TEDDY BEARS

He was known as a rough rider and a big game hunter to boot

but he’s probably more famous for the bear he didn’t shoot.

When his companions tied one to a tree

Teddy Roosevelt thought it would be unfair…

unsportsmanlike to shoot it

hence…we have the Teddy bear.

Hoping to give children something to do during this virus

a friend in South Carolina came up with a great stunt…

She asked her neighbors to put a Teddy Bear in their windows

and then send the children on a hunt.

When the family goes out for a walk

to ease their boredom…to get some air…

they could bring along a camera and take pictures of all the Teddy Bears.

Her neighbors deemed it a great idea

a way for families to get some exercise and alleviate some cares

while their children…cameras at the ready

would hunt then shoot some Teddy Bears.

So in honor of a great idea…children of our neighborhood be aware

hiding, looking out our window…you will see a Teddy Bear.

If all our neighbors who have Teddy Bears put them in their windows

this could be a wonderful game…

and imagine if neighborhoods all over the county

Followed suit…and did the same.

A Teddy Bear in every window? 

from sea to shining sea?

Could make a lot of cooped up children happy…

I imagine Teddy Roosevelt would agree

6 FEET AWAY

One thing this pandemic has been doing from the very start

is forcing us to look at life a little differently…as we stand 6 feet apart.

It’s allowing us to reevaluate as we adjust our day to day…

It’s reminding us what’s important…as we stand 6 feet away.

Yes, hand sanitizer and paper towels make our lives easier

when we can find them in the store

but our friends

our family

our children 

our grandchildren….

are the very things we’re living for.

When we can’t be together as often…

when we don’t see each other as much.

We learn the importance of that closeness…

of a kiss…a hug…a touch.

We find other was to express our love 

when we can’t visit every day

We learn to cherish a phone call…

a letter….

a smile or a wave…

as we stand 6 feet away.

And when we see people in need

whose lives have also been redefined….

we learn the importance of helping others

the importance of being kind.

When this pandemic comes to an end…

and we all celebrate that day…

I hope we’ll remember the lessons we learned 

that time we stood 6 feet away.

THE GOD I'VE COME TO KNOW

When I see people using God as a way to discriminate…

as a reason for their prejudice…their bigotry and hate

I am filled with sorrow and my heart is filled with woe

as I wonder how it is their God can differ so much

From the God I’ve come to know.

The God I know is a God of love…

a God of Kindness…

a God of care

The God I know treats everyone the same…

every creature…

everywhere.

The God I know does not hate…

not me…

not them…

not you.

Which makes me wonder… 

why, in God’s name…so many people do?

I have one wish when I see people who…

in God’s name…seeds of hatred sow

I would love to introduce them

to the God I’ve come to know.

WHERE DO MEMORIES GO?

Have you ever wondered once a memory is made if anyone really knows

where that memory ends up…where that memory goes?

Does it flow into our brain?  Is that where memories start?

If so, then how is it that some memories find their way into our heart?

The other morning I was walking…the orange blossoms in full bloom

when I was reminded of my Grandma…they smelled like her perfume.

Soon a memory of her popped up…then another memory would stir

and before I knew it there I was…awash…in memories of her.

It was as if the scent of orange blossoms opened a faucet

a spigot…or a spout

and I had to smile as memories of Grandma came quickly flowing out.

I stood there for a while as memory after memory came to me

picking them out of the air…like oranges off a tree.

Memories of her stayed with me a while as I went about my day

some lingered longer than others before eventually fading away.

And this led me to wonder as the memories of Grandma faded

as the last one lost it’s glow

where did those memories come from…and where did those memories go?

Are memories patiently waiting…always nearby…hanging around

eager to be called up by a random smell…a sight…a sound?

And then I thought…I don’t need to know…

it’s really none of my concern…

where they come from…

or where they go…

as long as they return.

DICHOTOMY

We are all created with the propensity for good and evil

These are not traits we can refuse

But it is up to us in any situation…as to which one of these we choose

We can allow our words to fly on the wings of love

creating stories filled with beauty and mystery

We can express our feelings with tenderness in a few lines of poetry.

