WHERE HAS THE TIME GONE

 

 As we re-shelved some old photo albums the other day

we were amazed there sitting on the floor

how our children and grandchildren occupying these pages 

are not children any more

When we opened onto pages of babies and children

who in the photos look so small…

We wondered when did they all grew up

and when did they get so tall?

Could they really be the children and grandchildren

who possess our chromosomes and genes?

When did these babies become children?

When did these children become teens?

The more we looked at their photos…

the more we wondered when.

When did these little girls grow into women?

When did these little boys grown into men?

It’s funny when you’re in a moment…

you don’t notice how fast time is moving on…

It’s not until later…looking back…when you wonder…

where has all the time gone?

And we smiled at each other understanding 

when it comes to the moments in our life

the who, what, how ,where and when

we know if we had the chance…

we would do it all again.

As we sat there musing on this thought…

lo and behold

we noticed a photo of our great-granddaughter

soon to turn one year old.

Sitting there looking at her photo

thinking of every upcoming what, how, where, when and who

we realized to our delight

that’s exactly what we get to do.

SMILE!

 

Do you ever wonder why we take photographs

of the people we love…

of the places we roam?

Why do we have so many photos saved upon our phones….

in albums 

or in frames around our home.

Could it be we understand hoe every moment is temporary

that we don’t control how long a moment lasts 

and a camera allows us to capture a moment

before it drifts into the past.

Since we are constantly amassing memories

from every January to December

we need our collection of photographs

to help us all remember. 

Each photograph is a portal 

taking us from our present into our past

by waking up a memory…

from all the memories we’ve amassed.

We are drawn into a photograph..

and for a moment our world rewinds 

returning us to a specific time and place…

If only for a moment in our minds.

The photo awakens a memory 

and as across our mind it spreads…

for a moment we transcend time and space

until we tuck that memory gently back to bed.

The experts tell us there’s no way to go back in time

no way to revisit people from our past…

places we have roamed…

I say tell that to the photos we have saved upon our phones

pasted into our albums 

and we have hanging in frames around our home.

OUR BABIES AND OUT LITTLE DOGS

 

I notice if we’re out with our great-granddaughter…even for a little while

when people, complete strangers, see her…they cannot help but smile.

If we’re in a restaurant and she’s sitting there…

intensely observing people walking to and fro…

everyone who sees her smiles…then stops…just to say hello.

I also notice when walking Arrow…our friends little dog…even for a little while

when people, complete strangers, see her….they cannot help but smile.

On the street or on a path…wherever we choose to go 

everyone who sees her smiles…then stops… just to say hello 

 

It’s difficult to understand…I truly must confess

the power ones so small and trusting and pure… 

and innocent doth possess.

When considering this phenomenon…a thought occurred to me:

Seeing how both a baby and a little dog radiate an innocence…

that immediately transfers on to anyone they see…

What if all the troubles of the world….

the fighting, the killing, the wars, the hateful dialogue….

could be solved if everyone brought to the negotiating table…

a baby…or a little dog.

When it comes to our prejudices and disagreements…

all the doom and gloom

a baby and a dog would go a long way 

to ease the tensions in the room….

All the leaders of the world…

when confronted with ones so innocent and small

would instantly be reminded…

of what is truly important to us all.

I like to think it would change the fighting…the killing

the wars and hateful dialogues…

For how could the leaders of the world…

look into those innocent faces

then make decisions 

that will kill our babies and our little dogs.

DOING WHAT CHILDREN DO

 

From the time I was a child I’ve been blessed to find comfort in life’s little things…

Like running among the falling leaves of autumn…pretending I have wings.

Like sitting on our porch in the mountains…with the moon and stars aglow

Listening to an owl’s closing aria accompanied by a chorus of crickets below.

It likens me back to when I was a child……a simpler time when my biggest worry 

was falling off my bike and scraping my knees

When life was easier…more innocent…and I had fewer responsibilities 

 

But now that I am older…able to sit back and enjoy the blessings a long life brings

I’ve come full circle…and I am, once again, finding comfort in life’s little things.

Like sitting on our porch…being an excited but silent cheerleader

to a diverse array of feathery creatures who frequent our bird feeders.

Like pulling over on our way home from Asheville…just the other day….

to stop and admire what artists in the town of Canton created out of hay.

There on the side of the highway…greeting every passerby

was a cornstalk standing next to a black bear…who was happily waving ‘HI’.

We walked around this corn stalk and bear…in the middle of a beautiful Autumn day…

admiring the talent and the creativity of this simple road art…sculpted out of hay.

If you happened by you’d have see two children…in their 70’s…

on the side of the road… playing in the hay.

reliving a simpler time that…as we grow older…has a tendency to slip away…

It’s funny when you think about it…

when we’re young and the world is fun and innocent and new

as children we often secretly wish to do what grown-ups do.

But when we’re older…and once again the world is fun and innocent and new

you can often find us doing…exactly what children do.

GODLENROD

 

I was cleaning our roof the other day…when I ran across something odd….

growing out of some moss on our roof…was a single goldenrod.

I love goldenrods for their bright yellow color…but that’s not all…

I love how they’re nature’s way of announcing  

summer’s almost over and we’re heading for the Fall.

I also love how they’re a symbol of good luck…

and how their medicinal uses have been broad.

but on the roof I remembered the story 

of the very first goldenrod:

An old woman was walking in a dark forest one night…

she was exhausted and confused…

She asked the tress for a branch to help her walk

but every tree refused.

When a small neglected stick on the ground

Said, “I’ll do my best to support you.

If you make me your walking stick

I’ll be happy to escort you.”

When they emerged from out the forest…

the old woman set the little stick next to a tree…

then said, “I am actually a fairy princess….

and I’d like to thank you for helping me…

She smiled then sprinkled that stick with gold dust

as the sun illuminated the early morn…

and because of that fairy’s magic

the first goldenrod was born.

It is a beautiful story…

Do I believe it’s true?

Do I believe a stick can be transformed 

into a flower with a yellow hue?

I do!  

Because standing proudly before me

was absolute and positive proof….

a descendant of the very first goldenrod

growing on our roof.