HIS DREAM

He dreamt about his mom and dad last night…

He was walking with them in the sand

at at time when they were young, and happy…

they were walking hand in hand.

They walked in silence along the beach

and he noticed the symmetry…

how the moments they were together

felt, to him like, poetry.

He didn’t remember much about the dream…

the sequence …hard to compile

but he remembered how they clutched his hand…

and he remembered how they smiled.

“Dad…Mom…what are you smiling about?”

“What are we doing here.” he said.

But before either could answer him…

he woke up in his bed.

He wasn’t particularly close to his parents…

no need to know the reasons why

Suffice it to say although they loved each other…

they didn’t always see eye to eye.

His parents died before they reconciled…

and he made peace with that somehow…

So why after so many dreamless years….

would he dream about them now?

Dreams can be interpreted in many ways.

no rule is hard and fast.

Perhaps he was missing his parents,

or moments from his past.

It could be in his dreams 

he was once again that little lad..

who craved comfort from his mother 

and reassurance from his dad.

Perhaps we’re never meant to understand our dreams…

And no dream is exactly as it seems…

Perhaps we’re meant to have a little mystery in our life

and a little poetry in our dreams.

HOMELESSNESS

They found him sleeping in the park…

the children immediately made a fuss

“He has no tag, he must be a stray,” they said…

“Can we take him home with us?”

“He’s so skinny.” they implored. 

“No telling the last time he was fed.”

Dad cautioned,“ But he’s so dirty and smelly.” 

“He just needs a bath!” they said.

“We’ll take good care of him.” the children begged.

“No longer will he roam."

“After all,” they looked at him with eyes wide open,

“every dog deserves a home.”

Dad looked at his children…looked at the dog

then smiled graciously…

The children had their dog…

and the dog…a family.

This seems like a happy ending…

but only partially so….

for in that same park slept a homeless man

he, too, with no place to go.

He, too, was dirty and smelly

with only the park bench for his bed

He, too, was very skinny…

Who knows the last time he was fed?

Both man and dog were in the park.

Both could use a helping hand.

But the family opted to help the dog.

and ignore the homeless man.

We don’t know how the man came to be there

and the dog will never tell.

And, yes, helping the dog is wonderful…

but shouldn’t we help the man as well?

What kind of world are we living in

when we will help stray dogs whenever we can…

but we will step over, walk right by, walk around…

and ignore the homeless man?

There are many homeless people in our country…

too many to catalogue….

I wonder…what would it take show them the same compassion…

the same love and caring…

we show our homeless dogs?

UNLEASH THE CHILD WITHIN

We were in line to enter an RV show in Tampa 

when I suddenly became aware

that of all those standing in line with us…

we were the youngest ones there.

But as the line slowly moved ahead 

and I watched people file in through the doors…

everyone seemed a little younger 

than they were a few minutes before.

Smiles lit up their faces…

they strutted with a new rhythm and beat

They seemed to have a little more energy…

and walked a little lighter on their feet.

And we felt too…

Flitting from camper to camper 

on our mission to research and explore

we felt less like 65 year olds…

and more like kids in a candy store.

Everywhere we turned there were campers…

campers of every variety and type

and all around us was music and singing…

why they even had Scottish bagpipes!

The three of us in our group ran from one camper to the next…

we knew pacing ourselves was the key…

even though we saw so many campers…

there were so many more to see.

We stopped for lunch to eat some corn dogs

each displaying our own corn dog eating technique

and just like when we were children…

a little mustard remained on our cheeks.

We spotted a new vintage camper 

and for a moment time seemed to move slow

as we sat inside her in silence…

imagining the places we’d go.

As I watched the three of us walking to our car…

I had to smile for I had no doubt

that no matter how much older we grow every day…

there’s a child inside us who's itching to get out…

And I thought perhaps we should let them out more often

let them loose…take them out for a spin…

and I wondered how much younger we’d all be

If we unleashed more often…our child within.

SMILE

There is so much to smile about as each day dawns anew

Let me take a moment to identify a few.

There’s the sunshine every morning 

The stars that twinkle at night

The wind that tickles the treetops 

the moon that glows so bright.

There are raindrops on the roof…

a rainbow in the making.

The aroma of coffee in the morning

the scent of cookies baking.

