appreciation

Retirement

Laurie


So many paths crossed,
Personally
Professionally.

May times
The lines
Have blurred.

Why?
Open acceptance
Active listening,

Sparking trust,
Becoming
A confidant.

Inspiring possibilities,
Nurturing
Unfurling others’ wings.

You leave
A legacy
Of time, dedication.

You traveled
Selflessly
And not alone.

Endless recruiting;
Had a family
Not of blood

But of a greater testimony,
One of voluntarily
Empowering.

You leave behind
A force!
Women believing

In themselves,
Each other,
The value of team.

Co-worker
Boss
Friend;

More the ‘Godmother’!
I embrace
Applaud

Value
Appreciate
Our paths crossing.

Now sail
Into retirement.

But my friend,
Your ‘work’ of forging sustaining relations
Is not yet done;

As this remains your core characteristic,
And retirement does not stop the clock;
Only where you go.

BOB

Never you can forget 

If ever you get to meet our Bob 

A man from simple beginnings 

Traveling across the Atlantic pond

From the midlands of the UK

To the West of the United States

Always one to make use of his God given gift

His hands, his strength, his determination 

Husband to Uma

Obsessive, possessive but all and only hers.

Father to Misha, Sheema, Beena

Father-figure to Ricky, Reena, Angie, Tejal

Dada to all the grandkids close and far… 

You wear many hats

Switching as your audience calls

Reliable for your brüt honestly 

Known for your no fuss ways

Humor unpredictable 

Behavior always a scary surprise 

Beloved by young and old

Sort for by friends and family

We congratulate you

On your big Seven Zero!

Life, we know has delivered its ups and downs

Here’s to smooth sailing now

Ride any more bumps 

As if steering your first car, the Mini

And feel the blessing of life

Cruising through your veins 

This journey is only yours

Thank you for letting us join in on the ride 

We love you ol’ man♥️

Just in case you didn’t know!

Bigger than the differences..

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Five seas
Seven continents
Countless countries
And seven billion faces

Of all the possibilities
You and I meet!

Short acquaintances
Long friendships
Pleasant affairs
Awkward collisions

Personal or political
Social or historical
The issues are many
And repeated generationally

Attracting and repelling
Sometimes reoccurring
Encounters test and teach
But are we ready for the learning

For the snapshot
Of our existence
What will we gain
What legacy will be changed

Whether we live
Loud and large
Or quiet and small
One thing is for sure

As we came
We shall leave
So as we meet
Let’s share a seed

The seed of kindness
With a listening ear
A supportive hand
And a wish for good stewardship

Hence, may we deserve to live
Upon this ‘pale blue dot’
And on exiting
Leave it the same if not a speck better

Coming Home

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Sitting on a bench
Sharing our stories of
George Eliot
The pen named writer
The high school we all attended
The hospital where you were born
Once in the forefront
Then the backdrop
Of our lives

Sitting on a bench
Sharing our stories of
Riversley Road park
With the parading peacock
The pristine bowling green
The wading pool and bandstand
And of course the Museum
Once in the forefront
Then the backdrop
Of our lives

Sitting on bench

Sharing our stories

Outside
Abbey Theater
With new friends in times of need
Old ones re-acquainted
Once in the forefront
Then the backdrop
Of our lives

All these memories were fortunately made
So stories now can be re-told
And I can still cherish you
No matter how quickly
The two years have flown by

True Mothers

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Mother Earth
Mother Moon,
Mother Sun.
Mother Earth
You spin and rotate,
At velocity I can’t even fathom
Yet I stand steadfast and grounded.
Mother Moon
With no light of your own,
You care to grasp and reflect
Silver beams for my night to glow.
Mother Sun
You’re a blazing inferno
With constant ignition,
Yet for me
Gentle rays cascade.
With your nature to nurture
Your methods do conjure
My awe, my gratitude.
Yet at times forgetting
The magnitude of this precision
This perfection.
Taking life for granted,
You resort to sending lessons,
Sometimes
Too hard to swallow.
With platonic collisions
Come tsunamis, eruptions.
With meetings of high-low pressures
Dance hurricanes and twisters.
Despite the devastation,
The restructuring,
Over the many milline and Ages
With divine intervention,
The solar system has withstood
Test of time for my here entrance.
With what has been endured,
Allows me my time.
My day in the Sun
My nights with the Moon,
With feet upon this Earth.
True Mothers of life,
I promise to honor,
Respect and obey,
This glorious given life
In your kingdom,
This trifecta Heaven.
Photo curtesy of Kim Vallon posted on Pinterest.

Letting go…..


Hiding from the inevitable

Avoiding the breakdown

Denying the process
Come I say, come!

Full force and break me

Fill me with your pain
Drown me, then wash with you

Away the momentary anguish

Leave me cleaned and empty
My choice to feel the void

My blessing to fill with love

My clarity to know the truth
What’s truly mine

I can never lose

Yet given freely and abundantly replenish
This is the story of love

Never to be lost

Only to be gained
Wellspring eternal

Even for the mortal

Mesh, merge and mingle
Into every moment, everyday

Let transient slip and slide

And love shine and be forever bright

Diamond

image

Fragmented and splintered
Chiseled then polished
Raw yet cultured
Precious and undefeated

You are the diamond
Angularly brilliant
Independently worthy
Throughout the solitary fight

Sought for by the greedy
Hampered by mediocrity
Cajoled to conform
Yet still to stand alone

Wipe off the tarnish
Revere your elements
Withstand the pressures
Gleam from your core

For the Love of Words…

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A a beautiful expression from my adopted brother this Rakshabandan season…

The power of a few heartfelt words surpasses all differences and distances, crosses all cultures and curtailments and enables embracement and acceptance…