Welcome back to my blog. I haven’t posted since the end of April, and, oh, how I missed posting and reading comments and e-mails from my readers. I was away to be with my dear Aunt Rose who became very ill and subsequently passed on at 94 years “young.” I took some time off afterward for reflection and to spend time with my family.
Oh, how I miss her, though. She was quite a lady and great inspiration to me with her optimistic outlook on life. She had a natural ability to tell jokes, getting the punchline perfect everytime. Her right leg was amputated 4 1/2 years years ago; however, she used a prosthetic leg after that to get around independently. Her favorite quip was, “I’m fine, as long as I have one leg to stand on,” and then she would laugh. And, independent she was. She drove her car, taught her music students for both organ and piano, and volunteered to play the piano at her church and a nursing home once a month. Music was an integral part of her life. She lived to play her music everyday, and she played beautifully. She’d been playing since she was a very young girl.
As I was packing her things, I found the canvas shopping bags she regularly used in shopping for groceries and such. Ever concerned about the environment and having a love for nature and this beautiful planet, she had an old-fashioned philosophy of “waste not, want not.” Plastic and paper bags were scarce in her little home. If only the earth’s general population had a speck of that mind-set.
This last week-end, many well-known, dedicated celebrities shared their talent with the world while joining with Mr. Al Gore to express their message of concern about Global Warming for “Live Earth’ the Concerts for a Climate in Crisis.” People everywhere were further encouraged to live an eco-friendly lifestyle for the sake of the environment and Planet Earth, our only home. I know that my Aunt Rose would wish that everyone be blessed with a long, happy life filled with music and love, while living “green” even into our 90’s, leaving a legacy of a safe, beautiful world behind for children everywhere.
My aunt had a favorite little poem that I will leave you with. Print it out and hang it somewhere. It’s a great reminder for everyday life and all the wonderful blessings we have.
Have a great evening, and may God bless.
Donna
“We Thank Thee”
For the flowers that bloom about our feet;
For the song of bird and the hum of bee;
For all things fair we hear and see,
Father in heaven we thank Thee!
For the blue of the stream and the blue of the sky;
For the pleasant shade of branches high;
For the fragrant air and the cooling breeze;
For the beauty of the blooming trees,
Father in heaven we thank Thee!
For the mother-love and father -care,
For brothers strong and sisters fair;
For the love at home and here each day;
For guidance lest we go astray,
Father in heaven we thank Thee!
For this new morning with its light;
For rest and shelter of the night;
For health and food, for love and friends;
For everything His goodness sends,
Father in heaven we Thank Thee! –Ralph Waldo Emerson
Amen
