OUR SHADOWS

 

The sun and moon may seem like polar opposites but similarities abound…

They’re both round, inhabitants of the sky and they both cast shadows on the ground.

They are both bright, share their light…each one rises and each one sets

and it’s only under their light we discover our changing shadows and shifting silhouettes.

The shadows they cast are sometimes tall…sometimes wide…in the wind they dance a beautiful ballet…every now and then they hide…we can watch them fade away.

Is this just another example of the scope of Mother Nature’s reach…

or could this be another lesson she’s subtly trying to teach?

Yes Mother Nature is amazing…her wisdom continues to astound…

as she reminds us how the light we share casts our shadows on the ground. 

If we are blessed enough to be the light in someone’s life…

then how long that light will last…

depends a great deal…on the shadows that we cast.

Sometimes the shadows we cast on others need to be tall…sometimes wide…

sometimes they need to be short…sometimes they need to hide.

Shadows tall and wide…willing to walk with us when we need a smile, a laugh or shed a tear…shadows that know when they’re not needed and silently disappear.

Shadows cast from our light…

meant to enhance our friends's and family’s beautiful ballets…

Shadows we hope they will long remember…

long after our shadow fades away.

HIS GRANDMA

 

His grandma was there when he was born…

or so his family told him.

After all the family had their turn, the story goes, 

she was the last to hold him.

They tell him how his grandma held him in her arms…

how she gently rocked him side to side…

they tell him how she smiled…they tell him how she cried.

His grandma was there to teach him about life…how to love…and how to give.

His grandma believed a world of peace, love, and acceptance is where we we’re meant to live.

Even as they both grew older and spent more time apart…

his grandma’s arms and eyes and ears were always open to him…she called them the gateway to her heart.

He was there when his grandma died…

after his mom and dad…he was the last to hold her.

“I love you Grandma. I’m going to miss you.” were the last words he ever told her.

As he held her in his arms and gently rocked her side to side…

his family will remember how he smiled…how he cried.

For, as he held her that last time…

the same way she held him at his birth…

he wondered what life would be like if Grandmas ruled the Earth.

Through their eyes perhaps we’d see everyone as our sister and our brother…

Through their ears perhaps we’d begin to listen a little more to one another.

Through their open arms perhaps we’d find a world of peace…

without a need for war…or guns…

where children are not left without parents…and parents without daughter and sons.

Of course he can’t be sure what life would be like if, from the moment of our birth, the politics were different…

and grandmas ruled the Earth.

But what made him cry and smile that day

as he said his last good-bye

was holding her and thinking to himself…

perhaps it’s time we try.

FORTY SIX CENTS

 

Forty-six cents doesn’t seem like much when looking at the vastness of the universe…

It’s the amount of change you might find in your sofa, in your pocket or at the bottom of your purse.

But the other day, behind the counter, selling books in our bookstore…

I realized how forty-six cents can be worth a whole lot more.

It started with a young couple who purchased some books then paid in cash…

(these days a rare event)

They paid with a fifty-dollar bill which meant I owed them forty-six cents.

Pleased with their purchase and filled with a happiness they didn’t try to hide…

“We don’t need the change.” They said. “Pay it forward…let it ride.”

A little while later a young boy walked into the store…with a purposeful, determined look

He placed his purchase on the counter saying with a smile,
“I’ve been saving up to buy this book!”

“Twenty dollars and forty-six cents.” I said and saw the pride within him mount…

as he reached into his pocket and brought his money out.

He un-crumpled on the counter two fives and ten ones…

It was here I saw his face contort…

when he realized he had the twenty dollars…but was forty-six cents short.

I told him about the young couple their generosity and their intent…

then to his twenty dollars…I added their forty-six cents.

He took his book with a smile and a thank you…then he was on his way…

and I hoped that somehow that young couple would know they made that young boys day.

But this story doesn’t end there…in line watching was an older woman from England…

(you know that place across the pond)

who, when she heard the story, was eager to respond.

“I owe you sixteen cents.” I said but with an excitement she couldn’t hide…

“If its okay with you,” she smiled…”I’d like to let it ride.”

I’m not sure where it will end…

this wonderful chain of events….

but I know it began in our bookstore…

and it started with forty-six cents.

