This month’s poem, called “At Home,” strikes a chord with me, and I hope it will strike one with you, too. Celebrating the holidays with loved ones is always the preferred choice, but sometimes things come up that prevent it from happening.

The poem “At Home” is from a collection of Advent Poetry 2021 (that’s right, hot-off-the-press!). It’s especially appropriate, I think, fort this year, for many reasons, not the least of which is the need for many of us to make “home” wherever we are.

So, sit back and enjoy what is real for you at the moment. It’s what you have! And… relax, it’s yours to enjoy.

Happy End of 2021… Look forward to 2022!!!

AT HOME
(There’s no place like it… )

A house is made of brick and mortar, but
A home is made by the people who live there.
Home is where love resides and memories are created;
Friends are always welcome and family is forever.

Benjamin Franklin commented, “A house is not a home unless
It contains food and fire for the body and the mind.’
Our homes should inspire us to go out into the world
And do great things that are honest and kind.

We each carry our homes within us,
Which enables us to fly through the air.
It’s not about finding a home, so much,
As finding yourself… then “being at home” there.

The ache for home lives in all of us,
Where we can go as we are… no concealing.
Home is where you hang your heart…
Home may not be a place, but a feeling.

It’s November, 2021 — Gratitude Month…

… and gratitude is one of my very favorite subjects about which to write.

I’ve lost count of the number of poems I’ve written over the years on the subject of gratitude… but obviously, it is important to me and on my mind a lot. I have found, in my life, that when I am feeling gratitude there is no room for any of the negative things that pop up now and then.

Buddha’s wisdom on the subject of gratitude goes like this (I love it):

“Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot
today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a
little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least
we didn’t die; so let us all be thankful.”

(We can always find a target for our gratitude!)

GRATITUDE

A grateful heart is a magnet for miracles…
You shift to a higher frequency and attract better things.
You give joy and laughter to all of those around you.
Communication is accomplished along loving heartstrings.

With gratitude in your heart there’s more beauty to see.
Opening your eyes enhances your gratitude practice.
Be thankful for everything that happens in your life…
It’s all your experience! It’s your very own process.

Each day you live, be looking for the good.
Praise it, appreciate it… practice being grateful.
Make it your daily commitment and you’ll be in awe
Of what happens in your life: joys by the roomful.

Gratitude is when memory is stored in your heart,
And not in your busy mind at all.
An “attitude of gratitude” will ease your path.
It will help you to survive any storm or squall.

There’ll be moments, of course, when your gratitude wears thin,
And it’s rekindled by another on the spot.
They’ve lit the flame within you to go another turn.
Be GRATEFUL when things are going well.
Be GRACEFUL when they are not.

In doing some research on the subjects of “choice” and “chance,” I found that most of the information related to “choice OR chance” vs. “choice TO chance.” Our English language has lots of these little quirks, it seems.

Choice leading TO chance is the basis for this October 2021 Poem of the Month; and although November is considered the “Gratitude Month,” I am grateful now, in October, for being able to make choices for myself with the knowledge that it opens up chances, or opportunities, for making even better choices.

I hope you enjoy the poem.

BECAUSE YOU HAVE A CHOICE, YOU HAVE A CHANCE

According to William Jennings Bryan
Your destiny is a matter of choice.
It’s a thing to be achieved, and when it is
You have many reasons to rejoice.

You can be miserable, to be sure,
Or you can be happily self-motivated.
The ball is in your court (isn’t it always?).
Your choices are yours to be activated.

The decisions you make are a choice of values.
They reflect your life in every way.
It is these decisions that shape your path.
Make good choices for yourself every day.

Every choice you make has an end result.
Making good ones will afford you a chance
To better opportunities and a happier life,
As along life’s trail you advance.

With good choices come opportunities — chances —
To improve your situation… to make your life better.
Your chances of success can always be measured
By your belief in yourself… be a go-getter!

Hunter S. Thompson’s advice on chance is short and sweet:
“Buy the ticket. Take the ride…” his words exactly.
“Freedom is nothing but a chance to be better…”
Albert Camus’ comment weighed in most matter-of-factly.

Use each sunset as your very own reset button,
And start over each morning grateful for the chance
To open your eyes to see your better life.
You are extraordinary, you’re victorious in your unique dance.