Rainbow

An old Native American proverb
goes a little something like this:
and it seems appropriate
as we bid farewell to June.

The soul

would have no rainbow,

had the eyes

no tears.

Thursday Chuckle

Forgive the simplicity today ...
I am tired.

But, hey, I hope this leaves you smiling ...

I don't like morning people;

or mornings,

or people.

Have a great day!

Pain

Of course,
you guessed it,
I found this and embellished ...
as I do.

You've got to resurrect

the deep pain within you

and give it a place to live

that's not within you.

Let it live in art.

Let it live in writing.

Let it live in music.

Let it be devoured

by building brighter connections.

Your soul is not a coffin

for that pain to be buried in.

Put it somewhere

out there

for someone else to relate to,

and begin their own healing,

knowing they are not alone.

And you, in turn,

begin to heal yourself.

You

There are a great many folks
that could benefit from seeing this.
Please share if you know
of someone in need.

You are not

the darkness

you endured.

You are

the light

that refused

to surrender.

by J.M. Green

Wildflowers

Like wildflowers,

you must 

allow yourself to grow

in all the places

people thought

you never would.

~ E.V

Necessary

I did not write this,
but I could have ...

(and of course,

I've made my tweaks!)

:-)

You deserve

beauty and peace today,

whatever that looks like

for you.

A long walk,

a quiet moment to yourself,

curled up with a good book,

a sandy beach,

a quiet wooded moment,

singing along at the top of your lungs

to your favorite song

and dancing 'out loud' too.

Whatever!

Whatever makes your heart smile,

your soul soar,

your space your own.

Maintaining your joy

is not only important,

it is necessary.

To Feel

This one just kinda came at me this morning.
Not sure why. It isn't exactly brand new,
but it jumped off the page and said ... "share me".
And so ...


To Feel
by Lyn Marinello

We've become a nation full of bigotry and whining
Stomping our collective feet if something seems a bit confining
Cells and social media make our plights immediate
Whether grounded in 'factuality' or things we could obviate
In our plea to have a voice, we've lost the efficacy of such
We're quick to spit into the wind as we come unglued and out of touch
If we'd only take a moment to hear a story in its whole
To educate our entire self we'd spare the time said calamity stole
But it's instilled within us to react instead of to respond
To keep our wits about us as opposed to what headlines might abscond
We're conditioned to hop on board of each passing wagon with its band
Send a meme, sign a petition, write hopes inexorably in the sand
For if we sway with every breeze, no matters its breadth or stench,
We cannot lend a helping hand with our fists so tightly clenched
We want the world to change to meet our every whim
We don't think past tomorrow, which is looking ever grim
We rebel against a solution because it doesn't fit our aim
We expect inclusion ~ as long as everyone's the same
Not just the folks you like, who think the things you do
The world would just be tedious if everyone was like you.

So ...

Let's take a little breather; a pause in which to reflect
Not to point a finger or to fight and interject,
But a serious bit of time where we might look up from our screens
See the actual being in front of us and how we can helpfully intervene
We will never move ahead if we just run on the hamster wheel
We must make amends to communicate; to talk, to love, to feel.

Home

Found this and,
of course,
embellished ...

Our homes are not

containers for stuff,

but rather a place

for joy and connection.

Our homes are not

about the room count,

but rather about

the laughter that occurs

within each room that counts.

Our homes are not

about the magnitude,

but rather a place

for gathering and gratitude.

Let's make room for more of that.

People

This really grabbed me this morning.
Though it might make an impact elsewhere, too.

People,

even more than things,

have to be restored,

renewed, revived, reclaimed,

and redeemed.

Never throw anyone out.

It is just so simply powerful.

Happy

I did not write this.
Kinda wish I had, but ...
I most assuredly will share.

Rivers do not drink their own water;

trees do not eat their own fruit;

the sun does not shine on itself

and flowers do not smell for themselves.

Living for others is a rule of nature.

We are all born to help each other ...

No matter how difficult it is ...

Life is good when you are happy;

but infinitely better when others are happy

because of you.

Write

As a poet,
and a writer,
this made me laugh ...
and is very true!

You own everything

that happened to you.

Tell your stories.

If people wanted you

to write warmly about them,

they should have

behaved better.

Scraps

This beautiful quote by Umberto Eco
just speaks absolute volumes.

I believe

that what we become

depends on what our fathers teach us

at odd moments,

when they aren't trying to teach us.

We are formed

by little scraps of wisdom.

To my fourfathers,

my husband,

each of my brothers,

my son-in-law,

and my furfather son,

Happy Happy Father's Day!

Thank you

for your scraps.

Purpose

And this ... THIS ...
is just scrumptious!

The smile

of a child

is the purpose

of a father.

Father

This quote, by Frank A Clark,
just struck a little chord with me.
Perhaps it will with someone else as well.

