look to Brother Wind

and how he  delicately breathes life and dances with the grass

look to Sister Ocean

and the life tiptoeing across the crests of  her waves

look to Brother Sun

and how his light reflects the deeper image

look to Sister Moon

and how her light enhances the dark

look to Cousin Stars

and their majestic glow that gladdens our hearts

look to Distant Clouds

and how they fill our imagination with wonder

look to  Busy Bee

and how it carries the pollen to flower our world

look to Each Other

and how your simple gesture…

a nod…

your smile…

a graceful touch…

your listening ear…

gives HOPE to another

Depression is an illness that affects so many, many people.  YES–YOU do matter! YES–each of us can do something.  We are interconnected.  Each of us weaves a thread of our lives into the other’s tapestry, with a simple gesture, a word, a nod…a…

Many years ago, Norman Cousins was diagnosed as “terminally ill.” He was given six months to live. His chance for recovery was one in 500.

He could see the worry, depression and anger in his life contributed to, and perhaps helped cause, his disease. He wondered, “If illness can be caused by negativity, can wellness be created by positivity?” He decided to make an experiment of himself.

Laughing was one of the most positive activities he knew. He rented all the funny movies he could find – Keaton, Chaplin, Fields, the Marx Brothers. (This was before VCRs, so he had to rent the actual films.) He read funny stories. He asked his friends to call him whenever they said, heard or did something funny.

His pain was so great he could not sleep. Laughing for 10 solid minutes, he found, relieved the pain for several hours so he could sleep…

No need to hurry
the process can not be rushed
we must open one petal at a time
each moment revealing
another layer of understanding
of what love really is