When the day is long

When the day is long

When the day is long and it seems like it wants to go on forever you look around feverishly for something to take your mind off of the day

As the day wares on and grates on your mind you start to believe that there really isn’t rest for the weary and it makes the day feel longer

When you look at the clock and it seems like it isn’t moving and all you hear is the Tick-Tock or see the red lights taking turns blinking of the clock on the wall and feel as if all you want to do is give up

After what seems like an eternity you look at the clock and you realize that the day is finally over and your mind is now at ease and as you start to relax the days despair starts fading while happier thoughts start filling your head

When your day finally comes to an end you feel more wound up then when you were during the long afternoon and you decide to go somewhere to unwind and share the waning hours of the day with friends who like you needed to go somewhere to unwind after a day you though would never end

in the late night stillness

In the late night stillness

In the stillness of the late night you can hear the overwhelming quietness that it almost seems like there is something just around the corner waiting to spring out at you
In the darkness you can hear all of the creaky boards in the floor and on the stairs that you normally cannot hear as you go about your day

In the darkness every small noise sounds like it is loud enough to wake the dead and it sounds like it is coming from everywhere yet from nowhere

The darkness gives life to even the smallest of shadows with the slightest hint of filtered light coming through the trees just outside the windows

As the night wares on, the moon makes its nightly appearance and as it peers through each window in turn, it slowly moves slowly across the night sky casting long dancing shadows everywhere

As the moon pierces the darkness the stillness of the nigh is only broken by the rustling of the wind through the trees that gives an air of spookiness to the stillness of the night

As the late night fades into the early morning, the stillness that once filled the air is now making way for the first stirrings of the early morning to bring on the day

Firefighters

Firefighters

Firefighters are like the old friends that are always there in times of need

Firefighters when not battling a blaze are like the friendly neighbors who are
Always outside on their porches greeting the people as they go by

Firefighters are always ready at a moments notice when they are needed
At any time any where

Firefighters are always there at the ready for anything from saving a kitty from a tree
To saving someone from an inferno that has engulfed a building

Firefighters are always willing to help out regardless of the risks and they prefer
To show humility and being humble

Firefighters are easily forgotten about but never far from anyone’s mind in times of need

Firefighters when answering the call of the bell, are sometimes called home to heaven
To do their job beside Saint Florian who watches over them

Though the families of the firefighters feel a great sense of loss when Saint Florian calls but hey know that they are where they are needed the most and take comfort in knowing that

words for a card I was asked to make

as you cross the finish line for that marathon

running session you stop to reflect, looking back

at all of the things you have accomplished and as

you start to catch your breath you look up in wonder

as you ask where the year went.

then it hits you that the year ran by in a blur like that

of a marathon runner in full stride, that it is your day,

your birthday.

On the Lake at Dusk

On the Lake at Dusk

On the lake at dusk, with the last fleeting rays of sun light glistening off of the water
You hear the rustling of the small animals in the underbrush trying to find a place to
Lay their heads for their nightly slumber

As you walk to the waters edge to sit down and stare at the water, you hear the soft breeze
Talking to you through the weeping willows at the waters edge telling you the bedtime
Stories and singing you the lullabies you knew as a child, while the paper birch and the silver
Birch who are out stretched over the water cast their dancing shadows in the fleeting
Of the sunlight that they do every evening for the setting sun

As you watch the animals come out from the forest’s edge to the waters edge for their last drink
Before their nightly slumber you watch as they share the same watering hole where hours
Earlier they scurried from each other

With the days warmth slowly fading, in the fleeting light you shutter as you take in
The last few breaths of the day’s warm air as you feel the suns warmth slowly fade
From head to toe in the twilight at dusk

As the gleam from the sun fades from the water you can see the hint of the moons
First light hit the water, trying to stretch across the water to meet the sun’s last rays
And then one by one almost like a choreographed dance, the stars come out in turn dancing
Around in the sky as the days final light fades over the horizon.

