Saturday, February 29, 2020

FROM THE SHADOWS

FROM THE SHADOWS

I took my granddaughter, Ava, to watch the sunset
where the ocean meets the land
And I remember being mesmerized by our shadows on the sand.

At first our shadows walked beside us…two shadows blending into one
but they separated and walked behind us as we turned our faces to the sun.

And as we watched the sun drift slowly down and a cool breeze chilled our skin
I had to smile at our shadows snow standing tall and thin.

When the sun was finally tucked in marking the end of another day
I turned around and noticed how our shadows had faded away.

And it got me thinking about shadows..of how the dark and light interchange
of how tentative is our existence and how quickly life can change

And I wondered where do shadows go?
Do they too need their sleep at night 
if they are going to have the energy to join us at first light. 

And how a shadow is like a good friend who will walk with us…
yet we’re aware
even the times we cannot see them we know that they are there.

And I thought how grandparents are kind of like a shadow
with each granddaughter and grandson
and how we will always be behind them
when they turn their faces to the sun.

How we will always walk beside them
with our support, our love and care
and even when they cannot see us they will know that we are there.

And that they should never worry
if they happen to be mired in the night…
for whenever they need our shadow…

we will gladly bring the light.



Friday, February 28, 2020

Girl Scout Cookies

I love girl scout cookies!
Whew! I’m glad I got that off my chest.
Personally I think that trefoils and tagalongs are the best

I love the taste of shortbread and that peanut butter crunch BUT
in a pinch I’ll eat a thin mint…or that one with coconut.

And even though the increase in price sometimes makes me pause
I gladly hand over the money…
after all…it goes to a good cause.

This year they added a new flavor destined to make me fat
They put lemon glaze on the shortbread…OMG…Imagine that!

Each Lemon Up cookie has an intention…a mission
an ambition…a lofty goal
Each one is imprinted with a message
to be imprinted on my soul.

They tell me I’m a leader…I’m a risk taker
unlike the trefoil or tagalong…
that I’m an innovator
a go getter
they tell me I am strong…

Which is why when I took out my first lemon up
I was taken aback…appalled 
When I read the message on my cookie 
and it told me…I am bald.

“Although it’s true, what an odd message to put on a cookie.” I said to Deborah
She smiled and said, “Jim…you’re getting old
your cookie doesn’t say I am bald
your cookie says, I am bold.”

“Well that makes more sense.” I laughed
as I boldly ate my cookie…
every bite
hoping next year they’ll add one with carrots

to help improve my sight.

Thursday, February 27, 2020

A FREE SPIRITED ROUTINE

I fancied myself growing up a free spirit
kind of crazy
unpredictable…you know what I mean
but as I’ve grown a little older I find…I like a good routine.

A routine that is predictable and filled with my favorite things…
Like waking up early and taking a walk as the birds begin to sing.

A routine that is relaxed 
kind of cozy, 
comfortable and stable...
like eating my favorite breakfast
in my favorite spot…next to Deborah at our table.

I have my favorite old TV shows
I love to watch when they repeat
Like Leave it to Beaver
Andy Griffith
and that one with Della Street

I have my favorite foods
I always smile when I greet them
I even have my favorite utensils
and my favorite way to eat them.

Wait! I don’t want you to get the wrong impression
I’m still ready to start something new 
a new challenge
a new dare
It’s just now I usually consider my options
from the comfort of my favorite chair…

Where I contemplate how my free-spiritedness 
(after all…I’m not a philistine!)
can fit in between my dinner at 6:00…

and my bedtime—9:15

Wednesday, February 26, 2020

ENOUGH LIGHT

When our heart is filled with sorrow and all we see is night
We begin to wonder…to question…if we’ll ever see the light.

If this dark cloud of sadness that surrounds us…will ever fade away.
If there will ever be a time we once again we’ll gaze upon the day.

Then somewhere in our darkness we behold a wondrous sight
as the light of one friend..one star…begins to shimmer in the night.

Before we know it another friend…another star has gleamed
and we realize, though it’s still dark, it’s not as dark as it first seemed.

