Saturday, December 31, 2011

Year's Final Day

A L O H A !

September Song by Willie Nelson on Grooveshark



" Be at war with your vices,
at peace with your neighbors,
and let every new year
find you a better person. "

Benjamin Franklin














" Celebrate
what you want
to see more of. "

Tom Peters














" No one is so old
as to think
he cannot live
one more year. "

David Viscott



 > < } } ( ° >
     





Youth has an inexhaustible treasure
called "Some Day."


Every yearning,
every grievance,
every wish,
may be salved 
by a generous dose
of "Some Day."


I know.
I lived on it for years.



But one day
you ask yourself:
"What am I saving it for?"
"What am I waiting for?"
"If not now-
WHEN?"



And from that plateau,
you think:
"Finally, this is perspective,
this is wisdom."




But a day comes 
when you see
how quickly
things are moving.

I'm no longer the fastest walker
on the sidewalk.


The lyric and words
of a song you've know for years
suddenly stick in your chest
like a flaming arrow:

"The days dwindle down
to a precious few. . ."

True as it's ever been
for ALL others,
but not for
Me!

But the bell does toll for me
too-
yes it does.


Sometimes that awful understanding
makes me feel faint,
like I can't catch my
breath.

And though I believe
that I have glimpsed
that expansive place,
that happy place,
of coming home
to who I
REALLY
am.


Still
I love this body,
this history,
this person
that fate & choice
have made
me.


Thank YOU
for sharing this journey with me
throughout the
year.


It means a lot.


Honolulu journalist
John Heckathorn
said of teaching at University:

"One of my students
came to class,
opened his Mac Book,
saw that Steve Jobs had died,
and asked:
'Who is Steve Jobs?'
It's odd to be turned into
a living history lesson,
but rather fun
in it's own way. "

John never gave me any writing jobs,
but he encouraged me,

a thoroughly nice guy.

I noticed this morning
that I have his office
and cell (mobile) numbers
in my phone.

John suffered a heart attack at home
on Christmas Day.


He never regained consciousness
and died Wednesday morning.

John was only
65.

The days dwindle down. . .

I choose to spread
all the kindness I can.
To enjoy every minute of
LIGHT!


Thank YOU
for shedding your kindness
here
with us!

It does;
It means a 
LOT-




                                             Fondly, cloudia













27 comments:

Amelia said...

Hi Cloudia, beautiful pictures and lovely poem. Happy new year to you and wish you all the best in 2012.

Kay said...

I'm so glad we're in each other's lives throughout the year, Cloudia. Have a terrific celebration tonight. I hope you're above the smoke.

Dina said...

May you live long and prosper.
Happy Sylvester, as we say here.

Feisty Crone said...

Wonderful post for the last day of 2011, Cloudia! All the best to you in 2012. It's an honor to share this journey with you. My apologies for my sporadic participation :)

21 Wits said...

Thank you so much Cloudia for being YOU and for being here for all of US! A great big ALOHA to you and family....Ben has said it best in all the quotes..and simply said....someday..not for me...that's why I use the GOOD dishes today, right now....save nothing for tomorrow because we all know what if...tomorrow never comes..OH NO! I'm wishing the best for you of good fortune and happiness to follow you all through next year....can't wait to blog more again in 2012! When we all have a toast this evening...we must say a little toast to all of us as well! Be safe and merry!

Jeannie said...

Very beautiful thoughts today. If life were not so short, it would not be so desirable.

Full-On-Forward said...

WOW! This is why you are so LOVED! This post encapsulates Cloudia!

Hugs-,and here's to an awesome 2012 we can share!!!

Love ya Sista!

HFTEC

J

Sandy said...

Wonderful post as usual. Happy New Year's Eve my friend! =)

Anonymous said...

Yes, I recall the day you gave John a copy of your book. What a nice guy to mention it in his column. HAPPY NEW YEAR, CLOUDIA!!!

Anonymous said...

Cloudia -- So sad about John. (Quick is better than slow.) The Heavens needed a good history teacher I suppose.
Have a good rest and jolly New Year. Yep, you might be getting all the smoke in your cloud-world. Ooooo, can we light some off of your lanai? Kitty did it! Kitty did it! DrumMajor

Windsmoke. said...

Bonza thoughts and poem to end the year on, see ya next year :-).

Lynn said...

Happy New Year, Cloudia. Wise words today.

Ileana said...

And thank YOU for sharing your journey with US.

Happy 2012, amiga! xo

ayala said...

Cloudia, I wanted to wish you a happy and healthy new year!

Gemel said...

What a beautiful poem Cloudia.

May 2012 be filled with ♥ happiness, harmony and peace ♥

Anonymous said...

The second quote is impressive indeed.

Please have a kind new year ahead you all.

Elephant's Child said...

I am so sorry that you have lost a friend. I like to think that people are not gone as long as they are remembered ..
Have a wonderful 2012.

Heidi said...

Aloha dear friend! Wishing you a beautiful New Year 2012!

wenn said...

Aloha! Happy 2012!

nazelet said...

Aloha dear Claudia, I'm sending you greetings for a healthy and satisfying new year. I'm so grateful for all your lovely photos and quotes that uplift my spirit.

இ Baŋäŋaz இ said...

Happy New Year 2012

Indrani said...

So sorry to know about your loss.

Wish you the best for 2012!

Charles Gramlich said...

I hope I'll be a bit better at doing these kinds of things in 2012

Ruby said...

Thanks for those wonderful lines Cloudia!

FilipBlog said...

The first picture is excellent. All the best for 2012.

Greetings,
Filip

PerthDailyPhoto said...

Wonderful words Cloudia, and so true, why do we sometimes wait until it's too late..or maybe it's never too late!! It's a wonderful post to end off an uneasy situation in world politics, hopefully this year will see a solution to some of the problems. Look forward to seeing you in the new year!!

Cloudia said...

thanks to EACH of you! much appreciated