I Am From

©2012 Joan Brown

I am from the South, Georgia by state.

I am from two societies and realities

I am from a big, old white house on a hill, proudly and sedately watching anything and everything.

I am from wild azaleas, rhododendrons, honeysuckles, mountain laurel, dogwoods.

I am from chiggers, wood ticks, mosquitoes, often called the state bird.

I am from smells of a barn, many cedars, pines, hemlock, and red clay dirt.

I am from rain, sometimes endless, always fresh-smelling and often freezing.

I am from well water, ice cold, so sweet it's inebriating.

I am from a family of readers, savers, repairers, non-wasters.

I am from Scottish fold, Cherokee Indian, Irish, English-mish-mash like almost everybody.

I am from Sam and Bonnie Leslie-he from Georgia, she from Tennessee, protestant, singer of

Psalms, trained to heed the Bible. I still believe in a higher power, not so much one church.

I am from Atlanta, and I'm grits, cornbread, and home cured, fried pork tenderloin.

I am a lucky person, glad I've been given the privilege of experiencing life. 

Autumn Leaves

©2012 Bobbie Zamudio

       I’d love to see New England in the fall and witness the splendor of their leaves

To see them from afar and walk among those trees

To smell and touch and take in their magnificent display

Yellows, orange, rust and reds in such a brilliant array

Those leaves began as buds sprouting forth perfect and new

Like the promise of a new beginning for everyone to view

They took their place on the limb and held on with all their might

Their fresh green exuberance always a welcomed delight

They embraced every beautiful sun kissed day

Swayed with the wind and faced every storm that came their way

Much like the adversities we face within our own life

Remaining strong and steady or falling victim to the strife

Spring and summer have passed too quickly as fall has comes upon them

Almost time to let go of the tree to make room for next years buds on the limb

And it’s at the end of their time when they give their most beautiful story

Oh, but to be as they and take our last bow in such a blaze of glory

A CARPET OF LEAVES

©2012 Pam Wilkie

There is a tree in my backyard that has the most unusual leaf growing cycle I’ve ever seen. It’s actually two trees planted side by side. The saplings were so small when I bought them, I didn’t see how one would ever grow big enough to provide the screen between my house and the neighbor’s that I needed it to be. So, I bought two of them. And my twins have thrived and grown up together into tall, strong, full, adolescents, their twin trunks joined only at the ground, each one going off in its own direction. They’ve been good kids, and have given me exactly what I wanted.

This tree is a Shamel Ash, a deciduous tree, and every fall I watch as a steady shower of leaves falls to the ground over several weeks until the branches are bare. Their colors are as vibrant and bright as fall colors should be. They lay on the ground, a carpet of maroon and rust, yellow and brown.

I look at them surrounding the twin trunks in a wide circle and I like it. I don’t hurry to rake them up or sweep them away; there is a beauty in them being there.

My hammock is stretched beneath this tree and many happy hours have been spent looking up into its startling seasonal beauty. I’ve discovered that as soon as my beloved has shed its old clothing, it begins almost immediately to replace it. Each limb has branches jutting out and each branch has smaller, more delicate ones extending out. It is on these slender branches that the leaves begin to grow. 
   At first they appear as strange clumps of green, mossy looking substance at the end of each branch, but upon closer inspection it is clearly not moss, but a fuzzy new-born leaf material. The bees love this stage and flock to the tree every day, all day, sucking out the nectar in the new buds. The tree literally hums with life during this period. I love it. Then, they’re gone. A new stage is beginning. 
   The green mossy looking blob starts to split up into individual five-fingered leaves. And, voila, there they are…perfectly symmetrical, mathematically correct, tiny versions of their predecessors. Each branch starts out with three leaves, then two more grow and finally another two appear. The process has begun anew; the circle goes around; the planet spins and life continues on.

Credo

©2011 Bobbi Zamudio

   I believe everyone deserves to be treated with respect. A little kindness can sometimes make a big difference in someone’s life. You never know what difficulties another person may be going through.

