early shift

solo

I write ideas

with coffee and a feel

up early growing prose watching

words rise

spring break

footprints

in snow leave tracks

sun removes icy edges

they melt away my path to past

erased

Wine Song

The tune came from your tall trees swaying in the breeze
Notes grew out of mountains, powerful, serene

Sentiments to choose and blend, add a melody to send
keeping time until the end, loyal lyrics for a friend

To share them is a choosing, to deny would be a sin
A gift come time for showing, no concern for lose or win

Spirit agrees, cheers with glee, voices rise in key
perfect pitch in harmony, creativity set free

Joyful noise to hear, rich with sweat and tears
encores far and near, now the way is clear

A song to offer bare and bold, holy chant like days of old
conductor of our voice and soul, ancient truth to have and hold

cherries jubilee

cherry blossom trunk
draped in velvet robes,
cotton candy flakes sugar Asian roots
entrancing grove's fleeting
flower frosting

blackbird braided branches
faintly drumming,
bowed heads gently march, sit upon her strands
richest pink silk spilling
sacred secrets

crisp cedar heats noses
soft moonlight melting
frozen tears leave a love sheen on spring cheeks
cascading shivers, sudden sky thunder, all at once
satisfying hunger

The Real Thing

We went shopping for new dishes but I can't imagine why
We never share a supper, it's in our cars we dine

It's like we live in different places, body, soul and mind
Our point of view's grown jaded, the table turned to lies.

Did we see it coming? Could we have redirected fate?
Questions so important, have they come a time too late?

Now we're looking for real love, the truest kind of mate
I think I might just know someone, let me set up the date,

She'll be wearing boots of leather, waiting patiently at Eight
A man she likes in denim and she loves to stay out late.

Forget about impressions, for true heart is all she longs
I know this woman will like you, just sing that Beatles song.

Did I fail to mention she looks a lot like me?
Just looking for some real love to shake us to our knees.

Real love, the real thing, a dance on angel's wings
Looking for that real love only our two hearts can bring.

Grace Gumbo

Placed a special order from the local take out place,
one heaping helping plateful of a little thing called Grace

I've heard it called God's wilderness, a very sacred space
but no one I know has some or has even had a taste

The source some say "Abundant", no shortages exist
But my diner must have just run out for the board says "86"

I'm starving for it's peacefulness, hungry for it's care
Certain it's an ingredient in a breath of mountain air

A faint recalled aroma, the incense of a prayer
Perhaps it is a tidbit of the love the world once shared

Let's cater a private party and dance and dine and sing
Graced in robes of majesty, at the feast where all are King

Stunned Onion(Country Song Waiting for Keith Urban To Record)

Regular night out with the crowd, no big plans just hanging around
Beers and burgers, onions and fries, when to my shock and utter surprise...
a vision in white went swaying by and my oh my the shimmer, the shine
Dear God she is sublime, my dear you have left me stunned

Looking like a deer caught in headlights all ablaze
Almost fell right over when I saw you catch my gaze
What in the world has just begun? Have I completely come undone?
I'm stunned. You shot me with Love's gun, left me dazed, speechless, amazed, I'm stunned

Is this the lottery I just won? How did I get to oblivion?
Your eyes, your smile can't be outdone. Sexy and smart yet still homespun
What can I say, my heart's overrun.
I'm stunned. You shot me with Love's gun, left me dazed, speechless, amazed, I'm stunned

Now you say you feel the same, well blessed be, I sing in praise
Let no one tell you dreams don't come around, it's me in a tux, you in a gown
A vision in white swaying by and my oh my the shimmer, the shine
Dear God it's sublime I am, I am, I am just stunned

Companion Tea

he made a cup of tea from rain barrel water
fresh chamomile, set it on the sill to steep
reaching for the clover honey thought he heard the grass growing
decided to check and see,
stepping out into moist night air
discovering instead a tiny sparrow chick, broken winged, quite sick
found an eye dropper and with delicate embrace spent the evening
under moonlight sharing comradely tea in tall green grass
between earthbound creatures wanting only to be, in flight and free
more tea?

Love's Cocoa Mug

the warmest love complete with hug, the kindest mind, the clearest signs
the truth be told my honest soul, safe so safe, I blend and meld
within the arms of love I'm held

what better place exists? where else would you chose to be?
given now the gift of gifts to sweetly go with me
bundled warm, safe and snug, wrapped in Love's perpetual hug

I promise you and all to see, forevermore you'll be with me
safe, secure, loved and free, embraced my love you'll always be

all needs met, desires fulfilled, your perfect self, our perfect will
each day born fresh and new, never alone, my promise to you
bundled warm, safe and snug, wrapped in Love, God's perpetual hug

Divinity Dive

Last night's moonlight swallowed me whole, In the surprise and splendor I discovered my goal
In shimmering sky light old ideas drown, life's complications spiraled into dry ground

No longer afraid of the brightness in light, no longer confused by the mysteries of life
No longer asleep when there's so much to see, the dream is alive, the truth' inside me

Swimming with purpose, splashed with Love's shine, One blessed connection, Life's heart and mine
No one can steal it or chase it away, Together forever, forever we"ll stay

I awoke in dawn's company warm, dry and alive
Without hesitation into Love's flood I dive

More

The diner conversation dusty, my mind much too turkey sleepy, until your innocent query
"More?", a simple offer of chardonnay, my response alarming, unexpected
"Yes! More! More of wine, song and merriment. More of art, dance and sentiment
More of diving into wonderment, yes, more, more living, more love."

