April is a surreal and surprising time for me. I was married on April Fool's day, and whether or not marriage for me was to be, it now has lasted almost 60 years, -- happy years, I should add. April is that time of year here in the Midwest when forsythia and tulips bloom and grass and fields begin to green. Cats wander about, coming in from the woods, moaning and mewing, and so do other creatures. I find groundhogs in the yard, and they brazenly look at me as if to say, "What are you going to do about me?" When I shoo or clap my hands, they run, their bushy tails disappearing behind tree stumps or under my deck.
But enough of how surreal April is because we do get sunshine and lots of rain, sometimes snow and sometimes even fog or hail. Flooding in certain parts of the country make nightly news. It's a mixed up month, or so it seems. Moreover, April is that time of when people open their checkbooks and the IRS gets its check. Surreal.
Here in our town, building permits get approved, and the history and face of the town begin to change. We're a small town about twenty miles from a metropolitan area. Between these two places, farm land mingles with new housing developments, making people worry about preserving their heritage and farms. Here we worry and care about our neighbors. Barry Lopez, essayist, nature and fiction writer and author of Winter Count writes, "Everything is held together with stories. That is all that is holding us together, stories, and compassion." I copied that statement down and I read it from time to time. But, I add, as surreal as it may be to some people, Easter is what holds us together. It's a wonderful reality of hope and promise. happy Easter. Go give someone a hug.
As "The Family Circus" cartoonists Bil and Jeff Keane have it," A Hug relieves tension, improves blood flow, reduces stress, is non-polluting, helps self-esteem, generates good will... and no batteries are requires, absolutely no cost, non-taxable, silent performance, extremely personal, and fully returnable. It's recommended for ages 1 to 100 and up!" That advice is not surreal.
Recently while clearing out some bookshelves, I found a printed verse on a tattered and faded piece of paper tucked in an old book I was going to recycle. The verse seems applicable… and there is no author’s name mentioned.
HUGS
A Hug can cheer you when you’re blue.
A Hug can say, “I Love You So.”
Or “Gee, I hate to see you go.”
A Hug is, “Welcome back again.”
And “Great to see you! Where’ve you been?”
A Hug can soothe a small child’s pain
And bring a rainbow after rain.
The Hug! There’s just no doubt about it
We scarcely could survive with out it!
A Hug delights and warms and charms.
It must be why GOD gave us arms.
Hugs are great for fathers and mothers,
Sweet for sisters, swell for brothers.
And chances are your favorite aunts
Love them more than potted plants.
Kittens crave them. Puppies love them.
Heads of state are not above them.
A Hug can break the language barrier
And make your travels so much merrier.
No need to fret about your store of ‘em:
The more you give the more there’s more of ‘em.
So stretch arms without delay
AND GIVE SOME ONE A HUG TODAY!!
But enough of how surreal April is because we do get sunshine and lots of rain, sometimes snow and sometimes even fog or hail. Flooding in certain parts of the country make nightly news. It's a mixed up month, or so it seems. Moreover, April is that time of when people open their checkbooks and the IRS gets its check. Surreal.
Here in our town, building permits get approved, and the history and face of the town begin to change. We're a small town about twenty miles from a metropolitan area. Between these two places, farm land mingles with new housing developments, making people worry about preserving their heritage and farms. Here we worry and care about our neighbors. Barry Lopez, essayist, nature and fiction writer and author of Winter Count writes, "Everything is held together with stories. That is all that is holding us together, stories, and compassion." I copied that statement down and I read it from time to time. But, I add, as surreal as it may be to some people, Easter is what holds us together. It's a wonderful reality of hope and promise. happy Easter. Go give someone a hug.
As "The Family Circus" cartoonists Bil and Jeff Keane have it," A Hug relieves tension, improves blood flow, reduces stress, is non-polluting, helps self-esteem, generates good will... and no batteries are requires, absolutely no cost, non-taxable, silent performance, extremely personal, and fully returnable. It's recommended for ages 1 to 100 and up!" That advice is not surreal.
Recently while clearing out some bookshelves, I found a printed verse on a tattered and faded piece of paper tucked in an old book I was going to recycle. The verse seems applicable… and there is no author’s name mentioned.
HUGS
A Hug can cheer you when you’re blue.
A Hug can say, “I Love You So.”
Or “Gee, I hate to see you go.”
A Hug is, “Welcome back again.”
And “Great to see you! Where’ve you been?”
A Hug can soothe a small child’s pain
And bring a rainbow after rain.
The Hug! There’s just no doubt about it
We scarcely could survive with out it!
A Hug delights and warms and charms.
It must be why GOD gave us arms.
Hugs are great for fathers and mothers,
Sweet for sisters, swell for brothers.
And chances are your favorite aunts
Love them more than potted plants.
Kittens crave them. Puppies love them.
Heads of state are not above them.
A Hug can break the language barrier
And make your travels so much merrier.
No need to fret about your store of ‘em:
The more you give the more there’s more of ‘em.
So stretch arms without delay
AND GIVE SOME ONE A HUG TODAY!!
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