...at a stranger
As you walk through an airport,
Or across a room,
Or even passing by in a car


Can change the stranger
And the world
For all time.

…that our life is missing something.
…that our hopes and dreams are evading us.
Yet, God is lavish, unfailing abundance,
The rich, omnipresent (everywhere present) 
Substance of the Universe.
Your awareness and understanding
Of the all-providing activity of 
The Divine within you
Is your source.
Dwell on this.
Know and believe this.
Fill your mind with gratitude
For this.

..Who never fails to notice 
something in each person he meets,
And genuinely compliment each person
On what he notices.
Sometimes it’s what the other is wearing.
Sometimes it’s the job the other just did.
Sometimes it’s the sparkle in the other’s eyes.
And always people remark on how 
Absolutely, positively, incredibly
Wonderful our friend, the complimenter, 
Is.

We have plumerias growing in pots out back.
Their scent wafts on the breezes,
Making us feel happy.
Their blossoms open and share
  Til they fall off
And more blooms open.

My Shannon made me a lei years ago in Maui
   For me to wear home on the plane to the continent.
It was plumeria blossoms, 
    the scent overwhelmingly wonderful
As I slept on the plane with the full moon visible
    In the galaxy’s nighttime.
Plumerias abundant in Abu Dhabi
Mixed with the bougainvillea, the desert rose,
And the desert air.
What blossoms follow you through your life?
Which of their scents?
Which of their joy?

In social media, been following a precious man named Harold
As he cares for his little Teddy, a Yorkshire terrier.

Teddy had a torn ACL.
The tenderness with which Harold cares for Teddy
Through evaluation, diagnosis, labs, surgery,
Postop, 

Will remind each of you who have had a beloved one
Ill or injured, what it takes,
And what you feel.

That tells you everything you need to know
About your heart, your love, your life.

A group of young ladies and a gentleman with whom I worked
In Abu Dhabi.
Each and every one, bringing lessons to me.
And now, the days in the desert land are
But memory.
Save the lessons learned,
The intense love shared,
The laughter ringing through the American Dental Clinic
The patients, the parents, 
And Team Wonderful
Sharing.  Sharing.  Learning.  Growing.  Loving.

Did you learn when you were young,
That if you work hard,
You can do it?
You can get what you want?


Is that because of the hard work?
Or is that because the hard work toward the goal 
...keeps your thoughts focused on your heart’s desire?
Hmmmm….

Isn’t it funny?
​
One day we are lonely, 

 Then we have friends around us and forget we were lonely.
One day we are down.

   Then we find joy and fun and upbeat days and forget we were down.
One day we are sad.

   Then happiness appears and sadness is barely a memory.
What changes from the one day?

Your thoughts.  Your thinking.  Your connection to God!

Sometimes
We think we’ve failed.
And it’s so difficult, so painful.

But truly,
We’ve only learned.
We’ve become greater.

We’ve become more aware.
We’ve gained courage.

That we’ll need the nest time
We think we’ve failed.