Well, something went completely haywire with this last posting.

I apologize for the way it looks...really awful ! But the sentiment

is still there. I loved my sister, still do, although she is no longer

here on Earth. Love never dies..it goes on forever . We must

never forget those we loved while they were alive, and continue

to love them after they pass from this world to the next.

D

BLESSINGS

May your day be filled with blessings

May your heart be filled with love

May your home be filled with peace and joy

That comes from up above

May your life be one of mercy,

Compassion, kindness, too

May you always have integrity

And fun and lightness, too

May the wisdom of maturity

Be yours throughout the years

May you always find serenity

To calm you through your fears

May truth and honesty guide you

As you live your life each day

May laughter dwell within you

And help along the way

I wrote this in late 2003. It was to

encourage my late sister, Phyllis, who was ill at the time, fighting cancer of

the colon.

She and I had been very close,

especially when we were really young.

She was 3 and 1/2 years older than

me . I loved her very much, and will always miss her . I have some really great, and some really funny times

with which to remember her by. Phyllis died on Feb. 6th, 2005.

I count the times we spent together

as some of the most wonderful

blessings I was given .

D

THE STRAWBERRY PATCH

The strawberry patch was the clincher ;

Its gleaming red berries beckoned me,

Saying, come on, buy this house,

And we'll produce more, and

Bigger strawberries for you.

And it did ...

for a while.

Two, maybe three months ...

Every morning, fresh berries

For breakfast,

Or at the sink, standing and eating

The freshly washed berries,

Bursting with flavor, the

Sweet juices escaping,

Dripping into the sink.

Oh, they were so good, so sweet,

And delectable !

One day, the strawberry patch was

Gone ... completely destroyed

By my German Shepherd ...

She didn't know any better ;

She was only a dog, and

She found a nice,

Earthy place to dig

And to lie in ;

To cool off

On a hot, summer day .

This was way back, many years ago. My husband and I

had this cute, little shepherd pup, and brought her

with us to our new home . At first, she didn't bother

the strawberries, but as summer came on, and

it grew progressively hotter, she went looking for

someplace to cool off. (This was before we found

a nice doghouse for her). then, too, a doggie friend

came to stay with her for awhile, our daughter's

collie, who needed a place to stay temporarily.

So, between the both of them digging in the

strawberry patch, where the earth was nice and moist,

the berries got ruined, of course, but they loved

that nice, cool spot, and who could remain angry

at those two adorable little guys, for very long.

When, finally, we bought the doghouse, it was

too late for the berries, but now the dogs had

shelter from the blazing sun !

Ah, you win some and you lose some. and they

were so much more important than the

strawberries !

We are blessed with so much, that little things

like that strawberry patch don't really matter

in the grand scheme of things.

Blessings come to us in many ways

D

SOULFUL CONNECTIONS

Live, love, laugh

Touch, hug, give

In giving you are

Living to the fullest

Giving of yourself,

Your energy, is worth

Much more than

Giving things

Give first to yourself,

Pamper YOU,

As someone

You truly love...

You are worth it

Take time for yourself,

Go some place you've

Always wanted to go

With someone

You love

Or, by yourself,

For solitude,

Meditation, prayer,

Communing

With nature ;

Re-connecting

Touch those you love

Let them feel it

And, in turn,

Bathe in the glow

Of their love for you

Communicate , cultivate

The art of listening

Learn to accept

The giving of others

Loving, touching,

Laughing, giving

Are all ways to heal ;

to bring your body

Into alignment

With the Spirit

Remember to laugh

Find the humor in

Everyday situations

All of this

Renews the Spirit

Do all these things

From the heart

For in the heart is

The Seat of the Soul

These are some of the ways that we can

show our love to our families, friends, neighbors

and all with whom we come in contact. It is

so important to express our feelings,

in a positive, uplifting way. Too often,

folks show just their anger and frustration,

and leave no room for the much more

important sharing of love, all kinds

of love. Especially important is to show

your children that you love them...no

matter what ! Let them see their parents

expressing their love for each other, in

an appropriate way, of course...save the

heavy stuff for the bedroom . Set the example

of being kind and courteous to everyone,

holding your temper, like, when someone

cuts you off in traffic. forget that you possess

a middle finger, and keep your mouth shut

at those times .

