Thursday, October 17, 2024

WATCHING A FAMILY GROW

 

There is nothing quite as beautiful….

(If you’ve ever done it…then you know)

than planting a seed in your garden…

and being blessed to watch it grow….


And:


There is nothing quite as beautiful 

(Again…if you’ve ever done it…then you know)

than planting the seed of a family

and being blessed to watch it grow.



There’s nothing quite as beautiful 

(If you’ve ever done it…then you know)

Than lighting the first sticks of a campfire

and being blessed to watch that fire grow…



And:


And there is nothing quite as beautiful 

(Again If you’ve ever done it…then you know)

Than lighting the fire of love under your family

and being blessed to watch your family grow.


Wednesday, October 16, 2024

NEW BEGINNINGS

 Today’s blessing is about change 

comes from the philosopher Seneca

and long ago it was penned….


Every new beginning comes from…

some other new beginning’s end.

BITTERSWEET MOMENTS

 

With the wedding ceremony over…

the bride and groom and guests have returned back from where they roamed… 

The wedding chapel we created… has turned back into a home.


It’s funny although the wedding was beautiful…

once the ceremony and partying is complete…

in the silence of it’s wake…I feel…a little bittersweet.


There are moments in life so magical you wish time would suspend

When you’re in the middle of the magic 

you don’t want that magic to end.


And when it does…as it always does…

when it’s over and you know that moment will never repeat…

You find yourself in a mix of emotions.…known as…bittersweet.


Happy to have enjoyed the magic…with family and friends…

Sad that particular magic moment…ever had to end.


It’s time for Deborah and I to leave as well…

and as I said goodbye to the spot where the the vows had been exchanged

I noticed in the short time we’ve been here…

how more colors in the trees have changed.


How more leaves have fallen from those trees that in the light breeze sway…

How everything around me changes a little every day.


And I know as my world changes…like this spot where they were wed…

change also means there are more opportunities for magical moments ahead.


But as I happily anticipate those new magic moments 

in life I know I’m going to meet…

Isn’t it funny how the magic that infuses one moment…

can make the next moment bittersweet


Tuesday, October 15, 2024

SLEEPING LOVE

 

 When we add a new member to our family….

(as we just did with a daughter-in-law)

I admit to being amazed, 

astonished,

in wonder 

and in awe…


Because…and I can’t explain it…

I only know it is tender, 

engaging

and sweet

How there is love we never know is sleeping in our hearts

that is awakened the moment we meet.

WELCOME TO OUR FAMILY TREE

 

The wedding ceremony is over… 

to the world we’ve added a new husband and wife.

The cabin has returned to normal and everyone’s gone back to their life.


As I sit on the porch in the quiet..watching birds at the feeder…I’m enthralled

as the trees continue to change color and their leaves continue to fall…


I once believed when it came to humans…

across the oceans…across time…across history…

every person everywhere was part of the one and only human family tree.


A tree that’s constantly changing in its effort to grow strong and tall

Welcoming new buds in Spring…to replace the leaves they’ve lost in the fall.


But sitting here among a multitude of trees…

noticing the distinct branches, limbs and leaves…

I’m thinking of the world a little differently…altering what I once believed.


What if every human family is part of their own distinct family tree

whether they’re evergreen…or lose their leaves in the Fall….

and what if under all these different family trees…it’s the roots that connect us all.


Which means we all share what gives us life…allowing each and every family tree 

knowing we are all connected…to retain our individuality.


What if we’re meant to share between us…the sun, the rain, the drops of morning dew

our buds, our branches our leaves and our limbs as all trees were created to do.


Which brings me to the reason for this poem…to Trista…Damiens wife

Perhaps the most beautiful words you will ever hear…

or, if you’re reading this…will see

Are:

We love you…and we’re overjoyed to welcome you to our family tree.


As I sit on the porch in the quiet watching the birds feed and the colors of Autumn fall

I can already see how this new leaf makes our family tree a little brighter…

and I can’t help but be enthralled.


Monday, October 14, 2024

ENJOY EVERY MOMENT

 

May we be blessed 

to enjoy every moment we can with our children 

and our grandchildren

enjoy every moment….before…

We turn around one day and realize…

they are not children or grandchildren any more.


ONE MORE TIME


It’s funny what went through my mind…the joy….the wonder….the pride

when I looked into the eyes of my grandson,

as he looked into the eyes of his bride.


As I watched this wonderful young man…I found it difficult to understand…. 

where all the time has gone since I could pick him up…

and carry him with one hand?


Since I took him for walks in his stroller….

and pointed out all the things there were to see.

When did this little boy I use to cradle…

become taller and wiser than me?


I still see that same smile…that same eagerness…

that same innocence and joy

as I saw in him every time I picked him up when he was a little boy.


But gone are the days I could pick him up…

or tuck him into bed snug as a bug in a rug

Those times I would carry him around the house when he visited

have been replaced with a ‘Hi PopPop” and a hug.


Oh I am not complaining…everything is great…it’s wonderful…it’s good. 

Life has moved on as it is meant to move on…as it always should.


But as I stood there watching Damien marry the love of his life….

when I heard the wedding bell chime….

I thought back and wondered how great it would be

If I could pick him up with one hand

and carry him…

one more time.