Collage #44

Another year has gone by

What a pleasure

To watch you grow

As you progress

From total innocence

Toward maturity

In body and soul

My heart must swell with pride

Seeing you are so fine

May the new year’s bells

Ring with zeal

May blessings you’ll receive

Have you grow finer still

I love you so

Let’s rejoice

In life’s miraculous delights

Happy New Year

To you, my dears

Collage #43

It was a special treat

When Bà came to town

We wanted to show her around

But her plan wasn’t quite sound

For she missed both the trail of lights

And the sweet-smelling pumpkin patch

But she still did pretty well

And we think she’s just swell

To gobble down a Thanksgiving feast

And engage in many things

That other grandmas may not care about

Like drinking a prosecco with Mama

Hanging out with Dada and the two of us

While Mama was with Malinda

Reading us stories from her iPad

(We loved the one with Dragon who was stuck

So we made her read it about forty times)

Snuggling up on the family bed for a movie night

Picking us up even though her knee was tight

Helping us put ornaments on the Christmas tree

Laughing with us when we start squealing with glee

Watching us perform our daily activities

Praising us and letting us know we’re her cup of tea

Going to a movie with us and cheering for family

Making bath bombs with Mama when the time was right

Sleeping with us when Dada had to work overnight

We were sad when it was time to say goodbye

But we know she’ll be back

A not too distant day

We shall wait

The Future Is Here

I am living the future

The future is here

Magic has happened

Everywhere in sight

Science fictions of yesteryear

Are fictions no more

Artificial intelligence

Is at my door

Its knocking gives me such a thrill

Yet all the same I feel a shrill

I hope we’ll live together in harmony

For there is no escaping

What to be

The future is here

Thankful

I’m thankful
For the provisions I call mine
That nourish me 
And help me grow
Every moment of my life
I’m thankful
For the present of being
Of living and breathing
The good life I’m given
I’m thankful
For the past that shaped me
Throughout the journey 
Sometimes I stumbled
Sometimes I fell. 
Sometimes I made a U-turn
But somehow
Someone must have helped me
Get up and keep going
In the right direction
Something imperceptible
Even invisible
Pulled me through 
Each time
That’s the mystery of life
I’m thankful
For the future that looks bright
Because I know 
Despite the intermittent setbacks
Better time is nigh
My spirit is high
My angels will be in my arms
In no time
And I will shout
Hallelujah
Thank you for the wonders
Of Life

100-word of Giving Thanks

I am seeing the grandchildren the day after Thanksgiving. They are a blessing for which I give thanks. I give thanks for the people in my life, the joy and laughter we share, and the tears we shed for love. Though I have not been able to bend my knee for two weeks, I am thankful. God provides. Life is good. My heart is content. I hope to live my life to the fullest, to have passion, to give, to receive, to love, to heal, to dance, to write, to sing, to move – with others as well as by myself.

