THANKFUL FOR ANGELS AGAIN

 

Today I’m thankful for angels…

who pray for a peace

while helping others too….

And I realize how here on Earth

we can all be angels too.

LEAP DAY

 

She was beautiful in body and spirit…her mind was sharp, her heart was pure

and the reason he believes in miracles…is all because of her.

She believed she was a miracle…born on leap day in the safety of her mother’s bed. 

He met her on a leap day…and on a leap day they were wed.

She told him she’d believed in miracles from the moment of her birth.

She said, “The swans, the doves, the egrets, the snowy owls

are all angels here on Earth.”

She said, “Angel wings are made of feathers…it’s the way that God designed them.”

She believed they bring good fortune…to anyone who finds them.

She collected feathers all her life…and anytime he found one…

to her…this precious gift he’d bring.

She’s smile saying, “I’m not just collecting feathers…I’m making my angel wings.”

She said, “Someday, when I die…I will not be afraid…

because when I get to heaven…I’ll have wings already made.” 

When that day came as they held hands she said,

“Don’t worry…a message to you I’ll bring.”

And as she closed her eyes and they said goodbye

he promised…to bury her with her wings.”

That year happened to be a leap year…

which made that first leap day bittersweet.

Until he looked up and saw this beautiful feather cloud

then smiled as one feather drifted to his feet.

That leap day he found so many feathers…

his heart was filled with laughter….

And the next leap day we found more feathers…and more the leap day after.

He thanks her every leap day for each new feather that she brings….

He says, “When it’s my turn to die…I, too, will not be afraid.”

To find me…just look for the newest angel in heaven…

with his wings already made.”

THANKFUL FOR THE SEA

 

 Today I’m thankful for the sea…

When you first experience it…

no matter where you are..or when…

once you’ve looked out on the ocean

and been mesmerized by her tides

you’ll never be the same again

BY THE SEA

 

 We spotted them one morning on our walk…they were admiring the sea…

A father…standing, gazing out…his daughter…gazing from her knees.

As they looked out at the sea in silence…their shadows cast behind them

I felt blessed, in that moment, to be lucky enough to find them.

And I wondered, in that moment, watching this father and his little sprout

as they looked upon the sea…what they might be thinking about.

This is actually something I think about a lot…

How our eyes look at the same ocean…

and how we all think different thoughts.

She..perhaps thinking about the water or the clouds

how being there next to her father makes her glad…

While his mind might have wandered to his daughter kneeling beside him

and the awesome responsibility he has being her dad..

Was she thinking about what she’s going to eat for lunch?

Did her dad promise her ice cream?

Was he thinking about her health and happiness

and helping to fulfill her future hopes and dreams?

Of course I don’t know what they were thinking…

what thoughts might have crossed their minds…

as we continued on our walk and left the two of them behind.

But I do know…when it comet to thinking…wishing, hoping, dreaming

there is no better place to be

Than standing…even kneeling together…

sharing thoughts down by the sea.

THANKFUL FOR LAUGHTER

 

Today I’m thankful for laughter:

Something I’ve shared before…but is worth sharing again

About how, through the years, laughter shows up on our faces….

How if we laugh a lot when we’re young…

when we’re older

our wrinkles are in the right places

BABY'S LAUGHTER

 

Have you ever noticed when you look around the world…

It doesn’t matter what country…what language…what name…

there is this worldwide phenomenon…how all babies laugh the same?

It matters not what nationality…if that baby is a girl or boy…

in their laughter we hear sweet innocence…we are witnessing pure joy. 

Yes, no matter where that baby lives…from Pakistan to Peru

when we see and hear a baby laugh…we find ourselves laughing too.

Which makes me wonder, since laughter is contagious 

And can be found everywhere…

If laughter, like love, is a universal language…

one we’re all meant to share.

 

But perhaps you’ve also noticed when you look around the world

It doesn’t matter what country, what language…what name…

another worldwide phenomenon…how all babies cry the same.

The big difference is how we react…

how we work hard attempting…trying…

to keep those babies who are laughing…laughing

and to stop those babies who crying…from crying.

Perhaps you’ve also noticed how our love, our acceptance, our kindness and our joy

keep our babies laughter flying….

while our prejudice, our hate and our wars..

keep our babies crying.

I pray one day the adults in this world will understand 

as each day passes by…

how the world moves forward anytime we make our babies laugh

and backward every time we make them cry.

THANKFUL FOR THE MOON

 

Today I’m thankful for the moon….

I love to linger under her…and as I watch her for a while…

I wonder when the first of us saw her changing faces…

if it’s from the moon we learned to smile

SUN REFLECTED OFF THE MOON

 

There is a different feeling you perceive when you walk in the bright sunshine at noon

than you get while walking in the evening 

when that same sunlight is reflected off the moon.

Daytime sunshine is ubiquitous…making everything it lands on bright. 

Sunlight reflected off the moon is softer…gentler

as it shares sky with the night.

Sunlight reflected off the moon is more subtle than the sunlight of the day

as it coaxes the shadows to dance and invites the owls and rabbits out to play.

Sunlight in the day is much louder…it’s when most people are awake

but often you don’t hear a peep….

when the sun is reflected off the moon…and most people are asleep.

Love may plant her seed in daylight…and may blossom more in June

but in every season..every touch…every hug…every kiss…

Is enhanced by sunlight reflected off the moon.

I know without the sun…we’d never see the moon…

She’d never cross our line of sight…

But…without the moon 

the sun 

has no way of lighting up the night.

It’s obvious how the sun and moon are wonderfully intertwined…

how every evening as the earth revolves they need each other to shine

Yes, I love the sun…watching her rise and set…how she covers the earth at noon

but I think I love her most…when she’s reflected off the moon 

THANKFUL FOR BIRTHDAYS

 

Today I’m thankful for birthdays

It’s true…every day we’re alive is a gift…

but on our birthday we’re elated

to celebrate the very day…

our gift was created.

DAMIEN'S 27

 

 For our grandson Damien’s 27th birthday..

We innocently told him, “Pick the place…any place you want to eat.”

He chose The Brisket Shoppe…where their specialty is meat.

What a wonderful restaurant choice…the vegetarians in us hesitatingly said.

realizing while the rest of our family would be eating meat…

we’d be eating mac-and-cheese instead.

 

But this was Damien’s birthday…and as all grandparents know:

Where your grandchild wants to go on his birthday…this is where we go!

One of the beauties of our memories 

is not only the exquisite way we weave them

but also…no matter where we are, how easily we retrieve them.

27 year of memories in our minds randomly found their way…

from the moment he was born to the Brisket Shoppe that day.

We remembered holding him in our arms…pushing him in a stroller

babysitting…playing in the pool…

Christmases, soccer games….more soccer games…heading off to school. 

I imagine that’s why we didn’t mind going to a restaurant  

where all we could eat was Mac and cheese…

because we didn’t come for the meat…

we came to taste the memories.

And by the time we were done eating…

our bellies and our minds were pleased…

filled with a little mac and cheese…and a host of memories

We are ready and already anticipating next year…

when we’ll be happy to celebrate…

another year of memories…

when Damien turns 28.