Some Little Good

If you've been blessed with waking up today,
do some little good.
If you're out and about running errands,
do some little good.
If you're working hard and have a moment,
do some little good.
If you're able . . .
do some little good.

What a wonderful world it would be;
if we all just did some little good.

The Vine

So I have a plethora of climbing jasmine in my back yard.
When it blooms, I would love to just sit back there day and night and sniff.
It's just a wonderfully intoxicating aroma that soothes and calms.
It is a beautiful white flower that makes for a stunning fence cover.
And yet . . .
When we do yard work, I am continually redirecting the vines of the plant.
A single vine, groups itself with another vine, and another, and another.
This clump of tentacles then reaches out to consume whatever might be next.
I have to pull it away from our palm trees and other foliage.
It has already engulfed and literally broken a small palm that stood by the fence.

Such is the way of the vine.
Things get said by one person.
It is repeated by someone who simply parrots what they heard.
It is then shared by others.
That tentacle of untruth spreads and gnarls and engulfs many things.
These fingers of falsehood can ruin what should be seen
as a beautifully intoxicating gift.

Don't become ensnared.
Don't perpetuate the travelling malevolence.
Prune.
Redirect.
Enjoy the splendor as it was meant.

Which Are You?

There comes a point in nearly every life
where one must decide whether to be
a leader or a follower.

A good leader provides positive energy,
nurtures, teaches,
enlightens, applauds,
expects and extracts greatness and
provides boundaries and goals.
A good follower embellishes the worn path,
gives 110% no matter the task,
supports their surroundings,
steps up when required,
looks not for accolades but rather the next goal,
and pushes boundaries and goals for the good.

No one is better than anyone else.
And it's ok to be a leader some days
and a follower on others.
A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.
A common core is the key to success.
Together, we can do great things.

Seventeen Inches!

Don't get alarmed . . . but do read on.

This might be a little long, but VERY worth it.
An aged, beloved baseball coach was asked to speak and the room was packed.
He approached the podium dressed to kill, but with home plate strapped around his neck.
He rambled on about baseball and then said, "You're probably wondering why I've got home plate around my neck."
He inquired of the crowd, "How big is home plate in little league?"
Someone finally muttered "Seventeen inches?"
"Correct!" the old coach bellowed. "How about in high school, the minors and in the big leagues?"
The answers came back quicker each time. "17 inches!" "17 inches!" "17 inches!"
He smiled broadly and then continued.
"Now, what happens if a pitcher cannot throw the ball over those 17 inches?
Do they widen home plate? And what if the player shows up late to practice? Or uses drugs? Or violates curfew? Do we change the rules to accommodate the player? NO! We hold him accountable."
The crowd hushed as he went on to explain that that is the problem with the world today. No one is held accountable to the rules. The rules are manipulated to accommodate the situation. We don't teach accountability and there are no consequences. If we continue to widen home plate, we lose the values we should be instilling in our children. The teachers have lost the ability to teach because they have to oblige everyone. Our leaders do not command respect, they command the widening of home plate and they lose the core of where we started.
Let's get back to the basics.
Let's hit a home run and get our kids back to home plate.
Respect, Honor, Accountability.
Seventeen inches worth!

Think

The skies here yesterday were just a wee bit ominous.
Perhaps Sunday, the sun will brightly shine.

Enjoy your weekend.

Good Friday

Happy Friday.
A day that begins deliverance.
For some . . . the weekend.
For some . . . relaxation.
For some . . . quietude.
For some . . . solitude.
For some . . . so very, very, very much more!

Have a Good Friday!

I Care

So, it would seem that a fault of mine would be that I care.
I care about my job.
I care about my efforts.
I care about my passions.
I care about my friends.
I care about my family.
I care about my ethics.
I care about my morals.
I care about being positive.
I care about my message.

When those things are being
attacked,
mocked,
violated,
bullied,
abused,
belittled,
berated,
diminished,
you will see a side of me that isn't pretty.

I hope you never meet that person.
I hope you have the strength to be that same person.
I care.
Do you?

No Better Feeling

When you feel as though you are trapped;
when you feel like you have no options;
when you feel beaten and battered;
when you feel stepped on and bullied;
there is no better feeling than
the love and support of friends.

I hope you have those friends.

Glimmers

When the world seems angry,
bitter,
mean,
cold.
Look for the glimmers.
Glimmers of love.
Glimmers of kindness.
Glimmers of joy.
Glimmers of laughter.
Glimmers of hope.
They are there.
Let them shine.

What Are You Alive To?

