Tag Archives: Culture

The leaf is proud when it does fall

While it is still summer and the leaves are green, I thought I would present a poem I wrote about The Leaf. It is a testament to the life span of leaves, and their group contribution to the success of the tree.

In many ways we are each a leaf of the tree of life and community.

 

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The Leaf

Brown and wrinkled on the ground
The leaf is near its cycle round.
From spry, young bud it grew and spread
To fall down here and become dead.
But it was once a flag of spring
Harkening what life will bring.
And in the summer it did grow
Its shared green power it did show.
And in the autumn with dimming sun
It glowed in knowing what it’d done.
The tree was bigger, stronger, tall.
The leaf is proud when it does fall.

By Rob Hueniken

 

First published: Aug 31, 2009 @ 17:05
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Hearing and saying “I appreciate you”

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Our world depends on a lot of people getting things done. We all have our roles and our tasks, and every day has more than enough to do.

And swirling through our days are people. Some of them we see every day, like those we work with. Some people we only see for a minute, like those who help us in checkout lines or at a restaurant. Some we walk by and never share a word with.

But all of the people in our days are, in fact, real and caring people. And all of them, in some way, are sharing their lives with you.

We cannot know every person, or spend all of our days thanking each other.

But we can appreciate people, and let them know.

Showing appreciation usually starts with a smile or a greeting — letting the other person know we see them — and ends with thanking them.

What happens after that comes naturally. When people feel appreciated they are encouraged and they feel welcome. Their eyes sparkle a bit more, and they can handle tough moments a little more easily. They try hard and the work day goes more easily. They feel they are part of a special team — a loosely knit community of people who recognize the efforts of those around us, and who acknowledge that personally.

You like it when other people appreciate your efforts. Share the joy. Thank someone — many someones — every day.

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i-appreciate-you-say-the-friends

Know and Show your Heart

In a recent song by Taylor Swift, a young woman laments that her guy-friend cannot see that she would make a great girlfriend. The song, titled “You Belong with Me“, is beautifully written, with a simple, down home beginning and a strong, soaring finale. Listening to the song it is easy to ask, “Why is… Continue Reading

Things don’t even out on their own

During times of change or struggle you can often hear someone say that “things will even out”. It is a conflicted catch phrase in that it sounds optimistic but doesn’t assign any responsibility. It is usually uttered when something bad is happening now, or we suspect that things will be less than perfect later on.… Continue Reading

Trees only get one channel

When we get out into nature one thing becomes clear: nature is a fantastic experience, in all its variations. Nature is reality TV in its purest form. A friend and I went walking yesterday in a hill-top park that holds our city’s water supply, suitably called Reservoir Park. It is an inspiring combination of urban… Continue Reading

Cookies make us kids again

There is one thing that can bring people of all ages and cultures to a shared smile: cookies. Our local deli-restaurant is a gathering place on Sundays, where family and friends get together. Everyone gets to order their own meal from the various counters so we tend to grab our trays and spread out when… Continue Reading