WHAT IS LOVE?

“What is love?” She asked the sun.

The sun answered, “It’s sharing the sky with the seas

With the clouds, the moon, the birds, the wind

the mountains and the trees.

“What is love?” She asked the seas.

The seas answered, immediately,

“It’s sharing my water with the sun the sky

and all those who live in me.”

“What is love?” She asked the birds.

The birds answered, “Love is easy to understand.”

“It’s sharing the sky, the trees, the flowers

with the sun, the rain, the land.”

“What is love?” She asked the trees.

The trees answered, “Love is easy to explain.

It’s sharing our leaves, with the birds, with the clouds…

with the sun, the wind…and the rain.

“What is love?” he asked her…

She smiled for she instantly knew…

“I know from talking to the sun and the trees

Love…is sharing my life with you.”

INVINCIBLE

They posed in their skates on the driveway…

They were young and beautiful and bright…

and a camera captured that moment

for an eternity

In black and white.

You could feel the joy on their faces

“We are invincible!” their smiles say…

It was back when the days were short

the years were long

and all they did was play.

Many years have passed since then

And I wonder…as they grew…

Did they skate on to a happy life?

Did all their dreams come true?

Do they remember that day in the driveway

when they were young and beautiful and bright…

when a camera captured that moment

for an eternity

in black and white?

I hope there’s still joy on their faces?

I hope “We’re invincible!” their smiles still say?

Now that, once again, 

the days are short, the years are long

and all they need do…

is play.

WHY WE REMEMBER

So many people have died in wars so our flag can remain unfurled.

Died defending our freedom in different locations around the world.

Some of them died with others…

some of them perished alone…

but all who died defending our freedom

have an honor all their own.

Those who remember tell stories of their spirit…

their strength 

and their sacrifice.

Stories passed down through generations…

as they dwell in paradise.

Stories of war and freedom.

Stories of a world torn apart.

And their memories fall like raindrops to soothe our aching hearts.

Yes, we remember our fallen heroes…

how they were bold and innocent and brave

as we lay bouquets of flowers

by the headstones on their graves.

And we shall go on remembering those who fought…

those who we’ve loved and lost…

for we must never forget what they died for…

we must never forget the cost.

Perhaps remembering is how he honor them…

We take their memories and diffuse them…

Perhaps it’s the only way we can truly ensure

we never completely lose them.

CHANGE

I wonder as we live and breathe on this planet that revolves

if the key to life is a puzzle we’re trying much too hard to solve?

We don’t need computers…no algorithms need to be run…

for doesn’t the Earth change daily on it’s trip around the sun?

The rivers are constantly changing…as are the oceans and the seas…

changing every day…like the flowers and the trees.

The weather is never the same…the sky changes with every sight…

seasons come and go…daylight changes into night.

When I look at myself in the mirror hanging from our closet door…

I am a little older…than I was the day before…

So what is nature trying to tell us 

by this continuous rearranging?

That, perhaps, the only constant to life, 

is that it’s always changing…

And if change is nature’s way…and there’s no way to replace it

Perhaps the key to life is not to fight the change…

the key is to embrace it.

THE WISDOM OF A FOOL

There is a timeless, fundamental truth the ancients would convey

that, when you stop to think about it, is apropos today.

lt has to do with knowledge, not the kind you gain in school,

I believe the ancients called it: the wisdom of a fool.

They tell us a fool is easy to identify.

We can spot one with our eyes.

For a fool loves to tell us how smart he or she is

how intelligent…how wise.

While a wise one is more humble.

He or she knows their knowledge is minuscule.

They understand their learning never ends

and they will call themselves…a fool.

I think as we travel down the road of life

we should make it a general rule

to dismiss the ones with foolish wisdom

and choose…the wisdom of a fool.

AFTER

It rained outside our window last night…

but once the rain had moved away,

a new and fascinating world awaited

with the breaking of the day.

There was a sweet aroma in the air..and I was totally aware

of the birds, the flowers and the trees…

of energy everywhere…

If I told you ‘after’ was a beautiful word…I have no doubt…you’d doubt it!

But if you stop and think a moment…where would we be without it?

When pain and suffering find us…when we’re feeling truly vexed…

what gives our life new meaning…is…what happens next.

‘After’ rekindles the hope we had as little girls and boys…

After pain there is recovery…after sorrow…there is joy.

After heartache we find love…we never know where…or when

After sadness, in spite of ourselves,…we learn to laugh again.

It is never easy…and it may take quite a while

But after sorrow fills us with darkness…we do regain our smile.

