A TRAGIC WARNING

As I watch our leaders spreading lies

using words…misrepresented…

I have to remind myself that truth is real

but a lie must be invented.

Which means it’s up to us to be diligent.

We must be the sleuth

able to sort through all the lies they tell

and discover what is truth.

We must expose the liars

and their lies we must assail…

For if our world is to survive

it is truth that must prevail.

We must not let truth be crushed

by the sheer weight and volume of their lies.

We must continue to find a way…

a place for truth to rise…

For if truth is ever defeated

If lies become our creed…

It would be a tragic day for all of us…

A tragic day…indeed.

THE GOOD OLD DAYS

I’ve heard it said if you live in the past

the less future you have to enjoy…

yet, sometimes I long for the ‘good old days’…

back to the time I was just a boy…

Back when people found time for each other…

a time of kindness and courtesy…

back when we would sit in the shade and find faces in the clouds…

back when we were more innocent…and free.

Oh, I know life wasn’t perfect back then…

and memory has a way

of highlighting the good while forgetting the bad

and calling it all the ‘good old days’.

Still…there’s a reason we hold on to those good memories

why life seems, in retrospect, happier than it appeared

why we think back on those times with a smile…

why we remember the laughter instead of the tears…

It’s because we cannot escape our past

no matter how comforting…or beautiful…or frightful…

but If we can bring the best of our past to our present..

it makes our future much more delightful…

So now when I sit in the shade and find faces in the clouds

in the belly of the mountains distinctive blue haze…

I take a moment to say thank you…for my future looks bright

because of those ‘good old days’.

WRINKLES

In the book that is our life

where all lives intertwine

each day is written in our wrinkles…

they become our story lines.

Every person’s life is a little different

for we all have a different climb

Still…every memory we gather along the way

is a wrinkle etched in time.

So you might say our wrinkles are important…

They hold, for us, a special place…

By allowing the story of the life we are living

to be written on our face.

WHEN THE OWL CALLS OUT YOUR NAME

They believed that death was imminent when the owl called out their name…

They believed in the magic of life…they treated everyone the same.

They believed everyone is family from the moment they arrive

They believed in a world where everyone help everyone to live, and to survive.

They had no need for war, no need for armies or police

They believed in working together for harmony and peace.

They had no word for thank you…gratitude was undeclared…

There is no need for thank yous when everything is shared.

They knew the importance of nature…for all they depend upon.

They knew without the trees, the animals the water…they would all be gone.

They had so much to teach us…oh how our world would have been enhanced

If only we would had listened…if we gave their words a chance.

But we ignored their wisdom…and our world was not enhanced

yet I wonder if it’s possible…we’ve been given a second chance…

To consider their words and meaning

for wouldn’t it be a shame

if we do not listen a second time 

before the owl calls out our name.

ADVICE FOR CHILDREN

ADVICE FOR CHILDREN

What can we say to our children as we watch them running to and fro?

What advice can we offer them…you know…advice to help them grow?

For weren’t we all children once…running to and fro?

And aren’t there things we learned back then…we’d like for them to know?

We could start with:

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 while pedaling with no 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.

And perhaps the best news we could end with….

advice that never will be wrong:

No matter how much older you become…

always bring your child along.

LOOK TO THE MOON

When her friend told her of her loneliness she answered, “Sometimes I am lonely too.

But when I’m feeling lonely this is what I do.”

“When I’m overcome with loneliness…when I feel marooned

when I’m feeling my darkest…I smile at the moon.”

“And I think of all the people…all the other people who…

are also looking up…and smiling at her too.”

“And I see upon her surface…all the people I have known…

and I think of all the people who love me 

and I know I’m not alone.”

WHAT IS LOVE?

“What is love?” the daughter asked as they walked together hand in hand

The mother had to think a moment..

This question coming sooner than she planned.

How do you explain love to a young child she thought 

as her daughter anxiously awaited…

How do you explain something so simple 

that can be so complicated?

Suddenly a gentle mist fell from the sky and her anxieties disappeared

for as they continued walking in the rain the answer became clear.

“Love comes in many shapes and sizes.” she said

“It’s not easy to explain…

It’s like you’re always walking in the sunshine

even when it rains”

As the rain continued it’s gentle decent

She held her daughter’s hand a little tighter…

“No matter what is happening in your life,” she said,

“Love makes it all a little brighter.”

“Once a person you love is in your life.

It’s knowing everything about them.

It’s wondering what your life was like before

and how you'd live without them.”