Give a little time...

[dottie]

Poem Title: Seven New Angels



February first, two thousand and three,
as returning to Earth, a shuttle was lost.
Two women and five men, lost in the debris,
realizing their dreams, but paying a high cost.

A very sad day, for families and friends,
of two women and five men, living their dreams.
Sailing the heavens, till the trip suddenly ends,
as mighty explosions, thru the sky streams.

In Heaven now, seven new angels reside,
two women and five men, their lives have been taken.
For their life long dreams, they lived and died,
and now a whole world, by this tragedy is shaken.

The entire world weeps, and is in despair,
for two women and five men, who traveled in space,
All the joy and wonders, that together they share,
they now share with each other, in God's Heavenly Grace

A though for the astronauts who venture once again into the skies above us to the space station, may their journey be blessed and that they be kept safe from harm...

[dottie]

> Time passes.
> Life happens.
> Distance separates.
> Children grow up.
> Jobs come and go.
> Love waxes and wanes.
> Men don't call when they say they will.
> Hearts break.
> Parents die.
> Colleagues forget favors.
> Careers end.
>
>
>
>
> BUT...........
> Girlfriends are there, no matter how much time and how
> many miles are between you.
> A girlfriend is never farther away than needing her can
> reach.
>
> When you have to walk that lonesome valley and you have
> to walk it by yourself, your girlfriends will be on the valley's rim,
> cheering you on, praying for you, pulling for you, intervening on
> your behalf, and waiting with open arms at the valley's end.
> Sometimes, they will even break the rules and walk beside you.
> Or come in and carry you out.
>
>
> Girlfriends, daughters, daughter-in-laws, sisters, sisters-in-law,
>
>
> mother, mother-in-law, aunties, nieces, cousins, and extended family, bless our life!
>
>
>
> The world wouldn't be the same without them, and neither would I.
>
>
>
> When we began this adventure called womanhood, we had no
> idea of the incredible joys or sorrows that lay ahead.
>
>
>
> Nor did we
> know how much we would need each other.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Every day, we need each other still.
> Pass this on to the women who help make your life work.
> I just did.
>
>
>
>

[dottie]

THE CIRCLE OF FRIENDS

We meet on-line to have a great time....
We laugh and we giggle and smile at our screens,
We sit back and wonder what this all means.

We surf the Web, we travel afar,
We span thousands of mile without a car.
We watch conversations flowing on the screen,
We tell jokes and stories and know what they mean.

What are we looking for? Where's the attraction?
How can we do this and get satisfaction?
Who are we? Why are we here?

We are "the Circle of Friends", made from a chain.
And we're here because friendship is what we gain!
Born on-line formed by few,
We had no idea just what to do.

So we are linking our pages, first one then two,
And wonder where we'll end up when we are through?
The Circle will spread, like a wild vine,
It will breathe and whisper like the winds of time.

We are the Circle of Friends, made from a chain,
All of our motives are exactly the same.
Searching for friendships all over the lands,
Linking our pages is like holding hands.

We are 'the Circle of Friends', made from a chain,
A chain of cable and wire without an end.

~Author Unknown~

To all the friends old and new that I have made on this Forum over the past Ummm years...............

[dottie]

At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning disabled children, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended.



After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered

question.



"When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do.



Where is the natural order of things in my son?"



The audience was stilled by the query.



The father continued. "I believe, that when a child like Shay

comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes, in the way other people treat that child."



Then he told the following story: Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, "Do you think they'll let me play?"



Shay's father knew that most of the boys would not want

someone like Shay on their team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging.



Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked if Shay could play.



The boy looked around for guidance and, getting none, he took matters into his own hands and said, "We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning."



In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on glove and played in the outfield.



Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic

just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands.



In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again.

Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat.



Should they, at this juncture, let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game?



Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible 'cause Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball.



However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least be able

to make contact.



The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed.



The pitcher again took a few steps forward to **** the ball

softly towards Shay.



As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow

ground ball right back to the pitcher.



The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily

thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game.



Instead, the pitcher took the ball and turned and threw the

ball on a high arc to right field, far beyond the reach of the first baseman.



Everyone started yelling, "Shay, run to first! Run to first!"



