WHEN YOUR BABY'S SICK

There are trials and errors in parenting…

Good times…bad times…we don’t always get to pick..

The times our children are happy…the times when they are sick.

When our baby is sick…there’s a helplessness we feel

As we hover over their bedside…wondering if this is real…

Listening to their breathing…looking for signs of hope upon their face…

Saying: “If there is any way we could stop this…we’d gladly take their place.” 

When our child is sick, we still feel helpless…we worry, we fret, we stew…

We try to meet their every need…as we wonder:

Is there more that we can do?

When our teenager is sick,…by now you think we’d be at ease…

but we’re still concerned over every fever…every cough and every sneeze.

When they become adults and they are sick…and they call to tell us on the phone

we try to hide our worry…now that they are fully grown…

But we can’t…and we subtly remind them

something we hope they never will forget…

that they will always be our baby…

no matter how big or old they get.

Yes, there are trials and errors in parenting

and only a parent can comprehend…

how the joys we share are amazing…

and how the worry…never ends.

NELLA BLESSINGS BEGIN

The other day I asked for prayers for Nella…I mentioned getting on your knees

or, depending on your faith,…sending good thoughts upon the breeze..

Well they came floating over…filling the sky…your good thoughts and your prayers

and I could feel them as they passed…when I put my arms up in the air… 

And it reminded me how life is like a roller coaster ride…

sometimes we ride without a care

sometimes we have no worries, no fears, and we ride with our arms up in the air…

And sometimes we’re filled with woe, we are scared…we are appalled.

and we hold onto the ride as tight as we can…trying desperately not to fall.

But when you ride with friends and family the good times are a piece of cake…

And those bad times that inevitably pop up are much easier to take…

Because the roller coaster is ultimately a circle and no matter how scary or how long

when you ride with friends and family the circle may be altered…

but the circle remains strong.

And that altered circle stays together…it does not fall apart

In fact that altered imperfect circle…

now forms a perfect heart.

So as we again enter that roller coaster heart…

as we strap ourselves in today 

let me thank you for all your prayers and thoughts…

and for sending blessings Nella’s way.

And as a way of paying if forward…

each day I will get down on my knees

and to anyone who needs them…

I’ll send Nella blessings on the breeze…

Today I’m sending Nella blessings

to victims of Hurricane Harvey…all those people now in need…

and here’s hoping when these blessings join with others

the waters will recede. 

ALL THEY EVER NEEDED

He worked hard all his life…so many hours on his feet….

trying to make enough money so all his ends could meet.

He was proud of the work he’d done…and was usually undaunted

as he provided his family with everything they ever needed…

If not everything they ever wanted.

But now his life was coming to an end…and with his children gathered round

he asked them all one question…accompanied by a frown…

“I wonder, have you all been happy?” he asked,

“I know how often we’ve been poor….

when I look back on our life together…

I wanted to give you so much more…”

“I tried hard and I’m sorry for all the things you’ve been denied

All those things you may have wanted…all those things I couldn’t provide.”

The eldest daughter stopped him…and wiped a tear from off his eye.

“Poppa”, she said, “stop right there…Poppa,” she said, “don’t cry…”

“We know how much you loved us…have no regrets no fear…

for whenever we needed or wanted you…we knew that you’d be here.”

“You were here to share our laughter…you were here to share our tears

You were here to relish in our joys…you were here to ease our fears…”

“The children all moved closer…their expressions gracious and undaunted

“Poppa,” they said, “you gave us your time….

which is all we ever wanted.”

“We know how hard you worked…

there’s no reason to be sad

because as hard as you worked to provide for us…

you worked that much harder at being Dad.”

Yes, he thought the work he did was important…

and it was…but in the end his children all conceded…

The time he spent being just being Dad…

was all they ever needed.

A CONVERSATION WITH THE MOON

I awake early…

before the sun…

it’s something I usually do…

Before the ebony sky of evening gives way to morning blue…

I sIt by an open window listening to the crickets croon…

Illuminated ever so softly by the light of a crescent moon…

As the light peeks through my window…a glow more delicate than the sun

I’m amazed how she awards me one moonbeam…

while extending the rest to everyone…

A crescent moon always fills me with hope…it’s the classic push and pull..

Where some may see a moon half empty…I see a moon half full…

I love to talk to the moon at this time…before she welcomes in the morn…

To ask her if from her crescent-ness…a baby’s smile is born…

Does she revel in the silence in the world she oversees?

