A pendant streetlight hung in fog

above the melting snow.

It lit bare treetops in the dark

that shadowed ground below.

As midnight party blared within,

I stood on porch without.

Some distant fireworks cracked and popped;

nearby I heard some shouts.

There’s Pete and Miley in Miami,

Ryan, Big Boi in New York.

A flashing ball, shrimp cocktails, all

the flying bubbly corks.

But I most cherish fog alone,

its simple, living peace

a fitting closing for this year:

a quiet prayer – release.

When I was a child, and it was gifting time, of course like a child I only thought of mine.

However I was fortunate to have such wise elders there. They taught me that gifts come from everywhere.

The best gifts aren’t the fancy, sparkly, noisy ones. The best gifts are those made and given with love or passed down through the generations with love and wisdom for future generations to enjoy.

Thank you Granny for teaching me your loving ways.

I was driving to Starbucks by the mall the other day. You know, the one with the confusing parking lot that has the exit I miss every single time. I glanced out of the window and saw the old boarded up building that used to be your favorite Toys R Us.

I remembered taking you there each week so you could spend your allowance on a new $10 or under treasure. We would stroll through the aisles . . . taking our time to explore all the options. We would eventually find the toy that you liked best. You would proudly hand the cashier your money, excited for your new found adventure.

Sometimes we would drive across the parking lot to get a a root beer float afterward. You didn’t drink coffee back then. We would spend the day enjoying each other’s company. Laughing and making up stories about people and places we saw on the way home.

I think about how proud I am of the man you are now. How you amaze me with your creativity and fearlessness. Chasing your dreams on your own in the big city. Searching for your next treasure.

Sometimes I wish we could go back just for a day. When you were still “Mattie” and I was still “Mommy” on any given Saturday.

The greatest gift is resilience

unfortunately is comes gift-wrapped in misfortune, illness, death.

It is rejection letters and getting picked last

it is being bullied because you are different and being different.

it is failing and failing and failing

but because if it

learning

to fall back learn more do better and succeed

Resilience is a choice

to come back stronger

when others

think up good reasons

not to go on.

Have this gift and you'll not fail

to develop this gift you first must fail.

Late nights are my favourite kind of late. I sit alone with my thoughts and we spend some quality time together. Sometimes we reminisce of the past, other times we dream of what the future will be.

Yes, a late night with my thoughts is always an interesting time. A time of quiet, a time to listen, to just be. A late night has no demands or expectations. It has no judgements or questions. It's just you and the world.

And yet I worry, when I find someone to share these late nights with, they won't understand just what it means to me and why, when we should be going to sleep, I want to be alone with my thoughts.

I pass onto you

A history.

It's  origin  is not familial;

For, my mother only passed down myths, you see and goblins that only terrified me.

A heritage built on grotesque  creatures mystified me and incinerated my soul

This heritage of mine was what I  had to pass along-

I pass onto you a heritage.

Of picturesque carvings of eternity

Of copacetic surroundings that mark every turn, twist and curve.

Flowing pathways  that perpetuate felicity in the truest sense.

I pass  onto  you  a heritage

That permeates every step taken

With whimsy and fanciful thoughts

Of what tomorrow  will bring,

Of endeavors sure to be pursued,

Of dreams to be followed and treks to be explored...

This I  pass unto you

A legacy that began with our traditions

The interwoven threads connecting  us together for all eternity,

This is our heritage!

Neural pathways

formulated

during childhood

have been the cause

of episodes

throughout my life.

Perpetrators

embedded them

with heinous acts.

These memories,

these fifty years,

have haunted me.

Perseverance

and resilience

kept me alive.

Trusting that God,

His plan, is best,

I continue

along the path

and I bring those

that would follow...

Suicide is

not an option.

The greatest gift I have found

doesn't come in wrapping paper.

It doesn't come in hugs, in words, or even in actions.

The greatest gift of all is the feeling of being safe and secure.

The feeling that there is somewhere you can go back to

in times of crisis

of fear

of uncertainty

and there is someone there who will see you, hear you.

know you.

Yes, the greatest gift one can receive is the true feeling

of home.

Let's discuss first what meant by 'Gift '?

Gift can be actual thing or just a gesture or a feeling ,it can come in every form, some give gifts to others for just a formality some give gift to others to repay the favour, some give gifts to others because it's festival or birthday or anniversary or something special like this, and many more.

Next question will be why we give gifts?

We say to express our gratitude to others or to express our feelings or to make other person remember us for a long time .

Then what will be greatest gift?, it should be the gift that anyone can have something that is unique for everyone something that someone can treasure and make good use of it for a long time What will it be? The answer is simple it's YOU my friend and YOUR LIFE yes you heard right it's something that is unique and only you can have it. it's been always yours and the greatest gift for life is TIME so make meaningful use of these two things without it no other thing is possible.

I hope I make you feel

as terrible

as you make me feel

The greatest gift

you've ever given me

was a black eye

the greatest gift

I could bear to give you

was a punching bag