A BABY'S SMILE

 

When we see a baby’s smile…what is it we actually see?

Is it their beauty, their trust in us…their innocence, their joy, their purity?

Do we see happiness, satisfaction, peace and serenity?

Do we see comfort, virtue, delight…do we see love and harmony?

Or, perhaps that baby’s sunny smile… is a little more than what it seems…

Perhaps we see the shadow of our hopes…a reflection our dreams.

Perhaps their smile is there to remind us who we were…

when life was comfortable…when we were trusting, innocent and pure.

Perhaps that smile is a touchstone…a chance for us to see

who we have become…and wonder…is this the person I want to be.

A chance to revel in the moment…happy we’ve come so far….

satisfied with our life, our loves, our choices…and exactly who we are…

And if we’re not…a chance to do something about it….a time to rearrange…

A baby’s smile is an innocent way of showing is…it’s not to late to change.

A reminder it is our job…our duty…as members of the human race….

to do our very best…to put a smile on every baby’s face.

DAILY GRATITUDE MEANING OF WEALTH

 

I am grateful for learning early the meaning of wealth…

and grateful more people are learning this everyday….

How wealth is not measured by what and how much we have to keep…

but by what and how much we are willing to give away

BE THERE

May we be blessed to have this as our calling:

to do our best to keep our friends, our family 

and everyone we meet…

from falling…

To be considerate, accepting, kind, 

compassionate, 

forgiving too…

and help them pick up the pieces..

when and if they ever do.

 

A SIMPLE ACT OF KINDNESS

 

The new girl tentatively entered the classroom…

excited to be there while at the same time feeling the need to run away

afraid of what her classmates might think..

afraid of what they might say.

Her teacher gave her a hug.

“This is our new student.” She said as she held her near.

“I’d like you all to join me…in welcoming Angela here.”

When Angela entered the classroom she was frightened…

unsure what to do

but when she saw her teacher and classmates smiling at her…

she began to smile too.

 

At the end of the day Angela stopped by her teacher’s desk

feeling more confident and strong…

“I want to thank you.” She said with a smile. 

for making me feel like I belong.”

After sharing a smile together

she ran to catch up with her new friends.

Feeling the effects of this ripple of kindness

that, hopefully, never ends.

How beautiful how…in a world filled with uncertainty and strife…

one simple act of kindness can effect a person’s life.

When living in an increasingly cruel world

Where people who look, think or act differently are called treasonous…

It’s good to remember the solution to this cruelty

lies inside each one of us.

We have the power to help all people feel confident and strong….

to let them know in the world we live in…everyone belongs.

Fighting prejudice will always be a difficult uphill climb

But, perhaps, the best way to attack this problem is:

one person

one student

one classroom 

at a time.

DAILY GRATITUDE GENEROSITY

 

I am grateful through the years

for all those who have shown me generosity…

Those still living…and those already gone…

For allowing me to experience 

the wonderful feeling when receiving their generosity

as well as the pleasure of passing it on.

GENEROSITY

 

Perhaps it’s time the words of Khalil Gibran

we read…digest and heed:

Generosity is giving more than you can

and pride is taking less than you need.

ORGAN DONATION

 

We have been blessed with good health…Both my wife, Deborah, and me…

which is why we both have DONOR listed on our drivers license/ID.

But now that we’ve grown older we are pretty sure…

Doctors might not want our old organs anymore.

So, if we can’t be organ donors…

Before we move away…the two of us agreed…

To donate some of the furniture…we no longer need. 

Because unlike our old body parts…the two of us conceded

our old furniture, though old, is still wanted and still needed.

We loved our old furniture…and rather than sell or simply lose it

It’s nice to know it now resides with families who can use it.

Our couch, rocking chair and day bed…

now live in our neighbors growing family’s safe keeping.

They can sit on our couch, rock their baby in the chair

and the day bed is where their daughter will be sleeping.

Some bookshelves and a nice long table…now complete

a work station for the newlyweds who live across the street.

Our old roll top desk, Hawaiian chair and file cabinet…Have found a way to blend

into the house of two older newlyweds…who have become dear friends.

Our love seat and IKEA shelving unit… were quite heavy 

so with a few grunts and groans…

they now sit in the first apartment of 3 young men…

starting to live out on their own.

Some of Deborah’s Fiesta ware…in all those bright colors we love to see

have found their way into the houses of friends and family.

We are happy knowing our furnishings…

will live in other houses where friends and family dwell…

and we sat around in our ever-emptying house…we wished we had an organ

so we could have donated it as well