A Father is a man

who expects his son to be

as good a man

as he meant to be.

Four Fathers

Four Fathers
by Lyn Marinello

Scalfronso - my four fathers
All intermingled together
Forever and always connected
Yet nary one single tether
One was a best friend
Cheering at all of my meets
Not so strong a role model
But always praising from front row seats
He instilled a love of nature
Of fishing & hiking & working with hands
He had a terrible habit
But stifled it on our demands
The next one made his mark
With tennis, golf and computers
Seven miles on the railroad track
Made us travelling dispute resolute-ers
You must work for what you want
Earn the things you'd like to own
Another okay role model
Who diminished every way I'd grown
I guess the third time's the charm
The knight to my Princess Mom
No matter familial calamity
He was, in every storm, her calm
As a role model, near the top,
Chivalrous, purposeful, kind
He could have been more accepting
But he & Mom were beautifully aligned
I married into number four
An amazing human treat
Diminutive by social standards
But one of the best you'd ever meet
His love was unconditional
His zest for life - contagious
Giving, caring, selfless,
A role model for the ages
More forefathers were four fathers
Teaching ethics, sports, love and morale
I am me because of them
Cal, Alfred, Alphonso & Sal

Example

By Mr. Charles Kettering:

Every father should remember:

one day his child

will follow his example,

not his advice.

That's good stuff right there.

Dads

As I did for all you Moms,

leading up to Father's Day this week,
I will do what I can to honor those
in said position.
I hope I do you right.

Dads are most ordinary men

turned by love

into heroes,

adventurers,

storytellers and

singers of song.

~ Unknown

Enjoy the day before you

So when I saw this little tidbit
I was instantly transported
waaaaaaaaaaaay back in time,

and yet solidified in my present.

I was gifted with the clarity

to enjoy what is here and now

with the best parts of

innocent, joyful youth.

You make my heart feel

like it is at the park

on the swings

in the sun.

Enjoy the day before you.

A little change

This morning,
when I sat down at my computer,
tired from a long trip away from home;
exhausted from worrying about kids,
grandkids and puppies;

frazzled from work and its mayhem ...

I wanted to vent and whine and complain

about all the aforementioned.

Well ... I did work out this morning,

so the venting energy went toward that.

Whining and complaining

really doesn't help a dadgum thing.

It doesn't fix the situation

or alleviate the tension.

And so ... I focused instead ...

on the magic that was made on that long trip;

the imprint I hope I made on tiny humans

and larger ones, too;

the positive impact a little time on the floor

has made with the pooch;

and that work is work and its mayhem

does not belong to me.

And the birds chirped a little louder.

And the quiet seemed a little more peaceful.

And the morning improved tremendously.

So ... dear friends ...

we all have issues and situations and troubles.

It is decided by you how they will impact your day.

A little change in perspective is a beautiful thing.

Enjoy your Friday.

NBFD

Today is

National Best Friends Day!

I have MUCH to celebrate.

There are folks I have known

for half a century,

that I consider privileged

to call 'friend'.

There are a plethora of others

who I have been blessed with

on life's crazy, bumpy journey,

that have chosen to walk with me.

Such a gift it is

to have such treasured souls.

Y'all know who you are.

My life would be drastically different

had you not played the part you did

within it.

If you're still in it,

I thank you and appreciate your

continuity, support, and love.

If you have wandered off,

I thank you for the lessons and laughter

that we shared.

If you've gone on before me,

I hope that I will be blessed enough

to bump into you again.

Be well, friends.

And really, truly ...

Thank You!

Some Wednesday Decorative Garland

Here's a little something
from Judy Garland

to start your Wednesday 

positively and purposefully.

Wouldn't it be wonderful

if we could all be

a little more gentle

with each other.

A little Winston on your Tuesday

This little quote from Winston Churchill
sums up so much of my thought process
on a great many things.

Courage

is what it takes

to stand up and speak;

courage

is also what it takes

to sit down and listen.

Wishing for far too many folks

to actually take heed.

Hiatus

My apologies for the hiatus.

Every now and again,

one must just go off-grid,

disconnect and decompress.

I happened to have had

a most magnificent reason to do so.

I flew to Idaho to visit my daughter and her hubby.

We celebrated their newly TWO daughter

and welcomed their brand new son.

My son and his significant other show up as well.

This Momma's heart was very content.

The only thing that would have made it better

was if hubby could have made the trip.

The weather was great.

Put it about a bazillion steps.

Saw critters and enjoyed the outdoors.

Soaked up the laughter and

just watching all the interactions -

between babies and adults,

between siblings,

between children and their counterparts.

Good stuff.

Exhausted and recharged

all at the same time.

Enjoy each day, friends.

They go by far too quickly.

Money comes and goes.

Memories last a lifetime.