Seasons of Giving

It is that times of the year… Thanksgiving has already passed and Christmas is right around the corner. In fact, Christmas is tomorrow. Christmas has always been one of my favorite holidays growing up and it is still is to this very day. I love waking up early and seeing the presents under the Christmas tree. I feel like one thing has changed, especially as I have gotten older. I still enjoying getting presents and I love giving them away, but I feel like those are so materialistic these days. Like  the newest iPhone or computer or something like that. This quote says it the best. “I think as you grow older your Christmas list gets shorter, because the things you want cannot be bought.” I guess what I am saying is that the littlest of things is what matters like being in someone’s presence or getting a gift that actually matters and is low cost. I feel like one of the best things you can give someone else, especially around the holidays is your time, love and presence.

In other words, I think a great gift is one that keeps on giving or paying it forward. There is a movie about that.  Best of all those kinds of gifts come free or at least they should. I think that is why I want to try to volunteer my time or things I do not need anymore because if I do not need it then maybe someone else might. I have to remind myself that there are people who are less fortunate than me. I wish I could give more because I always believe in helping others. It is in our best nature to help others. That is why I hate how much this world has become the cars, houses, iPhones, jewelry and things we buy with our money. It is such a shame and I hope we can change that now, not only for our generation, but for the ones to follow.

So I guess what I am trying to say is best said in the following quote by Pierre Corneille. He says “The manner of giving is worth more than the gift.” So what he and I are trying to say is that the fact that we are giving is more important than the gift itself because that is what the holidays are all about. Even donating to charity, whether it is a dollar or donating school supplies or scarves and hats to the homeless shelters goes a long way. Those are just some examples, but I am sure there are some other ways in which to give a meaningful gift. Even donating your talents to a good cause can be a way of giving. I want to encourage my readers to think of some way they can give back to something or someone they really care about. That is something we all cherish. Happy holidays everyone!!

My Free Gifts

I could buy you all of the materialistic things that
Do not matter or get you a lifetime of laughter.
I can be your solider who can fight and combat
Next to you. I can give you what comes after.
I can be a light that shines within the darkness
Like a precious jewel that you cannot buy with
Money. I will stand with you in the starkness.
I can give you something that only a wordsmith
Can give you. Those are the things that do not cost
Anything because they already come free with me.
Darling, I know that when you are completely lost,
I will be the home and peace you come to. I would be
Everything you cannot find in something else. I am
The gift that keeps on giving to those that realize
That life is far from fake and becoming a sham.
There is something about me that makes me a prize.

Healing

You know the saying “time heals all wounds?” Sometimes I wonder where that expression comes from, but let’s not worry about that too much. Sometimes time does heal all wounds, sometimes it heals some wounds and sometimes it does not heal any wounds. It just works out that way for whatever reason. Let us not worry about time that heals wounds because there are other things that heal wounds and scars. For me that would be words, music, writing, reading and poetry all together. For other people they find other ways to heal including therapy, being busy, etc.

There is this quote I found that rings so true for the healing process. “Everything heals. Your body heals. Your heart heals. The mind heals. Wounds heal. Your soul repairs itself. Your happiness is always going to come back. Bad times don’t last.” In other words, we all have something that needs healing, whether it is mentally or physically or emotionally or any other versions of healing you can imagine or think of. That quote is pretty much saying that almost everything can and will heal over a period of time or however long it takes. I want to point that out because everybody’s healing process is different. For some people it can only take days and for other people it could take weeks, months and sometimes even years to heal fully.

As I have said before and as that quote points out even your happiness will find a way to come back. Happiness has a way of healing as well just like almost everything else. Healing is a process and is something that takes time. It is something that you have to work on every single day, no matter what. Leon Brown says that “Healing is not an overnight process. It is a daily cleansing of pain, it is a daily healing of your life.” That goes for healing when you are in recovery from whatever issues you might have. As I have said before it takes time to heal. It also takes patience and trust because you cannot rush the process. Healing is one of the hardest things to do and is not that easy for the most part. Just stick with it and you may turn out to see something beautiful in the end. Just hang in there. Cheers!! Here is a poem to celebrate the healing process.

Healing

The words heal the heartache.
It erases the everlasting pain.
There is never any mistake

In the feelings. The words stain
The pages like blood and ink.
The flow replaces the rain

And tears. Everything I think
Hard about come alive in
The rhythm. I no longer sink

And relive every bad sin.
I am floating in the clouds.
I feel alive in my own skin.

Get me away from the crowds
And into my own quiet space.
Let the words become shrouds

And shields of armor. Trace
Over your story with your pen.
Let the gentleness and lace

Like pattern tell you when
To open up your heart. You
Will be able to fully heal again.