Learn to control yourself, and, hopefully

the children will absorb the way you deal

with people, and follow that example'

Imagine how proud you'll be when you

see your child doing the same thing, and

how glad you'll be that you've done

your duty as a parent, and helped them

prepare for life in a world filled with

other people, with whom they might

some day come into contact. When you

see them utilizing the lessons you

taught them, being loving, understanding

and kind, and actually LISTENING to

the other person's point of view, with

positive results, you'll have the immense

satisfaction of knowing that you

did your job, that of a parent, right.

Blessings be with you all

today and every day.

D

BEWARE OF SUBSTITUTES !

Substitute chickens

Lay substitute eggs

Just think !

Those chickens

Have substitute legs

Substitute legs

Don't taste very good

Guess all those chickens

Eat substitute food

Substitute food

Full of chemicals and such

If you eat those chickens

Don't eat very much

'Cause YOU might become fake

And grow substitute legs

All because you ate

Some substitute eggs

I was so tired of eating that damn egg substitute

that I think I went a little crazy, and in my

craziness, wrote this really terrible poem.

Then, to compound the awfulness of it all,

I had the temerity to go ahead and write

yet ANOTHER one, on the same subject !

Oh, I did wait another 12 days, before

penning the rest of this really bad poetry,

so the reader will have a little while to

recuperate from this assault on their senses .

I hope you won't think too badly of me,

because I do write some pretty good stuff

now and then.

Count your blessings today and

tomorrow and tomorrow.

They are never-ending.

D

ASK AN ANGEL

When we are weary, and need a lift

Ask an Angel

To lighten our hearts

When we are worried, and ill- at- ease

Ask an Angel

To send us peace

When we tire and can't go on

Ask an Angel

For Strength

When we are sick or injured

Ask an Angel

For healing

When we become fearful

Ask an Angel

For courage

When the world seems dark

Ask an Angel

For hope

When we're suffering, and feel all alone

Ask an Angel

For comfort

Then look for the Spiritual Path

That will lead us to God

If we fall by the wayside, and

The light on the path grows dim

Ask an Angel.......

For directions

We all need a little help and encouragement

from time to time, when life seems too

full of burdens, and we feel we can't go on.

Before we get too downtrodden, we need to look to our

Higher Power, whatever that is, and

pour out our hearts. Express our needs.

Just the act of turning to someone or something

and talking about our problems will help.

Don't expect a voice to come from Heaven,

telling us what we need to do to get the help

we're asking for. The asking will set our

minds to looking for solutions for ourselves.

And, I do believe that Angels sometimes

come to aid us. They come in all forms,

usually unrecognizable to us, do

their job, then disappear as quickly as they come.

That's my belief...you believe what you want.

Whatever helps.

I hope this poem and my thoughts

bring you peace and serenity.

Many blessings are ours every day.

D

THE DAY LIBERTY CRIED

As Lady Liberty stood in the harbor

She saw a plane come by

She watched as the plane hit the tower

And Liberty started to cry

Another plane hit the second

Of the World Trade Center Towers

And Liberty watched in horror

This terrible awesome power

The Towers fell like children's blocks

Full of innocent people who died

Liberty saw what hate can do

And Lady Liberty cried

She heard the screams of the dying

Her heart was so full of pain

Her New York, her lovely New York

Would never be the same

But as she watched, people came together

She saw heroes born that day

They dug with never-ending fervor

For survivors they could take away

Not many survivors were found

Most of those innocents died

We'll all remember that fateful day

When Lady Liberty cried.

I wrote this with a heart full of sorrow and pain

to see what hate , ignorance and intolerance can do,

what extremists see as their duty.

This day, September 11, 2001, is a day

we will never , MUST never forget

Let us remember...Always .

D

THE LIGHT CONNECTION

The nucleus of my being

The embryo of me

Our God gave us our Spirit

Our Universality

The umbilical cord

That connects us all

Is strong and full of life

It keeps us all together

Through calmness and

Through strife

Our God who made the

Flowers in every

Rainbow hue

Decided to make people

In every color, too

We've come out of the

Darkness of Ignorance, and

Into the Ultimate Light

We KNOW we're all connected

And knowing gives us might

A cornucopia of plenty

Is here for all to share

Whatever we need is waiting

So come and take what's fair

It's always overflowing

With love, and all good things

Come one, come all, and

Let your heart just sing

Just praise the One who made us

The One who keeps us whole

He looks into the embryo

He looks into the soul

The nuclei of our being

The miraculous DNA

The Cord that binds us together

Grows stronger every day

Our light must shine forever

Enlighten everyone

Bring them out of

Their Fear of darkness, and

Into the Ultimate SUN

We'll share our love

And Spirit with

Everyone on Earth, and

Soon it will encompass

The whole of God's Universe

I penned this just a couple of months

after completing a life-changing

work-shop, in 1991.

