Then I Remember

Frosty Morning

Dressed in Filthy Rags

Beard grown out

His shoulders sag

Lost in a cycle

of hopelessness

and utter despair.

He isn't alone

in number, others

like him huddle

in corners of buildings

and other out of the way places.

The needs mount

I feel helpless to 

lend a hand....

Offer true solutions

Make a difference.

Then I remember

the one and powerful 

thing at my disposal. 

So I pray 
and

release more resource in

greater force than mere

wishes ever did.

I can't see 

immediate results.

I can't know 

the whole story.

I lift up my prayers

and let them go. 

Remembering every problem

is not mine to solve.

It doubles my resolve

to do my assignment

with extra 

care and attention.

So much to do 
I don't even know it all

If I did, it would entail

far too much to mention.

Take a cue,

Yes, I mean you.

We can't do it all

Or fix it all

Or solve it all.

 The answers are there

and the help is at hand.

But just remember,

you as the one and only

you... have an assignment

designed with your name,

abilities and gifts.

So all the choices, 

distractions and tugs on your 

heart and your time....

Keep in mind,

you have a special occupation.

The perfect one for you!

Do it with your whole heart

 and all the energy you can muster.

Before you know it, 

in your particular

style and way,

what you do will

make a difference

and in a manner

you may not see

what you do will

save the day.

Pause Along The Way

Knock, Knock goes the door

Upon its opening, the invitation

to come in is extended.

Suddenly several snow covered

boots are standing empty in the 

hall with the melting snow 

dripping on the floor.

Clickety Clack goes the train

on the track around the tree.....

circling, whistling, announcing

Christmas is on its way;

 it's quite near!

Popcorn pops as the board games
 are laid out.
The fire in the fireplace crackles
as the music plays.

Togetherness...enjoying the festivities
The night drenched in moonlight and Christmas wishes.
At the evenings' end the boy leans in
to give his girl, under the mistletoe, kisses.

Christmas has its basic elements that we all share, 
but Christmas looks a little different
 to everyone everywhere.

When you ask, "What is your favorite part of Christmas?"
You will get as many different answers 
as people you ask.

The one thing.
The simple thing.
The common item in the basket of 
Christmas choices
You will hear from a million voices,
is that feeling of home, security, cozy continuity.
The warmth that wraps you in familiarity.

The lights, cookies and assorted sweet treats,
 the smell of pine, the laughter 
as games are played and popcorn is eaten.
The cherished thoughtful gifts....
They all sit on the foundation of home.

There are those among us who know none of this.
They travel the world or travel the streets.
All they do and all they know is to roam. 

Christmas has no sparkle or shine, 
no sense of
cozy warmth or familiar embrace.
They are not connected to person or persons
or any one place.

As you hustle through your days
preparing for every little tradition and each
special occasion during this season,
 might I suggest.....

Pause along the way 
to look people in the eye and smile sincerely
as they pass by.
A little gesture maybe, but probably not to them.
Could be the only genuine acknowledgement they receive.

Why not make an
 extra effort to 
pass out those sincere smiles
 from this day until Christmas Eve? 

And then the day after
and the day after that
until you and those passersby
have something to
open their hearts
 to once again
or maybe
for the first time
have something beautiful
in which to believe.

        

I Thought

I thought I knew what was happening.....
but it turned out different.

I thought I was right, but it wasn't.....
so it turned out different.

I thought I knew what came next, in 
fact I was certain.....but it turned out different.

I thought I wanted to be a part of it, I thought I 
was on my way.....but it turned out different.

I thought there was no recourse, I was out of resource
and at a dead end. I thought it was all over. I was
discouraged. From this I could not hide or put on a 
happy face and pretend.

But what happened was better than I imagined.....The
people that showed up and the opportunities that came
along.....Peace came into my circumstance, this I know
was not happenstance. I thought the brick wall was
permanent and as it turned out, it all came about in the
most unexpected fashion. It all turned out different.   

Better than imagined.
More than expected
Sweeter than I ever thought possible
It all turned out dramatically, dynamically, different.

For Some, For All

Tick Tock Goes The Clock

Clip Clop Goes The Horses Hooves

Against The Cobble Stoned Streets

Whoosh Whoosh Goes The Wind

As It Blows Briskly Through The Trees

The season is changing

Christmas is coming 

For some, it means a wintery,

Chilling hot cocoa kind of feeling.

For others a sunny, sandy, breezy day

sounds appealing.

Whatever is familiar, whatever stirs the heart

and brings memories bubbling to the top.

Whether Christmas means........ 

Building a snowman or building a sand castle,

The magic key to turn is doing it together,

no matter the weather.

Traditions honored

Traditions created

What is on your agenda?

What do you have slated?

Time, sweet time together 

to laugh, to share, 

to go out of your way to say you care.

Not to put it off, not to be bitter or to scoff.

Not to tell someone where to get off.

Be the flame for the moth,

The light that brightens someone's day.

Begin a new habit in this season to go out of your way.

Extend yourself  and make a difference in a life.

It just might stick 

It just might stay.

Stop, look, listen

with your eyes,

with your ears and an open heart.

Christmas is about

 believing in the impossible.

Celebrating the incredible 

and receiving the love that was sent, 
to not one, but to all.

Understanding the profound depth

 and personal attention given in that gift,

That first Christmas...

