Treasured Moments

I woke up today with thoughts in my mind

about how so much in life needs to be savored

as treasured moments and should be realized

for its specialness right then and there

but so often times it is only afterwards

on retrospect that a moment is cherished

for all its wonderful preciousness.

So many things in life deserve this recognition.

I wanted to make note of moments in my life

that have made impression upon me for the beauty

and for all the simplicity

that much of the most valued moments are.

Every moment is treasured

 for the sentimental reason of love

the more love one has

the more moments stand out as treasures

to be held close as dearest memories

without love nothing truly matters in life

the more this feeling rules your heart

the greater comes the capacity to fill

 to over flowing your heartbox

with treasured moments,

captured snapshots of delight

and amazement that a thing so dear

 was yours to hold near

and holding you never let go,

forever these moments are dear

I can only name a select few

outstanding moments I treasure

but I will chose some of special significance

to share with you and in sharing

I hope you will recall

this moment as a special one for you

Right now I can claim a moment of specialness

for my kitten Rat who loves to sit beside my mouse

also adds his little tweaks to this poem, making pop up

whatever the right click on the mouse will do

and rather than get angry and run him away

I feel a warmth at his purring presence

and I let him stay where he is

When I see and hear  it: I know treasure

Last night, having to stay late at the daycare

I watched Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

with the two oldest children in my care

Savannah, the five year old, was chilled

I had my wolf coat on;

 its a roomy daycare and 70 degrees

didn't feel that warm to us, I admit.

So she got in my lap and I pulled the coat tight

with her on the inside with me

while we watched the show

Pretty soon she said she felt cosy

I did too, smelling the sweetness

of her soft hair under my nose

The beating of her heart

was steady beneath my hand as I held her

And in the scary part

where Harry and Ron go in the woods

following the spiders, she said she felt safe with me

She asked if spiders were evil

I said they are God's creatures

and think of the beauty of jewel-dew-draped webs

on a bush in early morning

She sighed and snuggled closer

and her heart beat a happy tempo I could feel

not just in my hand but all through me.

When she said, "God loves spiders, so I should too.";

Michael said in typical boy fashion, "I love Spiderman.

Spiders are cool." He leaned his head on my arm

and we three sat there to the end of the show

And at 8 p.m they went to bed

and were fast asleep soon after.

That moment was fresh in my mind upon waking

this morning and soon other moments

filled me with the desire to create a poem about treasures

of the heart that should never be forgotten

So many moments come to me

moments I cherish from my own childhood

that included family no longer walking this earth,

but I know when I recall that moment so dear

when I shared some event that meant so much

those dear ones are alive as ever for that is set in time

and can never be lost, alive and vibrant

 as at the very instant it happened

That is God's gift and the power of love

So the next time a moment crystalizes for you

as a moment to be savored then be glad

for it is an act of love in action

Even if it is a solitary moment when you are alone,

look around at the bright sunlight, hear the singing of the birds

feel the air on your skin, close your eyes if you must

and soak it all in and think of God's own presence

being there in your heart, giving you the capacity to love

Love your day each day, for no two are ever alike

love the walk you take, the people you meet,

the places you go, the faces you see

the voices you hear...listen and take it all in

and you will find

the love computes to happiness

because the simple sharing of a hotdog

 with a hungry dog at your knee

means more than eating

that hotdog all on your own

or the noises surrounding you

of a city at work filling your ear

with a cacophony of blast

is actually something dear  from the past

when recalling it twenty years from now

when many things have passed by

and your being in that city

you didn't appreciate at the time for all its good qualities

now fill you with nostalgic happiness

All things considered mundane, even boring

can later turn out to be treasured memories

You have what you have in life

No two people have the same life

even when sharing with others

but you have those moments

and you make what you can of them

and with the sweetness called love

every lemon handed to you

can be made into a drink so dear

you want to sip on it again and again

These become those treasured moments

Hold on to the treasures;

they are what matter most in life

WOW, THIS IS MY FIRST ENTRY FOR 2008.

HEY...I HAVE BEEN BUSY. I HAVE WANTED TO GET TO XANGA BUT NEVER HAD FOUND THE MINUTES TO COME LONG ENOUGH TO POST ANYTHING.

I AM HERE NOW THOUGH.

I HAVE A NEW THOUGHT THAT JUST CAME TO ME AND I KNEW IT WAS FOR HERE, SO I HOPE WHEN ANYONE READS IT THEY FIND THEMSELVES THINKING ABOUT THIS. YOU MAY AGREE OR YOU MAY NOT, BUT IT IS SOMETHING I HAVE FOUND WORKS FOR ME.

LIFE'S TANGLES

When everywhere you turn

all you find are tangles

what must you do?

Tangles are challenges

and sometimes no matter how hard

you work to untangle them

you think, oh no, this is only getting worse,

and despair at the tangled mess.

you think the only way to free yourself

is to cut yourself free

but that is the last resort

never do that unless

there truly is no other recourse.

Take  for example, tangled hair.

People with short hair never have much in the way

of tangle problems, it's true.

However, if your hair is like mine, 31 inches,

then you can get some major tangles.

Today I had a tangle in my hair.

It was a good sized tangle and I thought,

Oh my God, will I have to cut that out?

Well I prayed as I want to go to my grave

with long hair. It hasn't been cut since my teen years.

I then proceeded as I always do,

to work it out with my fingers,

very gently, very carefully,

and slowly did I proceed.

With patience I untangled that very tangled mess

and in just a few minutes my hair was smooth

untangled and falling to my waist without

having to resort to the scissors even once.

I was very happy, and gratefully

I thanked God.

And then I thought, if such patience

and slowing down to work through other

tangled problems in life

was applied  with such diligence

there is nothing that could not be solved in just as painless

a way as I had just undone what on first look

said, "this is hopeless; get the scissors."

I knew if i cut that much hair then i would look

so lopsided I might as well trim the rest off even too.

Since that is not the thing I wanted,

to lose about 20 inches of my hair,

as this knot was midway up my hair length,

I knew I had to undo it or be truly grieved.

If you have a problem of any sort

so tangled as to be disturbing enough

you know this could be a major and irreversible change

a change you don't want, then you will do what you must

to solve it. That is a surety.

Do as I did, start at the bottom of the problem

and work your way up to the worst part

and then tackle the tangle with caution,

and you will find it comes undone amazingly fast.

And your relief will be sublime.

You will be grateful for all time.