Collage #42

It is that special time of the year

When you get to see pumpkins galore

At every grocery store

In all shapes and sizes

When that time comes

Don’t you dawdle

But go straight to the store

Ask your mama

If you can pick one

Or more

It’s better to have a brother

To help you carry them home

A brother is good for many things

He often lets you have your ways

He is the first friend you see

In the morning

He can be sweet

Even when you’re cranky

He can give hugs

Even when you don’t want them

But with him

Possibilities abound

You always have someone to laugh with

Fun takes on a new dimension

Everyone should have a brother

Like I do

Don't You Hurry

Let him wait

Don’t you hurry

Take your time

Your arrangements

Can also wait

Don’t you know

If you go

Hearts will be broken

Especially mine                       

Without you

Life will not be so gay

Don’t you remember

We still have places to go together

I still to have to see your face

At least a few more times

There are sunsets to watch

Graduations to celebrate

Weddings to attend

Flowers to smell

Beauty to admire

Please say

You’ll stay

And let him wait

‘Cause I know

He doesn’t want you

To hurry

Collage #41

When the sun was covered

By the moon in the daytime

Me and my brother

Went out of the house

To look up the sky

Mama had given us

Each a pair of glasses

Of magical power

Granting us special vision

To see Heaven in action

We’re no strangers to magic

Where at Disney we experienced

With Family this summer

We spent time together

Walking, running, and riding strollers

Exhausting ourselves

Taking rails, boats, and buses

From one kingdom to another

Searching for moments

Of magical delights

Exploring what was new

Repeating what was fun

Enjoying shows at dusk

With fireworks and lights

Not minding the lines

And the heat of July

When at last it was

Time to say goodbye

I’d bonded with Bà

‘Twas sad to let her go

When we got back home

I called out for her

But she did not come

We will have to skype

Till we meet again

I hope her summer

Is as good as mine

Disney 2017

When Disney calls, you’ve got to go

Imagine yourself soaring in the sky

On the Magic Carpets’ ride

Maybe the rockets will take you high

When your feet are no longer on the ground

And you’re surrounded with joyful sounds

You will feel a new sensation

That fills you with awe and admiration

You can go to Never Land in a galleon

Looking at the city of London in wonderment

Over the sea you’ll watch mermaids sway

While pirates are fighting hard to earn their stay

Magic Kingdom will deliver magical fun

When Mama says go, I’ll be ready in a heartbeat

It’s A Small World we went twice

Just because it was peaceful and nice

And Mama did not mind

And Bà said she’d go anywhere with us for a ride

So we took her to many more places we know she’d adore

Like Winnie the Pooh where lives a bear as sweet as honey

And Under the Sea where a mermaid sings beautifully

The Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin is full of dizzying actions

While you don’t have to move through the Carousel of Progress

The Haunted Mansion was dark and mysterious

The Pirates of the Caribbean were scary too

But what gave me the most uncomfortable thrills

Were the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad when it roars

And the Seven Dwarfs’ Mine Train when it runs

At Hollywood Studio I was a Jedi

I got to train with other Jedi knights

I got on stage to face Darth Vader in person

When, with the blue saber, I bravely fought

And was satisfied

That neither of us had to cry

In the Voyage of the Little Mermaid

Ariel woke from her spell and got both feet and Prince

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is a terror

But it is Bà’s favorite so I had to try

The Star Tours was more fun than the Great Movie Ride

So I did not mind going through it twice

The Toy Story Mania! was really really wild

Dada is the champion of our family in this game of cannon fires

We loved the Kilimanjaro Safaris of Animal Kingdom

Early in the morning when the animals did not hide

They also wandered the Maharajah Jungle Trek and the Gorilla Trail

At Rafiki’s Planet Watch, we brushed the goats and listened to the rain forests’ soul

On the Triceratop Spins Milli loved to go round and round

When we were not so occupied in the Boneyard playground

The Kali River Rapids was fun at all times

Though it scared me that its red rocks were lit up at night

In a different way than the amazing Rivers of Light

I’d pick the Na’vi River Journey in the new Pandora section

Over the scary Dinosaur Dinosaur anytime

The Festival of The Lion King was one of our musts

But I did not understand the allure of the Expedition Everest

It was the adults of our group who willingly split up to ride

At Epcot we had pictures taken with our Disney Pals

Then we went on the search for Nemo at Seas with Nemo and Friends

We were mesmerized by the fishes and turtles of SeaBase

We’d have stayed longer but there were places to go

I rode with Bà again on the Spaceship Earth

Alas again the camera did not capture a photo of me!

We boated down the Frozen Ever After stream that we missed last year

And enjoyed a firework send-off from Queen Elsa and her friends

I could not try my hands at Test Track for there was no time

But we were happy to see Illuminations before turning in for the night

If you ask Bà which park she loves the best

She probably would not be able to tell

How do you choose among the different light shows

Each is a magnificent work of arts of beautiful sounds and sights

I didn’t know that I’d cry at Blizzard Beach

Not because of a rough ride but because I loved the icerbergs too much

At Leisure Pool I did not get to show more of my prowess

But I forgot my sorrow at the Melt-Away Bay and Cross Country Creek with Milli

I have to admit it wasn’t love at first sight

The steep slides that pretend to be snow slopes gave me the willies

The chairlifts look like they would tilt down and dump their riders in a heap

The words of assurance from the adults didn’t soothe me

When I saw them hurl their bodies down Summit Plummit’s vertical drop

But once I lay on my belly to be pulled down the Toboggan Racers course

And swirling and churning down the Snow Stormers, I clamored for more

Then I found the most thrilling ride of the week

Here at Blizzard Beach

The Teamboat Springs, the longest raft ride of all, has definitely become my favorite.

100-word story for Lan's birthday

A man is driving across the country by himself. He started out in Richland. The road is long and lonely. He is tired. He does not have many options. He must reach Urbana before the fall semester begins. He and his wife had planned this trip months ago. At the end, she did not go with him. He wishes her here to keep him company and help him drive. He is an emotional wreck. He just became a daddy. His newborn daughter came six weeks early. His wife stayed behind until they are ready to join him. He is thankful.