A blessed reciprocity

Say what you will about the current admonitions 

To maintain an “attitude of gratitude,” 

The fact of the matter is 

That when you’re determined to stay open 

To the blessings in the here and now, 

Eventually they will thank you in return:

 A blessed reciprocity at the root of being.

Bearers of light

May we all be bearers of light!

Feeling thankful

The setting sun tosses a final splash of color 

To ignite the night-blackened branches 

Of my neighbor’s trees: 

A perfect end to a perfect weekend, 

And yet another reason — one of many — 

To feel thankful.

A simpler life

There is, within, a part of us 

That hungers for a simpler life, 

Forgetting how much work goes in 

To maintaining fields and farms 

And how little recompense 

 There is for all that labor. 

With time, we learn to make space within 

The more complex lives we’ve chosen 

To appreciate what might have been 

And, driving by, to stop; drink in 

The beauty that we pass.

Projections

We put hummingbird stickers on our windows 

 To keep the birds from flying into them. 

Yesterday this little guy perched on the fence 

Five feet from one of those windows 

And stared steadily at the sticker 

For some ten minutes.

 Perhaps because my mother would 

Have turned 100 this month

 (She died a quarter century ago)

 I wondered if he might be missing his mom…

 Projection: it’s not just for movies.

Outside in

Crossing the bridge, 

 On our way back home after Thanksgiving,

 I am reminded of a lesson learned 

A long long time ago that bears repeating: 

Structures, organizations — even relationships 

 That look stable, and inviting from the outside 

Can have a very different feel 

 When you’re inside, and can actually see 

 What’s holding them together…

Giving Thanks

Perhaps today, unlike my cat, 

We can pause our endless search 

For what’s hidden, new, or different 

And make time to be not only grateful 

 But content with all the blessings of this life. 

Knowing that everything could change 

In a single moment, 

We appreciate what’s here; what’s now.