DREAMS
I feel myself floating high above and I see everything below so small
It is like a bird winging its way by me on a journey only he knows
There is beauty and peace to enjoy with not a sound to distract me
I float with a freedom that is unknown to me on earth
My dream takes me over oceans with their constant waving and moving
Their tides ever changing and baring soft sand and pretty shells
I float by over mountains so lush with forests grand and the scent of pine
Reaches me as I pass by
Sunsets are more brilliant and alive with their fiery glow and as the sun appears
In early morn, it has a gentle and slow rising with such beauty all its own
I awake but the dreams stay a part of me and my day begins with peace

FRIENDS

With friends, a kindred spirit begins to take place,

And you see smiles of joy upon each face.

Some friends we have had for many years

Others are newer but to us so dear.

We share stories of the life we have led,

And we laugh or a tear sometimes is shed.

Friends give you strength when you fear,

But you know if you need them, they will be near.

Friends are special and will always be

Someone to trust and believes in me.

 

A BOARDING HOUSE

We had a fairly large house and there were 4 bedrooms upstairs plus a large bathroom. My dad had passed away and then my uncle who had stayed with us also passed away so mom wound up with three rooms to rent.  My mother became a very enterprising woman.  She carefully cleaned up those rooms and made them very tidy and appealing.  Then she put a notice in the paper advertising her three rooms for rent.  This home became a very unusual one.  I had a room of my own and my brother and a man who was not welcome in his son’s home had beds in the attic which my mom fixed very nicely for them.  My father had worked for this son’s father at one time when not farming.  Before the renters came, an older brother, his wife and small child stayed with us for a while.  Then there were friends of the family who couldn’t find a house during the war and they stayed for some time.    My older sister, her husband and son lived with us for a short time. The parade of interesting people began.  We had a nice man who was an alcoholic and you knew when he came home as you could smell the whisky.  Then there was an older lady who eventually died in my mother’s arms in bed in her room.  The larger front bedroom became a small studio type bedroom but had a pull out couch and an “ice box”, dishes, some pots and pans and a hot plate.  She rented that room to a very nice young married couple.  I used to wonder how the mail man ever could deliver his mail to us and never be sure who lived there and who didn’t.  The memories of that time and in that house stay with me always.  It was a time of learning about life, the different people who touched it and the patience one must have to be able to help yourself and others.

EMOTIONS

Certainly emotions are part of our everyday life.  We see a friend from long ago and we feel happiness to greet them and know they remember me as I remember them.  A wonderful musical play is so enjoyable that we seem to be in the same world as the actors and we smile.   Of course, then our emotions run high when we are feeling angry and that is not a good feeling at all.  Our first baby is born and the wonder and happiness we feel is beyond compare.  As we watch our favorite baseball or football team, we are tense as the final inning or quarter begins because our team is behind.  All of a sudden, you hear the crack of the bat against the baseball, the batter had sent that ball way out into the outfield.  He runs touching each base and he is home and the game is won by our team.  We laugh, and yell and clap and our emotions are so high that we become quite tired but happy.  Now our football team is behind and again, we are very nervous and tense.  At the last minute, the football was thrown to the quarterback and he made the catch.  He ran like lightening down the field and into the end zone of the opposite team.  The stadium is filled with a bigger than ever roar and people are trying to get onto the field.  What a moment and our emotions have risen higher than ever with the spirit of football.  Of course, there are bound to be sad emotions but I like to think that they have made us stronger people to carry on each day.  There are so many more facets to the story of emotions.  We have this ability to sense happiness, sadness, excitement, anticipation, fear and the good feeling of a job well done.

MUSIC

“Music hath charm to soothe the savage beast” as the saying goes.

It is wonderful to listen to a classical piece of music

When the intensity of the pianist makes his fingers fly over the keys,

And the arpeggios, chords and emotions take you higher and higher

Until you feel that the music and you are one.

Symphony orchestras have a full and rich sound,

Each instrument adds their unique part whether it is a crescendo

Or a delicate softening of the orchestra’s timbre.

We applaud the director who binds the orchestra together

And leads them to an overwhelming and exciting end.

There is the soothing sound of a lullaby, the crashing sound

Of the cymbals, the unique sounds of the percussion and brass

And the rich and beautiful tones of the violins.

All together it gives us joy and wonder as we listen more

Intently and know that we have been exposed to

The magic and beauty of music.