thought about you today…
when I called mom, knowing she would never hear your Voice again…
when the rain fell lightly on the roof, remembering how you loved to run through puddles…
when I told a silly joke, remembering how you tried so hard to deliver a punch line.
I thought about you today…
when I ate something for lunch, knowing how much you loved PB & J…
when I went fishing, remembering how you always seemed to catch the biggest fish…
when you called me ‘sis’ and I called you ‘kid,’ because that’s just what we did.
I thought about you today…
when I talked to dad, knowing he couldn’t give you manly advice anymore…
when I painted the garage, remembering you would have tried to splash paint on me…
when I went out with my friends, because your friends were always so important to you.
I thought about you today…
when I saw children at play, knowing you would never experience the joy of parenting…
when I cooked dinner, remembering you disliked lima beans as much as I do…
when I walked barefoot on the grass, knowing you would never again feel grass between your toes.
I thought about you today…
when I opened the mail, knowing you would never receive another birthday card from me…
when I washed my hair, remembering how I’d always wished I had been blonde like you…
when I sat outside counting the stars, because I wondered if you could see them too.
I thought about you today…
when I penned this poem, knowing how much you loved poetry…
when I strolled past my rose garden, remembering how you loved such simple beauty…
when I sat silently to pray, because…I just wanted you to know…I thought about you today.
This is for anyone who has ever lost someone close your heart, and for my younger brother Larry whose life on earth came to a close at the tender age of 25. Think kind and gentle thoughts for those who are distraught over the recent passing of a loved one. And consider those we have loved and lost and say…I thought about you today.
Can you imagine…if they know we’re thinking of them?
Good Seed, Bad Seed
Column #163, Published 8-20-09
Are you a Happy People? If someone said, “All Happy People form a line to the right.” Would you get in that line? Truly Happy People seem almost like a lost commodity these days. Not only because the stress of living in today’s society can bring out the worst in many of us, but unfortunately some of us have practically given up trying to be happy.
Especially when we factor in work, children, bills, health crises, deadlines, elderly parents, relationship conflicts, bad habits, unexpected appointments, annoying neighbors, accidents and a host of other variables, life can seem overwhelming even on the best of days. Trying to keep a happy attitude can feel a lot like throwing a bucket of water on a forest fire…nearly useless.
Sadly, it appears some people have forgotten how to be happy. How awful for them and the people close to them. It’s as if something happened somewhere along the way on their life path and it hardened their heart. Like a ‘bad seed’ planted and allowed to take root. That ‘bad seed’ could have been a traumatic experience as a child, such as relentless teasing by other children. Or a devastating illness, possibly a bad relationship breakup or extreme unhappiness with poor choices they have made in life. There are so many unfortunate life events that would serve well as the catalyst for this ‘bad seed,’ that one, or a combination of several, may have contributed to a person’s current state of negative emotions.
The problem, however, isn’t the ‘seed’ itself, it was the ‘allowing’ of the seed to take hold. Sprouting a gnarly root deep into their subconscious, seeking any and all good emotions, they might otherwise have had, and sucking the life out of them. Imagine this seed growing a dark, twisted trunk, awkwardly, and without any purpose or direction, into every area of their life. Spreading fast and burgeoning long, sharp thorns, which seize every opportunity to lash out unjustly at innocent passersby, who are caught totally unaware of what they have done to cause such an attack. This could be the life of someone who has allowed ‘bad seeds’ to cultivate.
On the contrary, Happy People have nurtured ‘good seeds’ allowing them to take root, growing a fine network of life-giving fibers to nourish and enrich their lives and those they are close to, or who come into contact with them. A trunk emerges, which grows straight and strong, unyielding against traumatic events and other challenging circumstances on life’s journey. Beautiful yet graceful branches, willing to bend and flow with life’s changes, spread as far and as wide, as they can reach. The branches are brimming with leaves all year, in brilliant hues and assorted shapes and sizes. Offering comfort, shelter and a peaceful place to rest from the difficulties of life; and a willingness to encompass everyone they come into contact with, these trees…nurtured from ‘good seeds’ last a lifetime.
I believe we all have ‘good seeds.’ Sometimes we just forget to nurture them. So the next time you meet someone who has allowed a ‘bad seed’ to take root, offer them comfort under the beautiful, graceful branch of…a smile…a kind word…or any one of a dozen random acts of kindness you could do for them. Remind them that they too, can nurture their own ‘good seeds’…they just need focus their attention on the good seeds and not on the bad seeds.
Can you imagine…if everyone cultivated their good seeds?
What If….
Column #165, Published 9-3-09
What if…we actually ‘listened’ when we were taught to ‘love’ one another? If we realized we are stronger when we hold each other up and weaker when we put each other down. If we understood that not a single one of us is perfect but we love each other anyway.
What if…we were all kinder and gentler to each other? If we always spoke words of encouragement, support or admiration toward one another, including people we barely know. If we uttered, freely and without hesitation, only positive words, full of praise and tribute about each other.
What if…we never used color, race, or religion to describe each other? If the use of labels such as rich, poor, upper class, lower class, celebrity, or poverty went unneeded. If words with meanings like superior and inferior were no longer considered necessary.
What if…we sat on our front porch just to talk to our neighbors as they walked by? If bars on windows or locks on doors weren’t required because there wasn’t anyone to keep out…or in. If every home, in every country, had an ‘open door’ policy we presented freely.
What if…words like murder, revenge, hate, anger or deception did not exist? If there were no prisons, reform schools, probation officers or wardens. If we committed no unkind acts against one another but treated each other with respect instead.
What if…we did things for others without needing, or waiting, to be asked? If we reached out to someone struggling and offered a helping hand, a kind word or a place to stop and rest. If we did these things without judgment, blame or resentment…because these words didn’t exist either.
What if…we considered ourselves wealthy just to be alive? If currency wasn’t used as a means to measure our ‘value’ as human beings against one another. If we realized we are all worthy because we simply exist side by side on the same planet.
What if…there were no guns, bombs, or reasons to go to war? If a soldier’s only duty was to rescue people during times of unforeseen natural disasters. If the military, or the police consisted of people only dedicated to helping others.
What if…the news only had ‘good’ news to tell because that was the only news to tell? If around the world, stories of kind acts and good deeds were broadcast for all to hear. If we all tried to do the right thing because doing the right thing was all we knew.
What if…we truly cared about the well-being of everyone we encountered? If we were
happy, yet grateful, everyday just to have the chance to experience life. If we lived our lives completely in the now, making every second count.
What if…we believed in each other?
What if…we understood the same life giving energy flows through all of us?
What if…we realized, beyond any doubt, that…we are all in this together!
Can you imagine…what if…?
Two Monks
Column # 169, Published 10-1-09
Two monks were taking a long journey on foot. They came to a river where a beautiful woman was standing. She wanted to cross, but was afraid of the current. Asking for help from the two monks, the young monk turned away. Yet the older monk gently picked her up and carried her across the river. After which, he came back to continue his journey with the younger monk.
Some time passed and then younger monk spoke up in protest. Genuinely irritated, he asks the older monk why he carried the woman across the water; they were not supposed to touch women. The older, wiser monk said. “I put her down hours ago, you are still carrying her.”
Another example of this same concept involves a classroom full of students, a wise teacher and a glass of water. One day the teacher poured water into a glass and asked his students to guess how heavy it was. Several students responded guessing different weights. Then the teacher said, “It’s really not