I Have A Proposal

Flower buds and ribbiting frogs

Newborn calves and foals and lambs

Canning fresh fruit and making delectable jams

Gentle breezes and pollen induced sneezes

Crawling bugs and flying bugs and slow moving slugs

Longer light filled days, it all comes alive in Spring

Romance is assisted by clear starry nights

Sunkissed cheeks and windswept hair that

send thoughts of hugging and kissing into flight

Birds build nests and dogs chase butterflies

Children look out the window from their classroom

wishing, waiting and wanting the bell to ring freedom

Spring is full of fun, and romance and allergies

Daydreaming and vacation scheming

When spring comes and the blooms and birds

provide color and songs for eyes and ears

We should feel like kids again carefree and joyful

WHAT IF:

You just feel cranky

You wake up discouraged

Your hope feels flimsy

Your dreams appear colorless

Your  energy  is low and you are plain old listless

Cheer up and let yourself off the critical list

Take a time out and give it all a rest

It's impossible to be continually grade A and at your best

Fill your tank that is clearly low

Step back, let it wait, give it time

You should realize that taking care of yourself

is paramount, a healthy outlook and happy heart

Sometimes the best way to take part in life is to

say "It's about me today."

Giving out requires taking in.

Running the race and getting to the end

by remembering it is a marathon and not a sprint.

Take a nap, go for a walk, read a book,

sit down with a good friend

and have a long chit chatty kind of talk.

Then you will smile when the birds sing and the 

scent of the flowers tickle your nose.

You don't have to do any of it but, it is what I propose.

Green Isn't Just For Frogs

Green Eyes

Green Eggs

Green Clothes

Green Beer

The Land of the Leprechaun

Land green and lush

producing people of stamina

 and untold strength.

Through history they have 

endured and survived 

to have better, be better, live as Irishmen.

They have taken up this task at great length.

Flung like stars in the heavens, Irish people make their mark around the world, but in every heart they call Ireland home.

Its not just a fairyland for the gnome.

Land of legend, a story telling people

of conviction and rich history.

The story is of a country and story quite personal comprised of struggle 

and victory, 

of triumph knit together by individual contribution, sacrifice, and a collective goal.

Fighting others and each other....

 for beliefs held dear and it came at a dear price indeed.

Reaching back to the past and stretching towards the future, tying these two together in the present.

On this day we think of clover, four leaves in number.

We think of pots of gold 

and little men 

that guard them. 

We drink beer tinted green

 and

 luck........ Irish in nature.

Let us enjoy the day, have

 a laugh and a giggle or two.

Along the way let us honor the Irish today 

for their strength, determination, and can do attitude to carve out something better and stand tall in the process.

This blood some of us possess a drop or two...

it may be true of you

or not.

Bear this in mind, whether you are Irish or your blood is of a different kind,

observe the strength of the Irish

and make a note.

Tip your hat to St. Patrick and the people he loved so deeply.

On this fun day of remembrance, let us

honor the Irish with fun yes, but let us

give it some thought and also do it a little reverently and sweetly.

Wait Eagerly

Neatly trimmed 
Candle Wicks

Puppy Tongues 

Warm Licks

Winter Days 

slowly giving way

 to spring afternoons

 and

 memory filled picnics.

In the winter days, the trees let it all go. 
Allow their bare selves to be seen true.

The landscape can be viewed straight through.

Do we ever do this?

To let it all be seen uncloaked, uncensored, unashamed.

Our thoughts honest

Our words direct

Our actions clear

In the cold barrenness of winter....

when circumstances

 come in flurries and pile up like snow. 

Which way to turn?

Which way to go?

All winter, the trees stand as grand sculptures

unadorned, colorless.

We see every turn, every twist of each branch.

The scars and imperfections visible......
plainly seen by the naked eye.

No pretense.

What you see is what there is....in that moment....
for that season.

However, there is more to come. 

More to be seen.

More to be enjoyed.

To tantalize the taste buds to give pleasure to the eye.

The days turn softer and the sun caresses and coaxes....

the branches release, in perfect timing 
new born leaves....
Fresh budding flowers soon follow 

to announce a new season has begun.
Smartly dressed in shining,
 new greenery and trimmed in vivid color
 we benefit from 
the renewed shade of the tree
 in addition to all its beauty.

Are you feeling like a tree in winter.... 
exposed,
completely stripped?

Your next season is in place and the proof of it....
the truth of it.... 
will surprisingly
 soon announce its arrival 
in equal splendor. 

Don't let the chill of a long winter keep you
 from believing in a spring that will surely come.

Believe for the new thing inside of you.
 Trust the timing that it is not too late, 
that it is choosing 
its arrival with perfection, 
that it will be the moment for positive connection. 
In reflection you will see the pieces fit
 and the order in which they came.

You can securely depend on the fact that 
He is steady
yesterday, today, tomorrow... 
always the same.

Tending to each detail for your ultimate best.

You can stop trying so 
terribly hard
 and take a breath,
 have a rest.
Wait eagerly
for your spring.
Spring forward and into all that awaits you.
Your winter season is finished, it is through!

Dream A Little Dream....All Your Own

Dream Catchers, Dream Snatchers

Dream Holders, Dream Moulders

Dream Squashers, Dream Wishers

Who are you? Who of these comes 

closest to describing you true?

Who do you hang with, do life with,

go about your business doing your thing with?

When a dream is a seed, it needs nurtured so it can grow.

At the right time when you have grown 

right along with your dream,

it will come together, all together true.

