My mother had her very own philosophy about life. I did not agree with some of her ideas but I do remember her wonderful resilience and strength. This poem is dedicated to her memory.
I found the quote by Aesop and it spoke to me. I decided it would be a good title for the post. It made me think about how important it is to be grateful. Someone said we must also be grateful for the bad things. I have a little problem with being grateful for the bad things. I can’t imagine the family members who lost loved ones in the latest mass shootings, could ever feel gratitude for such horror. I offer my condolences to all those family members.
The following made my day today, so therefore, I am grateful.
When a new day begins, dare to smile gratefully.
When there is darkness, dare to be the first to shine a light.
When there is injustice, dare to be the first to condemn it.
When something seems difficult, dare to do it anyway.
When life seems to beat you down, dare to fight back.
When there seems to be no hope, dare to find some.
When you’re feeling tired, dare to keep going.
When times are tough, dare to be tougher.
When love hurts you, dare to love again.
When someone is hurting, dare to help them heal.
When another is lost, dare to help them find the way.
When a friend falls, dare to be the first to extend a hand.
When you cross paths with another, dare to make them smile.
When you feel great, dare to help someone else feel great too.
When the day has ended, dare to feel as you’ve done your best.
Last year about his time, I was experiencing much doubt as to whether or not I should be grateful or not. I had just lost my son and I was in a lot of pain and also angry. The stages of grief are experienced in different ways and the emotional tsunami strikes down our belief system sometimes. Doubt and questions set the tone to feel helpless. Thirteen months have passed since my son’s transition to that very familiar but truly unknown and mysterious space people talk about. Some call it heaven. I call the space between because I want to believe he is that close to all of us. So, therefore, today I am grateful because I am in a slightly less negative place and I want to thank the people who have provided emotional support during my journey, some even among my WordPress community.
This week will be devoted to being more grateful and mindful of the many things that truly matter in this life. I collected many quotes to share with you. Some of which have been the inspiration for this post and for some poems I have written. I hope this helps those of you who have had doubts about gratefulness and who have a personal reason to believe that being mindful is a part of being grateful.
Here are some quotes to ponder:
“How can i grasp it? No, do not grasp it. Whatever remains when there is no more grasping, is the self,” – Vidyaranya, Panchadasi
“Let us not look back in anger, nor forward in fear, but around us in awareness,”
-James Thurber
“I found myself being grateful for the acorn that dropped directly on my stubborn head to let me know I am alive and that I must live it fully.” – Melba Christie
Please let me know what you think and share what you are grateful for these days.
“Then love knew it was called love.
And when I lifted my eyes to your name,
suddenly your heart showed me my way” -Pablo Neruda
I am convinced that looking into a person’s eyes can lead you to interpretation of someone’s sadness, joy, confusion, depression, and even sanity. Lately, I have trying to capture the essence of these emotions when I photograph someone. My beautiful baby granddaughter has captivating eyes. I love to watch her look into her mother’s eyes. Her curiosity is astounding for a five month old infant. She examines her surroundings and then will look at you at if to ask what is this or where am I?
Of course, I am not original in my fascination with eyes and what they can reveal. Many photographers try to capture the essence of their subjects’ eyes. I will follow suit by taking photographs of people’s eyes in the…
Today I reread this poem and I am still looking for answers. I decided to record it. I hope you will answer the poll questions on Spotify and leave comments here.
Poemattic: Poetry and Art for the Soul 
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