Reflections and Reviews

for good deeds done right
may your praises be public
and scolding demure

My son (daughter): May you always keep your correction of others private, and praise them in public where there are more ears to hear. In this way, the blessings offered multiply instead of diminishing. May you observe...

travelers arrive
greeted warmly by hostess
day's heat vanishes

My son (daughter): May you always be mindful and in deliberate control of the set of your face. Your countenance is a thing which must always be genuine, for if you let it become a mask you will begin seeking power that ought not...

lift up your voices
laughing song encircling us
summer heat wavers

My son (daughter): The Lord God is in Heaven, and He is enthroned on the praises of His people. May you always be praising God and giving thanks for His many gifts and mercies. In times of trouble it may seem easy to...

great beauty in wind
gentle breeze or whirling gale
blossoms fall to earth

My son (daughter): May you come to relax about events and purposes, accepting that God is in supreme and ultimate control, determining the origin and end of all things as well as everything in between. As bright...

supreme confidence
grows from conviction and need
as does crippling fear

My son (daughter): Fear is required for bravery, and one must carry acceptance of uncertain results with you before you can move with confident serenity in meaningful moments with others. May you build the prerequisite...

tangle-cotton mess
headhole for arms now backwards
confusion of spring

My son (daughter): There are a thousand skills to learn in life that are not in any school curriculum or book. May you master them with all the gusto you have for a good story or funny joke. May the tumult and floppy...

hot summer bedtimes
cuddle wrestle snuggle sleep
pajama war joy

My son (daughter): May you always enjoy your sleep and the process of going to sleep. May you think through your troubles at other times, and keep your dreamland drifting for thanksgiving and anticipation of tomorrows. Above...

paper glued and inked
scribbled with madmens’ fevers
lost world in your hands

My son (daughter): May you appreciate the power and responsibility of communication in all its many forms. Song, poem, speech, smiles, books, colors, postures, attendance, symbols, and spirits, each has its...

interesting thought
fleeting seed heedless takes root
risk of destruction

My son (daughter): May you keep your mind pure and sharp, keen and significant as a knife and yet possessed of deep and familiar knowledge. Do not trust every voice that speaks and sings to your mind, but hold fast to...

cleave, a living verb
attach like glue or slice apart
an end to choosing

My son (daughter): May you choose decisively and fill with energy from making that decision instead of second-guessing everything. We are given commands to cleave, to cling to what is good just as we are to hate what is...

peace long sought flies swift
finding enemies hearts when
peacemaker fires

My son (daughter): May you be a peacemaker among men, an equalizing and stabilizing force that enables the weak and strong to see the wisdom in eschewing violence. Let your words be honey and acid, and may your voice...

against ageless foe
immortal and persistent
humility saves

My son (daughter): May you learn to be humble, which requires pride. Humility is lowering yourself, not groveling or self-abasing like a worm; you cannot lower yourself if you are not standing tall and strong where you are. May you...