Soon we notice our night is filled with stars
and we appreciate what the light of friendship can do
because without us ever noticing…
our star is shining too.

And though we understand there will forever be a darkness
accompanying what we say 
and what we do…
we also know there is enough light remaining

that will help to see us through…

Tuesday, February 25, 2020

WHERE HAVE ALL THE HIPPIES GONE?

I grew up a child of the ’60’s
together my life and the hippie movement dawned…
now when I look back at that time I wonder…where have all the hippies gone?

Those long haired tie-dyed idealists who walked around with our feet bare
who grew our own organic vegetables…who wore flowers in our hair.

Who sang and danced and laughed…who kidded and teased and joked
whose spirituality was enhanced by all that grass we smoked.

Who ate our share of granola…who drove an old VW van
who believed in peace and love and Woodstock…
and who would never listened to The Man.

Who were excited by the universe…who were filled with loving thoughts…
who lived for today and for each other and…did I mention all that pot?

Where have all the hippies gone?…all those innocent…free-spirited pups?
I imagine what happened…happens to every generation…we hippies all grew up.

Our long hair is now white or gone…our jokes are shared in tweets
our spirits aren’t as free as they once were…and we now wear shoes upon our feet.

We still like organic vegetables…but we’ll also eat at delis
and the only pot we carry now…we carry around our bellies. 

Most of us drive comfortable cars instead of those old flowered vans
Oh, we still eat our share of granola…but now we throw on a little bran.

And we certainly don’t dance as much…we never know when we might slip
for there is nothing more humiliating…than a hippie with a broken hip.

Never fear however!  It may be a little harder to pick out
what was once our claims to fame
but despite the ravages of age…we are hippies just the same.

Sure life has a way of interfering and our priorities rearrange…
but I believe the spirit we brought to our generation
and our ideals have never changed.

So here’s a toast to all the hippies out there…we may be heading over the hill
but we still believe in peace and love and I’m guessing…

we always will!

Monday, February 24, 2020

A SILHOUETTE DOESN'T AGE

I saw Judy Collins in concert last night…
her melodies once again soaring to the stars
proving angels never lose their voice…
no matter how old they are. 

And I remember thinking to myself
As she, smiling, took the stage
how I listened to her when we were both younger
before our youth was replaced by age.

There came  time…I think it was late in the show
but I really can’t be certain
when she set down her guitar
sat at the piano
and a lone spotlight threw her silhouette upon the curtain.

And I remember being overwhelmed
not only with her presence on the stage
but with the fact…when you stop and look
a silhouette doesn’t age.

And I smiled as I sat there
it’s a moment I’ll never forget
as an older Judy Collins
sang with her younger silhouette.

And I felt blessed to have seen her from both sides now
from young…and old…and still somehow
this is the illusion I’ll recall
how her silhouette showed no age…at all.

And though she’s 80 years old now
a fact time won’t let us forget…
to me she’ll always be…
and sound

like her younger silhouette.

Sunday, February 23, 2020

A BOOK I HADN'T READ


A woman I did not know and had never met before
stopped in the other day when no one else was in the store

She brought a book into the bookstore…that’s a little odd I thought
then she asked if I had read the book…I said that I had not.

She looked into my eyes, smiled and nodded her head.
then proceeded to ask me questions about the book I hadn’t read.

It really didn’t matter that I could not answer her whos or whats or whys
because once she asked the questions she didn’t wait for my replies.

She kept the conversation going without me about the book I hadn’t read
While I listened, smiled and every now and then politely nodded my head.

But in the midst of her barrage of words…as I listened to her speak 
I heard amidst her chattering…that her sister died last week.

I almost missed them when they first floated by…
so I waited a moment 
and then
as I listened more intently…
they floated by again.

She said she hadn’t been out much since her sister died and decided to take a walk
I imagine she was sad…and lonely…and just stopped in to talk.

So I kept right on listening and nodding and on my face I kept a smile
as she kept our one-sided conversation going for a while.

