Kindness

Kindness

Before you know what kindness really is

you must lose things,

feel the future dissolve in a moment

like salt in a weakened broth.

What you held in your hand,

what you counted and carefully saved,

all this must go so you know

how desolate the landscape can be

between the regions of kindness.

How you ride and ride

thinking the bus will never stop,

the passengers eating maize and chicken

will stare out the window forever.

Before you learn the tender

gravity of kindness,

you must travel where

the Indian in a white poncho

lies dead by the side of the road.

You must see how this could be you,

how he too was someone

who journeyed through the night

with plans and the simple breath

that kept him alive.

Before you know kindness

as the deepest thing inside,

you must know sorrow

as the other deepest thing.

You must wake up with sorrow.

You must speak to it till your voice

catches the thread of all sorrows

and you see the size of the cloth.

Then it is only kindness

that makes sense anymore,

only kindness that ties your shoes

and sends you out into the day

to mail letters and purchase bread,

only kindness that raises its head

from the crowd of the world to say

it is I you have been looking for,

and then goes with you every where

like a shadow or a friend.

~ Naomi Shihab Nye ~

Winter Poem

I know that winter is just arriving and this post should probably wait for spring, but I loved this poem by Nikki Giovanni. The crocus pictures are so wondrous and made me smile so I thought you might enjoy them also! Hope everyone has had a great and relaxing holiday weekend!

once a snowflake fell

on my brow and I loved

it so much and I kissed

it and it was happy and called its cousins

and brothers and a web

of snow engulfed me then

I reached to love them all

and I squeezed them and they became

a spring rain and I stood perfectly

still and was a flower

-Nikki Giovanni

Abigail, a double rainbow, and pretty flowers!

Abigail loves to play with her ball! When she gets tired, she just lays down!

These pictures don't do this beautiful double rainbow justice!

"My heart leaps up when I behold

a rainbow in the sky"

-William Wordsworth

Rainbow

By Red Unicorn (Barbara Mann) ©1997

Shimmering color arched against grey sky,

Painted by dancing light on air-borne mist.

Wide flung by a sacred hand...

The Hand that formed of dust nothingness

The solid Earth below.

Beauty and promise together blended,

Beauty ethereal, promise divine.

Given to grace the clouds and the rain,

Given to bless the world-weary heart...

Shimmers... fades... brightens...

To vanish in brilliance...

Shines through the dark in my soul.

Isn't that the cutest puppy ever?!

There was a hummingbird flying around these flowers, but by the time I got my camera, he was gone. I'll keep trying to capture him on film!

Abby is waiting for me to throw the ball!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone has a happy and blessed Thanksgiving!

Poem for my day!

LOVE DOES THAT

All day long a little burro labors,
sometimes
with heavy loads on her back
and sometimes just with worries
about things that bother only
burros.
And worries, as we know,
can be more exhausting
than physical labor.
Once in a while a kind monk comes
to her stable and brings
a pear, but more
than that, he looks
into the burro's eyes
and touches her ears
and for a few seconds
the burro is free
and even seems to laugh,
because love does
that.
Love Frees.

~ Meister Eckhart ~

(Love Poems From God: Twelve Sacred Voices from the East and West by Daniel Ladinsky)

Who am I in blog land?

I ran across this neat link on the blog 'Reading Adventures' which uses your blog to analyze what type of person you are! It was fun and amazingly, mine was pretty accurate. Click on the title for the link and find out what type of person you are too!

ESFP - The Performers

The entertaining and friendly type. They are especially attuned to pleasure and beauty and like to fill their surroundings with soft fabrics, bright colors and sweet smells. They live in the present moment and don´t like to plan ahead - they are always in risk of exhausting themselves. The enjoy work that makes them able to help other people in a concrete and visible way. They tend to avoid conflicts and rarely initiate confrontation - qualities that can make it hard for them in management positions.

Poems For My Day!

A Spiritual Journey

And the world cannot be discovered

by a journey of miles,

no matter how long,

but only by a spiritual journey,

a journey of one inch,

very arduous and humbling and joyful,

by which we arrive at the ground at our feet,

and learn to be at home.
~ Wendell Berry ~
(Collected Poems)

Let's Remake the World

Let's remake the world with words

not frivolously nor

to hide from what we fear,

but with a purpose.

Let's

as Wordsworth said, remove

"The dust of custom" so things

shine again, each object arrayed

in its robe of original light

and then we'll see the world

as if for the first time.

As once we gazed at the beloved

who was gazing at us.

~Gregory Orr~

(Concerning the Book that is the Body of the Beloved)

Seek Patience

Seek patience and passion
in equal amounts.

Patience alone
will not build the temple.

Passion alone
will destroy its walls.

~ Maya Angelou ~

Meet my puppy!

I have to tell you about my puppy, Abigail Bloom! She is a little pekinese that I got the first of April. Growing up on a farm, we always had animals; dogs, cats, chickens, cows, raised a baby bunny and a couple orphaned baby deers. I just love all animals. One of my nicknames is Eli May for Eli May Clampett on the Beverly Hillbillies!

