Poems by Helen Steiner Rice

Helen Steiner Rice's
10 Commandments

The personal commandments of Helen Steiner Rice emphasized optimism:

1. Thou shalt be happy

2. Thou shalt use thy talents to make others glad.

3. Thou shalt rise above defeat and trouble.

4. Thou shalt look upon each day as a new day.

5. Thou shalt always do thy best and leave the rest to God.

6. Thou shalt not waste thy time and energy in useless worry.

7. Thou shalt look only on the bright side of life.

8. Thou shalt not be afraid of tomorrow.

9. Thou shalt have a kind word and a kind deed for everyone.

10. Thou shalt say each morning -- I am a child of God

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This Too Shall Pass

If I can endure for this minute
Whatever is happening to me,
No matter how heavy my heart is
Or how dark the moment may be-

If I can remain calm and quiet
With all the world crashing about me,
Secure in the knowledge God loves me
When everyone else seems to doubt me-

If I can but keep on believing
What I know in my heart to be true,
That darkness will fade with the morning
And that this will pass away, too-

Then nothing in life can defeat me
For as long as this knowledge remains
I can suffer whatever is happening
For I know God will break all of the chains

That are binding me tight in the darkness
And trying to fill me with fear-
For there is no night without dawning
And I know that my morning is near.

- Helen Steiner Rice

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Everyone Needs Someone
by: Helen Steiner Rice

People need people and friends need friends,
And we all need love for a full life depends-
Not on vast riches or great acclaim,
Not on success or on worldy fame,
But just in knowing that someone cares,
And holds us close in their thoughts and prayers-
For only the knowledge that we're understood,
Makes everyday living feel wonderfully good,
And we rob ourselves of life's greatest need,
When we "lock up our hearts" and fail to heed,
The outstretched hand reaching to find,
A kindred spirit whose heart and mind,
Are lonely and longing to somehow share,
Our joys and sorrows and to make us aware,
That life's completeness and richness depends,
On the things we share with our loved ones,
and friends.

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Mother Is a Word Called Love
by: Helen Steiner Rice

MOTHER is a word called LOVE
And all the world is mindful of
The love that's given and shown to others
Is different from THE LOVE OF MOTHERS...
For Mothers play the leading roles
In giving birth to little souls,
For though 'small souls' are heaven-sent
And we realise they're only lent,
It takes a Mother's loving hands
And her gentle heart that understands
To mould and shape this little life
And shelter it through storm and strife…
No other love than MOTHER LOVE
Could do the things required of
The one whom God gives the keeping
Of His wee lambs, awake or sleeping,
So Mothers are a 'special race'
God sent to earth to take His place,
And MOTHER is a lovely name
That even SAINTS are proud to claim.

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Friendships Flower
by: Helen Steiner Rice

Life is like a garden
And friendship like a flower,
That blooms and grows in beauty
With the sunshine and the shower.

And lovely are the blossoms
That are tended with great care,
By those who work unselfishly
To make the place more fair.

And, like the garden blossoms,
Friendship's flower grows more sweet
When watched and tended carefully
By those we know and meet.

And, if the seed of friendship
Is planted deep and true
And watched with understanding,
Friendship's flower will bloom for you

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The Gift of Lasting Love
by: Helen Steiner Rice

Love is much more than a tender caress
and more than bright hours of gay happiness,
For a lasting love is made up of sharing
both hours that are 'joyous' and also 'despairing'…
It's made up of patience and deep understanding
and never of selfish and stubborn demanding,
It's made up of climbing and steep hills together
and facing with courage life's stormiest weather
And nothing on earth or in heaven can part
a love that has grown to be part of the heart,
And just like the sun and the stars and the sea,
this love will go on through eternity -
For 'true love' lives on when earthly things die,
for it's part of the Spirit that soars to the sky.

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Climb Till Your Dream Comes True
by: Helen Steiner Rice

often your task will be many,
and more than you think you can do..
often the hills insurmountable, too..
but always remember..
the hills ahead are never as steep as they seem,
and with faith in your heart, start upward
and climb 'til you reach your dream.
for nothing in life that is worthy
is ever too hard to achieve
if you have the faith to believe..
for faith is a force that is greater
than knowledge or power or skill
and many defeats turn to triumph
if you trust in God's wisdom and will..
there is nothing that God cannot do,
so start out today with faith in your heart
and climb 'til your dream comes true.

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A Golden Chain

Friendship is a Golden Chain,
The links are friends so dear,
And like a rare and precious jewel
It's treasured more each year...

It's clasped together firmly
With a love that's deep and true,
And it's rich with happy memories
and fond recollections, too...

Time can't destroy its beauty
For, as long as memory lives,
Years can't erase the pleasure
That the joy of friendship gives...

For friendship is a priceless gift
That can't be bought or sold,
But to have an understanding friend
Is worth far more than gold...

And the Golden Chain of Friendship
Is a strong and blessed tie
Binding kindred hearts together
As the years go passing by.

~Helen Steiner Rice