In The Aftermath - There Is Love!

In the Aftermath - There is love!

I'm sitting and thinking, and watching rain turn into icy fingers, wrapping themselves around the branches and seed heads (still there!) on our lilac tree.  It is reminding me that the world and life goes on around us, not paying any heed to the turmoil that is going on inside of us.  The fact that I have worried, stressed, rewritten and practised before delivering a book presentation to a lovely group of seniors yesterday, seems to have slipped nature's mind!  Perhaps I should take the hint to not take myself so seriously - to get out there and find the beauty that is all around me before my short stint on this earth is done.

 As it turned out, I had a lovely time relating my poems and my life experiences - and sharing my limited musical interpretations to boot - take that you unfeeling drops of ice!

 The fact is, that every time I give something of myself, I reap a wonderful harvest of gifts that others share with me.  It may be new knowledge of my surroundings, a verbal picture that someone paints of something that happened in their past, or it may be the sharing of a dream that lies unfulfilled in them, or in me - whatever, I am truly the richer.

 The world will still be here, long after I'm gone, but it will only have the use of my life for a relatively short time, and I only have this time to share whatever joy I can.   We all have a responsibility to help in the healing and building of this world with whatever gifts we are endowed with.  So rather than giving in to those 'hot on my heels' feelings of inadequacy and smallness, I will try to use my smallness, and take  Mother Theresa's words and example to heart:

               "In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love."

The Chocolate Chips of Life

The Chocolate Chips of Life!

I'm sweeping up after everyone has gone home -  and thanking God for every crumb - crumbs of every size and flavour - they remind me that life and love has happened here.  I reflected with love on the tiny hands that had dropped those crumbs,  on the amazing gift of those lives big and small - all dropping wonderful crumbs from God's big cookie!   

 The sous chef that filled the order for those cookies did a pretty good job, I must say, paying special attention to the instruction at  the bottom of the page - to sample just a few of them to make sure they were made properly and had the correct amount of chocolate chips!  And what of the chocolate chips?  Everyone needs vitamins and nutrients in their cookies - if possible - but a treat is a treat is a treat, and is created to give us a break and a much needed happy lift.

As we sanitize and clean up our homes, our world, let us stop for a 'think moment' and acknowledge every crumb, every grain of sand or dried leaf that travelled through our door as a result of our going out and contributing to life, to every spider trying to do his or her job (and asking for no finder's fee as it collects pesky flies) - remember Charlotte's web!

What crumbs am I dropping?  Well, my recycle box is currently filled with bits of paper containing small gems of ideas that I wrote and then discarded .  As I pulled this particular crumb back out of the box, I realized that it just needed a little more mixing, and that hopefully it would fall into the hands of others who might 'need' it a bit more.   So, let's not be too hasty in throwing away our idea crumbs - you never know which one might contain the chocolate chip!

I Resolve!

I Resolve!

If I knew that this would be my last New Year, what would my resolution(s) be?   How could I grow to my fullest possible potential - what improvements would be most important?  Would I resolve to love myself just the way I am, and while I'm at it, to do likewise for the other people in my life?  Would I look at each day as the best day it could possibly be,  given life's circumstances?

  Overlooking troubles, what good could I resolve to find there? create there?   Would I measure each of my steps as a privilege,  recognize each of my actions as a ripple, and decide that those steps and ripples would lead to positive places and events?  Would I resolve to smile more, finally realizing that a warm sincere smile can lead to actions that heat up the whole world?  Would I turn those resolutions into poetry that the world could sing after I was gone?

I resolve

To be at peace;

With joyful heart,

All worry cease. 

I resolve

To share my smile,

Especially in the

Midst of trial.

I resolve

To treat others fairly,

And to be just plain silly,

Regularly!

This Christmas - I Don't Want Much!

I Don't Want Much!

Christmas is not something that just happens,

It is built out of priceless gifts - our gifts to the Christ Child whose coming brought hope into the world.

Who and where are the wise ones who come to the manger today?

Take a deep look into the eyes of children when we think we have wisdom;

They have a way of unmasking us and revealing our unsure inner child.

The wisest responses are those spoken by our actions -

 A reassuring, love-filled hug is often the immediate answer that they are seeking, even if they don't realize it right away.

 They may hear our words, but  they will remember our actions, our kindnesses - no fancy wrapping needed -  there is enough beauty  in that gift.

I only want

A Christmas tree

With tiny bells that play,

And underneath, a little water

To give it life each day.

 

I only want

A song of joy,

Like tinkling bells that play,

To fill me up, like living water,

And lift my life each day.

 

I only want

A little hope

And happy bells to play,

When I get up on Christmas morning,

To ring in Christmas Day!