She thanked me as she left the store…you’re welcome was all I could say
wishing I could have done a little more to help push her sadness away.

And even though she did all the talking
and not one word had I said
It was the best conversation I’ve ever had

about a book I hadn’t read.

Saturday, February 22, 2020

THE MOST IMPORTANT COLLECTION


Dear Parents,

As your children we love collecting things…
We collect bugs.
We collect dolls.
We collect the feathers that fall from birds.
But we’re also listening to everything you say
and collecting all your words.

Your words of compassion.
Your words of joy.
When you call someone a name.
Your words of love.
Your words of hate.
We collect them all the same.

And when we get a little older
(we’re sure you won’t find this confusing)
the words we’ve collected from you
are the words we will be using.

So this is a just a gentle reminder
from the time we’re very small
the words we’re collecting from you
will become our most important collection of them all.

Love,


Your children.


Friday, February 21, 2020

THE PAINT THAT NEVER DRIES

Music is a form of liquid art that, when you close your eyes,
will paint a picture in your mind with a paint that never dries.

And being that it’s liquid…music has one solitary goal
to paint all the crevices of your heart and every corner of your soul.

Each song creates a different painting with it’s first note…
it’s christening
depending on the words….
the tune…
and on the person listening.

Music can take us to a myriad of places all from the comfort of our seat
or, before we know it, can lift us up and have us dancing on our feet.

Music can make us laugh, 
can make us sing…
can make us cry
sometimes it’s so magical it’s as if the notes are floating by.

Music can burn like fire…its heat hot enough to make us scream
It can flow fast and hard like a raging river…or soft and cool as a mountain stream.

Music can wrap us in a sheet of ice that we slowly chip away
or warm us like the sun peeking through the leaves in the shade of a summer day.

Music can feel like medicine…healing us when we’re sick
or it can feel like butter…like Butta!…as it spreads over us…warm and thick.

But as exquisite as is the artwork from music’s liquid composition
what makes it elegant
what makes it beautiful
are the hands of the musician.

For once they touch their instruments…
and we see that sparkle in their eyes
we know it’s time to hold on to our seats
because colors are about to fly.

Soon we find ourselves floating a sea of colors
and we smile
we close our eyes
as a picture is painted in our mind…

with a paint that never dries.

Thursday, February 20, 2020

IT'S TIME TO EXERCISE

My dad always told me imagination is like a muscle
and we have to find a way
to exercise it often or its strength will fade away.

He said imagination is like a movie inside your head
only you control the show.
You can do anything you want to do…go anywhere you want to go. 

Because, he said, if you look around at all of God’s creation
what sets us apart from the other animals…is our imagination.

And so he told me stories…of how he rode a dragon across the sky
of snowmen that would come alive…or whales that could fly.

Of how he would sit for hours as the wind played music in the trees
and of all the times he was invited…to go dancing with the bees.

He said he loved having scrambled eggs on a cloud for breakfast
pizza with the dolphins at noon
and a dinner of burger and fries…while sitting on the moon

He showed me how to touch the moon
He said it’s really not that far
and he told me how easy it is once you’re up there
to jump from star to star.

With Dad I never knew where real life ended
and where his imagination had begun…
and I wouldn’t change a thing about him because that was half the fun.

He’s been gone for many years now…
and I have him thank for helping me with my own aspirations 
with how I look upon the world…with my imagination…

Today I’m meeting him on the moon…
I’m bringing the burgers and fries…
because just like Daddy always said…

It is time to exercise.

Wednesday, February 19, 2020

A VACANT ROOM

At first the sadness’s overwhelmed her…
It was with her everywhere she went
She couldn’t remove it’s ringing from her years
It’s taste
it’s feel
it’s scent

She knew if she was ever going to move on…
eventually she’d have to find
a way to deal with her sorrow…
a place for her sadness to be confined

She discovered a vacant room within her heart…
it magically opened one day
and slowly little by little she began
to pack her sorrow away.