The guests now nervously fork chasing the meal's last remains
You calmly tipping the bottle, nodding in reply
"We share this word in common, you, your heart and mine
Yes, more, more adventure and exploring. More of friendship with adoring
More of me to do your pouring, yes, more, more living, more love."

Born to this yearning, flaming and burning, passionately churning, more
The foregone answer to the bakery fresh ply of hot country biscuits
butter piled pyramid high, melt with me, then let's make more.

Heaven Sorbet

there are no separate rooms in heaven, there are no rooms at all
no squares, no boxes, no closets to hide in,
no locks to keep anyone out

no heaven is quite diffferent, a circular place, all white and blue
warm and inviting, wet and swirling, a shining bay of bubbles with
enough room for all

in our hearts is a piece of heaven, harmony lives there
as does humor, the heat of passion, hard work and
every expression of love

we know it is heaven when we hold another in an hour of need
forgive the unforgivable, hit our knees with hard and fast faith,
heal with just a word or touch

step into heaven on earth, the water is just fine

Ripe Love Smoothie

Hungry and searching for the very same dish

Something sweet and natural, a fresh fruit salad kiss

Teach me ways of mangoes, pluck cherries from the stems

Choose the biggest bunch of banans, peel away the skins

Plump plants, blossoms round

Better than candy, the sweetest taste found

Harvest time, no more wishing

Love is ripe, come time for picking

The fruit on the vine, trusting and growing

One Great Tree of Life, all loving, all knowing

Be Bold-Share Poems

In honor of National Poetry Month and unafraid to wear my heart on my sleeve, I will post one poem each day in April 2010. Written long ago, they deal with the essential themes of love, loss and the pursuit of a deeper connection with God. They help me see how far I have come in many ways and included are poems, cinquains, even, song lyric possibilities (listen for the country twang in some).
Each title references a food or drink and the total creates a Menu of sorts, my dinner with the Divine. My hope is others will take a leap and share their creative talents. Together we could create a community of self-expression to benefit all. Yes some pieces are cheesey-Mc-Extra Cheesey Fries but what the heck I love cheese fries.

It's The Thought That Counts

When you give to others you are truly giving to yourself. If you give with resentment or fear or jealousy you are giving those emotions to yourself and your own life. If you give with love, compassion, generosity, and joy those feelings will manifest in your experience.

What should we do when your business and every dollar made is reinvested into the business immediately leaving no funds to share, no ability to buy and give. This is when creativity must be developed and used. Remember the giving is about the sentiment behind it, the old adage "It's the thought that counts." was a not a clever way to be cheap it is the true reality of gift giving.

Instead of a store bought gift you can give others confidence by reinforcing to them the talents they may have forgotten they possess, "I love the way you organize and design your home, I feel calm and happy when I am here with you."

Give your heart with compassion and truth. Give your acceptance for the ways things are not the way your mind thinks they should be. Give your time, sit with a sick friend, volunteer and if you can't even leave the house visualize those you care about in their best light, see them glowing and expanding and feeling the love you are sending their way.

Give your creativity and share the ideas your fearful mind says are stupid or corny or too sentimental. Give, give, give and notice if life is feeling dull or invigorating, do you feel drained or energized, are you in a state of peace or fear.

Never give out of "obligation" again knowing it does not serve you or them. Give because you can feel yourself growing and evolving into an even greater version of yourself. Give because you deserve it. We are all connected on every level so to give to yourself is to give to the universe and the universe is created through thought so yes the thought really counts, really.

Albert Knows A Thing OR Two

“If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough -Albert Einstein

 I will never tire of recommending frequent and thorough comprehension checks whether at home, work or school. It is most vital with students with special needs such as ADHD, Autism, Learning Disabilities, Communication Impairments or delays or disruptions in the developmental process.
What can we do as parents, educators, trainers and employers to improve the learning and recall process?

1. Create a safe atmosphere to make mistakes and ask for help.
2. Ask learner to say back what was just said to know if message is getting through.
3. Break directions and concepts into shorter chunks.
4. Ask how they would teach the material.
5. Ask what is harder or easier to understand about the material.
6. Ask why this information is important to know.
7. Give examples of the practical application of what you are covering.
8. Make corrections with kindness, emphasizing that it is in making mistakes that we often learn the most.
9. Make mistakes often(play dim)and ask student to correct you in the way they would appreciate being corrected.
10. Discuss study techniques often and whether they learn more from rewriting notes, hearing the material multiple times, telling someone the material, highlighting key points etc.