The last dog we had was a dachsund. I went to buy a dachsund puppy for my mother for Christmas one year and there were only two left; so of course, I came home with both of them. His name was Nicholas and he was a sweetheart! Well, poor little Nicholas, I had to put to sleep (don't want to depress you with the whole story)! So I haven't had a dog since and that was about 7 years ago; the longest I have went in my life without a dog!

So of course, Abigail stole my heart from the very first time I saw her when she was only like 3 days old. There were four other puppies in the litter but for some reason, I just knew she was the one I wanted. She has a little white mark (angel kiss!) on her forehead.

When I first brought her home, my husband was a little upset. He said I should have discussed it with him, she would be around for a lot of years, even though I had been telling him for a month that I was going to 'adopt' her! Sometimes, there is just no discussion necessary, maybe you know what I mean! So guess who is the biggest sucker for Abby? Yip, my husband!

Here he is; can't you tell he is crazy about her?

How could anyone resist this little precious puppy??

When I first brought her home, she was only 5 weeks old and I would hand feed her. This is almost embarrasing to say, but now at 9 months old she will not eat food out of her bowl by herself. I still have to hand feed her, is that awful or what? Jeff says it is because her face is so smooshed up, she doesn't want to get it dirty! So my poor little Abby has an eating disorder, or maybe it's not her, but me with the problem! Just like Caesar (the dog whisperer) says and he is probably right!

She has now developed this 'thing' about doors. When you open the door for her, she acts like she is going to attack it! She barks her little head off at the door; only when you open it; weird! When I take her for a walk, she puts the leash in her mouth and pulls me out the door like she's walking me instead of the other way around! It's so cute.

When I got home from work this evening, I fed her and then she was barking at me. She usually only barks at me if she wants something. I had left her leash on the counter and she was looking at her leash, looking at me and barking like she was saying, "OK Mom, it's time for our walk!"

Abby in her new little t-shirt!Abby in her shirt with clippies in her hair!

Yes, I am officially a nut, a geek, a silly billy for this puppy! I hope you have enjoyed meeting her. There will probably be more stories to come of our life with Abigail Bloom!

Blue Monday!

I just found the neatest blog! Smiling Sally posts about something blue every Monday. It can be pretty, funny, ugly, old, or new as long as it's blue. You decide if you want to skip a week and play the next week, or if you want to play every week. Click on the title of this blog above (Blue Monday) and you will be linked to her site and be able to share in the fun too!

The item that I am sharing is an antique pie plate from my mother-in-law. It belonged to her grandmother, and she remembers her making pies in it. It was such a special treat for her to eat pies at her grandma's house out of this little pie plate. My mother-in-law has been taking treatments for cancer for over a year now and recently had emergency surgery. She is back home following a short recuperation in the nursing home. She is doing amazingly well and would be tickled to know that I am sharing her story of the little blue pie plate with all of you!

Poem of the Day!

I love poetry! I just checked out a book from the library named "Good Poems" by Garrison Keillor. He is the host and writer of the public radio programs A Prairie Home Companion and The Writer's Almanac and author of nine books. His selection of 294 poems were chosen for their wit, their simplicity, their passion, and their utter clarity. The poem I have chosen to share was written by Philip Appleman and is titled, "O Karma, Dharma, pudding and pie". I hope it makes you smile!

O Karma, Dharma, pudding and pie,

gimme a break before I die:

grant me wisdom, will, & wit,

purity, probity, pluck, & grit.

Trustworthy, loyal, helpful, kind,

gimme great abs & a steel-trap mind,

and forgive, Ye Gods, some humble advice--

these little blessings would suffice

to beget an earthly paradise:

make the bad people good--

and the good people nice;

and before our world goes over the brink,

teach the believers how to think.

Making Ripples!

I just read the greatest little book this morning named "Making Ripples". It's message was stunning in it's simplicity! It's about living a life that touches a life, that touches a life, that touches a life............
The book begins with the author, Mike Breaux, discussing what his favorite movie is. I am going to include an excerpt from the book. The author writes:

"If I had to name my all-time favorite (movie), I'm real clear what it would be. I wouldn't be able to endorse the whole thing, but I walked out of this one thinking, "I believe that might be the most creative, well put together, clever, thought-provoking, emotionally heart-tugging, best-acted movie I've ever seen in my life. And I didn't just admire the artistry or enjoy the entertainment. I learned some very profound things--three of them, to be exact. The first thing I learned is, "Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you're gonna get." Not all moments in life are creme-filled, are they? I also learned that "Stupid is as stupid does," and that stupid has nothing to do with your IQ, but everything to do with your discernment, your decision-making ability, and your propensity for promise keeping. The third thing I learned was especially freeing for me as a speaker and communicator. I learned that I didn't have to work so hard anymore on the conclusions of my messages--from that point forward, I could just finish up with "That's all I have to say about that."
Forrest Gump is one of those movies that gripped my heart and made me think a lot about my life. Do I keep my word no matter what? Do I love the people around me in an unconditional way? Do I show respect for everyone, no matter their color, race, rank, intelligence, or ignorance? Would I be candid enough to say, "I may not be a smart man, but I know what love is?"
There's a riveting scene at the end of the movie. Forrest's wife, Jenny, who had made a lot of unwise choices in her life, dies at age thirty-five. Forrest is standing at her grave and says to her, "You died on a Saturday morning, and I had you placed here under our tree." He talks about what's going on in his life, how their son little Forrest is doing, and how much he misses her.
Then he begins to reflect on life and considers a question that really marked me. He wonders whether his momma or his friend Lieutenant Dan had it right: "Do we have a destiny, or are we all just floatin' around kinda accidental-like, like a feather on a breeze?" When I heard him say that, I thought, "That is the question everyone who ever walks this planet has to come to grips with."