Today's quote is given by MD Babcock.
I would try to embellish, but it's really not necessary.
Just give this a tiny bit of thought . . .

Life is what we are alive to.
It is not length but breadth . . .
Be alive to:
goodness,
kindness,
purity,
love,
history,
poetry,
music,
flowers,
stars,
God,
and eternal hope.

My Luck with Ch-Angels

March is the month of luck.
I have been abundantly blessed with luck.
I've got my own little army of Ch-Angels.
Those dear sweet friends, you know who you are,
that inspire,
uplift,
incite,
enlighten,
instill,
ignite,
support,
listen,
love,
hug,
endure,
laugh,
and play with me.
You know exactly what pick-me-up I need and when.
I cannot properly express my gratitude for all you are.
You make the nonsense, the noise, the hurtful, the ugly
melt away to nothing.
You help me to realize how incredibly lucky I am ~
each and every day.
Thank You!

Dare

You have talent.
You have value.
You have worth.
You have gifts.
You have dreams.
Share them.
Give them.
Hone them.
You are extraordinary.
Dare to be you.

Be Lucky

Ahhh, St. Patrick's Day!
The day of all things green.
Here are a few green things to steer clear of:

Envy
Jealousy
Greed
Money

Surround yourself with green fields,
green beer,
green eyes,
and green clovers.

Be lucky in love, in learning, and in life.

A Better You

Do not shed a tear because they are gone.
Smile because they were here.
Loss is a fickle beast.
You have a choice when left alone.
You can carry the weight of a lonely walk.
Or you can skip with the memories of all they shared.
You can trudge through each day in isolation.
Or you can greet each morning with a chance to share what they gave you.
You can crawl into bed in silent solitude each night.
Or you can sleep soundly knowing you've got an angel watching over you.

Be a better you for having been touched by them.

Moments

There are moments . . .

when we feel a smile,
connect with a hug,
get lost in laughter,
share a heartbeat,
witness greatness,
are allowed a miracle,
get grounded in truth,
are enveloped in love.

These are the moment I wish for you.

Not a Stitch

One of my most favorite quotes comes up today
on my little eternal calendar.
It goes a little something like this:

Time is a dressmaker
specializing in alterations.

Embrace the new fashion,
Grasp the new style,
Wear it like a boss.

You realize we're not talking about clothes . . .
not a stich.

Are You Sure?

Up again early! Why must inspiration strike in the wee hours?
Why can't this stuff happen at 3 pm, while I'm eating a cookie?

Are You Sure?

There are some serious, timeless feuds like the Hatfields and McCoys
But also quite well documented are these hog thieving, murderous boys
Our story lines, quite sadly, are not so clearly cut and dry
And though we think we're certain; time clouds the reasons why
Remember as we choose to recall what might be true
While one accusatory finger points; there's three curling back at you
Implications aren't truth. Hearsay isn't fact
Emotions create a parallel plane in which not everything's in tact
We mold the words within our memory; make the actions fit the crime
And all the while, all we do, is rob ourselves of precious time
The weight of all the anger; the bitterness we keep
Is a foul and polluted marinade in which we seem to steep
We've affixed these little blinders to view only what we choose
A boxed-up little version; our self-serving personal ruse
We've cut off part of our being; created a life where that's ok
But deep within, we're still attached, the connection never goes away
Honesty's the best policy. To question that is certainly odd
The only place for such resentment is six feet under sod
We all recount and reminisce from our selfish point of view
When the tale provides such anger; ponder if that recollection's true
For rarely is it one's sole point to cause another person hurt
Check the gorgeous glass house you live in; it's covered in a film of dirt
So stop for just a moment. Is the angst that you endure
Emotional or factual. Is it real? Are You Sure? 

Comfortable Blessing

Have you ever been all excited because you had a visitor coming?
You just were anxiously awaiting their arrival all day?

You just adore this person.
You find such serenity in simply sitting next to them.
You find comfort in their existence.
You find joy in their laughter.
You find hope in their words.
You find peace in their embrace.
You find contentment in their being.
And then . . .
You find out they feel exactly the same way about you.

Now THAT is a special friend,
and a Comfortable Blessing.

Falling Down

I don't know anyone who isn't afraid of falling down.
That horrible feeling of failure.
That indefinable kick to the gut of disappointing yourself.

So . . . you have two choices.

You either stay down and be beaten.
Or, rise up and try once more.
Might you stumble and fall again?
Chances are you will.
What matters is that you continue to get up.
Dust yourself off.
Set a new goal.
Try another approach.
Falling down is part of life.
Getting up again is optional.

