December Daily: Jewels

I loved this poem when I first read it, because it echoes a belief that I hold dearer the older I get: the joys of life - the jewels, if you will - are the little, everyday things that make up each day, if we will just see them. Take time to see life's jewels this Christmas!

Jewels

The jewels of life are not rare stones
To be cherished and hidden away;
They are not the diamonds deep in the earth,
For which men labor each day,
They're the little things we seldom note,
That we carelessly pass by . . .
The song of the birds that herald the dawn,
The stars in the midnight sky.

They're the fragments of a robin's egg
That we find in the emerald grass,
The crystal of the dewdrops
That vanish when morn is past;
They're the silver of the moonbeams,
Too fragile for hand to hold, 
Yet all of these jewels are there to see, 
If we only pause to behold.

They're the perfume of the flowers
That rises like incense above,
The tender kiss of a little child
Is a jewel in a setting of love;
The precious gold of the sunshine
That flows from heaven to earth,
Reminding us of the wise men's gifts
Presented at Jesus' birth.

Naomi I. Parks

Day 18 Scripture:

"And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people." Luke 2:9,10

photo credit: bluebirdsandteapots via photopin cc