I was bursting with new-found

knowledge, and feelings,

and wanted to share it . This is

how I decided to do it. I hope

the reader finds something here

to help them in their life, to

make changes, perhaps look at things

from a different perspective.

Enjoy , and always count

your blessings, each and every day .

D

THE DAYS OF OUR LIVES

Each day we awaken is another gift from God. What we do with each day is up to us. Do we want to improve ourselves and our relations with others ?

Or do we sit and dream of what could have been, what should have been, what wasn't done, what others did or said, or what they didn't do or say ?

Do we smile and say, let's see, what can I do today to make my life worthwhile, or do we dwell on the negative, and on how others have treated us ?

Do we harp upon how we wish someone would have done this for us, or that for us, or do we seize each day and make the most of it ?

Do things for ourselves ... go out and buy a new purse, or some other little luxury ; get our hair done, go visit a friend, have lunch with someone who's company you like, call someone who may be sad, or lonely, or send someone an e-mail, a Facebook message, or write an old-fashioned letter or card to someone who doesn't use the computer .

What can I do with this day the Lord has given me ?

I will try to be happy, to make others smile and be glad that they, too, have another day to do with as they see fit.

We can do something to help ourselves, our families, our neighbors . It doesn't have to be some grand, magnanimous gesture... even little things, a smile, perhaps, can brighten someone's day.

We can make the effort to find new friends, and remain true to our old friends, also.

We all can find joy in life. We have but to open our eyes, hearts and minds to find it.

Then, grab onto it, share it, spread it around .

Joy is contagious ! Rejoice in the fact that we are alive !!

There is so much we can do to be happy,

Why let everything upset us and make

our days miserable ? We need to stop

negativity in its tracks, and find ways

to enjoy life, every day. We make our

own happiness... or misery . Which will

we choose ?

We have so many blessings, but

sometimes we don't recognize some

of them. Remember to count our

blessings each and every day.

D

WHEN I'M AN OLD LADY

When I'm an old lady

I'll live in the zoo

I'll sit in a cage

and do what THEY (the animals ) do

I'll roar like the lions

I'll shriek like the apes

I'll stare at the people

And laugh at their shapes

I'll pace like the tiger

And hiss like the snakes

Trumpet like the elephant

Until the ground shakes

I'll make the zoo-keepers

Stay on their toes

'Cause THIS li'l ol' lady

will be giving them woes

I'll toss poop at the tourists

I'll spit in their hair

I'll make them wish

That I wasn't there

I'll run like the cheetah

I'll howl at the moon

They'll call for my kids

To come get me ...SOON !

They'll come take me home

And when all's said and done

I'll tell them my story

And how I had fun

How I did as I pleased

Like the animals do

When I was the old lady

Who lived in a zoo

OK now, the goofy lady is back !

Just as nutty as ever, and happily so.

Hope you all get a laugh from this, or at least

a chuckle or two.

Laughter helps almost any situation

we find ourselves in, and it's good to

be able to laugh at ourselves

now and then.

Laughter is also a gift, meant to bring

us joy.

Until my next post, keep on finding

the joy in your life, and remember

always, to count our blessings.

D

NOW

Live every moment NOW

As if it were your last

Never mind the future

Forget about the past

NOW is all-important

It's all we have, you see

Don't spend it in anger

In hate and enmity

Time is not our enemy

We must go with the flow

Do random acts of kindness

to everyone you know

To strangers that we don't know

They're friends we've yet to meet

Make every effort to be kind

To strangers on the street

Show love, forgiveness to yourself

For every thoughtless deed

For all the wrongs committed,

From God above take heed

Forgive, as God forgives you

Don't hate, show love instead

Pray for understanding

As you lie upon your bed

Dream dreams of peace and tenderness

And time when hate's no more

Where only joy and harmony reign

On every country's shore

Wake up every morning

No worries on your brow

The only thing that matters

Is living in the NOW

It's time for us to let go of

whatever happened in the past

and get on with our lives.

Carpe diem... seize the day,

and make the most of it, loving

and giving of ourselves.

Countless blessings are ours

each and every day.

D

I am happy and upbeat nearly all of the time. Today, this afternoon, though, I find myself feeling a bit sad, partly due to missing those who are gone from my life, and way too soon. My brother was only 58 when he passed from a massive heart attack. Besides myself, my children, and our sisters, his 8 kids and many grandkids and great-grandkids, and his widow also miss him terribly.