IT SEEMS NATURE HAD OTHER PLANS

 

IT SEEMS NATURE HAD OTHER PLANS

Our plan was to take a morning walk along the beach..as plans go it was a simple one…and once we arrived we headed south and east…toward the rising sun.

But a short time after arriving we soon became aware of what can only be described as an odiferous odor…wafting through the air.

We thought it might be red tide so…and since we hand’t walked too far…

dejectedly we turned around for the walk back to our car.

But then…for reasons we’ll never know…we felt almost immediately blessed…

because the odor quickly dissipated as we walked to the north and west.

We’ve walked this beach for many years…we didn’t think it held surprises anymore…but that morning we were treated to wonders we hadn’t seen or heard before.

The high tide had come and gone…we could see how far up the shore she reached…but what truly took us by surprise was, in her wake, what she left painted on the beach

Sea urchins, crabs, a sand dollar…a starfish…we wondered how can this be?  

Shells in a multitude of shapes and colors as far as our eyes could see.

And we were not the only ones enjoying the tides early morning surprise…

there were snails, clams, oysters and crabs trying new shells on for size.

And if we weren’t feeling blessed enough seeing the sights as the ocean ebbed and flowed…out in water dolphins…pods of dolphins…began putting on a show.

They were swimming, jumping partying all the time while being fed…

They even had time to smile at the pelicans skimming above their heads.

Here’s an interesting fact…that might seem a little odd…

but a group of pelicans and a group of dolphins…they’re both called a pod.

Yes, walking to the north and west we were treated to a host of new and different sights and sounds….

And we realized if we wanted to catch the sunrise…all we had to do was turn around.

Our plan was to walk in the direction we alway walked…along the beach in the early morning that day…

But often we have found…the treasures that abound…when we let nature lead the way.

NEST TIME...WE INVITE TH ANTS

 

Our Thanksgiving preparations were going smoothly…we had no reason to protest

until, that is, the arrival of some uninvited guests.

You see this year we decided to buy a pie…billed as world famous…best in show…

What does the best apple pie in the world taste like?

I guess we’ll never know.

For we have a sugar ant problem…we work hard to keep them at bay…

and though we didn’t invite them to our Thanksgiving…they showed up anyway.

We bought our pie the day before and snuck it in our house…

we didn’t want the ants to hear us…

because sugar ants…as small as they are…do not respect…or fear us.

That expensive world famous pie was for our loving family to share…

So we hid it high up on a cabinet…away from the kitchen…

thinking the ants would never find it there.

We knew that sugar ants…being so small…the tiniest crevices they can fit through…

but we never dreamed when we hid our pie…they could climb mountains too.

The next morning…Thanksgiving morning…I knew exactly what had happened

when I heard Deborah’s harrowing cry…

the ants we thought we had outsmarted….were now crawling on top of our pie.

“Maybe they’re just on the top.” Deborah hoped as she frantically brushed them aside…

“There’s only one way to find out.” I said. “We must take a look inside.”

So I cut a large slice of that award-winning apple pie…it was thick and juicy and fat.

“Hey, Deborah,” I asked, “in an apple pie…should things be moving around like that?”

Ants were crawling, swimming, spinning…when they saw us the didn’t ever stop!

It was as if they were all little children…let loose in a candy shop.

“Maybe warmed up with some ice cream on top no-one will notice.” I said unabashed.

but Deborah only gave me a dirty look as she threw our world famous pie into the trash.

Christmas is just around the corner and being outsmarted once…

we’re not taking going to take a chance…

We will be buying two pies for Christmas this year…

one for us

and another one for the ants.

THE CHRISTMAS THAT ALMOST WAS

 

One of our favorite Christmas traditions in our home…our habitat..

is to write everyone’s name on a separate sheet of paper and throw them in a hat.

On Thanksgiving the hat is shaken then passed around to everyone on the floor…

who pick the name of the person they’ll be buying a present for.

It’s a wonderful tradition born out of the desire to teach the meaning of giving 

and the need for thrift…

as everyone only buys one present and everyone receives only one gift.

I’ve been known in my family to do a little magic and some pranks…this is true…

and this story is about the one Christmas I deftly combined the two.

Since it’s supposed to be a secret…the name you are assigned…

in the hat we passed around one Thanksgiving all the names inside it…were mine!

