This Year Is Yours by Alfred Lord Tennyson
God built and launched this year for you;
Upon the bridge you stand;
It's your ship, aye, your own ship,
And you are in command.
Just what the twelve months' trip will do
Rests wholly, solely, friend, with you.
Your logbook kept from day to day
My friend, what will it show?
Have you on your appointed way
Made progress, yes or no?
The log will tell, like guiding star,
The sort of captain that you are.
For weal or woe this year is yours;
Your ship is on life's sea
Your acts, as captain, must decide
Whichever it shall be;
So now in starting on your trip,
Ask God to help you sail your ship.
Yesterday's Door by Anonymous
I’ve shut the door on Yesterday,
It's sorrows and mistakes.
I’ve locked within its gloomy walls
Past failures and heartaches.
And now I throw the key away,
To seek another room,
And furnish it with hope and smiles
And every springtime bloom.
No thought shall enter this Abode
That has a hint of pain;
And envy, malice and distrust
Shall never entrance gain.
I’ve shut the door on Yesterday
And thrown the key away -
Tomorrow holds no fear for me
Since I have found Today.
Optimism by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Talk happiness. The world is sad enough
Without your woes. No path is wholly rough;
Look for the places that are smooth and clear,
And speak of those, to rest the weary ear
Of Earth, so hurt by one continuous strain
Of human discontent and grief and pain.
Talk faith. The world is better off without
Your uttered ignorance and morbid doubt.
If you have faith in God, or man, or self,
Say so. If not, push back upon the shelf
Of silence all your thoughts, till faith shall come;
No one will grieve because your lips are dumb.
Talk health. The dreary, never-changing tale
Of mortal maladies is worn and stale.
You cannot charm, or interest, or please
By harping on that minor chord, disease.
Say you are well, or all is well with you,
And God shall hear your words and make them true.
Always Remember, Anonymous
Always remember to forget
The things that made you sad
But never forget to remember
The things that made you glad.
Always remember to forget
The friends that proved untrue
But never forget to remember
Those that have stuck by you.
Always remember to forget
The troubles that have passed away
But never forget to remember
The blessings that come each day.
A New Year by William A. Ward
Another fresh new year is here
Another year to live!
To banish worry, doubt, and fear,
To love and laugh and give!
This bright new year is given me
To live each day with zest
To daily grow and try to be
My highest and my best!
I have the opportunity
Once more to right some wrongs,
To pray for peace, to plant a tree,
And sing more joyful songs!
Rise Above the Crowd, Anonymous
The world is full of people,
Content to be what they are
Who never know the joy of success;
They lack the will to go that far.
Yet in this world there is a need,
For some to lead the rest
To rise above the average life,
By giving of their best.
Are you the one who dares,
To try when challenged by the task
To rise to heights you've never dreamed,
Or is that too much to ask?
This can be your year,
For great purpose to achieve
If you accept the challenge,
And in yourself believe.
