DAILY GRATITUDE THE PATH OF KINDNESS

 

I am grateful to be able to walk the path of kindness.

The same path my parents and ancestors created for me.

The same path I hope to keep open

for every member of my family

KINDNESS

 

May we be blessed to understand  

how any act of kindness we unfurl…

can start a string of kindness

that just might change the world.

OPENING A DOOR

 

We’re surrounded by hate these days…people with diametrically opposed views…

It streams across our social media…its shown daily on the evening news…

If we are to believe these outlets…hate is all around…

Looking at our politics, Israel and Palestine, Ukraine and Russia

there’s a lot of hate to go around.

But at the same time when I look around my neighborhood

What I often see…are simple acts of kindness, compassion, good will and generosity.

I see them every day when I’m behind the counter at the bookstore…

random act of kindness…something as simple as opening a door.

When a person opens a door for a stranger…a metamorphosis takes place.

Whatever their expression was before the door…there’s now a smile on each face.

When a door is held open for someone…

a ripple…an unspoken message has been sent…

which often leads to a smile, a thank you…and many times a compliment.

And I like to think each ripple of kindness…like opening a door

reminds everyone who’s watching…what we were created for…

Created for simple acts of kindness…the beauty is we never really know…

how meaningful one act can be…how far one ripple of kindness will go. 

If we’re lucky it may travel all the way to our politicians…

may help to ease their mutual disdain…

It may travel as far as Israel, Palestine, Russia…and Ukraine.

Because when we open a door…

whether you open one for me…or I open one for you

There’s no way of ever knowing 

how many people will walk through.

Which makes me wonder…

If more people opened doors for one another…

If one simple act of kindness we all choose…. 

Perhaps one day only acts of kindness will be found on social media

and show up on the evening news.

DAILY GRATITUDE FAMILY AND FRIENDS

 I am grateful that throughout may life…

around it’s curves and corners and bends…

I have had friends who’ve become my family

and family…who’ve become my friends.

THE KIND OF LIFE

 

May we all be blessed to live the kind of life 

that  

after we are gone

for years 

and years 

and years

people will remember us 

with a multitude of smiles

and

a sprinkling of tears

HOW SHE WOKE

 

She woke this morning confused…feeling both happy…and sad

unable to remember the dream, last night, she had.

She tried and tried to recall her dream…desperately trying to seek

the reason for the smile on her face…and the tear upon her cheek.

She closed her eyes… was the dream about her mom?

Was that her dream of choice?

Did she dream about her smile, her touch…or the tenderness of her voice?

If not her mom…she thought…did she dream about her dad?

About that time he took her to the beach and all the fun they had?

Or did both her parents enter her dream…a time when they were alive…

Holding hands…laughing…healthy…at their peak? 

And is the fact that they are no longer here 

what caused that tear upon her cheek?

Was her dream about a friend or other family member…

Someone else who was or would be hard to lose?

But as hard as she tried she couldn’t remember…

there were so many friends and family from whom to choose.

Did she dream about her guardian angel?

(here she realized she didn’t even know her name)

Perhaps she came to see how she was feeling…then left as silently as she came?

And then a thought occurred to her…and she began to beam…

Maybe there’s a reason…she couldn’t remember her dream.

Perhaps the reason…yes…by now she had no doubt…

was meant to make her think of all the people she might have dreamed about.

What a wonderful way to start the day she thought…for heaven’s sake!

thinking about all the people who might have whispered her awake.

So she began the day filled with joy and happiness…

knowing throughout the day she’d be happy too seek

all the different reasons for the smiles on her face…

and the tears upon her cheek.

DAILY GRATITUDE BRAVERY

 

I am grateful I’m able to see

how the link between success and failure…

is courage and bravery.

Bravery is the courage to walk away from a failure

from a doomed…ill-fated deed…

With the hope and determination in you heart

that the next time you will succeed

BRAVERY

 

May we be blessed to understand this about bravery:

It’s one of the things about bravery I adore…

How it is does not always rumble and crash like thunder…

How it doesn’t always, like a lion, roar.

Sometimes it is more subtle…

Like the way a tiny river flows…

It is the quiet whisper of our heart at the end of a day

Saying I will try again…tomorrow.

THE HOME OF THE BRAVE

 

 Our national anthem ends with the words…

O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave…

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

When I was young I thought the brave meant only the men and women

who fought to keep us free…

but over the years I’ve come to see their are many sides to bravery. 

Certainly soldiers… our respect and admiration they have earned

for their bravery on the battlefield

and for facing the demons of war that remain with them after they return.

But when I look around…I wish we’d find a way

to honor the non-soldiers out there who exhibit bravery every day…

 

People who need to be brave in the world the way we have created it to be:

The single parent working two jobs to provide for their family.

The people battling ALS, Alzheimer’s, cancer, MS, depression

and the family members taking care of them…standing by their side.

knowing there is nothing they can do as they watch their loved ones slide.

The farmers losing their farms…the people losing their jobs…their ability to earn

Those out there without health care…or insurance…with no place they can turn. 

Native Nations people trying to hold on to their culture and their history.

People of color who every day brave the uncertainty 

of those prejudiced against them…in our society.

Immigrants or people who look like immigrants…

some of the nicest people you could meet…

wondering if today’s the day they will be arrested…pulled off of of our streets. 

 

LGBTQ+ people who brave the abuse of ignorance 

and still proudly show the world who they are.

I’m sure I have missed some of you…but…you know who you are.

To all the soldiers past and present…thank you…I’m glad you were and are so brave.

Your bravery has allowed our star-spangled banner to wave…

And to all the others mentioned…you wouldn’t have a need for bravery…

If we were a country that helped each other…

If we were truly the land of the free.

DAILY GRATITUDE CHOOSING LOVE

 

It isn’t always easy 

and in today’s world it is often hard to do

But I am grateful that I try my best 

to choose love in everything I do

NATIVE NATION WISDOM

 

Today’s blessing once again comes from Native Nations wisdom:

When how to live a good life I am trying hard to understand…

I often choose the wisdom of the first people to populate this land

Use your voice for kindness,

your ears for compassion, 

your hands for charity,

your mind for truth

and your heart for love. 

LOVE ON OUR SIDE

 

I imagine when we look into our hearts…when we probe the corners of our soul…

we’ll find moments in our life…over which we have no control.

Moments that help shape the person in the mirror every day we see…

moments left entirely in the hands of destiny.

For all those skeptics out there who totally disagree….

remember…we didn’t choose to be born…we didn’t choose our family.

We didn’t choose the color of our hair, our eyes…if we’d need glasses just to see

We didn’t choose how tall we’ll be, the foods we like…or the gender we will be.

And though it’s true part of who we are is influenced by our destiny

we also get to choose the kind of person we want to be.

We are free to make these choices…the ones I’m thinking of

We can choose compassion, acceptance, generosity, kindness.

We can choose happiness and love.

Choosing to see how everything created has importance, value and worth.

Choose to love every member on our extended family…Earth.

We may not be able to control every aspect of our lives… 

but in the end we can take pride….

knowing the choices we make are easier…

when love is on our side.

And for those who for one reason or another 

have decided to choose hate…

the beauty of choice is…

when you decide you’re choosing love

it never is too late.