You see I was in charge of writing the names and passing the hat around too…

which made this prank and unexpected magic trick easy for me to do.

The hat was passed…the names were picked…my plan was working beautifully…

each family member opened their paper, read the name…and secretly smiled at me.

I would have eventually told the truth that night…at least that’s the story I like to tell…

but I never got the chance because it seems the members of my family can’t keep a secret very well.

I wasn’t there to hear their conversations…which, in retrospect, I am glad…

when Deborah found out she had me…

and all our children.. found out that they had Dad.

I had another hat ready…which, of course, we passed around then…

and I smiled wondering if my children…would ever trust me again…

Yesterday as is our tradition we passed the hat…

it went smoothly…as it always does

And I smiled…as I always do…

thinking about….

the Christmas that almost was.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

 

In the three preceding poems I penned quite recently

I wrote how I was thankful for my house, my friends…my family.

But house and friends and family are mere words that by themselves have no appeal…

What gives them their beauty…their allure, their significance…is our ability to feel.

I’m thankful for as long as I can remember…from the time I was a boy

how I could feel…happiness…pleasure…ecstasy…awe…excitement..joy.

I’m thankful for my confidence…my pride…my self esteem…

for my ability to imagine, to wish, to hope…to dream…

And though I am truly thankful for all the wonders listed above…

I believe I am most thankful for my ability to love.

Love is a magnificent creation…an incredible gift…for it has this wonderful ability

to enhance the way we feel about ourselves, our house, our friends…our family.

The fact we can feel love…in all its forms…both big and small

is, perhaps, when you stop to think about it…the greatest gift of all.

But the ability to feel…as wonderful as it can be also has a darker side…

It opens us to feelings of sorrow and misery…feeling we can’t hide.

It stands to reason…if we have the ability to feel joy…we will also feel pain…there will be tiimes we bask in the sunshine…and times we must endure the rain.

But I have found what makes the joy more joyous and the sorrow go down more easily..

is our ability to love and to feel the love of our friends and family.

So this Thanksgiving when in your house…with friends and family…convening….

rejoice and remember it’s our ability to love and be loved that gives our life its meaning.

Love can to make a house a home…

It connects us with friends and family…

it can energize…soothe…and heal

which is why this Thanksgiving…as I do every day…

I give thanks for my ability to feel.

THANKFUL FOR MY FAMILY AND ALL THE FAMILIES OUT THERE

 

I mentioned I am thankful for my house, my friends and how important they are to me…

Today I’d like to add how I’m thankful for my family.

I’m thankful for my parents, my brothers, my children, my grandchildren…my wife…

I’m thankful they have miraculously found their way into my life.

There are some people who mistakenly think the traditional family has been disbanded…but as for me…I like to think…its definition has expanded.

Divorce brought our two families together…and though at times it can be complicated…

when our two families joined…a new family was created.

It’s not the ‘traditional’ family we were brought up thinking of…

but it’s a family, like every family…built on trust and fueled by love.

Consistent…unconditional love…which is not always as easy as it sounds…

but it is what makes the family flourish…what makes the world go round.

If this type of love and caring a family comprises…

then it stands to reason…families…can come in many shapes and sizes.

Parents can be together, divorced, single, young, old…even the same sex too

which means families can be traditional, untraditional, extended and come in different hues.

I think as time marches ever onward…the definition of family will always be changing

never constant in its makeup…but constantly rearranging.

To those of you who think the family is dead and no longer the way your God designed it…What if the family is thriving and your God just redefined it?

I am thankful for my family today…for their love and all the things their love can do…

and I know tomorrow…whatever my family looks like…I’ll be thankful for that too.

Perhaps, one day, we won’t care what a family looks like…

what parents we’re assigned…

which makes me wonder if, all along, that wasn’t part of God’s design.

THANKFUL FOR FRIENDS

 

This is a week to give thanks…to look around us…to explore

and to think about all we we have in life…that we are thankful for

Yesterday I was thankful for our house…and all the years it’s seen us through

Today I’m thankful for all the friends I have…every friend I ever knew. 

I’m thankful for my old friends…for old friends carry this truth…

they help me mark the passage of time…while reminding me of my youth.