Or we can allow our words to escape on the wings of anger

meaning many of these words we create

will be spoken in haste and fury

and will be tinged with hostility and hate.

We can use our voices to sing beautiful melodies

that gently flow into our ears

Or we can scream obscenities, call each other names

and let our voices cause panic and fear.

We can allow our hands and fingers to make beautiful art

or compose the most harmonious of scores

We can pat someone on the back, caress a loved one

and offer open arms to the less fortunate and poor.

Or we can ball up our hand into a fist

fighting with others and causing all strife…

We can let our hands grasp the handle of a rifle or a gun

and in anger put an end to another person’s life…

Perhaps the best thing to we can do…

before we begin to soothe…or attack

Is to remember…once our words are spoken

Once our actions are taken…

We can never take them back.

WHAT IS IT ABOUT STARS

What is it about stars that captures our imagination?

Have you ever wondered why 

we are so enamored with that giant Lite-Brite in the sky? 

Why do we find romance and mystery

in those twinkling little beams?

Why do we so easily attach to them

our wishes…

our hopes 

our dreams?

Why do we find so much wonder in their existence?

Why do their beauty we applaud?

Why among them do we create our heavens?

Why is it there we place our Gods?

Could it be when we walk in the night

and see the stars aglow

we realize how tiny we are and all the things we do not know?

Could it be when we look up to the sky at night

and see how she’s star-kissed

it’s easier to believe that beauty

and wonder

and miracles do exist.

Perhaps the stars are here to remind us

even in our darkest night

all we need to do is look up…if we want to see the light.

Or perhaps since imagination is a trait

that is uniquely ours….

It’s not the stars that capture our imagination

It’s our imagination that captures the stars.

LIKE A CASTLE IN THE SAND

When our heart is filled with sorrow we find it hard to comprehend

why this happened in our life…why to our family or friends?

Yet it’s preposterous to think in a world where every living thing must die

that sorrow will overlook us...will somehow pass us by.

Just as joy has the capacity to surprise….sorrow has the capacity to shock.

The pendulum of life swings back and forth...at any hour of the clock.

In those inevitable moments when sorrow descends upon our land

It helps for me to envision it…like a castle in the sand.

At the onset a castle built of sadness stands tall...seizing our full attention.

Our life has slowed and is now crowded with misery, fear and tension.

Our face which one time was awash in smile is now in constant frown

but soon our tears, like the ocean’s waves, begin to tear that castle down.

It happens ever so slowly leaving us to wonder if we can go on

until one day we awake to find that castle is now gone.

We find we can be happy again, and though we’ll never be the same

our sorrow has dissolved back into the sands from which it came.

Certainly sorrow has done her damage, causing torment, causing pain

and in her wake upon our heart a lasting scar remains.

But that scar not only reminds us of the sorrow we’ve been through

It also shows, no matter what the pain, that we can heal too.

It shows we can survive...it shows we can withstand

It shows even our deepest sorrow will eventually dissolve…

like a castle in the sand.

MUSIC OF A GENERATION

Each generation has its own music imprinted on its soul with all the emotions that it brings.

We have the beats we like to dance to and the songs we like to sing.

Our music tends to stay with us…no matter how old we get.

The music of our youth…is music we’ll never forget.

Perhaps that’s why, once the music of our generation

gives way to the next generation’s style

whenever we hear music from our past…we have a tendency to smile.

For once that music hits our ears…our hearts begin to stir

as we think about the person we are today while remembering who we were.

I tend to think of the people in my life as music…each playing a certain role…

each person is a different song…imprinted on my soul.

Some people’s music will stay with me…no matter how old I get

because the music I associate with them…is music I’ll never forget.

Perhaps that’s why once their music has been ingrained in me

once I’ve experienced their particular style

when they’re gone and I hear their music…I have a tendency to smile.

For once their music hits my ears…my heart begins to stir

and I am thankful for who I am today…because of who they were

Because like the music of my youth…their music tends to stay…

and though it sometimes fades into the background…

it will never fade away,.

