THE CHILD INSIDE US

 May we be blessed every now and then

(I suggest to least one a day)

to find the child inside us 

give them a hug…

and let them come out and play

MORNING FLASH MOB

 It was a flash mob…somewhere in Italy…a maestro was conducting Ode to Joy

and I found myself fascinated by the conduct of one little girl…and boy.

Moved by the beauty of the music…and how the maestro was instructing…. 

the little boy started dancing…and the little girl…conducting.

I love how, out of nowhere, this flash of music put these children in a trance

causing one to begin conducting…and the other one to dance.

And I thought I need to bring that childhood innocence into my morning walk

to be more open to the flash mobs around me as I circumvent the block.

Now, my heart controls the rhythm…providing a steady beat

then my brain receives the message and sends that rhythm to my feet. 

Rabbits hop their steady beat to make sure I’ve got it right

as the birds, who provide the music, wake from their slumber of the night.

The crickets begin their collective chorus…voices reaching for the skies

until the owls, the mockingbirds, seagulls and squirrels begin to harmonize.

And on those mornings, when I’m lucky, in the trees I hear the wind begin….

and softly into the symphony…enters the violins.

The flash mob always plays the same song…it’s a daily Ode to Joy

and I try hard to listen with the innocence of that little girly and boy.

Which means on any given morning it is purely happenstance….

whether I choose to be the conductor…or if I choose to dance.

W. H. AUDENS'S WORDS

 

As we to enter into any relationship

I wonder how beautiful our world would be

If everyone entered echoing the words of W. H Auden:

‘Let the most loving one…be me’

HAPPHY ENDINGS

We all grew up listening to fairy tales like Goldilocks and the three bears…

From Jack, who climbed the beanstalk, to Rapunzel, who let down her hair.

As we snuggled safe, secure and happy neath the covers of our bed…

tales of kings and queens and castles are the stories our parents read.

We dreamed we’d be that king or queen…to take a partner…a husband…a wife

where from our castle we’d rule our kingdom with compassion

and live a long and happy life.

Growing up, although we left those nightly fairy tales behind,

the memories of those moments with our parents never left our minds.

And, just like in the fairy tales…we fell in love with someone…

“I love you!” We exclaimed…

I will treat you like a king…or queen…they answered, “I will do the same.”

Our little house became our castle…filled with joy and love and laughter

and our fairy tale, as we expected, has us living happily ever after. 

We begin this circle with our own children 

when each evening  we kiss them on their heads

then sit down, as a family, and read fairy tales in their beds.

We have found over the years those fairy tale memories will keep

whether it’s a single parent…

a woman and a man…

two women…or two men…who read their children to sleep.

Because when it comes to fairy tales 

all that matters…is that love is behind the message we are sending…

for it is love…and and only love…

that writes a happy ending.

EMBRACE OUR AGE

 

May we be blessed to embrace getting older 

every wrinkle, every line…

because wrinkles are only the remnants

that our smiles leave behind

HE NEVER NEEDED GLASSES

 

As he grew older and older…as it sometimes does

his vision began to fade…it wasn’t as clear as it once was.

The optometrist fitted him with glasses…and the moment he put them on…

his world became much clearer…the blurriness was gone.

“They look great on you.” His wife said. “I’m glad your eyes are fixed.”

but behind the smile she showed him…her feelings were quite mixed.

“I’m happy…really happy for you.” She said. “And I know this may sound dumb 

but now I’m afraid you’ll be able to see how old I have become.”

“Now you will see clearly…all the wrinkles on my face…

all the vestiges of time that cannot be erased.”

“As we’ve shared our life together,” he said holding her hand,

“As each new day unfolds…

I never needed glasses to know we’re getting old.”

“I never needed glasses to see how perfectly your hand fits into mine.

I never needed glasses to see how completely we align.”

“As each day we both grow a little older…it’s natural for our skin to weather…

but I’ve never needed glasses to see how easily our wrinkles fit together.”

“Do not worry that these glasses let me see how much the two of us have grown

for they only help me see more clearly…what my eyes have always known.”

A WISH

 

May we be blessed live in a world:

where we build bridges instead of walls

where kindness needs no defense

and where love really does conquer all…

LOVE LIST

 

When war, politics, prejudice and bigotry are encouraging me to hate

I take a moment to look around…then a love list I create: 

I love my wife and my family…how family never ends…

I love that I’m surrounded by a multitude of friends.