With old friends we share memories of good times we thought would never end…

for nothing sweetens up a memory…like the laughter of old friends..

I am thankful for my present friends…who always find a way…

no mater what the circumstances…to brighten up my day.

Friends who only offer friendship…knowing at times the journey will be rough…

who know by the smiles they awaken…their friendship is enough.

I’m thankful to have lived a life…where different friends have visited me…

friends I know that I can count on…

and friends who know they can count on me.

And while I’m being thankful for old and present friends…

no friend recognition would be complete…

without adding thanks for all my new friends  

those friends I’ve yet to meet.

OUR DREAM HOUSE

 

As I began my walk this morning…before the streets of the city I roamed…

I turned around and thanked our house…our house we call our home.

Over 30 years ago, when we were married, (that time is much shorter than it seems!)

we were going to build a house…a house that matched our dreams.

This house was to be our first house…that’s what we believed.

We never dreamed this house would be the house we’d never leave.

We were going to build a bungalow…that’s the dream house we designed…

but with children to feed and bills to pay…life had other things in mind.

For 34 years and counting this is the house where we have stayed.

It’s where we watched our children grow…where they laughed and cried and played.

It’s where we watched our grandchildren grow…why we can never move away…

It’s where our family comes together to celebrate holidays.

It’s where we’ve all left memories in any nook or cranny you might comb.

It’s where…along the way…this house became our home.

We never dreamed when we moved in her how quickly 34 years would pass…

never dreamed our first house…would also be our last.

And I stand her thankful we have our dream house…

thankful I’ve changed my point of view….

for now I know our dream house…

any dream house…

is the house where dreams come true.

a one of a kind day

 A ONE OF A KIND DAY

I’d like to take this occasion…a brief moment if I may….

to explain how our yesterday was special…a one-of-a-kind day.

I woke up (which is a good thing) and on my walk under the stars and smiling moon

I was greeted by three rabbits, two owls and a raccoon .

Then I took another walk with Deborah…to the marina where we were pleasantly surprised….how the morning came alive as the sun began to rise.

We went to a quilt show…)Deborah loves the way their shapes and colors blend)…

and while admiring the quilts…we reconnected with old friends. 

Next we were off to a Craft Fair and a Farmers Market under a cloudless sky of blue

Where we bought a lemon blueberry muffin for us and a Christmas gift…for…I’m not telling who.

Got home heard from our daughter and granddaughter…who were North Carolina bound….who after leaving at two in the morning…had arrived there safe and sound.

We packed our bags and took a mini-road trip to Crystal River where we stayed at a Holiday Inn…(we love even mini-road trips to places we’ve never been.)

From there we attended my brother Mark’s retirement party…where at the main table we were entrenched…as Citrus County celebrated Mark’s 30 years on the bench.

Amidst the stories told of Mark…between the laughter, love and cheers

we visited with members of our family whom we hadn’t seen in years

As different friends and colleagues spoke…as I listened to the stories they all weaved…

I couldn’t help but be amazed…and proud…at all the things Mark has achieved.

I mean you know you’ve touched a lot of lives…you know your influence is widespread…when at your retirement party you’re given your own bobble-head!

We ate, we sang, we laughed….and I imagine some people cried….

when they saw me on the dance floor…attempting the Cha-Cha Slide.

We said goodby to one another and as we walked out under that same smiling moon…

We all promised…yes, we promised…to do this again real soon.

That was a one-of-a-kind day Debrah said as we arrived back at the hotel…

just before our day was through….

and I had to smile because I’m pretty sure…

tomorrow will be a one-of-a-kind day too.

A RAMINDER ABOUT MIRACLES

 

A REMINDER ABOUT MIRACLES

Today…a reminder about all the miracles around us…

(some within this poem I shall mention)

and how we don’t have to look very hard to find them…

but we do have to pay attention.

Our neighbor is pregnant with their second child…

Is there any more amazing wonder on Earth…

In humans…

in animals…

in plants…

than the miracle of birth?

Eyes that see…

ears that hear…

our non-stop beating heart…

brains that can think…

and minds that can create poetry…music and art.

Sunrises…

sunsets…

a moon and stars that glow…

falling leaves 

the wind

summer rains which in the winter turn to show

Clouds…

rainbows…

friendships…

different colors in the sky…

the endless sands along the beaches…

the evolution of a butterfly.