As twilight replaces the day’s light, the Breeze takes on the sounds of the night with the hooting
Owls and the chirping crickets as background noises for the bedtime stories and lullabies that now appear to be louder than they had been before as the soft breeze begs to be heard

As the moment ends you rise to your feet, to keep from nodding off from the breeze telling you the
Bedtime stories and singing the lullabies with the musical ensemble of hoots and chirps in the
Background you look around and realize that the only thing that can compare to such a perfect
End to a day is the dawn of a new day on the lake

As you start to walk you take in one last deep breath of the cool night air and say I wish I could stay past this moment on the lake and regret that I have to wait ‘til tomorrow to see this moment again

on the lake in the early morning

On the Lake, in the Early Morning

Sitting on the lakefront, there is beauty in the glistening calm water as the early
Morning sun reflects off the lake that casts the rustic shadows, bringing back days
And memories that have long been forgotten

As you sit there looking at the outcroppings of the paper and silver Burch’s outstretched
And hanging low over the water, you hear the soft breeze talking to you through the
Branches of the mighty weeping willows at the waters

As you sit there in the early morning mist that collects as the morning dew, you take in
The fresh morning air and feel renewed by everything around you, yet you can’t get up
Because it would mean leaving the serene tranquility of the moment

As the morning sun rises ever so slightly, waking the animals from their nightly slumber
With the lightening of the early morning shadows, you watch as they come out of their hiding
Spots to take in their first drink of the day from the waters edge all the while watching what is going on around them as they drink

First you see the smaller animals that are quick to hide at the first sign of movement then
You see the larger animals that will sometimes stop and look to see what is going on

As the moment comes to a close with getting up to take in one last look at everything on
The lake you only regret is that the moment had to end, but it allows you to walk away happy for you know that the beauty that you just witnessed will come again at the roughly the
Same time tomorrow

Pain

Pain it is something that we all have, but no one likes it and no one wants it

Pain is something that we learn to tolerate over the course of our lives

Pain even though not liked is sometimes needed to help us grow as individuals over time

Pain is something that we learn from, through the stress it causes

Physical pain can last just a few moments or it can linger over a lifetime

Emotional pain if left unchecked can fester over a lifetime quietly or it can
Cause someone to cause pain for others over time

How we learn to handle pain has a lot to do with how we deal with
The pain and how we react to turmoil in our lives

If you choose to give into your pain you will be consumed by it and
Cause yourself even more pain

In the end how we deal with our pain makes us who we are
And determines where we will go in life

Hero's Are

Hero’s are almost never the big budget film hero’s that will
Wait till the last second to intervene

Hero’s are the Firefighters and Police Officers who risk their lives with little fanfare and lots of humility without a second thought for their own safety

Hero’s are the people, especially the children who no matter the adversity are Able to show real courage, strength happiness and love that keeps us going for them Regardless of how bad it gets

Hero’s are the sports figures that we look up to and the sports teams that
We cheer on regardless of whether they win or loose

Hero’s are the family members and the friends that stick by our side throughThick and thin without hesitation or wavering

Hero’s are the strangers on the street who despite their busy schedules stop to give You a hand when you need it, without ever needing to be asked to do so

Hero’s are parents who when their children need them for any reason
At any time are there for them unconditionally regardless of reason

Hero’s are the people who renew our faith in each other and that give us the Strength to keep going even in our darkest hours

Hero’s in the end are the ones who take the time to show that they care even as others Would have them turn a blinds eye to the person in need

friends are

Friends are the people who you meet in life
That end up staying with you

Friends are the people who you can hang out with
Anywhere and anywhere regardless of the time

Friends are the ones who will not berate you or
Belittle you no matter what you do

Friends are the people will lend a hand when two hands
Are not enough when everyone else looks the other way

Friends are the one who will support you when you need it
Even when no one else will or can

Friends are the ones who know how to embarrass you just at the
Right moment with a story that you would like to forget

Friends are willing to accept you regardless of any
Faults you may have

Friends are able to deal with you when you are at your
Worst and then be able to laugh at it afterwards

Friends in the end are like family members that have never
Grown apart from each other over time