I believe that everyone has a place and a purpose in this life.

I believe everyone is unique in their own way and everyone’s life is unique. Everyone has their own hopes, dreams, worries and fears. They view things differently and experience things differently. That’s what makes people so interesting. Sometimes, they don’t act the way I think they ought to but when I think about it, I can’t even make myself be the way I think I ought to be.

I believe it’s important to always grow as a person because there is always room for improvement and always new things to learn.

    I believe that your thoughts greatly affect the way you feel. If you go around thinking negative thoughts all the time, it can make you miserable and if you think more positive thoughts, it can help you get through even the toughest of times. Everyone feels down sometimes because trouble is inevitable but misery is optional. I like the saying, “When you are going through hell, don’t stop there, just keep going and you’ll get through it”.

I believe that life isn’t always fair. Bad things do happen that you didn’t deserve but good things happen too that you didn’t bring about which enriches our lives and brings much happiness. Going through bad things in life can build character, strength, and sympathy for others.

   I believe that no matter how bad things may seem I know there are others that have bigger problems than I. I used to be a Case Manager for California Children Services which involves children with severe medical problems and diseases. Some of the children had a period of treatments or a surgery and then they were fine. But some of those children had to face their whole life going through medical treatments, in pain, and deteriorate to eventual death. I don’t think I will ever forget some of those cases. This gives me a different perspective when I’m feeling down because nothing I could ever go through could be as heart wrenching as what some of those families had to go through.

I believe in being thankful for the many blessings in my life. I believe somewhat in fate but I also believe that we have a free will and much of life is what you create by the choices you make and the attitude you carry.

   I believe everyone has the potential to do great things in life but many of us fail to take action and what might have been a great achievement becomes a lost opportunity.

I believe in the possibility that there could be whole other universes and other forms of life, maybe even intelligent life forms similar to us that we have not discovered yet. Claims of alien abductions and UFO’s may be from a lot of quacks but maybe not all of them. There are new stars and new planets being discovered and there is so much more in outer space yet to be explored.

   I believe that United States is still the greatest country on Earth. I believe in being loyal to our Country and being proud of those who serve in the military and those who put their lives on the line for our freedom. I get choked up when I hear the Star Spangled Banner or God Bless America and I get teary eyed when I see families lose a loved one in the war, I feel their pain.

I believe that politics can be complicated, complex and often has muddled issues and it’s hard to know who to believe at times. Sometimes I see both sides of an issue and it’s hard to commit to one side but if you don’t vote and don’t pay taxes, please don’t complain about what’s wrong with America to me.

   I believe it’s important to have balance in your life; a good sense of humor, drive, health, happiness and faith in God. Life is short so you should try to make the best of each and every day.

I believe in life after this life. I have read several books on this subject and those that have had near death experiences are not afraid to die. Science teaches that matter does not die, it just becomes something else. I like to believe that our spirit will live on in heaven because any other alternative seems too disheartening.

  I believe in God and Jesus Christ as our savior. What an awesome creator our God is. Sometimes I like to close my eyes and think of all the amazing complexities in life, within our bodies and in our minds. There are thousands of different kinds of animals, plants and minerals, some unique to only certain areas. I think of the precision of all the planets and their movement around the sun as predictable as our days and nights and into our seasons. They say no two snowflakes are exactly alike and no two grains of sand are exactly alike, even our fingerprints there are no two exactly alike. When I see a beautiful sunset, I think God made a painting in the sky for all of us to see and admire and when I look up at the moon and stars in the sky I am amazed at how far they are and how vast the sky is. It makes me feel small. I am only a piece of the puzzle in this life but every piece is important to the whole picture. There are a lot of things I don’t understand in life maybe some day those questions will be answered. How could everything be made up of atoms and yet everything look so different? How can someone see amazing things in life and not believe in God? How can someone hold a newborn baby in their arms and not believe in miracles? Sometimes people get caught up in religious ideology but I think it is important to have faith in God whatever you perceive him to be.

I believe that the world is an amazing place with infinite possibilities and everyone has their place.