Yes, when we are fighting sorrow…when life is filled with pain…

sometimes it helps to take a walk…

in the morning…

after rain.

WE STAND WITH MANCHESTER

Orlando…London…Boston…Paris…New York City…San Bernardino…Aurora…Columbine…Brussels …Sandy Hook…Charleston…Virginia Tech…Texas…………….

This is only a partial list…the places that spring to mind…..

some of the senseless killings every day in which the world is intertwined…

We cry for all who’ve suffered…we pray the killings will abate

then another city…like Manchester…falls victim to the hate…

Many lives have now been stolen by this heinous, devil of a thief…

There is no way to overcome our sorrow…no substitute for grief.

So many hearts have now been broken…it is a crying shame

how, in an instant, our world can change…and nothing is the same.

But as I watch the people of Manchester…as I’ve watched those who've come before…

In the midst of pain and suffering…it is their hearts that soar…

For, although a broken heart will never heal…once by grief it has been seized…

the suffering can be lessened…the burden can be eased.

Because there are many more good people in this world!!!

and until this killing ceases… 

it is these good and kind and loving ones…

who help pick up the pieces…

Who rush to the side of those in need…who try their best to ease the pain.

Who open their arms, their homes, their hearts…who offer shelter from the rain…

So know this anyone who terrorizes:

We may be bombed and battered…we may be broken, bruised and vexed

but we will stand with Manchester…and the next Manchester…and the next…

Our hearts will soar together…if you attack us…we will begin anew…

for we will never be defeated by someone as reprehensible as you!

ADVICE TO HELP HER GROW

I accompanied my granddaughter to the park…and as I watched her running to and fro

I wondered what advice I could give her…you know…advice to help her grow…

Perhaps I’d tell her:

Life is to be lived…don’t always do what’s right.

Don’t always color within the lines…by all means fly a kite.

Believe in yourself when others don’t…ride in a boat upon the sea…

Stop to count the stars at night…at least one time…climb a tree.

Do the best you can in all you do…If you make a mistake…don’t fret.

Watch the sunrise in the morning…and in the evening watch it set.

Swing on a swing, slide down a slide…run…for no reason at all.

Enjoy the warmth of summer, the birth of Spring…and the changing leaves in Fall.

Eat ice cream whenever you want… hug…and kiss…and share….

Never knowingly hurt another being….sometimes…it’s okay to swear.

Travel to new places…learn to ride a bike without any hands.

Never be in hurry to grow up…smile as often as you can.

Do what you know is right…don’t be afraid to take a chance…

Sing whenever you feel like it… feel free to cry and laugh and dance. 

Love life when everything is bright…and love life when all is black

for you’ll find if you love with all your heart…the world will love you back.

These thoughts will get you started…I’d say…but I’m sure once you are grown…

you’ll be a wonderful person…with opinions of your own.

And perhaps one day you’ll watch your granddaughter…running to and fro…

and you’ll have your own advice to give her…

you know…

advice to help her grow.

THE HUG

What a beautiful gesture is the hug…a wonderful way to show

feelings of affection for those you do…and do not know.

The hug is universal…around the world it’s known…

but the funny thing about it…you cannot hug alone.

You need at least one other person…and you all must be prepared…

for a hug to work it’s magic…the hug has to be shared.

Hugs can work to calm us, to show our love, to ease our fears…

They can help to make us smile…they can help to stem our tears.

Lovers hug, parents hug, and what child doesn’t love to squeeze

Why I even have a friend of mine who loves to hug the trees.

A good hug is a gift…and when hugged one must respond

It unites the huggers together…forming a circle…creating a bond.

It’s a way of communicating without words…sharing a moment in the sun…

A way in that one moment for two people to be one.

Which makes me wonder…

With a hugs grace and broad appeal…with it’s beauty…

with it’s charms

I wonder if that’s not the reason…why we were given arms.

IN THE CRADLE OF THE MOON

When they had trouble sleeping 

their mom would hum their special lullaby.

She would take them in her arms

and they would soar up to the sky.

“I know just the thing you need”, she’d say

as she hummed that little tune.

“First we’ll tiptoe across the stars

then I’ll rock you in the moon.”

“For the moon will be your cradle

where I’ll rock you through the night.

and you won’t be afraid of the darkness

with the stars as your nightlight.”

And they would dream they left their bedroom

and were on the moon instead...

But somehow come the next day

they would wake up in their bed.

They are grown now, but whenever they have trouble sleeping

they close their eyes…they listen for that tune…

then they tiptoe out across the stars

to sleep upon the moon.

