THANKFUL FOR MY ABILITY TO SAY THANK YOU

 

Today I’m thankful for the ability to say thank you…

and may we…with gratitude and grace….

say thank you every day…

to the people who make our world a more beautiful place

IOUs

 On my walk this morning at the beginning of the day

my mind wandered to all the IOUs I’ve passed out along the way.

All those lessons my parents tried to teach me…some I even learned

how they tried to help me think and grow …while asking nothing in return.

Then there’s my family…my wife, my children and my grandchildren too…

who have taught me all about myself…so many IOUs

And throughout my life what about all those little things my friend continue to say and do…

to each an every one…I owe a host of IOUs. 

I’ve also been the recipient of random acts of kindness…

from strangers….people I never actually met…

whose kindness I remember…whose faces I forget.

I guess I’ve written a million IOUs…a million checks that I’ve left blank…

for those million acts of kindness…I offer now…a million thanks.

And to the million of you out there…

know from all of you I’ve learned…

for every IOU I pass out…

I do my best…

to receive one in return.

THANKFUL FOR BEING BRAVE ENOUGH

 

Today I’m thankful for being brave enough:

The many times in life when we’re afraid…

when the going gets bumpy or rough… 

we don’t have to be totally brave…

only brave enough.

Brave enough is a simple concept

easy to understand

brave enough to take a leap

not knowing where we’ll land

ENOUGH

 

When I was a child…like most children I suppose

I had these feelings I couldn’t ignore…

I never thought about all I had because I was always wanting more.

My dad would always smile and shake his head…

with this philosophy he never agreed.

He’d say, “Look around at all you have…you have more than you’ll ever need.”

“You have enough food to eat…enough clothes to wear.

You have this house with a roof above you.

You have your health…you have your friends…

You have a family who loves you.”

It was a simple lesson…one I didn’t learn right away…

to look around at all my stuff….

and think…what more do I really need…

I already have enough.

I think of Dad’s words often as I look back on my life…

for just as he believed….

I have learned how to be happy with all the blessings I’ve received. 

I have enough food to eat…enough clothes to wear.

I have a house with a roof above me….

I have my health…I have my friends

and I have a family who loves me.

I like to think Dad’s smiling down on me…

thinking it was worth it…even though teaching me was tough…

and I imagine he’d be happy knowing…

his smile is enough.

And happy knowing I’ve come to see…

what I could not see before….

that not only do I have enough…

but I have so much more.

THANKFUL FOR THE OJIBWA

 Today I’m thankful for the Ojibwa…

whose simple prayer…this simple verse

Could, if heeded by all of us

change the destiny of our universe…

For they know, as I wish we knew,

how everyone is our sister and our brother

And if we were all taught love, compassion and honor

we have a chance not only to heal the Earth

but also…to heal each other.

 

WHAT MY DAD WOULD HAVE WANTED

 

The teacher, long retired, ran across a copy of the only poem she ever saved

which immediately caused her to reminisce….

For in all her years of teaching she’d never read a poem…as beautiful as this.

“Class,” she remembers saying with a smile. “I want you to write a love poem.”

She assumed this was easy and every student would understand….

until one student in the middle of class timidly raised her hand.

“My dad was killed by a bomb in the war.” she said.“I remember the exact date."

“How am I to write about love when I’m filled with so much hate?”

The teacher had anticipated many questions…but this one…she never guessed…

She walked over, put her arms around her student…and hugged her to her chest.

“When hate is all around us”, she said…”when bombs are dropping from above…

that is the time we must fight hate…and search for words of love.”

“Look into your heart.” she said, ‘words of love are waiting there

words of love you will discover…words of love you’ll want to share.”

She wasn’t sure what to expect until that night at home

when she read this young girl’s assignment entitled…

                                            This Is My Love Poem

My dad used to talk about love…before he turned off my light…

He said love is a wonderful way to start the day…and the only way to say goodnight.

So I will try everyday to think in words of love…no matter what my fate

hoping the words of love I find…will overcome my hate…

I hope someday to discover within my heart the words I’m searching for…

hate has won this latest battle…but I won't let it win the war. 

Perhaps when words of love, instead of bombs, are falling from the sky

then love will finally vanquish hate…and no more Dads will have to die.

Hate has left me with a scar and my dreams shall forever now be haunted…

but I will l do my best to look for love, because…

that’s what my dad would have wanted.

THANKFUL FOR THE MOON

 

Today I’m thankful for the moon:

For it is more than just a reflection of the sun’s far-reaching beams…

It also has the power to make us fall in love

and it’s where we go…to dream 

FULL MOON WONDERINGS

 

 When you walk under the watchful eye of a full moon…your mind begins to soar

And you find a variety of thoughts come crashing upon your shore.

For instance: as I see the moon and stars hovering in the sky…

and a host of clouds floating free…

I wonder…since I am seeing them…if they are seeing me?

I wonder how many people have ever mistaken the sunset for the dawn.

Or if anyone has ever ridden on a dragon…or shook hands with a leprechaun.

I wonder about love and hate…in each case…what ignites them…

I wonder if there’d still be wars…if no one came to fight them.

I wonder if there is any part of prejudice and bigotry I will ever understand.

I wonder if instead of taking up arms against one another…we tried more…holding hands.

I wonder if a meadow filled with flowers is where rainbows go to rest.

I wonder if a rabbit ever feels wonder or if a dolphin feels blessed.

I wonder if an eagle or a whale ever look around and wonder…how and when and why.

I wonder what it’s like to be a bird…or a butterfly.

I wonder how many different things can cause a heart to swoon.

I wonder if I started walking now…how long it’d take to reach the moon.

I wonder if what makes us rich is not how much we save but how much we give away.

I wonder if it’s really true…that love will always find a way.

These are the kind of thoughts that come ashore…

they’re always filled with wonder and surprises…

and why I can’t to take my morning walk

when the next full moon arises. 

THANKFUL FOR INDIGENOUS WISDOM

 

Today I’m thankful for Indigenous wisdom

wisdom that needs to be respected…

The earth is not a resource to use up…they believed

It is an heirloom to be treasured and protected

THE WOLF MOON

 

Today I walked under January’s full moon…it’s called the Wolf Moon…

and I’m grateful to the Sioux..

who, many years before me, walked under this same moon too!

Who, during this time of year, in the colder, snowy winter weather…

would hear the wolves howl at night…and see them run across the moon together.

So they named this moon the Wolf Moon…for the brilliance of it’s light

and for the wolves that it illuminates as they travel through the night.

Taking their cue from nature…from what they would hear and see…

the Sioux, just like the wolves, would seek out the warmth and love of their family.

The Wolf Moon was a time of togetherness…a time to stay indoors

and reflect on and remember…what a family is for.

I often wonder how much more magical our world would be…

how more enchanting too…

if we had taken the time to listen to the wisdom of the Sioux. 

Perhaps it’s not too late:

May I suggest we take our cues from the Sioux…

who took theirs from the wolves…

a creature they thought blessed.

Let’s get together with our families…

and let the Wolf Moon do the rest.