And Then There Came Great-Grandchildren

Love all of the Facebook posts about our great-grandchildren during the Christmas season. I think the following post by our son-in-law, Michael, might be my favorite this year.

"Here are the grandkids watching a movie. This is just a guess, but I think it's a Chick Flick."

The World Is Mine

Frequently, in my mind, I hear my Dad quoting one of the poems he committed to memory – and there were dozens. Sometimes the poems were used in jest, but at other times Dad was making a point.

I’m not sure why, but while I was shopping this week Dad’s voice recited a poem in my mind. It is a poem originally published as being written by an unknown author, but in recent years several people have come up with edited versions and claimed authorship. The most recent version I found replaced the word, “gay” (commonly known in the past to mean lighthearted and carefree) with the word, “happy.” Really?

The poem as quoted by my Dad is printed here. These verses communicate a good lesson during this season of the year when I too often focus on “stuff.”

The World Is Mine

Today upon a bus, I saw a lovely maid with golden hair.

     I envied her, she seemed so gay,

And I wished I were as fair.

     When suddenly she rose to leave,

I saw her hobble down the aisle;

     She had one foot, and used a crutch,

But as she passed, she had a smile.

     Oh, God, forgive me when I whine;

I have two feet, the world is mine.

And when I stopped to buy some sweets,

     The lad who sold them had such charm.

I talked to him, he said to me,

     “It’s nice to talk to men like you.

You see,” he said, “I’m blind.”

     Oh, God, forgive me when I whine;

I have two eyes, the world is mine.

Then, as I passed along the way,

     I saw a child with eyes of blue.

He stood and watched the others play;

     It seemed he knew not what to do.

I stopped for a moment and then I said,

     “Why don’t you join the others, dear?”

He looked ahead without a word,

     And then I knew he could not hear.

Oh, God, forgive me when I whine;

     I have two ears. The world is mine.

With feet to take me where I’d go,

     With eyes to see the sunsets glow,

With ears to hear what I would know,

     I’m blessed indeed.

The world is mine.

     Oh, God, forgive me if I whine.

~Author Unknown

Christmas Sharing

This beautiful scene was designed using stained glass in cement by grandson, Jacob Walker, when he was quite young. I display it every Christmas. Despite having a lot of artistic talent as a child, he chose instead to teach math (his first love) to high school students.

A Mile in Someone's Shoes

Often people tell me I need to walk a mile in the shoes of someone before criticizing. Of course that is impossible to do and is just another way of saying, “I’m right and you are wrong.”

The following quote was sent to me this week. I think it is a good response to the “walk a mile someone else’s shoes” notion.

“Cocky, nah but I have confidence in my abilities. Arrogant, no because without my faith, my God, and those who love me I am nothing. Unemotional, hardly because not all emotions materialize into tears. Judgmental, critical maybe, but I just don't think you always have to walk a mile in someone else's shoes to tell they are walking in the wrong direction.”
     ~ Eugene Nathaniel Butler

~Picture from Pinterest