Fumbling, Bumbling, Stumbling ...

Mr. Neil Gaiman
shared these beautiful words:

Make

glorious,

amazing

mistakes.

Just brilliant.

Memorial Day Words

I found this quote
and it hit home.
Thankful for those
that gave everything
so we could enjoy
being idiots to one another.

Hoping, perhaps,

this day will build a bridge ~

if only for a short while.

The patriot's blood

is the seed

of freedom's tree.

~ Thomas Campbell

These Things

A pair of yes, please!

Never forget

how wildly capable 

you are.

Enough

is a decision,

not an amount.

In the Deep

This one was hard.
I don't like to write negative or less-than-positive things.
My purpose in this short little dash of a lifetime is to uplift, to support, to love, to guide, to hold, to offer hope.
Sometimes, however, in the spirit of mental health month, one has to expel the ugly that is (or is trying to) residing within them in order to move past it. This poem is that expulsion.
It was inspired by the truthful, sad sight of the first two lines. The rest just fell on paper.
I will always keep my chin up and knees down.
Sometimes, things are heavy.
We have to learn to do what we are able to improve what's around us and leave the rest of that luggage where it sits. This one is not easy to read, nor is it terribly pleasant, but it is truth.


In the Deep
by Lyn Marinello 5/26/22

Sitting on an overpass, shirtless and shoeless
People simply speeding by absolutely clueless
Tiny, fragile humans crushed and shredded before birth
Without a moment's thought as to their value or their worth
Sweet angelic children gunned down within a class
Whole entire peoples disregarded woefully en masse
Fractured, shattered families give way to fractured, shattered lives
Men raised void of boundaries lead to frightened, battered wives
Mouths that go unfed. Hearts that go un-mended
Souls that sink to suicide because basic needs were left untended
The easy road is taken no thought to accidents in our wake
Apologies are rarities in owning up to our mistakes
We accept the unacceptable; are outraged less and less
Expect the folks behind us to exorcise our mess
We have stopped communicating; stand bold behind keyboard rants
The listening has ceased as we stand unflinching in our stance
We care more about our opine than the facts we know exist
Unapproachably adamant; there's not one thing we might have missed
We've built our homes of glass, yet heave bricks in all directions
We're completely unfamiliar with the face in our reflections
Some preach of inclusion, yet won't accept opposing thought
Riot, fight and scream and yell. Deny the lie in which they're caught
Folks are bombed out of their homes, people starving in the street
We're incapable of humility. Emboldened by self-deceit
My heart aches when there is loss, my head yearns for common sense
Answers may be intertwined; often tangled, twisted and intense
You are right and so are you. There is no black or white
Until as simple as the song infers, we're all precious in His sight
I could go on forever. It's a revolving door of faith and fear
There's nothing wrong with thoughts and prayers, nor limitations being clear
I'll be the first one to admit that I'm flawed near beyond repair
I sometimes think morosely when mired in deep despair
I don't know all the answers, but I'm willing to sit and learn
Not to one side or the other, but to all ... then I'll discern
I accept you as you are, pray for each though I may weep
At the Godless world before me as we're treading in the deep

Hey there, Timothy

2 Timothy 1:7

God did not give us a spirit
that makes us afraid
but a spirit
of power and love
and self-control.

A positive start

to my Thursday.

Perhaps 

it will help you, too.

Mosaics

Found this and, of course, embellished ...

We are mosaics ~

pieces of light,

love, 

history,

stars ~

glued together

with

magic

and music

and words.

Sometimes,

more beautiful

when broken

and pieced

back together.

Oh Brother!

Today is National Brother Day!
It would be a fair statement

to say I hit the jackpot in that department.

Born into four elders,

and incorporated two youngers,

life was always very entertaining.

Each with their own fabulous attributes,

and their own unique quirks,

they helped create who I am

(sometimes just a matter of survival).

Add to that crew of craftsmen,

educators, musicians, ministers, sportsmen,

rebels, partmers, thespians, daredevils;

several faux brothers and

the excitement and adventures just continued.

