Happy Heavenly Birthday

Happy Heavenly Birthday
by Lyn Marinello

Happy Heavenly Birthday, Mom!
Can't imagine your celebration
Cloud balloons on golden strings
Angelic jubilation
Choirs singing just for you
Gifts beyond compare
Watching over all you love
Dispersed just everywhere
Surrounded by those you love
And those who love you more
Revel at The Hand of God
Enjoy it all, I implore.
The space you left's still vacant
I try to fill it up with love
I ache for one last hug from you
Though I feel it from above
A Name-That-Tune revival
The warm sun on my skin
Singing with the radio
A hard fought Scrabble win
Your absence is overwhelming
Though you touch everything I do
Enjoy your Heavenly Birthday, Mom!
Know that I'm singing to you, too.

Do You Know?

Do You Know?
by Lyn Marinello

Do you know what I did today?
I opened up my eyes
And long before I climbed from bed
thanked God with grateful sighs.
Do you know what I did today?
I opened my door to a beautiful day.
I sat quietly with my bible.
I bowed my head to pray.
Do you know what I did today?
I wrote my blog with love and hope.
Offered a little 'up-lift-ance'
for whomever needs to cope.

Do you know what I saw today,
amidst calamity and dread?
The choice that people tried to make
to be generous and kind instead.
Do you know what I saw today,
through grateful, teary eyes?
Smiles despite the chaos;
Love without compromise.
Do you know what I saw today
despite the mayhem at our feet?
Neighbor helping neighbor;
Singing in the street.

Do you know what I heard today,
beyond the dark and dismal, dreary news
"How is it I can help you?"
and a thousand "I love you!'s"
Do you know what I heard today,
despite the barrage of death and blame?
That we'll get through this together
because we are all the same.
Do you know what I heard today
above the sobs and pleas?
Is the lovely hum of fitful prayer
on countless bended knees.

Do you know what I felt today?
A resilience in my bones.
The divisive hate is waning
replaced by caring, helpful tones.
Do you know what I felt today?
A strength in unity.
For as different as we claim we are
we are one community.
Do you know what I felt today -
beside the worry and the fret?
Is that these times are trying,
fraying every nerve ... and yet

For all the prayers I prayed today
and the good I tried to do;
The kindness that I witnessed
while the world is all askew;
For the thousand tiny actions
of compassion that occurred
And the graceful gift of voices raised
toward heaven that I heard -
The tears I shed were not all sad.
There is a goodness beyond scope.
Together we'll get through anything
you all have helped me cope.
And so, you see, full circle
the care and love that we can show
We are infinitely capable
of anything ... you know?

Give and Take

Ah,
the fluidity of life,
the give and take,
ebb and flow,
yin and yang,
good and bad,
rise and fall,
back and forth.

It is a necessary process.

Learn and teach,

share and receive,

bless and be blessed.

You cannot have it

all one way.

There is a growth that comes

from the recesses,

and a humility that's learned

from the apex.

Sunshine

Short and sweet today:


Stay close
to people
that feel
like sunshine.

9-1-2

Romping around Pensacola the other day,
I saw a sticker on a truck window
and the rest, they say, is history ...

9-1-2

by Lyn Marinello

Nearly twenty years ago against a beautiful blue sky,

a smoldering plume erupted, as did a shocked & deafening cry.

Two towers were a target, the Pentagon was as well,

a third was in the process, though through heroics that was quelled.

Devastation everywhere. Thousands simply taken.

A nightmare of bleak mourning from which we could not awaken.

Anger unfamiliar to a people unprepared,

for an unspeakable atrocity in hopes that we'd be scared.

Strangely, to their surprise, it wasn't fear we felt,

but a super-glue type unity in this American pot in which we melt.

A patriotic blanket was laid out across this land.

Neighbors checked on neighbors. The fire of U.S. pride was fanned.

Good Samaritans were plentiful to ease the shock & pain & tears.

Open hearts & arms & church doors seemed to minimize the fears.

Terrorism on the eleventh did not shatter the country's core.

It stoked, instead, cohesion and something even more.

The Stars & Strips flew proudly from the porch of every abode.

The fabric of America will not simply tatter or erode.

And all of this transpired from the morn of the following day;

a renewed American spirit, a phoenix from rubble, decay.

We need to find our way back. We've gone quite completely askew.

We need to reach back to that morning and live like it's 9 - 1 - 2.

Ch-Angels & Chocolate

To teach is to touch a life forever.
I'm not sure who said that,
but it surely is true.

About a hundred years ago,

in the midst of attempting to achieve

my Regents math degree for high school,

I came across a Teacher Man

who apparently saw something in me.

