Today I’m grateful for all the Dad Jokes I’ve told throughout the years
(I have this never-ending file)
Grateful that all the moans and groans and head shaking…
is always followed by a smile.
In fact I’m happy to say even after all these years
I’m telling Dad Jokes still…
Because
although I get a little older every day
my dad jokes never will
May we be blessed to nurture our children’s wings
So when they don’t need our constant guidance anymore
Not only will they be ready to fly…
they’ll be ready to soar.
Whenever we visit with our children or grandchildren two distinct emotions flow over me.
As I marvel at who they’ve become my mind drifts back to a time when they were three.
A time when life was a little more innocent, less troubled, more carefree.
A time when they were small enough to sit upon my knee.
Whenever we get together and moments of the present mix with moments of the past
I wonder where the years have flown…and how time has moved so fast.
Even though I’ve been lucky to be here to watch my children and grandchildren grow
Every time we get together I wonder…how can yesterday have been so long ago?
Wasn’t it only yesterday they were crawling…
when they took their first steps toward me?
Wasn’t it only yesterday they were sitting upon my knee?
We begin this journey through life together…
and along the way a host of memories we collect.
Old memories that mix with new memories
every time our now separate journeys intersect.
Of course that’s the way it is supposed to be…
time moves on…and children grow
As parents we’re meant to enjoy the memories we make today
As well as those made long ago.
It’s a precious gift time gives us…that lasts through our eternity…
A chance to visit our children and grandchildren as they grow
At the same time time we visit a time when the sat upon our knee.
Today I’m grateful for shoulders…
I have been blessed to have stood on my ancestors shoulders…
Blessed the way our lives have intertwined….
And I hope someday my children and grandchildren will feel blessed
to have stood on top of mine.
We will all have certain burdens in our life…
a life that will be long and diverse enough to vary them…
May we be blessed that whatever burdens life throws at us…
we have shoulders strong enough to carry them
When I think about the way I was created…every part of my body is enchanted…
from those parts I rely on every day…to those I take for granted.
Take my shoulders for instance..there was a time when I was young
and I looked in the mirror…at my shoulders I would scoff.
thinking their only use in life is to keep my arms and head from falling off.
It wasn’t until years later…when I became a Dad
I began to fully realize the importance my shoulders had.
Yes, once I had children it didn’t take me very long
to realize why my shoulders were there…and why they needed to be strong.
When my children were small and innocent…when life was so brand new
they would ride upon my shoulders to get a better view.
When they were ready to be on their own…as their life unfurled….
I was glad I had shoulders for them to stand on
as they stepped into the world.
One important thing my children taught me…that helped me as a parent gel…
is that my shoulders not only needed to be strong…but needed to be soft as well.
Strong so they can lean on them whenever they’re filled with dread
and soft when they need comfort and a place to lay their head.
As long as I am living I hope my children (and grandchildren) will be aware
when and if they ever need them…my shoulders will be there.
These days when I think about my shoulders I no longer scoff…
I no longer think their only purpose in life
is to keep my arms and head from falling off.
No, these days when I look in the mirror…I am instantly elated…
because I now know exactly whey my shoulders were created.
Today I’m grateful for a better understanding of what a hero is:
for 72 years life has been my teacher
And she has taught me a hero
is anyone determined to make this world a better place
for every living creature.
May we all be blessed to have heroes cross our paths
Those who help to make us who we are,
who set our spirits free
and thus…
We hope they all know who they are
and
how much their heroism meant to us.
When we were young there were heroes and there were monsters
and in our innocent and limited childhood view…
from Fairy Tales and with our parents help
it was easy to tell the difference between the two.
In the evening when we woke from a nightmare and our hearts were filled with dread….
our heroes were our parents who vanquished the monsters beneath our bed.
In our Fairy Tales it was easy to tell the good people from the bad.
They were strong honorable men and woman…just like Mom and Dad
But it becomes more difficult as we grow…the more our wings are spread…
when the monsters aren’t just the ones who sleep beneath our bed.
Some monsters were easy to spot…they didn’t try to hide themselves away.
They wore swastika’s on their clothing like the Nazi’s or white sheets like the KKK.
But it became more difficult to tell the heroes from the monsters…
when their swastikas they shed
when they wore tailored suits to work instead of hoods upon their heads. .
What makes monsters different today is that they could be anyone we see….
At first glance there’s no way to tell difference between them and you and me.
They can be our neighbor…or someone we once thought of as a friend…
and we will never comprehend or fathom the horrors they intend.
Today the only way to distinguish one monster from the rest
Is to follow their path of evil, their destructiveness…their unrest.
Now, when we search for a happy ending…dream of a better day…
it’s up to us to become the heroes and every evil monster to slay.
To work for the day with the other heroes help these monsters will no longer exist…
the day when we are blessed to have no more monsters in our midst.
The day when we live in a world where we don’t cause our children any dread
the day when the only monsters they need to worry about…
are the ones beneath their bed.
One thing we are blessed to experience as parents…
which in life will always be a plus…
Is how we fall in love with our children
long before they fall in love with us.
To all those who don’t think what’s happening In this country is evil or bizarre…
A reminder of the duties to our children…PLEASE…remember who you are…
We have a duty to all the children of the world from the moment of their birth…
A duty to make them feel safe and happy while they walk upon this Earth.
A duty to teach them right from wrong…how to respect the land, the plants, the birds
A duty to show them our actions will always be more important than our words.
A duty to show them kindness and love…to help them grow, mature and cope.
A duty to teach them about friendship, honor, justice and to fill their world with hope.
A duty to show them things that need to be changed…and things they must accept.
A duty to show them all life is precious…and that promises need to be kept.
A duty to help them handle their mistakes and failures…
to show them good manners are never outdated…
A duty to show them that tenderness, love and charity can never be overrated.
A duty to allow their imaginations to soar…
to show them it is courageous to say when they’re wrong.
A duty to teach them compassion, caring and compromise
are ways of showing they are strong.
Our final duty is to teach them every human being is important
and deserves respect…no matter their sex, gender, color or race.
And when we choose to fulfill these duties
the world is a more peaceful and beautiful place.
Perhaps the best reason to fulfill our duties to the children of the world
from the moment of their birth…
Is so they’ll be ready when they grow up to fulfill these duties
for the next generation of children
as they walk upon this Earth.
Today I’m grateful I have a face
a place for my smile to wear…
and for all the people in my life
with the ability to keep it there
May we al be blessed as we travel trough this time and in this space
to have many people in our life who,
when we think about them
bring a smile to our face
There are three distinct stages in any relationship that stand out undeniably.
Three phases of any connection we make with our pets, friends and family.
There is the time before we were blessed to know them…before they came into our life.
The time before partners, pets, children, grandchildren, friendships, a husband or a wife.
There is the time during which we know them..when in so many subtle ways
their love helps us navigate the world…as we change a little every day.
And there is the time after they are gone…
A time, if we stop to think about, we fear.
A time when, for whatever reason, in our life they’re no longer here.
Before is a hopeful stage…it’s like how in winter we anticipate the spring…
since we haven’t met them yet we have no idea what joy into our life they’ll bring.
During is an easy stage…as the two of us connect
as we build a relationship mixed with joy and sorrow…and mutual respect.
After is the most difficult stage!
Before…we never knew them.
During is filled with all the experiences we build our love and relationship on…
but we are only left with memories…after they are gone.
I imagine the best we can do…
Is to fill our during with as much love as we can
with as much joy and happiness and laughter….
so we’ll have a host of wonderful memories
to fill up all our afters.