Can she enjoy her beauty as she shines down through the trees…

Is she happy in her nightly routine…or when all is said and done..

has she ever thought what it would be like…to be a planet…or the sun? 

I tell her how I once thought I had the perfect way…

to make my Deborah swoon…

I wold offer her my heart…and promise her the moon…

But along the way I realized…I only had to promise her we’d stand…

And gaze at the moon together…as a couple…hand in hand…

And oftentimes I thank the moon….for making me aware….

of how she can enchant an evening…just by being there…

Perhaps that’s why I wake up early…

not only to hear the crickets croon

But it’s the best time of the day… 

to have a conversation with the moon. 

DO TWO HALVES MAKE A WHOLE POEM?

My friend Michelle posted this yesterday…and I paused there as on my Facebook page I scrolled…

Because I had to wonder why it’s called half and half…

I mean shouldn’t it be called whole?

And, as so often happens…with this type of odd reflection…

with Michelle’s encouragement and support…

I set off in a new direction…

For instance:

Why are people given the grade F after  A, B, C, and D…

shouldn’t we use E instead?

And why do we press harder on the remote…

when the batteries are dead?

Why does lemonade have artificial flavor…while…(and isn’t this obtuse?)

The furniture police we purchase is made with real lemon juice?

Why is the word abbreviation so long? 

And doesn’t it confound…

knowing the word phonetic 

isn’t spelled the way it sounds?

And here is something, that would explain a lot today 

It’s something I’d surely like to know…

Doesn’t congress mean the opposite of progress…

After all con is the opposite of pro…

Finally let me apologize for how this poem is choreographed…

Of course, Michelle, we could have avoided this whole thing…

For want of a little half and half.

FLOWERS IN THE YARD

Sometimes when things look bleakest when may optimism’s jarred

I take a walk around the house and look for flowers in the yard.

For no matter how much the word is filled with misery and despair…

Flowers help remind me there is beauty everywhere.

And flowers help me visualize a world where we’re all friends…

For the beauty of the garden is how the colors blend.

Life is not always easy…and it often mystifies…

But if, one day, we wish to bloom…then, by God, we’ve got to try…

Try to make our world a better place…like the flowers from the seeds

Try to make our world a better place…by our actions and our deeds.

For look at all a flower endures…through rain and sleet and snow

And still, somehow, in Spring and Summer that little seedling grows…

And its color beautifies our Earth…and brings the world some harmony…

And I smile as some of that beauty cascades down on me.

Which is why I hold every flower I see in such a high regard 

And why when my world is crumbling I like to take a walk around my yard…

Because each flower is a miracle…Its destiny predefined…

And when I stop to delight in one…I see hope for humankind.

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

As we watch our children head off to a new school year…

no matter what their age…

we realize in the book of life…we have turned another page…

For there are moments when we comprehend…life is never slowing up…

moments when it hits us…. how fast they’re growing up..

And we wonder as we watch them go…as they learn to add, subtract…to read…

Are they ready for this adventure?

Have we given them all they need?

Have we taught them how to be happy? 

How helping others will astound?

Do they know to do the right thing…even when no one else is ‘round?

Do they know that in their own way…they are each a shining star?

Do they know that they are beautiful…just the way they are?

Have we taught them how to dream big?

How to reach up to the sky? 

Do they know everyone worries sometimes…and it’s okay to cry?

Do they know as we watch them walk away…

as another new school year starts…

how sometimes the smallest things in life…

take up the most room in our hearts?

Yes, there are so many things we’d like them to understand…

as off to school they roam…

but perhaps the most important is knowing…

we’ll always be here when they come home.

MORE IMPORTANT THAN WE THINK

As humans we have a tendency to think we’re more important than we are...

More important than the trees, the animals, the rivers or the stars.

More important than the insects…the rocks, the clouds, the air.

We like to think we are superior…to all creations…everywhere. 

But stand in a field awash in a midday sun…and try not to be stunned…

As daylight turns to darkness when the moon blocks out the sun.

Or walk amidst the forest in the misty morning dawn

And think how many of these trees will be here long after we’re gone.

Or stand on a mountain top at sunset...or where the ocean meets the sand

And you quickly come to realize...we are but a speck upon the land.

When we think we are more important than the wind, the water…the land

Perhaps we should pause a moment and try to understand…

How the Earth knows, when it comes to importance, we humans are quite small…

and without all these things we think we’re superior to…

we wouldn’t be standing here at all!

TOTALLY ECLIPSED

We bought our glasses…made our plans…knew all the eclipse trends…

We were ready to share this once in a lifetime moment…with family and friends.