He taught me math, for sure,

(and I honestly believe

searched for points to pass me),

but he was also a kind human.

He conversed, was interested,

offered advice, supported endeavors,

laughed and listened to me ...

and a multitude of others.

He continues to do so.

He supports my efforts,

acknowledges my gifts,

nominates me for things I don't deserve,

shares his point of view

without malice or expectation,

and when he saw that I was having

a rough day (through an on-line post),

he took the time to buy some chocolate,

have it packaged and shipped to me,

all in an effort to improve my down days.

Sometimes, Ch-Angels don feathers.

Sometimes, Ch-Angels send chocolate.

Thanks Teacher Man.

You, my dear friend, are a true Ch-Angel.

Love, respect and admire you much!

A Special Little Charm

A Special Little Charm
by Lyn Marinello

Breakfast time one morning
The food doesn't look so great
Into the bathroom to get clean up
Seems you've gained a little weight
Your clothes are a little tighter
You need a haircut once a week
Instead of a club at ten o'clock
It's your pillow that you seek
And it seems as though you're eating
Almost as often as you pee
Which is every thirty minutes
If you're anything like me
And now you're getting round
And you're cleaning all the time
You're getting tired faster
The stairs seem quite a climb
It's only been nine months
Though it seems forever and a day
And you feel like you will strangle
The next person who asks if you're OK
Then, as if in preparation,
In the middle of the night
Little twinges keep you restless
Til the first of morning's light
The doctor gets his phone call
The hospital bag is packed
You practice breathing, get into the car
And hubby plays 'Mario on the track'
The monitor's attached
As you climb into your bed
Your anxiety is building
Of what could possibly lie ahead
The contractions become intense
The pain's a bit hard to bear
But when you hear that , "You can push!"
You hardly seem to care
So, with a few strong pushes,
You watch your husband's face
As his eyes fill up with tears
At the wonder that's taken place
The love you feel astounds you
What's happened does not seem real
It's a miracle you were part of
And you're not sure how to feel
Between that babe's first cry
And your partner's loving praise
It seems it's all so magical
A dreamy sort of haze
But when they bring that baby
And place her in your arms
You know that God has blessed you
With His own Special Little Charm!

For my Special Little Charm, Deanna!

Miracle

You may think yourself a hot mess.
You may think yourself disheveled.
You may think yourself broken.
You may think yourself scarred.
You may think yourself tattered.

But the fact that you continue,

that you move forward,

that you try again,

despite all those thoughts,

is precisely the miracle

someone else sees in you

that provides them

the strength to do the same.

WWYD

You're entrusted with a van load of two families;
parents and children, driving them from point A to point B.
At the usual 5 to 7 miles above the speed limit,
with a craggy, steep drop off to your right
leading to a deep and mostly frozen lake,
you come around a curved rise in the road.
Within feet is a toddler sitting
in the middle of your lane.
She has wandered away from a vehicle
coming the other way that is having car trouble
and has pulled to the rugged sloped curb
of the opposite lane.
Barreling down the highway,
in the opposite direction is a semi
carrying a full load of lumber.

What Would You Do?

Welcome to police work.

They are not all bad.

The immediacy of images, phrases,

clips and comments

create a culture of judgement

and fierce animosity.

Some need help.

Some need to chill.

An incredibly vast number of them

put their badge and life on the line

every single day ... for strangers.

A Needed Compilation

Live without pretending,
Love without depending,
Listen without defending,
Speak without offending.

and also ...

Become so confident

in who you are,

that no one's opinion,

rejection, or behavior

can rock you.

and this:

The truth is still the truth,

even if no one believes it.

A lie is still a lie,

even if everyone believes it.

and my own:

Be you. Share your story.

Your words, your pain,

your shortfalls and your victory

are exactly what someone else needs

to survive this very day.

Two Little Things

So, on this beautiful Monday morning,
I have just two little things
for you to focus on today:

1. Kindness changes everything

and

2. Choose love in everything you do

These are not difficult objectives,

but boy howdy,

what a difference the world would see.

Round and round

My head, today,
is filled with a great many things.

Hope and faith

prayer and wonder

love and kindness

compassion and hope

and round and round.

I do hope 

that you are visited

by one or more

of these today

and every day.

Enjoy!

Ch-Angel o' mine

Back to the roots
for a minute.

We are bound by apron strings,

one mother to the other.

We've known each other for eons.

We grew up together.

Related in spirit more than blood.

You stood up for me

at my wedding,

you stand out for me

in my memories,

you lift me up

with every 'like' and 'love'

from half-way around the world.

You have no idea

what the simple sight of your name

on my notifications

does for my heart, my health,

and my happiness.

You are a joy and a blessing.

I miss you and love you.

Thank you, my Ch-Angel Athena!