JUST A DREAM AWAY

When his dream was shattered

he couldn’t understand how his life…once filled with comedy

Had changed course overnight and become a tragedy

So he traveled to the wise one and asked her,

when it comes to dreams…what wisdom could she impart….

“Your dreams,” she said with a smile, “are a blending of your mind…

your soul…

your heart.”

“There are three things to remember about dreams that apply to everyone…

even you.

The first is you must have a dream if that dream is ever to come true.

The second, when it comes to dreaming, is this reality

No dream, no matter how magnificent…comes with a guarantee.

The third thing you need to remember in this life as you wander through 

is to never stop your dreaming because your last dream didn’t come true.

For it would truly be a tragedy if for the rest of your nights and days

you never knew true happiness was just a dream away.

DO YOU BELIEVE IN GOD?

“Mommy, do you believe in God?” The daughter asked as she nestled in her bed.

After tucking her in and kissing her cheek.

“I do.” Her mother said.

“Have you ever seen God?” Her daughter asked.

Her mother shook her head.

“But you still believe there is one?

“I do.” Her mother said.

Sensing her daughter’s confusion her mother sat upon the bed.

“So is God a man or a woman?” Her daughter asked.

“Yes.” Her mother said

“It all comes down to one word.” Her mother continued

As her daughter sat up in bed.

They looked into her each other’s eyes

“It’s called faith.” Her mother said.

“Faith is believing in something you cannot see

It’s not knowing but still moving ahead…

I know right now it’s hard to grasp

but you’ll understand some day.” She said.

“And God,” her mother continued, “is not a particular person 

It’s whoever you create within your head..

The God you talk and pray to

can be a man or a woman.” She said.

They talked a little more about God

Until her daughter nodded off in bed…

The mother kissed her once more on her cheek

“Sleep tight my love.” She said.

“What took you so long.” Her husband asked

When she finally came to bed….

“Tomorrow,” his wife smiled as she kissed him.

“You put your daughter to bed.

3 BAGS OF MAGIC

Have you ever noticed when people help each other out

when they show compassion…when they show they care

when they do something nice for one another

there’s a kind of magic in the air.

Faced with the coronavirus…a virus the world can no longer ignore

the restaurant next to our bookstore decided to close its doors.

I was behind the counter in the bookstore 

There was only a young mother and her daughter in the children’s nook

where they sat on the floor together…quietly reading books.

While they were keeping busy reading and I was at the counter…occupied

the owner of the restaurant that was closing …happened to walk inside.

“We are closed.” she said to me with, I must say, the most cheerful attitude

Then asked, since they could no longer use it…if I would want some food.

She quickly returned with three bags of food

I thanked her and thought…I really can't believe it…

she seemed as happy to give me her food…as I was to receive it.

I set the bags behind the counter as the young mother and daughter left the nook

then came up to the counter to purchase their new books.

As they stood in front of me…I guess I got caught up in the mood…

I told them about the restaurant and asked if they could use some food.

As it turned out they were adopting a baby that very day…

and had just driven in from Tennessee

They noticed our bookstore on their way to buy food for the kitchen of their B and B.

Let me save you a trip, I said handing her the 3 bags of food

“Thank you.” she said. “this is wonderful…I really can’t believe it.”

I smiled…as happy to give her the food…

as she was to receive it…

With the virus wreaking havoc…on every person…everywhere.  

It’s nice to know we can still find moments…

when there is magic in the air.

MAKE A WISH

When I look back on my life I think candy, ice cream and toys

were the top three wishes I made when I was but a boy.

When I got a little oder other wishes caught my eye

I wished for friends

I wished for good grades

I wished Grandma didn’t have to die.

Still a little older yet I wished for a car

a job

a wife

I wished for a host of friends and family with whom to share my life.

Now that I am older and most of my wishes have come true

I find the wishes I make are less about me and more about you…

and you…

and you

I wish that every person…everywhere…

felt they had a place where they belong

I wish that every person…everywhere…

could, somehow, get along.