One expects one's parents to live to a ripe old age before they die, and it seems more acceptable, but when the parent dies in their fifties, it's a severe blow, one from which it's hard to recover.

Just yesterday, two young men posted pictures of their deceased mother, who was only in her mid-fifties . Seeing her picture here on Facebook set me to crying, because she meant a lot to

me . My kids, husband and I all had known and loved April since she had barely turned 10 years

old, in 1964, May. She and my daughter, Candy had been friends from the beginning, and my son, Dwight, and daughter, Linda, were also friends with April and her siblings. Their Mom and I became friends, as well, and considered her 7 kids and my 3 as 'OUR' kids !

We loved all of them, and they loved us. My husband and I adopted them 'in our hearts' . One of them, Linda, married my son, thereby becoming our daughter-in-law

We've experienced the loss of 3 of Carol's kids, and we missed them. I still do. My husband ,too, is gone now, so I have to love those who are still here for both of us, and I do.

My thanks to Paul and Jeromie for posting their beloved Mom's pictures . I never got to know you two boys as well as I'd have liked, but did and do know your sister, Trista. I hope to get to

know you boys better...think April would have liked that.

In the last few years, there have been cancer scares for 2 of my own kids, and 1 of my grandchildren, Micah . Frightening times . One doesn't want to see their children go before them.

I thank God for allowing them to remain on the earth, for which I hope will be many, many more years. They are all good people and bring sunshine into many lives .

My niece, Jineen, has asked me for pictures of her Dad from when he was a young boy. I can only think of one snapshot, but haven't found it yet. Will keep looking. Maybe there will be others, don't know for sure.

Her and her 7 brothers still miss their Dad, my brother, as much now as at the time of his

passing . It's been nearly 19 years, and all his grandkids still speak of him with love, even though they were very young at the time. I truly believe that LOVE never dies. It lives

within our hearts, forever. Those who pass on are never forgotten.

I've been unusually somber today, but it will pass,

and I'll be my old, cheerful, goofy self again.

I refuse to become depressed...it's too depressing :)

See, it's already happening !

We all must count our blessings each and every day.

I love ALL my family.

D

OUIETUDE

Quiet, so quiet

Feelings of peacefulness

Only sound coming from fans

Opportunity to think, to plan

Without distraction

To be able to garner one's thoughts

And form them into

Patterns, phrases, sentences

To write, oh to write !

What a gift,

A blessing from God

The power of the written word

Will never be abolished

It will co-exist with

Technological advances.

Right on into the future.

Technology's fine, but books

Are like fine, old wine

Aging gracefully,

Never out of style.

One cannot be quiet

With a keyboard

Clacking away,

But a book,

Ah, a book

One can spend

A very peaceful,

Quiet evening

Curled up in a chair,

Reading a book

Allowing the conveyance

Of another's words

To enter one's mind

Helping the reader to

Enjoy the experience

And thereafter

Dwell upon their meaning

In the reveries

Of Quietude.

I wrote this about a year ago one evening

when I hadn't turned on the TV, just wanting

to relax in the stillness, the quiet.

Sometimes it's nice to just sit back, relax

and enjoy being with oneself for a while.

I enjoyed penning this ( always write in

longhand first ), then typed it up later. I

just found out yesterday, that a well-known

writer, Jackie Collins, also writes in longhand

first. I haven't read any of her works, though.

Be sure to count your blessings

today and every day.

D

IMAGINATION

TV or not TV ;

Why am I so addicted ?

When I was a kid , in radio

the scenes were not depicted.

I used my imagination ;

the scenes were in my mind.

But now, I sit and stare at IT

and broaden my behind.

Sometimes I work while sitting,

but the 'EYE' is usually on ;

If radio shows could once more be,

the TV would be gone .

We'd go back to those yesterdays

when Radio was KING ...

adventure, romance, mystery ;

it gave us everything !

Excitedly we'd listen ,

and thrill to daring feats ;

we kids spent evenings home

instead of in the streets.

Ah, the good old days of radio

with programs you could trust ;

not like TV where we can see

its violence and lust.

Imagination ran the show ;

we didn't have to see

what Jack and Doc and Reggie did

on 'I Love a Mystery'

Daytimes you'd find us playing

outside in clean, fresh air ...

we exercised our bodies ;

had energy to spare.

But now the exercise I need

is getting off my butt

to turn the doggone TV off

and quit that mindless rut !

