Thankful Thursday

3 Baha 163 B.E. March 22-23, 2006

What is it that I am grateful for today? Where do I begin to list the blessings that I have experienced this week? First, we received the latest issue of The American Baha’i, so I have a paper full of good news to read. I always enjoy getting the new issue because there so much good news to brighten may days. It takes me at least a week probably more to read it because I enjoy reading it while sipping either a hot cup of coffee or tea. In addition, while I read I like to look for poetry subjects or short phrases that would make good titles for poems. In fact, I have already found a short phrase that would make a good title for a poem. The phrase is “We Learn”, but I’m not quite sure about the rest of the poem. Perhaps something like this

We Learn

Step-by-step we learn to walk
across the room
and stand by a window looking out
into the world.

Word by word we learn to pray
and intone God’s Most Great Name …

Second, I am grateful for the morning and the afternoon T.V. news. The local news tells what is going on in Las Vegas and the national news lets me know what is going on in the nation and the world. The T.V. news is not always good news, but that is all right because I have The American Baha’i for good national and international good news. For local good news, there is the Nineteen-day feast. I like the T.V. news because they always give unusual and intriguing slices of life about human nature. Today one of the intriguing and unusual news items is about cockroaches; it seems that jewelers are selling living cockroaches as jewelry. To keep the cockroaches on the blouses the jewelers put gold leashes on the cockroaches.

Third, I am grateful for the Naw-Ruz party I went to on Monday evening, March 20. The party began the New Year on a spiritual note. I already have several poems started because of the Naw-Ruz party. Part of the entertainment was a harp solo, the song played was about a waterfall and the harp music sounded just like a waterfall. There was also a display of art inspired by the Bab and Baha’u’llah.

Fourth, I am grateful for the fact that I have written a poem everyday so far this year. True, this is only the third day of 163 B.E. and I have written between three to five poems. The poems I have written so far are (1) Naw-Ruz (see A New Year Has Begun), (2) Memories of a Naw-Ruz Party (see Spiritual Poetry), (3) The Irish In Me, and (4) He Suffered: To Baha’u’llah.

Fifth, I am grateful for the fact that it is spring. Spring is a wonderful time of year and a good time to begin a New Year. Spring is a wonderful time to begin a New Year, the world is in bloom and northern hemisphere is warming. Flowers and trees are transforming fields and cities. Nature is waking from its winter’s sleep and there are many beautiful plants sprouting.