Love Gift

From Denny:  Have you ever thought about how your words can dramatically affect another person's view of themselves a hundred years  from now?  This poem is a recounting of an actual event in my life as it affected me deeply when I realized the incredible power of a small act of kindness.

Love Gift

Leaning on the door frame
I saw the birthday party hum.
People in perpetual motion,
Swirling in and out of the kitchen,
Dealing brightly colored paper plates
Like a deck of cards at a poker game,
Landing soft as a feather in front of the cake.
Melting ice cubes chinked as they carried the cups.
The conversation was full of giggles and loud laughs,
Little children running like yard cats circling the table.







The woman of the day celebrated 100 years of her life.
She sat at the head of the table drinking in the sights,
Smiling and nodding as she was kissed and given gifts
By excited relatives, friendly neighbors and well wishers.
She was happy to be so honored and respected.
There was a twinge of sadness hiding behind her smile.
I drifted toward her to offer my congratulations, and,
As I was invited to sit near her, she began to reminisce.
I sat back and just listened as she recounted her long life.
She spoke of history unfolding, family increasing, friends gone.
She seemed happy, settled and content, except for something missed.







I listened to more than her words; I listened deeper into her heart
And she offered up her troubling hurt from since birth.
She revealed in a hushed whisper she was born illegitimate.
Her father abandoned them, shaming her mother, never to return.
She said it was hard to grow up scorned by neighbors and family
And here she is now, all these years later, honored by their descendants.
She remarked how strange Life can be and felt good that times do change.
Yet the harsh memories still haunted; her family did not know her hurt.
She quickly fell silent, spent, and with searching eyes looked into mine.
She probed for acceptance, reassurance and words that felt right.







I held her gaze tenderly and said what I believed to be true.
She started to tremble, half afraid, half excited; she said she felt new.
I told her none of us can control how we come into this world.
What we can control is how we choose to live and love in this world.
Her voice quivered, as she wept next to me, while the party, like her, began to calm.
“For a life time I’ve craved to hear loving words that I was worthy.”
She settled back into her chair and straightened her shoulders with new pride.
Now the smile was genuine, her heart refreshed; she put down her burden to live.
To her family, her friends, her neighbors, the world: that was her Love Gift.



Denny Lyon
Copyright 14 May 2010
All Rights Reserved

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Photo Credits

Happy Birthday Cake by Omer Wazir @ flickr

Secret garden gate by ARendle @ flickr

Steps into the light by extranoise @ flickr

Water lilies in the light by tinyfroglet @ flickr

The Social Poets: Funny 2012 Election Late Nite Jokes and Videos

The Social Poets: Funny 2012 Election Late Nite Jokes and Videos: From Denny: With the holiday season yesterday's news, it's time to catch up on the hilarious jokes from the late night comics about the GOP candidates and their utterly lame "debates." These are all the jokes from December 2011 and half of January 2012.

As the political season wears on - and wears out the goodwill of the public - the jokes will only get sharper as the political attacks get nastier. Put on your hockey face mask as the Zingers are about to get hurled at you from every angle during the next 11 months.

All the major news networks are now calling for some serious fact-checking on those GOP claims pooped out onto the airwaves.

You know it's really bad when the mainstream news starts complaining about the very guys who buy the ads on their networks that they encouraged to behave so badly in the first place. Do you think it might have something to do with the fact the majority of the public is not paying attention to those silly debates?

Beautiful Illustrated Quotations: 14 Awesome Friendship Quotes To Get You Thinking

Beautiful Illustrated Quotations: 14 Awesome Friendship Quotes To Get You Thinking: "From Denny: Lately, so much has been happening at a dizzying pace, especially the difficulty of the chaotic economy and harrowing jobs situation for millions of people worldwide.

When turbulent times are upon us it can sure cause us to think about the many wonderful friends we've enjoyed over the years. Many are in other countries now, some passed away young, others are in turmoil from divorce or other trauma. Many others have raised families, wondering what to do with the rest of their lives.

I've certainly had my fair share of interesting friends in my life. There were those to whom I was a better friend to them than they were to me. The reverse is true of those who were much older - and definitely wiser - who helped guide me when I needed it most - that I was not the friend I wished I had been for them at that point in time. But mentors know and accept that truth. They get their laugh when it's your turn to mentor and the process starts all over again. :)

These interesting heartfelt quotes are certainly an eclectic check list to assess if you are being the kind of friend you desire to be to others. And it might be eye-opening to assess if others are being the kind of friend you need right now too."