She knows the sadness will revisit 
but no longer does she fear
the moments it returns…
the moments it appears…

For those times when it seeps back out…
those feeling of sadness and doom
she will visit with them a while 
then store them back inside this room.

Now she able to smile as she closes the door…
no longer is she mad…
for she remembers what made her so happy to begin with…

that now makes her so sad.

Tuesday, February 18, 2020

LAST DANCE

His heart jumped when he saw her sitting there
so he thought he’d take a chance
he walked over, touched her hand and asked,
“Would you care to dance?”

Her heart jumped when his hand touched hers
so she thought she’d take a chance
she smiled, stood up and whispered,
“Why yes, I’d love to dance.”

Something passed between them on that dance floor
when they looked into each other’s eyes…
as they danced the night together
They’re not sure how…or why…

Their children, grand and great grand children love to hear the story
It’s one they’ll never forget
of the day their family was created
the day when they first met.

We all knew her heart was failing
knew she could no longer stand
when he shuffled over to her bed and gently took her hand.

“My heart still jumps when I see you.” He said,
“So I thought I’d take a chance.
Pardon me, young lady…but would you care to dance?”

I’m sure her heart was jumping when she said,
“Why yes, I’d love to dance.”
And when we saw her struggling to get up
we thought we’d take a chance.

You see it was they who taught us all about love
about devotion…about romance
and so we lifted her into his waiting arms
and stood near…as they danced.

We were not there the day they met
to see them dancing in each other’s eyes
But we felt blessed to be their for their last dance

on the night they said goodbye.

Monday, February 17, 2020

TOO HEAVY

A rickety old chair sits in a corner of our house…it’s a chair no one can fit in.
Which begs the question why hold onto a chair we never intend to sit in.

If you asked I’d tell you, “That old chair, the one in the corner you’re looking at…
Deborah’s dad made it with his own hands…we can’t get rid of that.

Our house is filled with children’s books…books we definitely no longer need.
Which begs the question why have so many books we no longer intend to read.

If you asked I’d tell you a secret…one every parent knows
They were all books we read to our children and our grandchildren…
we can’t get rid of those.

We have our share of knick-knacks…on which only dust accrues…
Which begs the question…why have so many objects we never intend to use?

If you asked I’d tell you…and I’m sure that Deborah agrees…
Every object reminds us of someone, some time…some place…
we can’t get rid of these.

By now it must be obvious…I believe my point…I’ve proved
The reason we can’t throw these things away
 is they’re all too heavy to move.

Not too heavy physically….for we can lift them all with ease…
What makes them difficult to throw away…

are the weight of their memories.

Sunday, February 16, 2020

IT'S HERE

Old age doesn’t burst through the door…it takes time for it to arrive…
then one day you find yourself heading out to dinner at a little after five.

Hey, it pays to get there early…there are specials on the menu to be read, 
and we wanted to get back in time to watch the news…before we went to bed.

After we entered the restaurant and to our seats we strolled
I decided to keep my jacket on…to counteract the cold. 

When I first picked up the menu…I admit I was appalled
I thought, what am I reading…a contract…this print is much too small.

And I saw our waitress’s lips move when she handed us our bread
but she must have been talking in a whisper because I didn’t hear a word she said.

As I commented on the menu’s print, how loud it was….and how cold
I suddenly came to the realization…I have gotten old.

So I resolved I would embrace it…I smiled at Deborah, my wife
zipped up my jacket then proceeded to eat my tuna sandwich…
with my fork and knife.

After the waitress said “Thank you honey!” and from the restaurant we debarked…
I said, “That was a lovely evening…do you remember where we parked?”

On our way home I commented to Deborah about how our meal tasted great
except I was a little unnerved by that old guy across the room 
who seemed to be watching everything I ate.

She happily pointed out I was looking at a mirrored wall
and that old guy watching me…was me…
In my defense the lighting was a little dim
and my eyes aren’t what they used to be… 

As I say old age does not burst through the door…
it takes time for it to arrive
Sometimes it sneaks up on you …
at a restaurant…
while you’re eating dinner…

a little after five.