I wrote this back in 1994, I think, when watching TV was what

I mostly tended to do, as my main activity. So, I decided to

write about it, and see if that would spur me on to something

a little more productive. Or, stimulating, at least. Reading

AND writing became two of my hobbies ,

I hope you enjoy these offerings for today, and maybe give

you something to think about.

Thank you.

Count your blessings today and every day,

D

POVERTY OF THE SOUL

One can accumulate riches,

but if he lacks love ;

if he lacks compassion ...

he is the poorest of the poor.

If his heart is so empty inside

he has a poverty of the soul.

But the poorest person,

lacking material things,

if he has friends,

if he is loving

and compassionate ...

he possesses wealth

beyond compare.

He has inner peace

and tranquility,

and his soul

prospers and thrives.

DRUMS

Drummers drumming wildly,

the beat Quickening ;

Dazedly I twirl to the sound,

consciousness almost

slipping away, as I dance

to the delirious Beating

of the drums.

My heart beats in time

to the Movement.

Suddenly, the pace becomes

Frantic !

My heart Races ;

my skirt swirls about

as I twirl and dip and jump

to the Sound of the

Frenzied drums, Urging me to

go Faster and Faster !

Time is forgotten...

I dance with

Wild Abandon, as if

in a Hypnotic Trance.

I see Nothing...

I hear Nothing, but

the Drums.

Drums awaken

my Spirit, and

send it Soaring !

This came to me, after seeing a program in 1995,

called 'Faces of Culture', in which there were

people who, during a voodoo ceremony danced

to the drummers who were beating a wild rhythm, and going

at such a speed, as to cause the dancers to

become unconscious, or nearly so.

I felt that day and to this, very attuned to the sound

of drums. I love the beat of the drum, especially

when hearing native peoples drumming.

I hope you enjoy today's offering.

Let's remember we are One, and count our blessings every day

D

BLUE STEW

The cooking crew at a local zoo

decided to make something new

They made a stew-

now that's not new,

but this was not your normal stew.

This stew had such a different hue;

this stew was a gluey, new, blue stew

This really was a strange new brew;

this stuff the cooking crew called stew;

I didn't like the color.......blue,

so I didn't eat that awful stew.

What would YOU do, would you

eat gluey, new, blue stew ?

That gluey stew of sapphire blue ...

Why, even they, the cooking crew

wouldn't even try their own blue stew.

Instead, they figured what to do ;

they'd feed it to the zoo's new gnu

They fed some to the hungry gnu .

The gnu did chew that new, blue stew.

He liked the stew, and gave a Moo;

a moo that said, "I like blue stew".

He ate one bowl of that blue stew

and then he had another, too.

He mooed and mooed for more blue stew;

he ate so much, that wings he grew !

A flying gnu who loved blue stew...

I've never heard of that, have you ?

The flying gnu just flew and flew

and then came back for more blue stew.

But then, I noticed something new,

the gnu who loved that strange, blue stew;

that stew that looked like blue stew glue,

had changed from brown to a different hue.

The gnu that ate so much blue stew

himself became a true blue gnu !!

Just a little bit of nonsense to brighten someone's day today.

This is something I wrote years ago for children.

Perhaps you can read it to your kids.

It might even put a smile on your face.

We all need to find things to make us laugh, especially now, in the light of

what's happening in our world today. I hope this fits the bill.

Count your blessings every day.

D

JOIN THE PARADE

Don't live your life with all its hurts

And omissions that were made

Think of life as a celebration

As a wonderful parade

Bands playing oom-pah-pah

As they march along the way

Lovely sights and happy faces

That we see from day to day

Don't depend on other people

To bring happiness to you

Make your own ; join the parade

And life's problems may be few

Find yourself IN the parade

Don't just sit and watch it go

Be a part of all the revelry

Be a feature of the show

Life is not a competition

Or a race we must endure

Do whatever makes YOU happy

What is your heart's treasure

Lift your head, smile, have some fun

Let your teardrops all run dry

The parade goes all too quickly

And it may, sadly, pass you by

I wrote this during a time when someone I dearly love was not

handling her situation very well...letting everything get to her,

feeling hurt and unloved. So, as I was feeling so sad for her,

I thought of how life goes by so quickly, and why let oneself live

this way, sad and unhappy, spending one's days being miserable.

We need to find what makes us happy and pursue that. It's up to

each one of us to live our lives in a way that brings us the

most fulfillment.

I hope you enjoy today's offering.

Let us count our blessings every day.

D.