FROM MY HEART TO YOURS
Here are some of my favorite poems and inspirations etc...! Many are from my ANGELS I have met online I hope that you enjoy them and feel free to use them as you wish!
First I would like you to meet my adopted bunny from my LOTH sister Maureen Denico!
Thank you for Thumper, he's so sweet!!
The I CAN'T Funeral
Donna's fourth grade classroom looked like many others I had seen in the past. Students sat in five rows of six desks. The teacher's desk was in front and faced the students. The bulletin board featured student work. IN most respects it appeared to be a typically traditional elementary classroom. Yet something seemed different that day I entered it for the first time. There seemed to be an undercurrent of excitement. Donna was a veteran small-town Michigan school-teacher only two years away form retirement. In addition she was a volunteer participant in a country-wide staff development project I had organized and facilitated. The training focused on language arts ideas that would empower students to feel good about themselves and take charge of their lives. Donna's job was to attend training sessions and implement the concepts being presented. My job was to make classroom visitations and encourage implementation. I took an empty seat in the back of the room and watched. All the students were working on a task, filling a sheet of notebook paper with thoughts and ideas. The ten-year-old student next to me was filling her page with "I Can'ts". "I can't kick the soccer ball past second base." "I can't do long division with more than three numerals." "I can't get Debbie to like me." Her page was half full and she showed no signs of letting up. She worked on with determination and persistence. I walked down the row glancing in student's papers. Everyone was writing sentences, describing things they couldn't do. "I can't do ten push-ups." "I can't hit one over the left hand fence." "I can't eat only one cookie." By this time the activity engaged my curiosity, so I decided to check with the teacher to see what was going on. As I approached her, I noticed that she too was busy writing. I felt it best not to interrupt. "I can't get John's mother to come for a teacher conference." "I can't get my daughter to put gas in the car." "I can't get Alan to use words instead of fists." Thwarted in my efforts to determine why students and teacher were dwelling on the negative instead of writing the more positive "I Can" statements, I returned to my seat and continued my observations. Students wrote for another ten minutes. Most filled their page. Some started another. "Finish the one you're on and don't start a new one,." were the instructions Donna used to signal the end of the activity. Students were then instructed to fold the papers in half and bring them to the front. When the students reached their teacher's desk, they placed their "I Can't" statements into an empty shoe box. When all of the students papers were collected, Donna added hers. She put the lid on the box, tucked it under her arm and headed out the door and down the hall. Students followed the teacher. I followed the students. Halfway down the hallway the procession stopped. Donna entered the custodian's room rummaged around and came out with a shovel. Shovel in one hand, shoe box in the other, Donna marched the students out to the school to the farthest corner of the playground. There they began to dig. They were going to bury their "I Can'ts"! The digging took over ten minutes because most of the fourth graders wanted a turn. When the hole approached three feet deep, the digging ended. The box of "I Can'ts" was placed in a position at the bottom of the hole and then quickly covered with dirt. Thirty one 10 and 11-year-olds stood around the freshly dug grave site. Each had at least one page full of "I Can'ts" in the shoe box, four feet under. So did their teacher. At this point Donna announced, "Boys and girls, please join hands and bow your heads." The students complied. They quickly formed a circle around the grave, creating a bond with their hands. They lowered their heads and waited. Donna delivered the eulogy. "Friends, we gather here today to honor the memory of 'I Can't.' While he was with us here on earth, he touched, the lives of everyone, some more than others. His name unfortunately, has been spoken in every public building- school, city halls, state capitols, and yes, even The White House. "We have provided 'I Can't' with a final resting place and a headstone that contained his epitaph. His is survived by his brothers and sisters, 'I Can,' 'I Will' and 'I'm Going to Right Away.' They are not as well known as their famous relative and are certainly not as strong and powerful yet. Perhaps some day, with your help, they will make an even bigger mark on the world. "May 'I Can't' rest in peace and may everyone present pick up their lives and move forward in his absence. Amen." As I listened to the eulogy I realized that these students would never forget this day. The activity was symbolic, a metaphor for life. It was a right brain experience that would stick in the unconscious and conscious mind forever. Writing "I Can'ts", burying them and hearing the eulogy. That was a major effort on this part of the teacher. And she wasn't done yet. At the conclusion of the eulogy she turned the students around, marched them back into the classroom and held a wake. They celebrated the passing of "I Can't" with cookies, popcorn and fruit juices. As part of the celebration, Donna cut a large tombstone from butcher paper. She wrote the words "I Can't" at the top and put RIP in the middle. The date was added at the bottom. The paper tombstone hung in Donna's classroom for the remainder of the year. On those rare occasions when a student forgot and said, "I Can't", Donna simply pointed to the RIP sign. The student then remembered that "I Can't" was dead and chose to rephrase the statement. I wasn't one of Donna's students. She was one of mine. Yet that day I learned an enduring lesson from her. Now, years later, whenever I hear the phrase, "I Can't," I see images of that fourth grade funeral. Like the students, I remember that "I Can't" is dead. (Author Unknown)
My Friend I Am Here For You
Here For You ... You're a very good friend And I hope you surely know, That I am always here for you To share your tale of woe. I'll be your shoulder to cry on Or just a friendly ear; You can count on me, friend Cause our friendship is so dear. If you fall down, I'll help you up. On this you can rely; That's what friends are for, you see; To help each other fly. So if you feel like talking Today, tomorrow, next year; Whenever you're in need, my friend, Please know that I am here. ~JamNbabe~ copyright 2/21/99 Take my hand my friend I wish to help you along Just knowing there are two of us Can help to make you strong I know life seems unfair and sometimes gets you down But know that I am here for you I'll always be around So set a day aside And together we will walk Down all your troubled pathways For it helps sometimes to talk If you should need some time To do this on your own Then I will be here waiting Since you wish to be alone I guess I want to say That I hold your friendship dear And if you ever need me just reach out, cause I am here. author unknown Thanx, Evaline this is so beautiful & so are you!