For each of us, it is inevitable.

Pumpkins Aren't Just For Pie

                          
                 They call them fairy tale pumpkins.

They aren't average, they stand apart from the others. 

I am most certain that this is the very kind of pumpkin

Cinderella's fairy godmother used to create the carriage

 that carried her to the palace.

Symbols that represent dreams

and wishes of our hearts.

The hope we dare to believe that these goals 

born in our imaginations

and

held protectively in our hearts

can turn into tangible truths.

Dreams are not meant to 

be exclusively doled out in your youth.

Dreams can begin small

when we are small and grow as we grow.

Be careful, be cautious.

Don't hold on so tightly

that you close

your mind and heart

to different possibilities.

If you dream about something that turns to dust,

don't sit sadly in a corner until you rust.

Brush off the dust and dream another dream.

Don't be intimidated by the past,

that thing that didn't happen.

The thing that made you feel 

as if you took a chance 

and it was your last.

The timing of a dream can leave you waiting

long,

it can wound your heart and leave a sting.

I encourage you to dream again.....

scoot out on that unlikely limb.

And maybe, just maybe

from that fresh vantage point,

you will catch a glimpse of that dream of yours

being swept up in a cool wind taking flight,

gaining height

and in your personally perfect moment,

it's all coming fabulously and sincerely true 

for you........

In a blink of an eye

Just so........

Where Did Thanks Go?

Fall weather, fall leaves, the trees alive with color,

the air full of a chill.

It makes you want to pull a sweater over your head
 and socks over your toes.

It motivates you to warm cider on the stove and it seems like a good  idea to use spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves.

Pumpkins stop being used for jack-o-lanterns, 
ending up in pies and as beautiful centerpiece displays.

On these days we prepare to gather together and 
pause to give thanks. 
To reflect on what we have come through and 
on the people that took that same journey too.

It is traditionally the time turkeys check their passports 
and plot to leave town unannounced before they are 
pronounced the main course on this set aside day.

I keep running into this feeling that we are skipping 

over this traditionally American celebration.

A foundational memory that we all share as it has been passed down as part of the fabric of who we are, 
both as individuals and as a nation. 

People believing for a better life and free existence 
full of choice and potential. 

They were willing to work hard, risk everything 
and imagine anything was possible. 

A country built on hope and grateful hearts filled to overflowing with determination, tenacity, and grit. 
For future generations they did this, 
not because they were asked or conned into it. 

Only for what they believed wholeheartedly 
did they willingly give their all.

America the land of the free and the home of the brave. 

Have we turned into the land of the clueless and the

home of the unmotivated and ungrateful? 

It appears so, but I stand in the hope that at the heart of the people beats the pioneer with creative imaginations, ingenuity plentiful enough to carve a nation out of a wilderness and open hearts enough to appreciate and value the things of life that are genuine..

This tradition we have held to pause in gratefulness. 
To collectively put a halt to the hullabaloo. 
To cease contributing to the chaos and to say, 
"Thank You." 
Let us hold fast and make it last. 


The idea to pause in gratefulness is an American apple pie kind of thing, but anyone, anytime can adopt the concept and make it a contagious habit.
 Gratefulness is a free gift, we can all have it. 

All we have to do is reach out and grab it.

Time to Choose

Time to Go

Time to Stay

Time of Year

Time of Day

Time of Life

All the experiences

and people we meet 

along the way.

Discouraged, Disheartened, 

Disenchanted, Disconnected

Purpose, Placement, Assignment

Hold close to it in a supportive 

or even a hostile climate. 

Chaos, Chatter, Noise of the day.

Sound bites flying at you 

from every which way. 

The flurry of people passing

"I'm in a hurry." 

Absent of smiles....

this is all they say.

Often at the cost of our peace, 

nearly at the cost of our souls,

we get sucked into chaos and 

away from what needs 
to be our purpose, our true goals.

It happens. It happens ever so subtly.

It happens right under our nose.

Sometimes that is the way it goes,

but it does not have to be. 

We have options you see.

Headaches pound.

Heartbreaks grind.

Turning our feelings into dust.

They blow away, not even the 

smallest particles we can find.

Friendships pass away

as seasons change

and paths divide.

Painful as it can be,

it is a part of life 

from which we cannot hide.

The norm is no longer.

Unfamiliar territory 

coming full steam ahead.

Not always comfortable....

Often times it all feels quite daunting.... 

Downright formidable in scope.

So stop

Be still

Breathe in

Exhale

Look around at 

what is yours

and what is not.

Make a plan 

Form a plot

Foundational preparation

Down the road 

you may not

be a little bit glad....

but a lot!

Hope here is defined:

The feeling that what is wanted 

can be had 
or that events

will turn out for the best. 

So grab up for yourself 

a two fisted portion of hope.

Let go of the grind.

Don't let the chaos suck you in.

Leave all the turmoil behind.

Choose Hopefulness

Over Haplessness

Just a few little thoughts

to hold in your heart

and keep in your mind.

Life can't be wrapped 

neatly in a bow.

It cannot be held tightly

with a piece of twine.

Life lives, moves, grows

The world is unpredictable

The events unfathomable

The outcomes unbelievable

The world of yesterday irretrievable

TODAY IS OURS

Let's make it memorable and sweet

and give good deeds feet and joy wings.