TEENAGERS

What wonderful creatures are teenagers !

They're so complex, yet so

Mysterious .

Really in a category by themselves,

No longer children, yet not adults, either.

They can drive us to distraction, yet at times

Make us weep with joy.

Today, March 27th, 2011, my daughter,

Candy, sent me a group of pictures.

They were of a huge rock in Iowa,

That had been written on for

Generations of teenagers, all

Manner of things, from the simple

'Johnny loves Mary' stuff, to all kinds of

Profanity, etc.

Then, along comes this boy, this

Teenager, who looks at the rock and sees

So much more potential in it.

He brings his paints and brushes and

Sits down, studies this rock for a bit,

Before deciding just how to go about

Presenting his artistry.

He started to paint, and what he

Portrayed on that rock is something that

Will be looked at and talked about for

Years to come.

This teenager, this kid, made the rock

Into a Memorial for all those who serve

In the U.S. armed forces.

I will be sending the pictures to all on

My E-mail list, and hope you all will

Forward it to everyone on your lists.

Next time we think of how badly

Some teens are acting up, please

Give a thought to this boy, who, although

At the time he painted these memorable

Scenes from our country's history, was

Too young to know what war is all about,

Still seemed to have so much love and

Understanding in his heart, for the

Sacrifices made by so many, and made

A glorious Memorial to all those

Who have fought and / or died,

In all the wars in which

Our country has been engaged.

Next time some teenager is giving you a

Hard time, try to listen to them,

Try to see the point they're

Trying to make, try to make some sort of

Compromise, meet them half-way,

And love them as if there's no tomorrow,

Because sometimes there isn't.

Think of this particular boy, and know that

There are so many more, just like him

Who only need to be listened to, and

Understood, and loved, no matter what !

Teenagers truly are wondrous creatures !!

I hope all you parents who read this

will look into your hearts, and realize

how much we all influence our children.

Those of us beyond child-rearing age

can look back and see the mistakes

we made with our own kids, and hope

that today's parents of young kids

will learn from our mistakes and do

a better job of listening to their kids

and help them to become healthier,

better adjusted adults than some of

our kids turned out.

We weren't bad parents, just misguided,

bringing up our kids the only way we

knew ; the way we were brought up.

Whether right or wrong, they and then

we, did the best we could, with the

knowledge and experience we had.

The kids and teens of today have it

really rough, living in an unsure world,

not knowing whether we will have to

fight a war here in our own country,

which could be a possibility, the way

things are going, with so many wrong

choices being made, so much unrest

here and in the rest of the world, so

much fighting for domination and power.

The least we adults can do for these

young people, these teenagers, and even

those a little older, is to listen to their

problems, their grievances, and show

them that we are listening, really,

truly, hearing them, and that they can

count on us to be there for them,

whatever is happening, whatever to them

is so important, even to the boy/girl

dramas, which to them, means so much.

They need to know that we care enough

to listen, to hold them when they are in

anguish, to just sit quietly sometimes,

while they pour out their feelings.

We must, if there is to be any hope

for these precious kids, and for our

nation, which they will be running,

governing, some day in the future.

Remember, we all were teenagers once,

and whether we got what we needed

or not, from the experience, we know

what we felt, what we needed, and we

can call upon those memories, those

feelings, and try to do better with our kids

or grandkids.

We must not dwell upon the mistakes

we made in the past, we just have to

do our best to help our kids NOW.

The past is done and over with, we

have to deal with what is going on

at the present time. Our kids, and we,

ourselves are worth the time and effort.

Let's continue to count our blessings,

today and every day.

I love you all, my dearest ones.

D

SOMETIMES

You know, when I speak to people,

especially those I love, I sometimes

want to get across a point that I feel

needs to be addressed, and think I do

it in such a way as to irritate them.

I sometimes speak a little louder

or use cuss words to emphasize

the point.

I don't mean to hurt anyone's

feelings, but think I do, unintentionally.

Sometimes I feel it's the only way

to make them understand; to feel

the importance of what I'm trying

to bring to their attention.

My voice is not unduly loud, so

sometimes have to raise it

to be heard.

Also, when excited, I sometimes

speak louder than intended, and

people think I'm angry. I'm not,

just so anxious to get the person

to understand what I'm trying to say.

Sometimes, I feel as though

I'll never be heard

unless I raise my voice.

Frustration sometimes

makes me louder.

When I feel someone isn't

really listening, isn't getting

the point I'm trying to make,

it is indeed, frustrating

So, if I've given any of you

the wrong idea, or getting you

upset or angry with me,

please re-think whatever

it is that we talked about,

and realize that I sometimes

come across differently

than was the intention.

I love everyone so much,

and would never do or say

anything to purposely

hurt you, so please realize

that I do get carried away

with my zeal. Sometimes.

I love you all.

D

SECRETS

Many of us have

Deep in our psyches

Secrets

Some very dark secrets

Buried deep inside

Where we don't have to

Look at them

Some for which we feel

So much shame

As to make us feel

Unworthy of others

Unworthy of love

Unworthy of even

Deserving to live

Vilifying ourselves

Allowing others to

Vilify us

Feeling we deserve it

The outward effects

Diminish our lives

Keeping us depressed

Confused, wondering

Not knowing

Why we have these feelings

Are there sins we committed

Or that others committed

Upon us

Deeds we omitted

Wondering why so many

things in life seem to go

Wrong

We need to dig deep, find

The demons, uncover the

Secrets

Bring them to the surface

To our conscious mind

Where we can look at them

And allow ourselves to

Feel the hate, disgust

Revulsion

Allow the tears of frustration,

Anger, sorrow, regret

All, to come out and

Deal with them

Come to the realization

That we are only, after all,

Human beings, with all

the vagaries of humanness

To control us

feeling shame, disgust and

Fear of being found out

So, we bury these

Secrets, experiences, memories

Down deep, along with

The emotions we felt

At the time

Keeping us from living life

to it's fullest, diminishing

Our joys and happiness

If never resolved

We will continue to

Experience

Our own private

Agony

TRY HARDER

Every thought that comes into our minds,

every word that we utter goes out

into the Universe.

Each person has access to everyone else's

thoughts and words.

We need to be aware of this, and conduct

ourselves in such a way, so as to not think

or say hurtful or hateful things.

Our words and thoughts can be picked up

by anyone in the Universe, so we need

to think and speak kind words and

thoughts... not always easy to do ;

we're not Pollyanas.

We're human, and we do and say unkind

or thoughtless things --- I know I do,

but I never mean to hurt anyone. Of

course, I do hurt people, just as most

of us do, without it being our intention.

I strive to be a kinder, more understanding

person, yet I sometimes fall short.

Why ? Because, like you, I'm human,

with all the quirks and foibles that

being human entails.

To that end, we must try harder to

be good, decent people...to love

ourselves and others, and to always

remember to be cognizant of what

we are thinking and saying.

It matters.

D

I wrote this on April 27, 2007.

We must be kinder, more loving

to ourselves and each other, and

hope that, in doing so, people now

and perhaps many years from now

will pick up on our good thoughts

and make a difference on this

earth, and the whole Universe.

Maybe one day, kindness and

love will rule our Universe, rather

than the greed and corruption

so prevalent now, in our time.

Is there hope for the human race

yet ? I pray it will be so.

Until such time, we must all

do our part, so that future generations

may benefit, and live in peace

and harmony.

Let's all count the many blessings

we have, and appreciate what and

who we have in our lives, now, and

also those we have loved , but are

gone. We can continue to love

them and keep their memory in

our hearts.

I love all of you, my sweet family.