THE BEST THING

When he was asked, “What’s been the best thing about her love?” 

He answered. “It was when I became aware…

she saw something in me I didn’t see…

she found a part of me I never knew was there.”

A PIECE OF THE CAKE

We attended Ava, our granddaughter’s, birthday party

as has been our yearly routine

This one, however, reminded us how fast time flies…she just turned 13.

Ava is our youngest grandchild…which means, if you’re keeping score,

none of our four grandchildren…are children anymore.

And again we had to wonder about time

Yes, we’ve been there to watch her grow

but there are moments every now and then when you ask

Where…did the time go?

Time is a funny thing is it not?

a continuous ocean of change

We can’t make sad moments move off swiftly

We can’t make happy moments remain…

It seems the best we can do as we’re carried by her waves…is open our eyes wide

and as time unfolds before us…sit back and enjoy the ride…

So as we watched Ava at her party…It wasn’t the teenager we chose to see

No, we spent some time remembering…the child she used to be.

Looking back across that ocean…remembering moments that endear….

moments we’ve been lucky to share…for these last 13 years

We’ve spent as much time with Ava as the waves of time would allow

and though we’re still a part of her life…we’re more observers now…

And that is as it should be…for as the people in her life increase…

When it comes to her life…

like her birthday cake

we’re just happy to have a piece.

WHEN A CHILD SEES A DOLPHIN

When a child sees a dolphin…something happens in their brain….

in their heart and in their soul…something you can’t explain… 

When a child sees a dolphin…sees their beauty…sees their grace

their eyes grow wide, they jump, they point…there’s a smile on their face.

We spotted the dolphins before they did…swimming in the bay. 

5 dolphins-a dolphin family-who, we noticed, were heading our way.

A mom was the next to spot them…as they elegantly swam into view

She rushed her children to the dock…so they could see them too.

That is where we met up with them…as the sun painted the morning sky

and together we watched the dolphins…this family…Deborah…and I.

Her little boy pointed when he saw one…so awed by the mystique

All he could do was bounce up and down…he was completely unable to speak

A dolphin jumped out of the water…the daughter pointed and said, “That’s so cool!”

“Mom says they’re eating breakfast before they send their kids off to school”.

She smiled as she said this to me…and her eyes were wide open too

I said, “Your mom is one very smart lady…because that’s just what dolphins do”.

We talked to them a while…about how beautiful all dolphins look…

about what a dolphin school might be like and where do they keep their books…

But mostly we just watched them watch the dolphins…

we heard a lot of oohs and aahs and sighs

and we were glad to witness the wonder we saw in each child’s eyes

We left them on the floating dock…a wonderful beginning to our day

knowing they would not be leaving until the last dolphin floated away…

And I thought how wonderful when a child sees a dolphin…

sees their beauty, sees their grace

How they point, they jump with their eyes open wide… 

and how there’s a smile on their face.

And how wonderful, too, when an adult sees a dolphin 

swimming effortlessly in the wild…

Because the moment an adult sees a dolphin…they immediately turn back into a child.

A GREAT DAY

Yesterday was a great day…one I will long revere

It began when I looked in the mirror…and realized…I’m still here!

That I have a wife, children, grandchildren and friends 

with whom this life…I share…

This is how my day began…and it only got better from there!

We watched the sun rise on our morning walk.

We saw a father carry his daughter piggy-back

We said ‘Hi’ to Stella, she is homeless…

and for the first time…she said ‘Hi’ back.

We stopped to talk to an old man as we walked down to the sea.

We took goodies down to our daughter-in-law 

(she’s having surgery on her knee).

We bought candy from the candy store.

We drank fresh-squeezed lemonade.

In the heat of the Florida sun…we found respite in the shade.

We bought the final present for Ava’s birthday party…(she just turned 13)

We put a new rug in our craft room…we decorated for Halloween.

We saw our eagles…on the top of the pole where they both like to rest

We ate take-out food from Thai Town…their Pad Thai is the best!

From my spot in my favorite chair I watched the sun set through the trees.

