Blog Archives
Happy Thanksgiving!
Our warmest wishes for you is to have a very Happy Thanksgiving!
It is a day to watch parades on the television, probably overeat from a heavily laden table (if you are lucky), take a nap, enjoy the companionship of loved ones and friends, or perhaps even to just relax and enjoy the peace and quiet.
Whatever your day consists of, we hope that you take the time to list all of the blessings which fill your life. Some are obvious, and others are not. Some you think of frequently, while others pass you by without your noticing. Some do not get any of your attention at all until something negative impacts it. Sometimes, the negative takes it away for a long time, if not forever.
Thanksgiving has always been a day for doing exactly that: Change your focus from what you do not have and are striving for to what you already possess. It does not matter if it is a nickel when you need it, or lots of cash at the right time.
Just notice: Can you walk? Can you talk? Can you sing? Can you use your hands freely? Do you have your health? Are you working your way through a health challenge? Can you eat whatever you like? Can you see? Can you hear? What beauty surrounds you?
There are so many people who do not have those blessings for they are either unable to do them for whatever reason or their life situation prohibits/inhibits it.
Life is made up of a lot of simple things which pass us by like a ship in the night if one does not take time to focus on them. We miss many blessings just because we do not see them. Look at your surroundings to see the beauty, life, and laughter that are there – no matter how small or insignificant it may appear. Just know that what you bless increases.
Gather your loved ones and friends, be they near or far, into your heart and thoughts. Bless them one and all.
How about you? What do you choose to focus on today?
God’s blessings upon your journey!
Examples of Beauty:
Rocky Mtn Fall
Rocky Mtn Autumn Snows
Rocky Mtn Snow Storm
Bald Eagle
Deer
Vaughn Lake
Trappers Peak
Viet Nam Remembered
This poem comes from Autumn Leaves for “Viet Nam Remembered”:
A few quiet moments,
Gazing at each name.
A moment of respect
In drizzling rain.
This polished black “V”
Gashed into the earth,
Names of dead recorded
Instead of birth.
As I stood there soaked
In beleaguered calm,
Recalling memories of buddies
In a place called Viet Nam.
I remember young faces,
Etched in grimy fear.
Muddy fatigues sagging,
Weighted down with gear.
Orange blossom napalm flashes,
Jellying up a hill.
Sweating soldiers cuss
While mustering their will.
Incoming rockets roar
Amidst bursting mortar shells,
No thought of Heaven
In this little piece of Hell!
Med-E-Vac choppers lift off,
Another wounded body gone.
Ashen-white face reveals
A friend left alone.
Maybe these inscribed names
Fit faces in my mind.
Scenes vivid and real
Forever enshrined.
Although it’s officially over,
Still there’s no end.
As I stand here quietly
With memories of friends.
Who has the answer,
Why we fought this war?
What did it accomplish?
What was it all for?
The answer now has become muted,
Grown hazy over time.
But you’ll never forget them
When you see their shrine.
Bronze at Viet Nam War Memorial
Viet Nam War Memorial
Friends
Friends are like two-way radios —
They send, I receive —
I send, they receive.
We are tuned to the same frequency or wave length
in the philosophy of Life.
White Water
This poem comes from Autumn Leaves:
Mighty canyon river coursing through
Millions of years of life.
You are truly a highway through the
Rugged wilderness.
Your quiet stretches of tranquil water
Soothes my nerves and is tonic to my mind.
Your white water turbulence excites me
And offers me its cold spray challenge.
Aquatic life inside you offers
Boundless pleasure to my hand and palate.
Teeming life along your shores
Bring beauty to tired eyes.
Though I don’t see you often enough,
You’re never far from my mind.
Of all man’s known treasures,
You are cherished above all.
When I’m gone, you’ll still be there
For all to come and see.
This thought gives me pleasure.
Maybe you’ll find more friends like you and me.
wfosterwelborn 