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.