As we turned out the lights and kissed goodnight I thought…

I love days like these…

And when I awoke this morning…knowing yesterday was through…

I looked in the mirror and couldn’t help but think…

Today’s starting out pretty great too!

ERIC'S TREE

I pass it every time Ava has a home volleyball game 

and It makes me wonder about fate..

It’s a tree…growing outside my old classroom…planted in 1988.

It was for one of my Autistic students that this one tree came to be…

A wonderful student, his name was Eric…he had muscular dystrophy.

When Eric first entered my class…he walked on his tip toes…with great care.

Eventually his muscular dystrophy would put him in a wheel chair.

But he also entered with a reputation…I was told…all he did was cry…

and it drove everyone around him crazy because they couldn’t discover why?

I was told he could say a few words but as far as learning he was much too slow

I would come to find out it wasn’t Eric but our expectations that were low..

One day on a trip to the store…

(I’d strap him in the passenger seat of my van before we would depart)

I hadn’t driven very far when I heard him say…”K-Mart”.

As I drove and listened that day my thinking about Eric redefined…

He wasn’t just sayin random words…he was reading all the signs!

That day I learned if I listen to my students…sometimes they will lead…

for next to me sat the boy so slow…he had taught himself to read!

He couldn’t hold a pencil but he could write…in my heart and soul I knew it

so I found an old electric typewriter and wheeled Eric to it.

He commenced to typing us little messages…

and though his sentence structure was chopped

he began to smile a little more and we noticed his crying completely stopped.

Okay…it didn’t stop completely…but he didn’t cry as much

as his fingers walked along the keyboard and he found the letters he wanted to touch.

It was a minor breakthrough 

he was still limited by his understanding and his muscular dystrophy…

but just so watch him smile as he typed…was good enough for me…

Muscular dystrophy, however, was immune to Eric’s charms…

and one night on summer vacation…he died in his mothers arms…

The staff and students of the school in order to commemorate his memory…

outside the last classroom he ever attended…planted him this tree.

And that’s why I think of fate every time I pass in front of Eric’s tree…

Thankful not only for what I saw in him…

but for what he saw in me.

BANANAS

BANANAS

The banana is a delicious fruit.

It’s elongated…curved…and kind of cute

It’s true all bananas are called bananas

they all share the banana name

but when we look more closely…we notice

no two bananas are the same. 

They can be long or short or fat or thin

some can be yellow…some are green

yet when someones says banana…

we know exactly what they mean.

Still, despite the differences in bananas

(if you need a reminder…see above)

the banana in all it’s diversity

is a fruit most of us love

We don’t care where they have come from…

or how they are transported

If they’re grown inside this country…

or if they are imported.

In truth whether we’re looking at them closely 

or seeing them from afar

we tend not to take any notice of how different all bananas are….

or even if we do notice…we never make a fuss

because the differences between bananas 

is meaningless to us.

Wouldn’t it be amazing in this country

from Main to California…from Texas to Montana

If we humans thought of other humans…

like we think of our bananas?

ONE MAN AND FOUR WOMEN

When a man goes on a date with four women

one being his wife-who sits by his side

he realizes almost immediately…

he’s in for a wonderful ride.

When a man goes on a date with four women

he is thrilled, he is quiet…he’s reserved

and he realizes almost immediately

how much wonder there is to observe.

And how much time he has to observe it

(I imagine this is true in the north, in the east, west and south)

because when a man goes on a date with four women

he never gets a chance to open his mouth!

So he smiles to himself because he knows

when this day is done…and in his memory long after

he’ll remember their stories, the look on their faces

he’ll remember their smiles and laughter.

He’ll remember how the moments seemed to flow easily

one into the next…

how they blend.

He’ll remember what it’s like to be sitting

in the midst of a circle of friends…

He imagines it’s like sitting in a garden

and he loses track of the minutes and hours

refreshed by the breeze that is born of good friends

surrounded by the beauty of flowers.

Yes, when a man goes on a date with four women

and one of them happens to be his wife

along the way he realizes not only is this a wonderful ride

but it’s part of a wonderful life.