Once again, we rise

a day like any other

another year commences

~

Each day has its own

challenges and joys. Thankful

that I am here to meet them.

Let’s pause every day

to name and savor something

we are thankful for.

~

I give thanks today

for the grace I give myself

when my attention wanders.

The body betrays

spirit’s heartfelt desire

on its cusp of blossoming.

~

Just when we’re about

to realize what we’ve longed for,

our aging bodies say no.

Laughter is good for

the soul, but it is also

good for the body.

~

The same could be said

about many other things

with lesser degrees of truth!

Canine welcome homes

always salve weary egos:

balms of eternal regard.

~

Whether we’re gone for

a short time or long, always

we’re greeted with wagging tails.

Knox, singleminded

as he is, is teaching me

how it benefits.

~

Single-mindedness

only seems preferable

to those prone to distraction.

Despite ice cold rain

and a grey and dreary drive,

glowing conversation warms.

~

Driving conditions,

when not ideal, are made

pleasant by warm connections.

One chapter has closed

in the family’s book of life.

We acknowledge the ending.

~

Closing chapters lead

inexorably onward

into the heart of the tale.

As November ends

and this bitter cold descends

we seek comfort among friends.

~

Friends and fires bring

us warmth when we find ourselves

lost, forlorn, and cold.

Come, join me in this

sacred space where silence sings

wordless songs of peace.

~

Silently singing

peans of poetic praise

sanctify the sacrament.

He lay expounding

on the evils of camels

approaching ever faster.

~

With each beat of his

heart, the young boy’s fear of those

nightmare camels grew.

With so much other

stuff to do, it’s hard to find

time to make things rhyme.

~

Hours on the phone

tracking down medications

trying to find them in stock!

Every morning Knox

does the downward facing dog,

inviting me to just try.

~

Bright rising daylight

counterpointed by cold air.

Contrasts of Autumn.

~

Coughing fits conflict

with a desire to hear

the leaves crunch beneath our feet.

It’s hard to believe

in humanity’s goodness,

but small acts of kindness help.

~

The steady pressure

applied by all the masses

overwhelms One’s evil deeds.

Thankful gratitude

for the joys of existence

and for the sorrows as well.

~

Knox asked me to add

a word of thanks for joyous

play with his squirrels and sticks.

This cold autumn rain,

even more than winter snows

provokes aches in every joint.

~

The sun now evokes

relief from the aches all that

autumn rain provoked.

Hurried and harried,

we make it through the day,

savoring nought on the way.

~

Rather, breathe deeply,

and watch the world around us

unfold in shocking splendor.

Digging through misused,

long neglected storage space

freed some ancient allergens.

~

Digging through storage,

we can discover more than

we were looking for.

I was doing my

mindful meditation when

I recalled what I forgot.

~

Recalling the lost

seems to defeat the point of

meditating mindlessly.

All analysis

entirely depends on

the quality of data.

~

Not entirely.

The integrity and skill

of the analyzer counts.

Extending a paw,

Murphy invites me to join

her in a moment of purrs.

~

That serene moment,

punctuated by purring,

represents pure inner peace.

Just my opinion…

Any god that’s worth his salt

can’t be a one trick pony.

~

I don’t think it’s God

that has only one trick. I think

it’s God made in our image.

The bare bones of truth

remain after all the lies

and denials rot away.

~

And as time goes by

those old ossified remains

keep getting re-elected!

I remember when

I thought thirty-six was OLD

doubting I would live that long!

~

And yet here you are

teetering on the brink of

sixty , my young son.

Those who come late to

the bird feeder avoid fuss,

but still eat plenty.

~

Early arrivals

get to choose the choicest nuts

while laggards peck at millet.

What if our leaders

focused more on needs at hand

than on history’s legacies?

~

Making history

by addressing present needs?

How revolutionary!

One more discussion

that goes nowhere because hearts

and minds are closed tight.

~

History demonstrates

that tightly closed hearts and minds

are pre-conditions for war

History often paints

the most beautiful portraits

of despicable people.

~

Whoever is in

power decides who and how

to paint the chosen portraits.

Justifying words

can defy and conceal truths

that the heart knowingly holds.

~

A deceitful heart

loves obfuscatory words…

Anything to hide behind.