DAILY GRATITUDE ROOTS AND WINGS

 

I am grateful to Johann Wolfgang von Göethe 

Who wrote this maxim….

and for all the truth it brings:

There are only two lasting bequests 

we can hope to give our children:

One of these is roots

the other one is wings.

FAMILY TREE

 

May we be blessed to understand…an eventually see

how important it is to tend to, cultivate and nurture

our ever-growing family tree

For only a healthy tree with strong and healthy roots

can grow healthy leaves and branches

and produce healthy…beautiful fruits.

MINIATURE BOUQUETS

 When I think about my family…I like to picture them this way:

each member as a different flower…In a beautiful bouquet. 

As parents and grandparents 

we love when the bouquet gets together…

how all the flowers blend…

and we’ve experienced many a moment when we wished

that moment would never end.

When the family is all gathered, however,

as beautiful a sight as this is to see… 

our time is spent flitting from flower to flower

like the butterfly and the bee.

So every now and then we also like to find the time…

where we can get away…

to meet with only one flower……

and form a miniature bouquet.

We met up with our two youngest grandchildren 

just the other day…

one for dinner and one for lunch…

forming two miniature bouquets.

We visited with each one individually

talked about school and life…we even visited one dorm room

delighting in the chance to celebrate each flower in full bloom.

We love our time spent with one flower…

where for that day they are the star…

a chance to tell them how much we love them 

and how proud of them we are.

Yes, the times our entire family gets together are precious…

for dinners or a holiday…

but we also cherish those times alone

with our miniature bouquets.

DAILY GRATITUDE THE EYES OF OUR CHILD

 

I am grateful for having retained the eyes of my childhood.

For how often they have helped me to see

the world…the way it was created

the way it is meant to be. 

HUG OUR CHILD

 

May we be blessed to stop for a moment 

It matters not where or when…

and remember to hug the child still inside us

every now and then

WHERE HAS IOUR INNOCENCE GONE

 

 I wish we could all recover the innocence we had as children.

When we found beauty, wonder and magic every day….

before growing up stripped us of our wonder

and took our innocence away….

Imagine if you can…those simpler times…

take a moment and think back… 

to when we saw the leaves fall from the trees

and we tried to put them back.

To a time we saw a meadow filled with flowers

and our joy and excitement could not be concealed….

how we dare not pick a single flower 

lest we destroy the beauty of the field.

To a time when we watched the honeybees 

as they landed among the roses… 

when ladybugs rode upon our shoulders

and butterflies landed on our noses.

To a time when faces in the clouds 

and touching rainbows cold beguile

when an overnight snowfall surprised us

When one look out our window always made us smile. 

It makes me wonder…

if our world wold our world be more compassionate

more loving, less prejudiced, less angry…and less wild

If we could reach down within our hearts

and once again find where we have hidden 

the innocence of our child.

DAILY GRATITUDE UNDERSTANDING GRIEF

 

DAILY GRATITUDE

I am grateful for my understanding of grief…

when in grief I have been totally immersed…

I remember…I would never have felt such heart wrenching pain

without having felt the joy of loving…first.

LOVE AND GRIEF

 

May we be blessed to understand…

(once we do it can offer some relief)

the relationship in life

between those we love…and grief…

When we lose someone we love…

not only do we find it a difficult reality to conceive…

but the deep love we had for them…

is what causes us to grieve…

And as our loved ones leave this mortal coil

and their spirits rise to the heavens above

perhaps the grief we express in our tears

is not only our last 

but one of our greatest act of love.

YOU WILL LAUGH AGAIN

 

After she died…when he thought his world was coming to an end

he looked for solace and support…in the comfort of a friend.

He worried he was lost in a cloud of sorrow…

he wondered how…or where or when… 

he would discover a way out…

If he would ever laugh again.

His friend, who understood his pain…

who’d been down a similar path

who knew of his own sorrow and suffering  

felt his own anger…his own wrath…

Said…

“You never get over losing someone you love

there will always be a bit of sorrow in your heart 

and your mind too…

but one day you will ask yourself…

what would she want you to do?”

“Would she want you be engulfed in sorrow

for the remainder of your days…

or would she want you to exit your cloud of sadness

and somehow find a way.”

“To live, to laugh, to love again…

and even though you are unsure….

the sadness lifts when you decide…

to do all these things for her”

“And do not worry my friend.” he said

“Take if from someone who was once lost within that cloud…

I have no doubt you will laugh again…

you’ll just never laugh as loud.”

DAILY GRATITUDE HAPPINESS

 

I am grateful for the simple wisdom

in this African proverb 

that declares:

Happiness in not perfected…

until that happiness is shared

HAPPINESS

May we be blessed to take a little time

to think about the words of the poet James Oppenheim

He lived and died before the internet…

or today you could read them a tweet….

Foolish people seek happiness in the distance

Wise ones grow it…under their feet.

 

RANDOM THOUGHTS ON HAPPINESS

 

Some random thoughts this Monday…

as as you head out on your way:

Not every day is wonderful…

but there is wonder in every day.

Not all you see is beautiful…

but there is beauty in all you see.

Something I hope you realize before this day is done

Not everyone you meet will be kind… 

but there is kindness in everyone.

Finally…

Happiness is not always on the surface…

but oftentimes behind it….

waiting patiently for someone like you

with a heart…accepting enough to find it.

DAILY GRATITUDE NATIVE NATIONS WISDOM

 

Today, as always, I am grateful for native nations wisdom…

and how they’ve found a way…

despite our efforts to the contrary…

to bring that wisdom back today…

Hold on to what is good…

even if it is a handful of dirt

Hold on to what you believe…

Even if it is a tree that stands by itself.

Hold on to what you must do… 

even if it is a long way from here.

Hold on to life…

even if it is easier to let go.

Hold on to my hand…

even if I have gone away from you.