What will you choose?

Mind over Matter

It's a common saying.
Folks use it all the time.
If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.
You can do whatever you put your mind to.
Your age doesn't matter.
Your height doesn't matter.
Your weight doesn't matter.
Your gender doesn't matter.
If you want to do it, you'll find a way to get it done.
You'll work through the pain.
You'll trudge through the adversity.
You'll stumble and fall and have setbacks.
But . . . if you don't mind, it doesn't matter.

Nothing

It costs you exactly NOTHING
to be a decent human being.
It costs you exactly NOTHING
to do the right thing.
It extracts absolutely NOTHING
from your bank account to lend a hand.
It physically costs you NOTHING
to lend an ear, a shoulder, a heart.

NOTHING can really make a difference.

Be Heard

Today is National Be Heard Day.
That doesn't always mean that you stand atop your soap box and scream.
Sometimes, much more importantly, you simply speak the truth.
You can even whisper.
But to speak up is a gift; a tool to wield wisely.
Be Heard today.
If you have something to convey . . . convey it.
Do not belittle others in your efforts.
Do not demean or begrudge someone else's thoughts.
Speak ~ from the heart ~ with all the passion you can muster.
What needs to seep forward, will.

Go. Be Heard.

Unconquered

"He who angers you,
conquers you."

Will you be trampled or unconquered?
Will you be withered or unconquered?
Will you be defeated or unconquered?

Do not allow the enemy, the belittler,
the bully, the betrayer to hold you captive.

Be unconquered.

Be the sunshine

By Anthony D'Angelo:

Wherever you go, no matter what the weather,
always bring your own sunshine.

The choice is yours.
What you share with others depends on you.
You can bring beams of brilliant light,
or you can douse a room.
You can share serenity and peace,
or you can create chaos.
The circumstances in your life
do not define how you behave.
You do.

Be the sunshine.

A Human Being

When one is awakened at 4:54 am with words in their head,
one gets up and writes them down . . .


A Human Being
~ by Lyn Marinello

I am not a chess piece to culminate a win
I'm so much more than simply just the color of my skin
I am not the product of your whims as I should be
I am blood and sweat and tears and more. I am trying to be me
I do not exist as a sum of given parts
I am what I cultivate with a passionately beating heart
My quality of life is not based on generations past
It's formed by my tenacity to create a legacy that will last
I am not contained by the vowels in my name
Nor am I defined by the place from which my family came
I cannot be packaged into a concept nice and neat
I am not a label that you affix atop my feet
I am not the past. I am a living present piece
In a giant, worldwide puzzle of a fleeting, fragile peace
I am not a race. I am bones and flesh and heart
I am worthy and important; a life thespian in a lead part
I'm not a demographic. There's a purpose to my soul
We are uniquely qualified to be better as a whole
I'm afraid of an unknown future ~ scared of the indifference I'm seeing
I'm not black or white or he or she. I am, first, a human being.

BB's

Beautiful Beginnings . . .

On a day, yesterday, that I really didn't want to go to work,
I walked in and the first person who spoke to me
was my son's first grade teacher.
She walked up and said, "I'm so-and-so and you're Marinello."
My son was in first grade almost TWENTY years ago.
She said, "I can see his face but cannot recall his name,
although I think it started with an 'M'." And continued with,
"You made an impact."
I was dumbfounded. WE made an impact?
She was an extraordinary influence on my son and life.
She taught me about speaking quietly to garner attention -
that the loudest one does not always get his point across.
She made a difference.
She taught AND guided AND molded.
For her to remember us, and our names, after all these years . . .

What a Beautiful Beginning to my day.

I hope you have a day like that.

A Whole Choir

A group of geese is a gaggle.
A group of monkeys is a troop.
But a group of Angels is called a Choir.
Today, I honor a Choir of Ch-Angels.
(Who could literally break out into song on a moment's notice.)
Not one. Not two. But every single one of them.
My oldest brother has had this group of friends
that have travelled the bumpy road of life together.
Where most may have drifted or parted,
because of hardships, divorces, or deaths,
those things have only solidified the bond between them.
Yesterday, as they have done for years,
they gathered at the gravesite of a friend who passed far too soon.
They laughed, shared memories, made new ones, and just existed together.
Theirs is a bond that literally brings tears to my eyes.
My source of six brothers grows exponentially when I am with them.
Today, I honor you Ch-Angels:
Cal, Billy, Danny, Paul, Todd, Joe, and all the others.
You are a grand group.
It's an honor to know you!
Thanks for making this world a better place.