A dream now a reality is still a delicate thing, 

Don't ignore its fragility.

Be bold and protect what belongs to you!

It doesn't transfer or expire.

It isn't something that you can hire.

The stamp on it reads...."Y.O.U."

So what are you going to do?

Pick it up or lay it down?

Be a dream catcher

Develop into a dream holder

Waste not one second more

Face it, we are all getting older

Attach yourself to someone

that fills the description of a dream moulder!

And the dream snatchers and squashers

of this world

Sad pitiful creatures; often appearing 

beautiful, successful and clever.

Look closer....they are heart empty, imagination lacking

tongue wagging bullies

with twisted motives and twisted features.

They are common thieves.

My suggestion is to stay away from people like these!

Dream once, Dream twice.

Dream three times.

Take my advice.

Snatchers are always lurking.

Try confidently looking them

straight in the eye 

and smirking.

Be bold.....grip tightly

to that dream you hold!!

Between a Rock and a Hardened Place

Between a rock and a hardened place.

It can happen, those rough spots and tight jams.

They occur, gnaw at you like a burr.....

Irritate, agitate, aggravate......

Overwhelm you with what looks up at you

from your overflowing plate.

It pays to pause and recognize 

what is the root, what is the cause.

Identify the source.....and with this information

create a plan and plot a course.

A way of escape from what pains your body

And weighs down your soul.

The little unnotable things 

that take an exacting toll.

This isn't a matter of checking it out 

with everyone you know.....

And taking a poll. 

As a matter of fact, how can I say this?

I must use a measure of tact.

It is no one's business; 

no one's authority has any power

here except your own.

Weed out the confusion, lock the door of open opinion

and hang a sign that declares.....NO ENTRY.....

And if need be, POST A SENTRY!

The rough, hard, difficult, challenging, unpleasant,

ongoing, seems like never ending stuff....

can cause us to become gritty, gruff, 

and full of some seriously, poisonous, bitter kind of stuff.

Can.....but doesn't have to.....

Speak to that "stuff", tell it to keep moving all the way through,

Don't rest, put up your feet or make yourself comfortable here.

No room or welcome will be made,

No red carpet will be laid.

Be assured, getting weary or discouraged is no sin,

but don't let those things live in you.....

It makes it impossible to win.

Our hearts are resilient, but they have limits,

they can break.....

We, as humans, have a great deal at stake.

So don't let those rough spots harden your heart

  or turn you into stone. 

Be comforted by the truth that,

 as hard as life deals with us,

we DO NOT walk through it alone!

God is absolutely with us and securely on His throne!

So, between a rock and a hard place? 

Don't let it harden you!

God is the solid rock upon which we stand. 

Lean into the rock and away from the hard place.

You will discover the tenderness and strength you need.

The Love, care and security you require 

in those moments 

when you feel

under duress and under fire. 

When between a rock and a hard place, 

don't allow it to cause the inside of you 

to become a hardened space.

Let God's strength and tenderness seep into your heart.

Open up.....do that much.....do your part.

It's a brand new day.....Make it a brand new start!

Appearances

Appearances can be deceiving.

Appearances can give you pause.

 Appearances can cause you to feel distressed and slightly depressed and like not getting dressed. 

But All is not always as it appears, so look deeper, believe for the best and wait a beat or two to fly into a panic. 

Don't run around acting all manic. 

So you are stressed and tired and feel you have no options or recourse. 

Yes, it is important to keep moving forward in life. 

It is valuable to always reach for the stars. 

But rushing around all the day will cause you 

to pay dearly and nearly take you out. 

Make you cranky and throw you into a pout.

So remember, part of forward is stop. 

Part of success is not constantly reaching for the stars, but sitting quietly and gazing at them. Part of taking care of your family is taking time to be set apart from them, to collect your thoughts and center your heart. 

As you grow weary, nothings feel like giant somethings and somethings appear ten kinds of impossible. 

So sit down gaze at the stars and consider who hung them in place with care.

You can't do it all. I can't do it all. 

It's Christmas, a time to consider that oh so tiny bundle of love that is the focus and heart of the season. 

That bundle who can take the burden that is crushing you and help you stand tall and strong once again.  

By all appearances you might be in a pickle. 

At every angle your life might look like a giant tangle. 

If you realize you need to look from a different view, take a cue from the keeper of the stars and all at once you will express an enormous Whew!!!!

He can see what we cannot. 

And reach farther than you ever possibly thought. 

Do what you will. Believe and expect how you want.

 For me, I will consider who hung the stars in place with care and choose to believe life is about to get better, 

the burden lighter and the days sweeter. 

Because as I consider the stars, 

I know the dude that did 

this incredible feat

 is worth giving my all 

and worshipping at

 His feet.

Just As I Am

 Knee Jerk

Rug Pulled

Boy, that guy

had me fooled.

Lost my way

Wrong way

What a day

Don't know quite

what to say.

Crowd closing in

 Trouble, Trouble, Trouble

I'm feeling a bit done in

Send help double quick

this forest I'm stuck

in is too thick.

Kneeling down

just as I am

I set aside my anxiety

release it out of my hands.

At first I struggle to loosen

my grip, but then I open my

hands and let it slip.

For my anxiety laid down 

and offered up,

I get in return a great peace

 and sense of well being.

God has my back...

on the good days

in the rough spots

  in the tight jams 

and in the 

sweet moments that

 linger.

Never alone

Never lost

My yes is the only thing it costs!