BUT I THINK DIFFERENTLY

 

 One of the material things left behind in our cabin

by Deborah’s father…Fred

was the pith helmet he wore in the garden

that, luckily, fit’s my head.

I love to wear it when working around the cabin

I’ll wear it when planting a garden down on bended knee

I like being reminded of Deborah’s dad every time I wear the hat 

he passed down to me.

It is one way to honor him and remind me to be like him

to enjoy life and take it slow

while hoping that hat still has enough magic in it

to help our garden grow.

I was wearing the pith helmet the other day…

as we were unpacking boxes that filled the cabin floor

and when I finished I set it on the hat rack

that now stands beside the door.

That evening sitting on our couch…as contentment I was feeling

I noticed the shadow of a heart projected on the ceiling.

It was created as the light below formed the shadow 

of Deborah’s dad’s old hat

and looked exactly like a heart…from the position where I sat.

Some people may think it’s just an optical illusion…

just my feeling and emotions playing tricks on me

That I’m seeing in that shadow exactly what I want to see.

That I have allowed my affection for him and my imagination to soar

That the shadow is just a shadow…just a shadow…nothing more

That my heart and mind are somehow influencing

the shadow that I see

But knowing the man who once wore that pith helmet around the cabin

I think differently