Never in his life had Shay ever made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled.



Everyone yelled, "Run to second, run to second!"



By the time Shay rounded first base, the right fielder had the ball.



He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions and intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head.



Shay ran toward second base as the runners ahead of him

deliriously circled the bases toward home.



Shay reached second base, the opposing shortstop ran to him,

turned him in the direction of third base, and shouted, "Run to third!



As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams were screaming, "Shay, run home!"



Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the "grand slam" and won the game for his team.



"That day," said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, "the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world."

[dottie]

[dottie]

You told me in a dream you always loved me.
I wept with joy at what with joy you said.
My sadness was not there. It was so lovely.
And with you was my darling, also dead.
The sky was with an early sunrise burning,
Yet still with ample darkness for the moon,
Which held the secret of its youthful yearning
Although it knew that it would vanish soon.
How wonderful, I thought, at last to hear you
Say what I had known but never heard!
Abandoned, I have long longed to be near you
And find my long-lost refuge in a word.
I saw the truth of it within your eyes
And blessed the dream that ends but never dies.

for the mother who never stayed........

[dottie]

I found this and thought it was appropriate considering I am now starting on a voyage of discovery........



Foster children move from place to place,
With memories that walk the night alone,
Nor is the love theirs that they must embrace.

Yet most survive with a peculiar grace,
Even though their hearts should turn to stone,
As they move about from place to place.

Perhaps within themselves they find a place,
To furnish as they would a mobile home,
Finding scraps of things they can embrace.

A memory like some such fingered lace,
Thoughts and dreams that only they have known,
Moving as they do from place to place.

Their childhood impossible to trace,
In the years of yearning after they have grown,
Filled with love they've chosen to embrace.

Yet with their losses etched upon their face,
Pain for which no penance can atone,
How can they move and move, from place to place
Surrending the love they must embrace.

two of these lines I found to be so relevant

"Their childhood impossible to trace,
In the years of yearning after they have grown"

One could possibly argue - better late than never, to find a childhood lost so long ago........

[dottie]

>
>
>
>________________________________
>
>
>Subject: "True" Friendship Poem
>
>
>
>
>Are you tired of those sissy "friendship" poems that always sound
>good,
>but never actually come close to reality?
>
> Well, here is a series of promises that actually speak
>of true friendship.
> You will see no cutesy little smiley faces -
> just the stone cold truth of our great friendship.
>
>
> 1. When you are sad -- I will help you get drunk
>and plot revenge against
> the sorry ******* who made you sad.
>
>
> 2. When you are blue -- I will try to dislodge
>whatever is choking you.
>
>
> 3. When you smile -- I will know you finally got
>laid.
>
>
> 4. When you are scared -- I will rag on you
>about it every chance I get.
>
>
> 5. When you are worried -- I will tell you
>horrible stories about how much
> worse it could be until you quit whining.
>
>
> 6. When you are confused -- I will use little
>words.
>
>
> 7. When you are sick -- Stay the hell away from
>me until you are well
> again. I don't want whatever you have.
>
>
> 8. When you fall -- I will point and laugh at
>your clumsy ass.
>
>
> 9. This is my oath..... I pledge it to the end.
>"Why?" you may ask;
> "because you are my friend".
>
>
>
> Send this to 10 of your closest friends,
> then get depressed because you can only think of
>4.
>
> Friendship is like peeing your pants, everyone
>can see it,
> but only you can feel the true warmth.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>________________________________
>
>
>
>
>
>
>We wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment. ~Hilaire
>Belloc
>
>_________________________________________________________________

[dottie]

For my granddaughter

Every single night I say
Let me stay one more day
Let me see her matchless smile
Let me stay for a while

There is so much I don't want to miss
Her first romance, her first meaningful kiss
It used to be her first party dress
Now its the boys she wants to impress.

Let me be there to see the lace
The veil falling softly over her face
As she walks down the aisle with her dad
Please let us both be there for that.

I want to be there to see her first child
So we reach a new footing and smile
Two mothers together sharing a joy
Of maybe a girl, or maybe a boy.

I want to be there to see them grow
To see the pride in her eyes glow
I want to share all that life sends
To support and love her until mine ends.........