DAILY GRATITUDE WHO WE HAVE

 

Today I’m grateful for my family…

and to them I offer up this toast….

What we have in life is nice

but it is who we have 

that matters most.

RAISING CHILDREN

 

Whatever you do as parents remember this one thing

If you please…

How the raising of your children is a lot like planting trees:

 

You nurture them with your time

your energy

your food

your water

your sun

But it isn’t until years later…

while sitting in their shade

you know how well you’ve done.

ON THE SIDELINES

 

We watched our granddaughter Ava play her last official soccer game…

Her final season as a goalie is complete…

It’s one of those milestones in life we consider bittersweet.

Since we were 37 years old  

we’ve been watching our children and grandchildren play soccer…

and now we’re 72!

Which means, with Ava heading off to college next year…

after 35 years…our time on the soccer sidelines is through.

We watched them play in the Florida heat…some misty rains

and an occasional thunderstorm…

We watched them play in winter when it was impossible to get warm.

We wanted them to see us…to know anytime our paths crossed…

We would be there on the sidelines cheering…

when they won…and when they lost..

We wanted them to know…as along the sidelines we would stroll…

that being a part of their lives has always been our goal.

For 35 years on the sidelines…it’s been a privilege watching them grow…

and as this era comes to an end…there’s something else we’d like them to know:

As you switch from the game of soccer to the game of life…

as children and grandchildren are wont to do…

when you need us…look to the sidelines…

we‘ll be there cheering for you.

DAILY GRATITUDE BEING HUMBLE

 

Today I’m grateful for the lesson water teaches about being humble

which in today’s world might seem unorthodox…

For although water is lower than all things…

it is also stronger than the rocks.

BEING HUMAN

 

May we be blessed to understand:

We are all born a human being

that part of who we are…

comes to us inherently

But being human 

is something 

we all must learn to be

LAKOTA SIOUX PRAYER

 

I ran across a prayer to the Earth 

written many years ago by the Lakota Sioux

and mixing my words in with theirs…

I’d like to share this prayer with you:

Oh Great Spirit..whose voice I hear in the wind

and whose breath has given life and innocence to me…

I am small and weak and I need your wisdom

to help me understand and admire all the beauty that I see.

Make my eyes ever behold the red and purple sunset.

Help my hands respect all you’ve created across the air, the sea the land.

Help my ears be sharp enough to hear the words you speak…, 

give my soul the strength, my heart the acceptance…

and my mind the wisdom to understand.

To comprehend all you’re trying to teach me…

every principle, every concept and belief…

help me find and learn the lessons you have hidden

in every flower, rock and leaf.

Help me find the strength and courage 

to keep my heart and mind open…to help my spirits soar…

Show me every day how to be a better person 

than I was the day before.

Help me live this way every day so each morning when I rise

I can come to you with a loving heart, clean hands

and conscientious eyes.

So when my life is fading…as the sunset fades

I can happily exclaim….

I am sending my innocent spirit back to you

with no remorse, regret…or shame.

DAILY GRATITUDE GOODNESS

 

We are all created with a shining light…

and the key…before we lose it…

is deciding while it’s still shining

how we’re going to use it.