The way all miracles interact…why it’s like we’re all of one relation…

as if that was the intention in the miracle of creation.

These are just a few of the miracles I’ve seen…some of the miracles I have known…

I’ll stop now with the hope you’ll discover miracles of your own.

Remembering the creators placed miracles all around us…

for it was their intention…

we wouldn’t have to look too hard to find them…

but we do have to pay attention.

REMEMBERING THEIR SMILES

 

They noticed the older couple up ahead of them…their hands were interlaced…

The woman leaning up against the man…his arm around her waist.

Standing at the water’s edge…he gave her an embrace.

then he stepped back, said “Smile”…as he put his camera to his face.

They walked up to them instinctively…knowing what to do

“Would you like us to take your picture?” they asked, “a picture of the two of you?

They took their picture, then another…and suddenly…when their picture taking was through…

the old man grabbed his camera and asked “May I take a picture of you?”

They chatted together for a while even filled a few more camera frames… 

by the time they were ready to part they knew each others names.

They hugged goodbye glad to be a part of brightening each other’s day.

until they felt the old man’s touch upon their shoulders as they turned to walk away.

“I just want to thank you”, the old man said, “for taking our picture.”

“For the attention to us you paid…

for your smile…for your kindness…

for the memories we made.”

He said he and his wife had traveled the world together

he spoke of the memories they’d amassed

but, he told them wistfully, his wife was dying and this trip would be their last.

He said they’ve found that some of the greatest moments in life 

are the the moments unrehearsed

and he thanked them again for making one of their last memories together

as beautiful as their first.

They looked into each other’s eyes…she gave his sleeve a tug

then they turned around, walked over and gave his wife a hug

They didn’t look back as they walked away…

after she whispered thank you in their ears….

They wanted them to remember their smiles

they didn’t want them to see their tears.

HE WANTED TO WRITE HER A LOVE SONG

 

He had this recurring dream…it began soon after they met…

He dreamed of writing her a love song…a song she’d never forget.

A love song as beautiful as the nightingales singing in the trees…

with a melody so light it would float upon the breeze.

He tried many times over the years…so many hours in thought…

but he could not find the harmony…a songwriter he was not!

He never found the song as beautiful as the nightingales singing in the trees…

never found the melody that would float upon the breeze.

On their 50th year together…in a card…this message…not very long….

explaining how he tried for years to write her that love song.

I’ve always wanted to write you a love song as beautiful as the nightingales sining in the trees…with a melody so light it would float upon the breeze.

Many was the day…a love song I would start…

but I could never put on paper…what was singing in my heart.

Yes, I’ve always wanted to write you a love song…but I could not find the harmony…

It is perhaps my biggest regret…and the card was signed….Love, Me.

Tears made her smile glow as she held the card to her chest…

realizing, once again, how her life was truly blessed.

“All your life,” she said, “you’ve been writing me a love song as beautiful as the nightingales singing in the trees…with a melody so light it floats upon the breeze.

“You’ve added so much music to my life…every chorus has been exciting…

and every day you add a new verse to the love song you’ve been writing.”

Tears now made his smile glow...

after years of thinking he hand't written her a love song...

when she finally made him realize...

he'd been writing one all along.

AN ALGEBRA POEM?

Every now and then I am asked to write a poem…an honor for which I feel blessed…

but yesterday, in all honesty, I received a very strange request.

I recently wrote a poem on how basic math relates to life…which must have left one reader in awe…because he asked me if I could do the same with…wait for it…Algebra.

Apparently he has grandchildren who need a little persuasion…as to why they need to study symbols and equations.

First of all…Algebra can be funny…it’s not all boring numbers, symbols  and graphs…Here’s a joke that to this day…makes algebraic mathematicians laugh: 

To answer the who, what, where and when in life other mathematical processes apply…but Algebra is the only one where you can find an answer for Y.

I know studying letters and symbols can be a source of agitation…but did you know we use Algebra every time we make a calculation?

As a child when you saw a toy across the room or even those candles on the birthday cake you were blowing…you were calculating distances, using Algebra…yes, without even knowing!

In sports any time you throw or catch or kick a ball…or when you’re older…determining the spread…all these moments you are instinctively doing Algebra in your head.

