FATHER’S ADVICE

FATHER’S ADVICE

My dad and I, long years ago, were walking down the street,

when suddenly a little dog came yelping around our feet.

He snapped and snarled so viciously - that angry little pup 

appeared to me, as though he thought, he could eat us up;

I turned and threw some stones at him which I always missed the mark.

But when I tried to drive him off, the louder he would bark.

“Now son”, my father said to me, “just plod along your way 

don’t turn your head for yelping dogs, remember what I say,

you’ll notice if you pay no heed to him and hold your place 

that little dog will soon grow tired and all his noise will cease;

but every time you stamp your foot and shout to him “BEGONE”,

you show that he’s annoying you and keep his following on.

It takes dog to fight a dog, post that above yourself;

when canines come and snarl at you,  don’t be a dog yourself,

and later, when you’re older grown, and petty men attack,

don’t stoop to pick up stones to throw, don’t try to answer back;

just walk right on and pay no heed to anything they say 

and very soon they’ll give up and turn and run away.

 It’s a very ancient dodge these petty minds employ,

they say the gods’ first angry make the man they would destroy 

and little dogs and little men who snarl behind your back 

will only snarl the louder if you answer their attack.

And they’ll have done the very thing they started out to do

if, being “YELLOW DOGS” themselves they’ve made one out of “YOU”

by Edgar Guest

My mother carried a handwritten copy of this poem in her wallet since childhood beginning the day that her Father read this poem.  He "lived" by these words.  I need to reread this often, remembering to surrender my anger to My Heavenly Father.

 

FOR MEDITATION:

Exodus 14:14

Proverbs 21:31

Ephesians 6:10-13