Learning happens in every moment of every day and optimizing each moment will result in better comprehension, improved recall, more love of learning and perhaps increased self esteem. Albert felt good about himself especially when he made mistakes. He was also the consummate teacher always striving for learners to ultimately become their own teacher at heart.

“I never teach my pupils; I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn.” Albert Einstein

Thumball™ Rockin NY Toy Fair 2010

The best time of year is here again, February, when it is cold and snowy and time to share hearts, flowers and TOYS. The biggest and best toy expo in the world is held each year at the Javitz Center in New York City and classic, innovative and new toys are presented for all to see.

Thumball is now being exhibited by Talicor Inc, http://talicor.com/products?search[name_like]=thumball&x=14&y=14 a top quality toy distributor of educational, communication, Christian and family games. They will be in Booth #313this year displaying the Thumball line of products and introducing new designs. A chance for more retailers to learn about Thumball, the simple game that gets great results. Over and over in the news are discussions about the fading art of verbal communication and social skills. A simple game of Thumball gets people talking, interacting and behaving at their best.

"The Ball" was recently admitted into the Toy Hall of Fame http://www.museumofplay.org/NTHoF/index.php because it is a universally understood object of fun and recreation. Thumball improved on that concept by adding key words, phrases and questions to the ball which stimulate conversation and promote learning in a playful way. Parents, teachers and leaders in every field are excited by a simple toy that does so much more than just encourage toss and catch.


It may be cold every February and Toy Fair attendees rarely get to be home with their loved ones on Valentine's Day but the love of new business and dynamic products like Thumball keep them coming back every year for the fun and opportunities that abound.

Truth Time: It's About Truth and It's About Time

2010 is starting off well for us at Answers In Motion and our star product Thumball. Customers are coming to us from big business in search of ways to improve the office atmosphere. Administrators and teachers need a way to make parents more comfortable at school events; Educators report that "Our students are crazy about playing Thumball and knowing they will get to play motivates them and improves their classroom behavior." All this from a ball? Yes! Proving again that sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.

Everywhere I look, everywhere I go I see more and more honesty coming through from friends, family and colleagues. Less of trying to get over on someone for a better deal and more about establishing relationships based on trust. The economic conditions still touch our company daily with our buyers needing more time to pay. We talk with them about it and when they are direct and honest and forthright we can't help but say Yes. At times this puts our own business at risk but then the magic happens and a new order arrives or an old unpaid invoice appears and is paid promptly. Fear holds us back from trusting but every time I take the risk it pays off. Sometimes the wait for that return is longer than we like but we stay the course and remain in our own truth.

President Obama stated some difficult truths during the State of The Union address further setting the tone for an outstanding new year, The Year of Truth and the growth from that alone will improve hearts, minds and ultimately the economy. And that's The Truth.

More Conversation Starters Requested: New Thumball Designs Answer The Need

Answers In Motion announces three new Thumball designs in production and available in March 2010. Trainers, teachers, parents and counselors requested more designs that encourage people to share personal stories and reflect on life experiences. Creators Mary and Gregg Pembleton agreed that the more we know about each other, the more we can understand each other.

• Entertainment Talk encourages players to discuss and share ideas about books, film and television.
• Best, Worst First allows players to share stories about events such as weddings or job interviews and choose to tell about their first, best or worst experience on that subject.
• People, Places and Things offers open-ended Who, Where and What questions to stimulate creative thinking and interesting discussions.

Our retailers are excited to increase their Thumball offerings. Human Resource trainers, elder-care staff, special education teachers and families are eager to use the new Thumballs at work, school and home to get everybody talking, laughing and sharing a piece of themselves while learning about others.

What's A Cathedral Got To Do With Me? The Invisible Mom

*Invisible Mother...... *

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?'
Obviously, No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor,
or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at
all. I'm invisible. The invisible Mom . Some days I am only a pair of hands,
nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this?

Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated sum a cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going; she's going; she is gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England .. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in.
I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.'
It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe .. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: /'To My Dear Friend, with admiration for the greatness of what you are
building when no one sees.' /

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:
No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the
cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny
bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are
you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be
covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.' And the workman replied,
'Because God sees' I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place.

It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you. I see the
sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act
of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've
baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a
great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.'
At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life.
It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.
I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on.
The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend
he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4
in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a
turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That
would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him
to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his
friend, to add, 'you're going to love it there.'

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right.
And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

Great Job, MOM! Share this with all the Invisible Mom s you know...*I just did.*
Hope this encourages you when the going gets tough as it sometimes does..
We never know what our finished products will turn out to be because of our perseverance.
Erin Burgdorf
    erinburgdorf@mac.com <mailto:erinburgdorf@mac.com>