I wish that hunger, hatred, bigotry and wars would today…cease

I wish we all lived in a world that knew 

good health 

and happiness 

and peace.

If these wishes came true…

if everyday the whole world was filled with compassion, 

wonder…

and joy…

Then I could get back to wishing

for candy

ice cream

and toys.

DYING ALONE

I received a letter…a formal one…in the mail…out of the blue

apprising me of a relative’s death…one I never knew.

Since I’m a distant relation…to me his information was released

He never married, had no children or siblings and his parents are deceased.

And I remember thinking to myself as I read this letter through…

Is it possible that my heart can ache for a man I never knew?

Yes it is…because I was overcome with a feeling about this man I’d never known

and I felt a wave of sadness thinking…he might have died alone.

I began to wonder what his life was like now that his swan song has been sung.

Was he shy or kind or gentle?  Was he nervous or high-strung?

Did he have a lot of friends? I hope so.  What color were his eyes?

Was he the type of person who could laugh and dance and cry?

Did he like art or music…did he ever scream or shout?

Did he play it safe throughout his life…or take the scenic route?

Did he have someone who believed in him?

Did he own any pets?

When he knew his life was ending…

did he have any regrets?

Did his life have it’s share of joy and laughter

of sorrows sadness and woes?

of course these are some of the many questions whose answers

I will never know.

And it made me think if I had one wish

for this man…and anyone who dies I haven’t known

It would be that their life had been a happy one

and that they did not die alone.

FINDING PEACE

When our world seems so chaotic…filled with man’s inhumanity to man

We search for peace and happiness…anywhere we can

On my walk this morning as I was wondering what fortunes today would bring

somewhere in the darkness a bird began to sing

I wasn’t in a hurry so I stopped to listen for a while

and when I looked up at the crescent moon…I swear I saw her smile.

As I walked a little farther another bird sang out to me

This one was accompanied by a cricket harmony.

Still farther on my walk what was I to meet

but a moth, I think a promethean, standing in the street.

If I told you I was a lepidopterist certainly I’d be lying

But it looked to my non-scientific eyes like this little moth was dying.

“This is no place for you to be little moth.” I said, “No place for you to linger.”

So I put my hand down and this little moth climbed upon my finger.

I gently set her on a flower where she had a clear view of the sky

“This is a beautiful place to live I whispered…and not a bad place to die”.

As I continued on I talked to a rabbit…I saw three squirrel acrobats?

And even though I said hello….I was ignored by two tom cats.

The cats just stared as I walked by…their feelings they never telegraphed

and when I looked up at the crescent moon again…this time…I swear she laughed.

Who knew in a world that seems so chaotic….

all I need to is to step out my front door

And…

Listen to the birds

Say goodbye to a moth

watch some animals

be ignored by two cats 

and laughed at by the moon

to find the peace I was looking for.

BENEATH THE STAIRS

I see many wonders on my morning walks but nothing quite compares

with a little plant I see each day that grows beneath the stairs.

I’m not sure if he’s a little tree or if he is a flower…what kind

There are no other plants around him…but he doesn’t seem to mind.

I asked him once…I said, “Little plant wouldn’t you rather be

near a lake, or on a mountain top…or growing by the sea?”

He looked around and smiled saying, “This is where I’ve alway grown.

Underneath these stairs is the only home I’ve ever known.

Here I am protected from the rain and shaded from the heat of June

Somedays I dance while in the shadows…others while illuminated by the moon.

When I stop and think about it…it all seems pretty clear

to add a little beauty to this spot is why I’m growing here.

And isn’t it wonderful knowing while you’re out walking

you can find beauty anywhere…

even where you least expect it…like growing beneath these stairs.”

And he was right, that little plant…after our little talk

I can’t wait to greet him every morning for he adds a little beauty to my walk…

As I stop each day to greet him…I am totally aware

of all the beauty that would be lost If he wasn’t growing there…

I’ve had many teachers in my life…but nothing quite compares

with the lesson I learned about beauty

from that little plant beneath the stairs