Winter came down
                                       To our home
                                       Last night
                                       Quietly pirouetting in
                                       On silvery-toed slippers
                                       Of snow
                                       And we, 
                                       We were children
                                       Once again

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                                                                  FUTURE CONCERNS

                            "We should all be concerned," wrote
                             Charles Kettering, "about the future
                             because we will have to spend the rest of
                             our lives there."

                             Perhaps the reason most of us may wind
                             up being ill equipped to live in the future is 
                             that we spend too much time squandering 
                             the present and fretting about the past.

                             Can we not see that our present thoughts 
                             quite often determine our future actions.
                             And, we cannot escape our future anymore 
                             than we can ignore the present or deny the past.

                             We would speak well of the past, for it is by
                             remembering the past that we become educated.
                             We would applaud the present moment, for only
                             in the present moment does any action take place.
                             We would extol the virtues of the future, for the 
                             future permits us to dream, to envision, to hope 
                             and to plan.
                             Without the future, there could be no past, and 
                             our present would be shallow indeed.
                          
                             (First published on December 29, 2012)

                                     
                           A LIGHT IN THE WINDOW  562
 
                         No matter how far we have travelled
                         No matter how far we have roamed
                         There's a light in the window that beckons
​                         Calling and guiding us home
 
                         Sometimes during life's journey
                         When misfortunes have laid us quite low
                         'Tis only a light in the window
                         That illumines our path with its glow
 
                         We may wander astray if we wish to
                         Down trails of pathos and sin
                         But there'll still be a light in the window
                         Lighting our path as a friend
 
                         Oh, there's a light in the window that's shining
                         It's shining for you and for me
                         Placed there by the Lord of all lanterns
                         For all, who would, to see

                         (First published on December 8, 2012)

                                                           OUR MISTAKE

                               An unknown author has suggested
                               a few ways we may recognize others'
                               faults while rationalizing our own...

                               "When the other fellow takes a long time
                               to do something, he is slow.
                               When we take a long time, we are thorough.

                               When the other fellow doesn't do it, he's lazy.
                               When we don't do it, we're too busy.
 
                               When someone else goes and does something
                               without being told, he's overstepping.
                               When we do it, we're exerting initiative.

                               When the other fellow strongly states his side 
                               of a  question, he's being bullheaded.
                               When we do it, we're being firm.


                               When the other fellow overlooks a few rules
                               of etiquette, he's being rude.
                               When we do it we are being original.
  
                              When the other fellow makes a mistake, he
                              sure had it coming to him.
                              When we make a mistake, wow what bad luck.

                              Funny isn't it, that it is so hard to correct our
                              own faults. Maybe it's just because we don't
                              recognize them except in others."
                          
                              (First published on November 29, 2013}


                         




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