DIFFERENCES

Our world is varied and diverse

A fact that needs no concealing…

In fact the fact we are so different

It’s what makes us so appealing.

Take our accents: French is so romantic, English…always in vogue

Italian has a seductiveness…but I prefer a Scottish brogue.

We all have different tastes in music…different hopes and dreams and fears.

We like different ice creams, books and paintings

different T.V. shows…different beers.

We have different tastes in toothpaste…I prefer mine in a gel,

We choose different foods and different tacos…I prefer a softer shell.

We own different pets, live in different houses, wash with different soaps, different shampoos.

We wear different clothes, own different socks…wear different underwear…different shoes.

Some of us love circuses. Some of us hate clowns

We even have different views on toilet paper…

Some face it up...some down?

When you look at a world as diverse as ours what truly makes us strong

is that we can disagree on the things we like

yet somehow get along.

So it makes me wonder:

In a world as varied and wonderful as ours

where we have different favorite movies...favorite songs

why can’t we believe in different Gods

yet, somehow get along?

RANDOM THOUGHTS ON SPRING

What is it about springtime

that makes everything smell so sweet…

that makes you smile a little more often…

that makes all hearts skip a beat?

When the winter chill begins to thaw

why do birds begin to sing?

Could it be they know water from the melted snow

will feed the daffodils of Spring?

Spring entices you too leave your house

to see what surprises she has brought.

You become a knight or a maiden on a quest…

in search of Camelot.

I wonder if the greatest love songs, 

performed before queen or king…

the most eloquent of love poems 

had their origin in Spring?

Why do older people move to Florida?

Could it be they understand what the seasons bring?

What better way to enter the winter of life

than in a place of eternal Spring?

A place where hope and love are never-ending

where joy and happiness take wing…

where beauty arrives on the cusp of a breeze

to paint her impressions of the Spring.

Yes, I love the hues of Autumn and Winter, 

and Summer has a certain flair…

but hearts beat faster and smiles are more abundant

when Spring is in the air.

DISCOVERING JOY

I love discovering joy far away from fortune and fame…

Like last night, as the sun was setting, at a child’s softball game.

She struck out on three pitches…without ever swinging the bat.

She smiled all the way to the dugout…I mean, where’s the joy in that!

Next time up, she got a hit and that same smile crossed her face…

Same smile as she took off running and landed on first base.

She plays the field wearing that same smile…is this an evil plot?

Same smile when the ball is hit to her…whether she catches it or not.

She plays with joy when she does well…or if an error she may make.

She plays with joy when she is perfect…or when she makes mistakes.

I realized the joy she feels must be in her chromosomes…

allowing her to smile when she strikes out…or when she’s rounding third for home.

Yes, as I watched the game last night I suddenly became aware

Her joy wasn’t in how well she did…her joy was in being there.

And mine too, for once again far away from fortune and fame…

I was able to discover joy…at a child’s softball game.

I NEVER DREAMED

When I was young my dreams were too…they were simpIe, innocent and free…

and a little egotistical because…they all revolved around me.

I didn’t think about my dreams…the things I wanted…who I would become…

I never asked myself the question: Where do dreams come from?

You see I dreamt from a comfortable bed…in a cozy house…with a happy family.

I never dreamed there could be people who had different dreams than me.

I use dreamed of getting ice cream from every store along my street…

I never dreamed there were other children who had no food to eat.

I used to dream of getting new clothes…the latest fashions anywhere.

I never dreamed there were other children who had no clothes to wear.

I use to dream of a bigger house. I thought ours was much too small.

I never dreamed there were other children who had no house at all.

My dreams were filled with joy and laughter…and moments in the sun.

I never dreamed, the dreams I dreamed…weren’t dreamt by everyone!

My dreams have changed over the years…that should come as no surprise…

for as we grow a little every day…we see the world through different eyes.

Now…I dream of a world at peace…where love and kindness shine…

Where every child born today…can have dreams similar to mine.

MY FATHER AND BASEBALL

My father loved his baseball, he said, “One day you will see,

how baseball is a lot like life…come…sit…and watch with me.”

He said, “When it’s your turn to bat…you do not know your fate.”

“You take a couple practice swings…and step up to the plate.”

“You’re ready…but a little nervous, as you hear the catcher pound the mitt.”

“Will you make an out this time…or will you get a hit.”

“And sometimes you get that hit…and sometimes you make an out.”

“For that, my son, is what baseball…and life are all about.”

“But the wonderful thing about life and baseball…is no matter how you do,

the next time you come up to bat…I’ll still root for you.”

As I watched my granddaughter play softball yesterday,

I had to smile as my childhood and adulthood met…

It seems my father gets much smarter

the older that I get.

A SHOOTING STAR

This morning, while out walking,

I hadn’t gotten very far…

when I happened to look up

and see a shooting star.

It was in that magical time of day,

before the night gives way to dawn.

I saw a flash,

a streak of light,

and then… the star was gone.

And I had to stop and marvel

at how that star and the night contrasted…

there but for a moment…

beautiful while it lasted.

I continued on my morning walk

again, I hadn’t gotten very far,

when I realized how all of us

are like that shooting star.

No matter how we see our life…

of this there is no doubt

We are here but for a brief moment 

before our light burns out.

I made a wish upon that star:

That everyone would be loving and caring and kind…

so people will smile when they see their star

and at the light they leave behind?

LAUGHTER

What keeps a family close?

What makes old friendships last?

What makes a moment special

before it fades into the past?

I believe the answer is quite simple, as far as I’m aware…

when friends and family come together…there’s always laughter in the air.

Some people will say love is the answer and I believe that’s partially true…

for love provides the framework…but laughter is the glue.

The glue that binds friends and families together through all our hopes and fears…

that helps us rediscover life…amid our sorrow and tears.

Perhaps that’s why we were given this gift.

Perhaps that is laughter’s goal.

To strengthen the love within our heart

and the joy within our soul.

When we look back on a person’s life…

is there a better epitaph

than to say he shared his smile everyday

or every day she shared her laugh.

So it seems to me:

If you want to keep your friends and family close

in this moment…and every moment after…

Smile when you come together…

and don’t forget the laughter.