There’s a baby’s laugh, a good movie

you’re favorite book or favorite song

that when you hear it on the radio

you can’t help but sing along.

There’s clouds reflected on the water,

birds soaring across the sky

There’s the touch of a hand, a warm embrace

or the look in a loved ones eyes.

A smile…just look at the Mona Lisa,

is truly a masterpiece.

It is the universal language of kindness

the beginning of love and friendship and peace.

Beauty stretches across it, 

it can amuse, seduce…beguile

Think about it:

Have you ever regretted anything that has ever made you smile?

If a smile is so beautiful, so indispensable…so refined

If it’s so important to a healthy life…

then one question comes to mind.

Why is it as babies and children we smile more than 300 time a day?

Why when we’re young are we filled with smiles aplenty?

And why, by the time we become adults,

do we smile less than twenty?

WE'LL NEVER KNOW

It’s amazing when you think about it…as we travel to and fro

The amount of uncertainty in the world we live in…

all the things we’ll never know.

But in an uncertain world there are certain habits we can shape…

certain ways that we can be

that help prepare us for the world’s uncertainties 

while at the same time set us free. 

We can be compassionate for we never know what people are going through…

as we meet them along the way.

We can be kind for we’ll never know when an act of kindness will make another person’s day.

We can be accepting of other people whom we don’t understand or may misconstrue..

for in an uncertain world there is certainly room for differing points of view.

We can be giving for we’ll never know what our giving might prevent

how far our gift will travel…how much our giving might have meant.

We can be thoughtful for we’ll never know how long our words will linger inside another person’s head

long after the moment’s over 

long after we’ve forgotten what we’ve said.

We can be happy for the things we have as we anticipate all our happiness ahead…

for at the end of the day we’ll never know how much our happiness has spread.

I imagine there are no easy answers to the uncertainties as life moves on and on

So we try to do the best in every moment…before that moment’s gone.

But I’m certain if we think of others as we travel to and fro

We’ll be ready for life uncertainties… 

and all those things we’ll never know. 

PHIL AND LEE

Life’s a funny thing…you have certain expectations…fixed objectives

then something comes along…that changes your perspective.

Many years ago I had my heart set on receiving an award…

I was one expectant nominee

until I received a letter explaining how not everyone could win…

and not everyone…was me.

The moment I finished reading my rejection letter 

I received a call from an old friend, Lee.

Doctor’s found cancer in her husbands leg…

it had been amputated above the knee.

I drove immediately to the hospital (It was a scary, anxious ride)

where I found Phil in bed…he was smiling…and Lee seated by his side.

At that time, Phil and Lee were in their 80’s

I’d known them 15 years

We tried to make each other smile and laugh

and forget about our fears.

We talked about the life they’ve lived…of children, grandchildren…careers

and when it was time to go…Phil wanted to kiss…his wife of 60 years.

But he had trouble raising up and she was unstable on her feet

so with one gentle hug I pushed their heads together 

and allowed their lips to meet.

As we left Lee took my arm and when we finally reached her car.

She said, “Sometimes, in life, Jim, we tend to forget how fortunate we are.”

“We worry about so many little things,” she said as she got in to drive,

“but today, the only thing that matters is that Phil is still alive.”

I smiled, put my head in through the window then gave her cheek a kiss

and as I watched her drive away…alone…that award…I didn’t miss.

Perhaps that’s why I’m never too upset when life 

isn’t the way I’d like it to be…

It goes back to the day my perspective changed

In a hospital room…with Phil and Lee.

AMERICA IS LEANING

Our preamble begins with We the People.

Three words that still enthrall

as does the ending of our Pledge of Allegiance 

with liberty and justice for all.

The founders of our country 

placed enormous importance on the idea of liberty

and an equal amount of importance 

on the need for equality.

These were the two pillars that created our country

held up for all the world to see:

That everyone in America is equal… 

That everyone is free.

But as I look around our country

I’m saddened by what I see.

More people are talking about freedom 

and less about equality

They want to be free to intimidate, free to victimize,

Free to bully…to discriminate

Free to lie, deceive and cheat…

Free to scorn and curse and hate.

Free to put themselves above We the People

’Til it seems their point of view

is one of liberty for them

and justice for a few.

With our pillars crumbling America is leaning

and unless there is liberty and justice for all…

unless we give as much weight to equality as to freedom

I’m afraid she’s going to fall.