We walked to an open field, our group now numbered 11

And with our glasses on and cameras ready we looked up to the heavens.

We watched as the sun slowly covered the moon…it was something we’d never seen…

then the sky around us began to darken and turn a yellow-green.

At 2:37 in the afternoon the sky lost all it’s light

And we saw the corona of the total eclipse…as day turned into night.

For 55 seconds in the darkness we smiled and laughed and screamed

We knew we were witnessing something special…

something none of us had ever dreamed….

And when the darkness lifted…when the sun again began to flame

The 11 of us who were standing there…knew we’d never be the same.

For we all all changed a little in those 55 seconds it took the midday sun to set…

It was a once in a lifetime moment…one we never will forget.

You see, not only did we witness a moment that in itself transcends…

But how lucky for us to share it…with family and friends….

Yes, we weren’t quite sure what this day would bring 

though we had read the manuscripts…

But any expectations we had before it started…

were totally eclipsed.

WHEN I WAKE UP

When I wake up near the ocean…where the ocean meets the land

I marvel at how the water glistens and at the smoothness of the sand.

Some birds soar across the sky…other along the shore will run…

As the clouds are quickly shifting colors with the rising of the sun.

Fishermen are heading out while dolphins jump and play

as the shadow of the night turns into the brightness of the day

When I wake up near the ocean…when I watch the ocean thrive

I can’t help but smile at the wonder…I can’t help but feel alive…

When I wake up in the mountains there is a crispness in the air

The breeze gently awakens the leaves and I quickly become aware

how the clouds are slowly moving off the mountains after hugging them so tight

providing them with warmth and comfort from the coolness of the night.

The birds begin to sing and the animals come out to play

as the shadow of the night turns into the brightness of the day

When I wake up in the mountains…as I watch the mountains thrive…

I can’t help but smile at the wonder…I can’t help but feel alive.

When I wake up in the winter, in the summer spring or fall

In the country, in the city…I can’t help but feel enthralled…

Perhaps it’s not where I’m waking up that has me so enthralled

Perhaps what makes me happy…is that I’m waking up at all… 

Waking up to, once again, begin life’s beautiful ballet

Waking up to laugh and love…to live another day.

Waking up realizing for another day my life extends… 

Waking up to to share this day with family and friends.

Yes, when I wake up every morning…when another day I have survived…

I can’t help but smile and jump for joy…

Because I’m happy to be alive.

THANKS TONY!

Last night in the cool of a summer evening…outside under a beautiful crescent moon

Deborah and I sat together under the stars…and listened to Tony Bennett croon…

I confess we didn’t listen to him much growing up.

We never ‘dug’  his rhythm and soul…

He was someone our parents listened to…

he was not rock and roll.

But now that we’re a little older… no longer bound by the constraints of childhood…

We find we can enjoy some things…we never thought we would.

Like listening to Tony underneath a starlit sky…wondering before the night was through

why we never listened to the music…our parents listened to?

Because music is universal…no matter what type or style you claim…

Yes, the melodies may be different…but the feelings are the same…

The music floats up on the air and a part of you loses control

as the music captivates your heart…and permeates your soul…

For music has a way of reminding us who we are…

and who we use to be…

And it somehow has the power…the magic

to both invoke…and make…a memory.

And that’s what happened last night

as we sat under a waning crescent moon

we could feel our parents sitting next to us

as we listened to Tony croon…

And we may have been caught up in the moment…

there’s a chance we could be wrong…

but we’re pretty sure we both heard…

our parents sing along…

As usual…the stars were so enchanting… 

but tonight we felt…truly blessed;

for when our eyes drifted up with the music

one star shone brighter than the rest…. 

OUR BEAUTIFUL HEART

How wondrous is our heart…it performs a Herculean feat

by bringing us to life…when it begins to beat.

How enduring is the heart...it keeps beating even when we’re asleep.

And, from its depths, we learn to feel...

to laugh

to love

to weep.

How resilient is the heart…it can be loud

or quite soft spoken.

It’s able to continue beating…even when it has been broken.

How accepting is the heart….how peculiar…how bizarre…

because it beats in all of us…no matter who we are?

No matter our color, our prejudices, our race

our sex, our religion…our name…

The heart that was born within us

beats in everyone the same.

I only wish we were more like our hearts

for wouldn’t our world be blessed

If, like our beating heart, 

we were blind to the differences we possess.

And we could live a life of love…

no more hate…no more bigotry…no more war…

and pass to our children a world of peace

when our hearts shall beat no more.