It’s a way of life

A Valentine is not a day.
It’s the little things by which I say
how much I love that certain one
who claims my grateful heart.

A Valentine lasts through the year.
It promises that I’ll be here
to shield you from the winter chill
as we are growing old.

A Valentine is not a card.
It’s loving you when things are hard.
It’s showing you through what I do
that we will never part.

A Valentine’s a way of life.
When we are stressed by unsolved strife,
I’ll look for ways to rid our home
of that which steals our joy.

A Valentine’s is simply me
who’s humbled by the chance to be
your escort as we journey through
the days that yet await.

*This poem is dedicated to my wife Wendy

Reflecting on Tom Brady’s missing jersey and my mom’s stolen memories

When your Super Bowl jersey is stolen,
you’ve been robbed of the shirt off your back.
And I’m guessing Tom Brady is angry.
No, I’m certain he is. It’s a fact!

But a crime that is even more heinous
is a heist that impacts those we love.
It’s when loved ones are robbed of their mem’ries
or the names they were just thinking of.

A life savings gone. It’s so tragic.
That glassy-eyed stare says it all.
What was earned over decades is taken.
But by who? They just cannot recall.

When the vault in their brain is depleted
and then ransacked of all they held dear,
they are speechless (deprived of their senses).
And the thief leaves them silenced by fear.

Yes, this crime is far worse than is Brady’s.
What is stolen cannot be replaced.
So we should be kind to the victims
whose despair can be seen on theirface.

• http://ftw.usatoday.com/2017/02/tom-brady-missing-jersey-worth

The Bible trumps our President’s initiative

America First? Chapter? Verse?
Where is that in God’s Book?
To seek our own finds us alone
and baiting our own hook.

America First creates a thirst
for ego-driven dreams.
It fuels the soul with selfishness goals
and self-inflating schemes.

America First? My bubble’s burst.
God blest us so we’d bless
the least and lost at any cost.
We must to be our best.

A message to our new Commander in Chief

Make the Presidency great again!
Admit you’re wrong. Confess your sin!
Resist the urge to tweet your thoughts.
Respect what others feel.

Refuse to let your ego reign.
Run after peace instead of fame.
Walk in another’s moccasins
before you take a stand.

Reserve the right to change your mind.
Before you speak or act unkind,
try asking “what would Jesus do?”
Then listen with your heart.

Deny yourself. Put others first.
Don’t give us cause to think the worst.
Demeaning others isn’t cool.
Your mother taught you that.

The Presidency deserves your best.
So what may be your greatest test
is reigning in your inner child
and making him behave.

I really want you to succeed.
But for you to, you need to heed
the Golden Rule that makes you rich
regardless of your wealth.

More than our President is called to take an oath

Place your left on the Bible
and raise your right hand.
Will you solemnly pledge you will pray
for one far-from-perfect
who nonetheless takes
the oath of his office today?

Please vow to use knee mail
(while Mr. Trump tweets).
Then text prayer requests to your friends.
This President needs us
to seek Divine help
all the while we’re confessing our sins.

Let’s pray for this leader
who causes us angst
by the outlandish things that he says.
Ask God to confront him
with the Book neath his hand
lest the theme of his term be “Les Mis.”

It’s not just ‘The Donald’
who’s called to take vows.
God’s calling His people to pray
for a nation divided,
our new President
and the conflicts that stand in his way.