty children”, was a mystery to us all, but her demeanor, made us give it a try,
It was many years later, before her sweet words, were finally understood, by me,
About the same time, my two darling daughters, were old enough, to disagree,
“Play pretty children”,slipped from my lips, and I at last understood, the mystery,
It’s a plea and a prayer, from the ‘ Heart ‘ of the clan, that the children, all live peacefully,
With each passing year, the depth of those words, lay heavy, on this Grandmas heart,
So I’ve shared them with you, so you may agree too, this plea, and this prayer to impart.
Play Pretty Children
for Lula Bell Maxwell Davis c.d.m. 9/9/09
With all the debate, inside the church, as well as in the world today, these words have come to my mind frequently. While I believe the debate is needful to establish Truth and reason, I believe we must keep our hearts, in the love of God. Stand for sure, but stand in Love. The word tells us to speak the truth ‘in love’ .Not with the purpose of proving” our ”point, or proving another wrong. But that we may all come into the unity of the faith, and the heart of ‘ Truth’, because of’ Love’. That is the only way debate is effective, only ‘Love’ never fails. I believe with all my heart the non-denominational, non-party, Heart of ‘Our Father’,is whispering,”Play Pretty Children”. I can’t bear to hurt Him that way,,, Cheryl