"May You Always Feel Loved"
May you find serenity and tranquility in a world you may not always understand. May the pain you have known and the conflict you have experienced give you the strength to walk through life facing each new situation with courage and optimism. Always know that there are those whose love and understanding will always be there, even when you feel most alone. May you discover enough goodness in others to believe in a world of peace. May a kind word, a reassuring touch, a warm smile be yours every day of your life, and may you give these gifts as well as receive them. Remember the sunshine when the storm seems unending. Teach love to those who know hate, and let that love embrace you as you go into the world. May the teaching of those you admire become part of you, so that you may call upon them. Remember, those whose lives you have touched and who have touched yours are always a part of you, even if the encounters were less than you would have wished. It is the content of the encounter that is more important than its' form. May you not become too concerned with material matters, but instead place immeasurable value on the goodness in your heart. Find time in each day to see the beauty and love in the world around you. Realize that each person has limitless abilities, but each of us is different in our own way. What you may feel you lack in one regard may be more than compensated for in another. What you feel you lack in the present may become one of your strengths in the future. May you see your future as one filled with promise and possibility. Learn to view everything as a worthwhile experience. May you find enough inner strength to determine your own worth by yourself, and not be dependent on another's judgements of your accomplishments. May you always feel loved.
I dedicate this to all the angels in my life which are many! Bless you each and everyone and know that your always in my heart and prayers! Angel
Time to Love
Once upon a time, there was an island where all the feelings lived: Happiness, Sadness, Knowledge, and all of the others including Love. One day it was announced to the feelings that the island would sink, so they all prepared their boats and left. Love was the only one who stayed. Love wanted to stay with the island until it started sinking. When Love was almost sinking, he decided to ask for help. Richness came by Love in a beautiful boat.Love said, "Richness, can you take me with you?" Richness answered, "No, I can't. There is a lot of gold and silver in my boat. There is no place here for you." Love decided to ask Vanity who was also passing by, "Vanity, please help me!" "I can't help you Love. You are all wet and you may damage my boat," Vanity answered. Sadness was close by so again Love asked for help, "Sadness, let me go with you." "Oh...Love, I am so sad that I prefer to go alone!" Happiness passed by Love too, but she was so happy that she did not listen when Love called her! Suddenly, there was a voice, "Come Love, I will take you." It was an elder. Love became so happy that he even forgot to ask the elder her name. When they arrived on dry land, the elder went on her own way Love asked Knowledge, another elder, the name of the elder who had helped him. "It was Time," answered Knowledge. "Time? But why did Time help me?" asked Love."Because only Time is capable of understanding how great Love is," answered Knowledge. The moral of this wee story is: "Take the time to know what Real Love is" Thanx Mitres aka Lil'Angel!
To a Friend of Mine
Who is Extra Special to Me I have always seen my life as a journey on a road to tomorrow. There have been hills and valleys and turns here and there that have filled my life with all kinds of challenges and changes. But I made it through those times, because there were always special friends I met along the way. My special friends are the ones who have walked beside me, comforting my spirit or holding my hand when I needed it the most. They were friends who loved my smiles and were not afraid of my tears. They were true friends who really cared about me. Those friends are forever; they are cherished and loved more than they'll ever know.You are one of My Special Friends, and a Beautiful Part of My Life! Thanx Ev the feeling is mutual! 5/13/99 By: Deanna Beisser
