Friday, January 8, 2010

More Fuel for the Fire

I am "sorting" papers - organizing my life. Found a page in Mother's handwriting as follows:
"Of drink and victuals and suchlike stuff,
A bit too little is just enough."

"He that lets the small things bind him,
leaves the great undone behind him."

"Freedom means you're free to do
Just whatever pleases you; -
if, of course, that is to say,
What you please is what you may."

"Our so-called limitations, I believe,
Apply to faculties we don't apply.
We don't discover what we can't achieve
Until we make an effort not to try."

"In view of your manner of spending your days,
I hope you may learn, before ending them,
That the effort you spend on defending your ways,
Could better be spent on amending them."

Mother did not give an attribution to these quotes - sorry, and hope I haven't infringed on a copyright.

And, I found this little gem in my things, again with no attribution as to author, but, at her request (see, I'm getting you into trouble, Judy), I'm including it here.

"Little pill here in my hand
I wonder how you understand
Just what to do and where to go
To stop the aches that hurt me so.

You sink in regions there below
As down my throat you quickly go,
But where I wonder, Little Pill
How do you know where I am ill?

And just how do you really know
Just where you are supposed to go?
I've got a headache, that is true,
And my achin' back needs attention, too.

But how can anything so small
End my aches in no time at all?
Do you work alone or hire a crew
To do the good things that you do?

I'm counting on you mighty strong
To get in there where you belong.
Don't let me down and please don't shirt,
But do your undercover work.

So down my throat be on your way.
And end my aches for one more day.
Don't make a wrong turn, is my lea,
'Cause I can't take another one 'til three!'

5 comments:

Dwight said...

Priceless

Ann said...

What fun.

Kemp and Sonja said...

The "gruks" Grandma recorded are by Piet Hein - poet, scientist, and member of the Danish resistance movement during the German occupation.

Judy said...

Huh? How does Kemp know. Or maybe it is Sonja that knows. These are both so good. Keep cleaning, Elizabeth!

Elizabeth said...

Kemp, I should have recognized the "grooks" (you have the Danish spelling, for sure.) When I first met Ron,he introduced me to them - he has four books of them. One of my favorites is "When you see how depressingly slowly you climb, always remember that T.T.T." (Things take time.) I knew that I liked him when he could enjoy such pithy, wonderful verses, not to say the drawings that go with them. Thanks for the reminder. (I think that Mother copied them from our books.)