Special Occasion

Don't save things
for a 'special occasion'.

If you woke up -
that's a 'special occasion'!

Make the most of it.
Do something positive.
Enjoy Every Second!

Mero

Mero
by Lyn Marinello

We all have had a hero
one who stands above the rest

That person who excels

at doing all things to their best

And we all have met the zero

who quite the opposite, you see,

delights in every opportunity

to strip your dignity

And I've known my share of shero-es

those women whose fight exceeds their size

Who offer strength through their compassion

who share what's made them wise
But today, I want to tell you

of someone I look for every day

I hope you search, in earnest, too

to find this person along your way

To truly find the strength I need

to be every thing I can be

I need to find the Mero

that resides deep within little ol' me.

Present

Although it's awfully fun to receive a gift
that's not the 'present' I'm referring to.

In the past day or so, I've heard this term

about a zillion times.

I've begun to pay attention to things like that.

I'm pretty sure it's a sign.

To be 'present'.

To be 'in the moment'.

To 'experience the now'.

To 'soak up the seconds'.

THAT is the 'present'

to which I'm eluding.

It will not be here again.

You'll never physically revisit it.

You have one chance

to absorb the essence before you.

Drink it in.

Fully digest its benefits,

its lessons,

its blessings.

You are in this moment -

The Present -

for a reason.

Live it. Breathe it. Be it.

Overweight

It is said that

a vast majority of Americans
are overweight.

I would concur.

We carry around

far too much animosity,

heapings of hatred,

mass quantities of misinformation,

an overload of expectation,

a plethora of self-pity,

a myriad of madness,

a bounty of bitterness,

an abundance of anger.

Shed that weight.

That extra baggage

is the most unhealthy weight

you will ever tote around.

Lighten your load.

Hand Made

There is something
so special
about creating a hand made item.

To take a moment,

some serious thought,

all your heart,

calloused hands,

crafted words,

selfless talent,

gifted ability,

and pour it into

a hand made item.

These items speak.

These items proclaim.

These items touch.

Too much of the world

is automated,

generated,

fabricated.

Let's get back

to true craftsmanship -

created with talent

and love.

S.E.R.V.I.C.E.

Feeling a little tug toward SERVICE.
Not sure why, but ...
here's what fell out of my fingers today:

Support

Enlighten

Reassure

Validate

Inclusion

Compassion

Encourage

Service

A little somethin', somethin'
from Marian Edelman:

Service

is the rent we pay

for being.

It is

the very purpose 

of life,

and not

something you do

in your spare time.

Although - please -

to include Theodore Roosevelt:

Do what you can,

with what you have,

where you are.

See how wonderfully

they compliment each other.

We are all connected and are,

in service and everywhere,

better united.

A Loan

Kindness:

A loan
to another person
of your strength
instead of
reminding them
of their
weakness.

Small Things

I have taken something I saw
and, of course,
elaborated ...

Maybe we ought to live

for the small things;

like a brilliant sunrise,

handwritten notes,

neck kisses,

rainy days with 

a book or puzzle -

or just a blanket,

the smell of fresh-cut grass

or Christmas trees,

the first buds of Springtime,

the fog resting in the mountains,

a chorus of morning birds,

the quiet of comfort or

the comfort of quiet,

the safety of a held hand,

the enormity of a good hug,

the simplicity of laughter,

the beauty of a friendship,

the serenity of lapping waves,

the inspiration in a wildflower meadow,

the thrill of a simple hike,

the soft and soothing light of dusk,

and the awe of every day.

For it is the small things

that are not small at all -

but life

in all its splendor.

Connection

I was rummaging through
some boxes and crates yesterday,
reading through old cards,
letters, programs, autograph books
(LOL - remember autograph books?!),

and as I did,

I pondered ... life.

Life,

as I'm constantly reminded,
is all about connections.
We are all connected.
Sometimes for support.
Sometimes for lessons.
Sometimes for truth.
Sometimes for health.

Sometimes for hope.
Sometimes for love.
Sometimes for life.
Pay attention!
Be connected.
Life matters.

Shareworthy

This quote is from R. Tagore
but I thought it should be shared.

I slept and dreamt

that life was joy.

I awoke and saw

that life was service.

I acted and behold,

service was joy.

Forgive Them

Wise words,

for today,

for tomorrow,

for always,

for me,

for you,

for growth,

for humility,

for Him;

for they know not

what they do.

You

On this humbling day,
this is for
whomever might need it.

You are
the only you

that will ever be.

You're kind of

a big deal.

You're needed

and necessary.

You're worthy

and wonderful.

You're inspiring

and incredible.

You're fierce

and formidable.

You are light

and you are love.

You are You!