The author goes on to speak about destiny and how if you believe there is no destiny then life is just kind of a big "whatever". However, if you are tired of floating around accidental-like, like a feather on a breeze, then you can put your life in the hands of the "Destiny Maker" and make some ripples in your life!
You can make ripples by doing good for someone else, who will in turn do good for someone else and so on until before you know it a lot of people's lives have been touched with passion and purpose. You can make a difference in this world. I think that is the most uplifting message of hope and is why I wanted to share it with you!

P.S. If you click on the title of this blog, it will take you to the link on Amazon.com for this book.

Remember our Veterans!

Today I am going to share a picture of a heart on my family room wall, a heart that symbolizes the American Flag! Remember all of the Veterans today who fought so valiantly, courageously, and patriotically so that we could enjoy the freedoms given us by living in the great United States of America!

The Road

The Road

Here is the road: the light

comes and goes then returns again.

Be gentle with your fellow travelers

as they move through the world of stone and stars

whirling with you yet every one alone.

The road waits.

Do not ask questions but when it invites you

to dance at daybreak, say yes.

Each step is the journey;

a single note the song.

~ Arlene Gay Levine ~

Treasures on Earth

I never cease to be amazed by people. Some people seem to touch our lives without even knowing it or meaning to. I try to always look for the best in people, no matter their circumstances. If someone brings a smile to my face, perhaps that is God's way of showing me that happiness can be found in the smallest things.

One glimpse of happiness that I was fortunate enough to share recently came from the most unexpected place. I have a pekingese puppy named Abby who is now 9 months old and goes to work with me part of the time. During my lunch hour I take her for a walk to a nearby city park. I work in Phoenix and unfortunately, there are several homeless people in the area. This park seems to be the place for homeless people to congregate during the day and rest.

There is one homeless couple that I see quite often both at the park or outside of the library that I go to. They are probably in their mid 40's, seem to be clean, and have at least two shopping carts heaped with plastic bags which I'm sure contain all of their worldly possessions.

One day a few weeks ago when I took Abby to the park for a walk, this couple was there. Abby likes to greet everyone she sees and was pulling me along towards this couple. When we got closer to them, I could hear music playing. When I glanced towards them, I saw the most touching site. They had a radio playing and they were waltzing! The rest of the world did not exist for them. They were lost in the music, the dance, each other's eyes! This spectacle of love really touched me, made me smile and contemplate happiness. It was apparent that they were happy; the words live-laugh-love seemed to be made for them at that moment! Even though they do not have a home and they sleep on the streets, they seemed to know happiness better than most people.

Seeing this couple, I realized that happiness can be found in the smallest things and to share this joy with another person is truly a gift to cherish. It proved to me how meaningless possessions and money are to our lives. You can be wealthy and still not find happiness. On the other hand, you can be poor yet happiness is yours! This is a lesson that I need to be reminded of from time to time.

So many people are worried about possessions, and I have been as guilty as anyone. Perhaps that is why I was there at that specific moment in time to share an intimate moment of happiness with people who, in the world's opinion, should not be happy at all.

It made me remember the bible verse, Matthew 6:19-21:

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

The Way You Used To Be

Don’t let me forget the way you used to be,
But as time goes on it becomes harder you see
You’re lost to this world and it doesn’t include me.
Days turn into months, months into years
for the children to forget you becomes my greatest fear.

You led them on adventures so bold

with all of the wonderful stories you told
of Spook Hill and hoot owls and of the Great War,
of mountains you passed and beaches you crossed.
You taught them about hope in days filled with pain.

You taught them to look for sunshine

in days filled with rain.
You gave these stories with not a thought

to the bonds you were making
these days will never be forgot.

You taught a love of life as the years traveled on
and to never lose hope on that ship coming in.
You taught them about hard work

and a love for the land.
You became their hero-on this we can depend.

Though ten long years have gone by,

they can still remember,
I see it in their eyes.
You showed them strength of spirit,

you fought a great fight
then you saw the angels

and were led into the light.

Rest in peace-daddy, watch over us now
Good-bye is never easy

but we will never forget
The way you used to be…..

-Dedicated to my father and read at his funeral.