JanBeek

My husband’s great-grandmother, Laura Foster, was an amazing woman. She lived 98 years. She remembered the day her mother cried because Abraham Lincoln was shot.

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Great-Grandma Laura Foster was a talented, always busy woman who spoiled her great-grandchildren with a consistently tempting, freshly stocked cookie jar. She shared her talents generously, appreciated, collected, and wrote inspiring poetry, and created beautiful hooked rugs, one for each great-grandchild.

I just discovered one of Laura Foster’s favorite poems this week while going through some old family scrapbooks and albums. Let me share a poem with you that she copied into her scrapbook.

If You Were Busy

If you were busy being kind,
Before you knew it, you would find
You’d soon forget to think t’was true
That somebody was unkind to you.

If you were busy being glad,
And cheering people who were sad,
Although your heart might ache a bit,
You’d soon forget to notice it.

If you were busy being good,
And doing just the best you could,
You’d not have time to blame some man
Who’s doing just the best he can.

If you were busy being true
To what you know you ought to do,
You’d be so busy you’d forget
The blunders of the folks you’ve met.

If you were busy doing right,
You’d find yourself too busy quite
To criticize your neighbor long
Because he’s busy being wrong.

R. Foreman, poet

Let me add a stanza of my own – in tribute to Great-Grandma Foster:

If you were busy being wise,
You’d see the world through kinder eyes.
With a heart of love, you’d live to share
Your blessings with folks everywhere.

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Laura Foster certainly shared hers.
Are you busy sharing your blessings, too?