Then I got married

and had a beautiful daughter

who I was blessed to give a brother,

who is most of those things and much, much more.

They might make me crazy on occasion,

but I'd be lost without any of them

(as we learned with Ch-Angel Skippy),

but I know he watches over me.

Oh, Brother ~ am I blessed.

If you've got one - or six ~

enjoy them ...

today and always!

It Does

William James said the following,
and it is powerfully true.

Act as if

what you do

makes a difference.

It does.

To you.

And to those

around you.

It makes a difference.

You make a difference.

A Gem for You

Wanted to share this gem.
Far too often,
we get wrapped up
in one bit of chaos
or another.

Don't misunderstand.

It is wise

to be well-informed,

but it is unhealthy

to be washed away.

Turn off the news.

Go outside.

Breathe.

You were never meant

to carry the burden

of the entire world.

Happy Birthday Sunshine

For my Deanna ...

Always remember,

my heart holds you

when my arms cannot.

Enjoy your birthday

and every tiny thing in it.

Love you to smithereens.

THIS!

Saw this.
Loved it.
Sharing!

You don't

cross my mind,

you live in it.

Untethered

For myself and so very many others ...

Untethered
by Lyn Marinello

There's a special sort of blessing
That takes place upon this earth
Literally tied, in womb, to Mom
At conception through to birth
Dependent for all food and growth
Gestation creates a home
A safe and peaceful haven
No matter where we may roam
Next we're bound by apron strings
As childhood rushes by
Always testing elasticity
As we spread our wings to fly
Then into young adulthood
We feel trapped under their thumb
Like we're never going to get away
About to surrender and succumb
Time passes by, we build our lives
Perhaps those calls out of obligation
Forced to travel for the holidays
Interactions faced with trepidation
We tend to get annoyed
By the volume that you use
By the layers that you wear
Or the phrases that you choose
The calls become infrequent
The visits dwindle in their number
And reaching out seems so mundane
A weighty task that we encumber
And then, as life so often does,
We take a curveball to the chin
We're shown that life is very fragile
And reality sets in
The strolls down memory lane
Seem a much more frequent walk
And every day a call is made
For unimportant, idle talk
But we have to come to realize
That ever chat's essential
Tidbits that are tossed our way
Are savored; reverential
We help you put the layers on
With the volume, we add captions
We sit patiently to help you out
With these newfangled contraptions
Holidays are cherished
Embellished with your every phrase
Happy to bound our tired wings
Content to share an afternoon laze
There is not much we wouldn't do
To be tied in apron strings once more
To arrive at your little dated abode
And have you waiting at the door
But time is like the ocean
A grand ebb and equal flow
An Angel brings a brand new life
A tenured soul must go
A connection once so intimate
So pure and absolute
Has swayed and frayed and frazzled
But now stands faithful; resolute
They've shared every bit of self
Sometimes disheveled and often weathered
Their steadfast love has paved a guiding path
As we now travel on untethered

Listening

I did not write this,
but of course and as usual,
I have embellished! :-)

Be careful how

you are talking

to yourself,

because

you are listening.

Speak words

of hope and encouragement,

love and strength,

resilience and tenacity,

fortitude and faith.

You are listening.

Time for a ChAng-el!!!

Perhaps because it is her birthday ...
perhaps because it simply is fitting ...
this Ch-Angel is utterly amazing!

There is often chatter about

why someone comes into your life

or crosses your path.

This Ch-Angel didn't just do 

both of those things,

she pulled up a chair,

infused herself into our lives,

and became a part of our family.

She cares and guides and loves and listens.

She roots and cheers and rants and raves.

She gives and graces and hugs and holds.

She does not judge. She does not expect.

She just is and that is more of a blessing

than she will ever understand.

I no longer question those who wander

through the revolving door of life;

for I have received a guest of grand import

and a Ch-Angel unannounced.