IT SHOULDN'T MATTER

I don’t consider myself blasphemous, not a heretic...or odd

When I say you don’t need to be one kind of person…

to have faith in a God.

It shouldn’t matter what God you worship…

what form, what shape, what size,

if that God is kind and loving…

compassionate...and wise.

And fighting over which God is best…

Which God has the holier word…

And killing in the name of God…

Why, isn’t that absurd?

A world of love, a world of peace

A world where every human blends…

A world where people help each other

Is that not what every God intends?

My God, your God, his God, her God…

wouldn’t it be a shame…

If when we finally get to meet him…or her…

all Gods are all the same?

RANDOM QUESTIONS FROM A MORNING WALK

Random questions from a morning walk with which I sometimes toy…

If we did not know sorrow…how could we speak of joy?

Why are we so rigid…in what we feel and pray…

When, the truth is, doesn’t every one of us change a little every day?

Was it my decision or destiny that brought me down this road?

If reincarnated would I rather be a bull frog or a toad?

Does the moon communicate with the stars? 

Do the clouds talk to the seas?

Does the wind ever stop to rest as it scampers through the trees?

How can a word like telephone be both a verb…and a noun?

Why do horses sleep standing up while we sleep lying down.

Where will my grandchildren end up?  Why do I look so funny when I dance?

Will I live to be 100?   

Will I ever get to France? 

If I had the money of a millionaire…would I try to save…or spend?

Why are my nose and ears getting bigger…will hatred ever end?

My walk is over…I’m finally home…I can rest my tired legs

The only question left for me…will I have cereal or eggs?

When questions come and go like this…it’s no use trying to mask them…

I guess I should be happy…that I’m alive to ask them.

LIKE A BOOK

From the moment we’re born we are like a book…

and every day we age…who we are that day…is written on a page.

Our parents begin the writing…until such time as we are grown…

then we…pick up the pen…and begin writing on our own.

We meet many people along the way…which means everywhere we look…

we…can find them mentioned…in the pages of our book.

Some will be a footnote…mentioned briefly there or here…

crossing our paths momentarily…and then they disappear.

Others will linger on the pages…their influence reaching far…

for not only do they help write our book…they help determine who we are.

Some of our pages are filled with losses…some…are filled with wins.

This page may end a chapter…while on this page…one begins.

And though we can’t rewrite the past…once a page has bid adieu…

When we wake up the next morning…we begin to write anew.

How Wonderful!

A new story written every day…as every day life reengages…

Which means everyday it’s up to us…what happens between the pages.

OLIVES, NOSE RINGS & BRUSSEL SPROUTS

I use to wish everyone I’d see…would think and act exactly like me.

I imagined, if everyone thought like me,

what a wonderful, wonderful world this would be.

Then I met people who were crazy about …olives, nose rings and Brussel sprouts.

Three things I hated...but I soon found out I could like these people even with my doubts.

Then I met people who didn’t share my views,

people of varying religions and hues.

And perhaps you can guess what next ensues...

Yes...these are the friendships now I choose.

Because now I know everyone I see…need not think and act like me.

Because all these people who are different from me…makes this the most wonderful world it can be.

It seems my life has done a complete turnabout.

I’ve worked through my apprehensions and my doubts...

Well most of them anyway, because I can still do without...

Olives, nose rings...and Brussel Sprouts.

MY LIST

On my morning walk each day I like to make a list of things I love…

It’s a wonderful way to start…

A way to strengthen my body…as well as exercise my heart.

l love my wife and family…I list them first each day

I love the myriad of friendships I’ve made along the way.

I love the moon, the stars, the clouds…I love the flowers and the trees.

I love to stand among the raindrops…I love a gentle morning breeze.

I love that I can feel…I love that I have two hands.

I love to watch a sunset…I love to walk along the sand.

I love to fly, I love skipping stones…I love many crazy hair styles

I love to hear a baby’s laugh and watch anybody smile.

I love the mountains…I love the streams

I love to say the word falafel…

I love warm chocolate chip cookies

and I love ice cream on a waffle.

I start my list as I begin my walk

and it grows the more I roam…

the funny thing is…my list is never finished

by the time I get back home.

And I imagine the list would never end

if I walked from June to June

If I walked around the entire Earth…

If I walked up to the moon…

And so I wonder:

Wouldn’t this be a wonderful way to change the world…

If everyone would participate…

We’d be so busy making lists of things we loved…

we’d have no time to hate.