At thanksgiving as you cook your turkey…Algebra is there to please…it helps you calculate how long it takes to cook a 20 pound turkey…at 350 degrees.

Without algebra we wouldn’t have TV, or video games and over us a decision would loom…when we’re redecorating and trying to determine the area of a room.

Or how much grass we need to landscape our lawn…and we’d be considered a fool…if our calculations were incorrect and our back yard was too small for our pool.

Algebra helps us determine a healthy diet…more vegetables…less fries…

and given our height, weight and body mass…the best form of exercise.

It’s true we have Google, Alexa and Siri now…all products of Algebraic conception…but what are you going to do when the electricity goes out…and you no longer have reception?

So please go to Algebra class…do your best…you don’t have to be a whiz kid…

Because when you’re older looking at that 20 pound turkey…and Alexa has no answer…You’ll be glad you did.

 

SEARCHING FOR SYMMETRY

 

Our family is a blended family…two families blended into one…

I brought a son and a daughter into ours…Deborah brought a son.

When we blended our families together…

I gained a son and Deborah gained a daughter.

We tried to make the blending smooth…like pouring water into water.

One of the wonders of family is how they continue to grow…

how nothing is affixed…

for along the way we’ve aded four grandchildren to the mix.

Not to mention friends who have become family along the way…

So we never really know what our family will look like at then end of every day.

Through the years, in spite of the friends and family we’d import…

the symmetry of our family was always one daughter short.

And we were comfortable with this obvious lack of symmetry…

until our youngest son found love…and invited her into our family.

Now we have a second daughter…and she has another Mom and Dad…

and our first daughter is blessed with the sister she never had.

Our eldest grandson also found his love…please…stick with me everyone….

because this means we now have two granddaughters…to go with three grandsons…

You get the picture…With each new family member…we’re adding to the blend…

and it is beautiful knowing this is a process that will never end….

And we look forward with excitement to what our family will tomorrow be… 

as we blend together for the rest of our lives…in search of symmetry

JUST BASIC MATH

 

I was an adequate student in elementary school…I learned my basic math…

never realizing how addition, subtraction, multiplication and division would help me on life’s path.

I knew, when it came to money and a budget, they would help me along the way…

but they were only numbers…other than that…what good were they?

Then…as I grew into a teen…an adult…a husband, a dad…a granddad…

I began to realize my life is happier when to it…friends and family I add.

It is basic math really…but emotionally applied:

When we share our love and happiness with the friends and family we’ve added…

our love and happiness are multiplied!

And when a friend or family member is subtracted…a sadness for which we are usually unprepared…the weight of our sorrow becomes a little lighter…when it’s divided…when it’s shared.

So now I understand how basic math in life totally relates to me….

which means I’ve come full circle…

Wait!…isn’t that geometry?

Yes, I never dreamed all those years ago…as I started down life’s path…

some of its secrets were being taught to me in the guise of basic math.

Which makes me wonder…if I had understood, then, the secrets basic math conveyed…

perhaps I would have been a better student…

and earned a better grade!

OUT WALKING WITH A DOG

Even though there is no conversation…they lack the ability to talk…

You see the world a little differently…when you take a dog out for a walk.

Walking a dog…your different perspectives of life are juxtaposed…

Your eyes and ears guide where you’re going…a dog follows her nose.

The two of you try to blend your worlds together…you point out the beauty everywhere…and when she pauses and lifts her nose…you stop to smell the air.

You point out the blue sky, the sunrise, the clouds reflecting on the water…all the different trees…she helps you discover hidden flowers and aromas on the breeze.

You share an enjoyment…on your walks…for the animals who grace them…

You admire their beauty and their wonder while she would like to chase them.

You find pleasure in the lily pads, the way the sun lights up the grasses, in the mist of a morning fog…it seems life moveS a little slower when you’re out walking with a dog.

And you don’t mind slowing down, pausing…even stopping for a spell…

for, in nature, there are so many miracles to see…and wonders to be smelled.

Walking with a dog…in the grass, under every bush…around every corner…you discover a surprise…you begin to understand the significance in seeing the world through a different set of eyes…

And you make this happy realization…

before your walk is through…

that…all the time you thought you were walking her…

she…was walking you.