Thank you for all that you are Ch-Angel Ann!

Thank you for absolutely every little thing!!!

In Your Head

It really is in your head.
What you give power to,
has power over you.

Surround yourself with positivity.

Fill your heart and soul

with good thoughts and helpful actions.

Read all kinds of things,

but be sure to throw in

something inspirational

or aspirational.

Turn off your phone.

Turn off the news.

Take a walk in the woods.

Sit at the ocean's edge.

Take a seat on a park bench.

Stroll through a garden.

Listen to some music.

Work with your hands.

Get right in your head.

What you give power to,

has power over you.

Let It Be

So, hopefully, some of y'all
are humming that beautiful tune.
But ... this is truly weighty.
Read this several times.
It's one of the hardest things
we really, truly need to do.

A secret to happiness

is letting every situation

be what it is

instead of

what you think

it should be.

Burn, Baby, Burn

I have often spoken
of filling your vessel
with good things,
but this,
from Plutarch,
seems like a great twist.

The mind is not

a vessel to be filled,

but a fire

to be kindled.

All

Saw this.
Loved it.
Sharing!

Behind you,

all your memories.

Before you,

all your dreams.

Around you,

all who love you,

Within you,

all you need.

Yes ...

Maxwell Maltz
threw this out there.
Thank you!

You make

mistakes.

Mistakes

don't

make you.

A Wolfe in Beautiful Wording

This quote by Elsie de Wolfe
is a big, fat yes from me, too.

I do not understand

the want or need

to do anything else.

I'm going to make

everything around me

beautiful ~

that will be

my life.

Mother's Day Thoughts

Since I do not blog on Sundays,
I'll stick my two cents in today.

I saw this and thought ...

how incredibly appropriate

for Mother's Day.

If you are blessed enough

to still have your mom with you,

cherish every second,

for you will realize

that they mean EVERYTHING!

If you are a mom, thank you!

This is a tireless, roller coaster of a job

that doesn't pay a dime,

but so worth every second

of all you put into it.

And there are all kinds of 'Moms' out there.

Those that birthed,

those that were gifted,

those that envelope.

You're all Moms.

Enjoy your day

and remember this:

You are not

a drop

in the ocean.

You are

the entire ocean

in a drop.

Reason

Be the reason, today,
that someone feels

welcomed,

seen,

heard,

valued,

supported,

understood,

accepted,

worthy,

and/or

loved.

Wow!

Not sure where this came from,
but of course ...
I added to it.
Whatchathink?

We're all so desperate

to be understood,

we forget to be understanding.

We're all so frantic

to be heard,

we forget to listen.

We're all so frenzied

to be right,

we forget we might be wrong.

Time to Choose

Elaborating on Tolkien's:

All we have to decide
is what to do
with the time
that is given us.

Each morning,

if we are lucky,

we open two gifts ...

our eyes!

We can choose to see

the good in the world

or something else.

We can choose 

to be happy or crappy.

We can choose

to uplift others

or denigrate.

There is so much beauty,

so many blessings,

an abundance of light.

I hope you lean into that.

I hope you choose to see good.

I hope you choose happy.

I hope you choose to uplift.

All we have to decide

is what to do

with the time

that is given us.

Wonderfully Made

This came
in a daily devotional.

(Of course,

I added a little Lyn spin.)
I'm thinking there might
be a friend or two
that needs to read this:

God wants you to know

that you are wonderfully made.

Look at the world around you,

the infinite detail and creativity.

Unimaginable beauty

surrounds us every day.

You are part of that creation,

materializing from the same Artist

that created sunsets and rainbows,

roses and cacti,

mountains and prairies,

crickets and grizzlies.

Don't ever allow yourself

to think you are anything less

than wonderfully made.

Stories

Margaret Atwood said:

In the end,
we'll all become stories.

Will you be a best seller?

Get out there.

Have the adventures,

fall and rise again,

be betrayed and win anyway,

cry and laugh

and grow and learn

and live a life worth reading.