I love animals and sunsets…how a sunrise paints the sky…

I love flowers, raindrops, dolphins…I love ladybugs and butterflies.

I love birds and trees and rainbows…

how a dewdrop glistens in the sun.

I love chocolate…I love ice cream…I love watching a river run.

I love the laughter of a baby…

I love kissing under the stars and moon.

I love that we have utensils…I love the knife, the fork…the spoon.

I love the wind…the way she whistles through the trees.

I love how leaves change color in Autumn…I love a summer breeze.

I love snakes and insects like the ants and honeybees.

I love that everybody in the world does not look or act like me.

I find when I take the time to look around and a love list I create…

the more I concentrate on love…the less time I have to hate.

I leave you with that final thought…

you’ll find from this poem I have departed…

but as far as making today’s love list…

well…

I’m just getting started.

WHO AM I TO DISAGREE

They say when a dragonfly lands on you 

you’ll be blessed with good luck…and prosperity…

Which is why I smile whenever that happens…

for who am I do disagree… 

THE DRAGONFLY

 

One of the advantages of growing old…one of the things I most adore

is how time slows down allowing me to enjoy the wonders around me a little more.

Yes, once I entered this unhurried state…perhaps the biggest prize…

is the time I have to talk to the trees…the birds…the dolphins…

even the dragonflies.

She landed on my hand…this dragonfly…then looked up at me and smiled….

“I’ve been flying for a long time.” She said. “Do you mind if I rest on you a while?”

“Not at all.” I said as we walked together on the sand…

(actually I did all the walking while she rested in my hand.)

I thought there’s so much I can learn from her…so much to understand…

until she yawned and asked, “Can you tel me a story?” as she snuggled in my hand.

I wasn’t prepared with a story but I said, “I’ll give it a try.

This is story about the stars that twinkle in the sky.

I bet you didn’t know this little dragonfly…it’s probably something you don’t think about

but a star only begins to twinkle when it’s light is about to go out.

That’s a sign for an angel to fly by and set that twinkling star free….

to thank her for all the light she gave…then gently toss her to the sea.

Sometimes we can see that shooting star…sometimes we catch her final flash

as she transforms into a starfish before entering the water with a splash.

The dragonfly must have been quite tired…I’m sure my story was boring…

but when I looked at my hand…she was sleeping…and I think I heard her snoring.

She slept for quite a while as we walked along the beach that day…

and when she woke…she thanked me for the story…smiled…then flew away.

All the questions I had to ask her…well, I guess they’ll have to keep…

I did, however, learn that dragonflies like to listen to a bedtime story 

before they go to sleep.

HOPE IN SADNESS

 

May we be blessed with the hope

when suffering through any sadness…any tragedy

that somehow, this sadness will eventually make us strong

that sometimes when good things fall apart

something just as good…or better…comes along.

BETTER WITH SADNESS NOW

 

I’ve watched Star Trek…I know the space/time continuum is in a forward ever-constant flow…still I wonder why times of joy seem to be over so quickly…while times of sadness move so slow.

For years I was awkward when someone I loved was sad…

I wanted to make their sadness go away.

I would fumble around not knowing what to do…not knowing what to say.

Until I learned from being a friend, a husband a dad…and a granddad…

sometimes, in the midst of a happy life, people need time to be sad.

Perhaps that’s why, after a tragedy…a loss…a misfortune or a death…

time slows down so we can take a moment…to stop…and catch our breath.

A moment to be sad…to come to grips…to try and understand the pain we feel…

to take the time we need to discover our happiness again

to recover…to rebuild…to heal.

Now when someone I love is sad…I hold them tight…

the only words I whisper are, “I’ll never let you go.”

and in the silence of their sadness I allow their tears to flow.

Hoping to shine a little light into their darkness…

to soften or alleviate their fears….

as we float together in a boat….upon their sea of tears.

Offering them a silent smile…a touch…a hug…

hoping from these they will learn

that I will be beside them through their sadness

until their happiness returns.

Letting them know I have all the time in the world 

to float with them upon this sea…

For however long it takes…

for however long that may be.