 

I only want

A little peace

And bells that ring and say:

"For all the world - the gift of water

For everyone each day!"

 

A  little joy, a little hope,

A little peace to help us cope,

That's water to my little tree,

The one that grows

Inside of me!

 

Christmas comes but once a year, but let's invite the Christmas Spirit to dwell in our hearts all year long, and promise to give it a top-up each December 25th.  In the meantime, let's keep building!

The Power Of A Quilt!

I know I wasn't feeling cold last night - perhaps it's the onset of Fall weather, and the promise of Winter, with all of its uncertainties, but I awoke at  3am, thinking about the multi-coloured crazy quilt that used to cover Mom & Dad's bed so many years ago.   I can remember sitting on that quilt with my sisters and playing travelling games on the beautiful landscape that we saw there; so many vibrant colours and textures - it fuelled our young imaginations!   I began wondering who had stitched that quilt - where all of the patches had originated - what clothing had been transformed.   As I wrapped myself in that warm memory, my older imagination kicked in and, lost in contemplation, I wrote the following poem:

My Crazy Quilt

Memories fade, and friends move on,

But in my heart they're bound;

I've pulled them into my crazy quilt

And stitched them all around.

I've pricked my finger many times,

But I soon forget the pain,

For my crazy quilt is a wondrous quilt,

That can never be made again.

I pull it 'round me every night

And I feel the love that's there,

All stitched up in my crazy quilt,

Each friend, a colour rare.

I've  travelled tracks, this way and that,

All up and down my life,

Those crooked stitches, funny patches,

Daughter, mother, wife.

My fingers trace the criss-cross path

That joins each memory,

And I wonder at the landscape fair

That my life has come to be.

As I live each day, I'll find a way

To gather patches new,

I'll pull them into my crazy quilt,

And I'll stitch them carefully too.

When the world seems scary, dark and dim,

I won't despair or moan,

For I'll feel the warmth of my crazy quilt,

And know I'm not alone.

A Sad Ghost Story!

Halloween - You either hate it or love it, for a whole host of different reasons.   With so many serious issues facing everyone, perhaps it is a good time to take a break from all of the negatives, and to just get down and play with your inner child.   I decided that I would do that this morning, and the result was this little poem that popped into my head and said Boo!  Lighten up!

A Sad Ghost Story

Booooo hooo hooo!   cried  Cornelius ghost,

I'm much too sad

To boo and boast;

I snagged my sheet on an old street post,

And it crumbled up like a piece of toast!

This Halloween, if a cold wind shrieks,

Don't look for witches or crazy freaks,

Just listen for my boo hoo hoo's

It's only me - no sheet, no shoes!

Now you can't see me,

Even when I'm  close,

Oh, I miss my comfortable  sheet the most!

Booooo hoooo hoooooo!

Pull On Those Boots!

Pull on Those Boots!

I ran into a lovely friend at a Café the other day who has been having serious health issues.  She told me that she has made a conscious decision to look on the bright and happy side of life - no matter what pain or disability she is suffering at any given moment,  to look around her and find beauty ;  to encounter happiness in whatever form, in her present surroundings and to do something that made her happy - right now.  She would no longer stress about the things that were out of her control, longing to be able to do larger things that were goals for a future time when her health improved, but she would build up her life from this exact moment on - in happiness.

How inspiring!   I got back home and headed out for a walk to meditate on all of the things going on in my own life, and I experienced one such moment - a child moment!   I was filled with a sense of peace and wonder as I let myself notice an intricate fallen leaf on the ground, a tiny yellow flower struggling through the long grass, a bird singing its song over the blustering of  the wind, the sound of the water lapping against the rocks and spraying the shoreline, the pair of mallard ducks bobbing over the waves, unperturbed by the frigid water temperature, and I breathed in the indescribable smells of the river - the smells of life and the scent  of memories;  so much happening around me, partners of adversity and peace moving with grace around this great dance hall, constantly learning new steps.  

 A little poem in my "How To Grow A Puddle" book popped into my head; It's a reminder of what we miss when we look too far or too high in our search for beauty and wonder on life's walk:

           Big Boot And Little Boot

            Big Boot

            And Little Boot,

            Walking hand in hand,

            Down the lane together,

            Found a wonderland!

            Every pebble

            Was a treasure,

            Every tiny flower and weed

            Was worth a closer look;

            Yes!  It’s beautiful, indeed!

            Bigger boots

            See larger

            And more complicated views,

            Than what lies beneath our noses,

            And underneath our shoes!

Just for this day, one moment at a time, I will check for the treasures under and around my 'boots',  smile often,  and count my blessings!