Thanks For Giving

Sensing

Water under the bridge

And not a cloud in the sky

And yet, my heart seems

Too heavy to cry.

This road I have walked

Always strong to appear

Yet knowing inside

I just hid a tear.

Surprising how cruel

Who say they are friends

Their wounding so deep

Like thistles and thorns.

Forgive, they expect,

So easy to say

But I wonder what next

Must be carried away.

Stop fighting the sorrow

Admit that it’s there

Embracing the hurt,

The moment to bear.

Then lifting my head

Could ever there be

Beauty surrounding

More abundant to see?

Cool and brisk, 

The seasonal air,

Gathers crispy orange leaves 

To brighten Autumn so fair. 

An early bird song trills

On soft morning breeze.

Robin’s breakfast is served 

With the greatest of ease.

When Indian summer

Slows Autumn’s last gift,

And snowflakes melt and blend

As they drift,

Through Dawn's early mist,

This newborn day

Like every fresh morning

Has music to play.

Someone above

Knows these wounds that we bear

And sends to mere mortals

Such beauty and care.

Bill Cody - Hard and Fast All the Way by Peter Fillerup

Pay no attention to what the

critics say.  A statue has never been erected in honor of a critic. ~Jean Sibelius

Quick and Really Easy Dinner: 1 Pkg of Ravioli from the Refrigerator Section at the grocery store, a generous portion of
Asparagus, sauteed, stir in fried bite sized bacon pieces, and a few halved yellow cherry tomatoes.
Add the seasoning packet, gently mix, and serve.  

The Scout
 by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney 

Don't be distracted by criticism.  Remember - the only taste of success some people have is when they take a bite out of you.  

~Zig Ziglar

Success comes in cans, not cant's.  ~Author Unknown

Mom used to say that we needed to walk to the school bus.  Other kids got rides, and it seemed much more “cool” to be delivered to the bus stop in a car, somehow more elite.  But Mom was insistent.  The exercise, the fresh air, was good for us, she declared as often as necessary.  I finally stopped asking, more or less.  So off we went in almost any weather, although a few times, in a near blizzard she would offer to drive us or at the very least, to my dismay, insist we put pants on under our dresses, and off we would go, barely able to move in all the snow clothes: socks, boots, snowpants, gloves, hats, scarves around our faces.  How embarrassing. Well, some of that was for playing in the snow.   But there was no argument once Mom had made up her mind.  It was a half mile walk, which turned into one of the best things in my life.  The sweet and quiet interlude between what happened at school and what would happen at home.  Home was pleasant without a doubt.  Chores, some homework, supper, quiet times to read.  The evening went so fast!

But the walk home was surreal in splendor.  The trees whispered in a slight breeze.  Birds sang and shadows cooled us on hot autumn afternoons as we moved from one group of trees to the next, with the heat of the sun baking us between them.  Occasionally we would take our bikes and hide them carefully in the tall grass on the side of the lane, and searched for them a little breathlessly, hoping they hadn’t been discovered and taken while we were at school. 

Sometimes we would walk together, slowly carrying our books and talking.  It wasn’t long, after we got into the upper grades when I thought carefully about which books I would bring home, because they were getting heavier and harder to carry if we took more than a couple of them. 

I liked to run.  Especially in the spring and sometimes in the fall, when it was getting dark quickly and the leaves were crunchy and the air was crisp.  Although my sister cried about it, because she couldn't run fast, especially when we were littler, I could hardly resist running home.  The pure fresh air beckoned.  A quick run and I would be home. And when I needed to run, dear me, how disappointing if she cried and I felt I had to wait for her.  A few times I ran home despite her heartbroken cries.  Well, I sure felt guilty when I did, too!  Then our other sister started school, so they could walk together while I ran.  Still feeling a bit guilty, it meant that they grew closer to each other on those walks side by side.  I was missing out on that sisterly closeness, but I just had to choose.  After sitting all day, it was so hard to not run, and their steps were slow.  Oh, the battle inside.  What to do.   My sister has issues to this day, haunted by being left behind to walk through shadows alone.  Scars of my creation have had their effect on how she thinks.  Not a real big deal, she says.  It’s been buried away and she doesn’t think about it much, or at all, and doesn't want it to grieve me. 

Being kind and patient is something we will never regret. There is no need to add to someone’s sorrow.  Usually life has plenty of burdens to pass around without needing assistance.  My runs at that time of the day were more about being efficient; getting home and getting exercise at the same time.  What I needed to understand was sacrifice.  I was thinking of efficiency; maybe a more fitting word was impatience.  As humans we get good at carefully masking our true nature with a word that doesn’t condemn us, softens the truth a little, to be easier on ourselves.  Disguising the appearance, being slightly dishonest about our motives, does not change how our words or actions made someone feel. 

I could have walked with my sisters, and when I got home, put down my books, changed my shoes, and gone out running alone, if I really wanted to run.  If I was serious about running, that is what I could have done, and no one would have been hurt.  Sure a few times, my plans would have been changed before I could have gone running, but more often it would have happened, and especially if that was something people expected me to do, a pattern. 

I would have become a true runner, like Mindy who ran yesterday in Mesa in 108 degree heat and was surprised to learn it was that hot, who is a dedicated runner, so she runs when it doesn't interfere with other things, gets up early to do it.  It would have been better and I would be happy to be a dedicated runner.  How is it that I think rushing through life is going to get me what I want?  

What we all want is to be the best person we can be, a person that we and others can truly respect, honor and think well of, and not someone who simply appears to be that well-thought-of person.  This person who knows me best of all is me, whose opinion matters most, while temporarily pacified by platitudes, is not even a little fooled by fancy words of self-justification in the long run.    All of life’s experiences surround me with opportunities to help me learn to be that real person.  There will be grades, and tests, and I'll have to study. There is a saying:  When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.   Along the way, I am finding that my path crosses with some amazing people, caring friends, thoughtful, supportive, great teachers.  I am deeply grateful.  

Dusk

We probably wouldn't worry 

about what people think of 

us if we could know how 

seldom they do.  

~Olin Miller

 Always hold your head up, but be careful to keep your nose at a friendly level. 

~Max L. Forman

If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.  

~Thomas Alva Edison