Helping Others Grow

Once upon a time, in a garden field of love, 
There rose a little flower to explore her world above. 
With so much rain in her young life, she wondered how she would grow.
Closed up in a bud so tight her beautiful colors couldn't show.
But then one day the sun came out and saw her wilting beneath a tree,
And thought to himself, "here is my chance to help someone other than me."
The sun opened his heart and spread his rays across the big blue sky.
He shed his light upon that fragile bud... until the ground did dry.
Each day, he spoke to that young bud, as any parent would do.
He told her she was special, and beautiful, and good.
She felt so much love inside for his friendship, kind and dear.
She wanted to tell him thank-you, but her voice was too soft to hear. 
Then one night she thought of a way to let him know she cared.
She waited eagerly for the morning light. She waited and prepared.
When at last the sun came out and smiled upon her soil bed,
She stood up tall and spread her petals of orange and crimson-red.
Her petals were soft as velvet and her stem was tall and green.
The sun shined brightly down upon the most beautiful flower he'd ever seen.
Through the seasons she would visit him, as often as allowed.
Every time she felt him come, she blossomed and stood proud.  
What a beautiful friendship was made, between this flower and sun.
A lesson to be learned and shared, by both the old and young. 
You can touch a life and make even more worthwhile.
If only by sharing kind words of strength, compassion, and a smile.

Kick the Blues

 I found a book of some of my old writings which conjured up so many memories. Decided it was time to put them on my blog. Not all of my writing is great, some of them even makes me laugh a bit when I re-read them. Still... They are a part of my history. My thoughts at that point in time.   So here is one I wrote about work. I started working at Kaiser Permanente back in 1991 and I'm still here so I guess it isn't just a job to me - though I don't know I would call it a treat!

I'm sure we have all worked with someone
And at times even walked in their shoes
Someone who's not happy with their job,
Or has the everyday Monday morning blues.
These are the people who continuously complain
That we might be losing some benefits again.
They don't stop to think our member loss,
Just might be because of them.
Ask yourself these questions each day,
To see if you are on the right team.
Do you have a smile in your voice?
Or do you sound like your always blowing steam?
If you were a patient who came to us,
Would you feel comfortable entrusting your care?
Do the staff and care teams as an equal
Or make you feel guilty for being there?
Are you considerate towards our customer
And all those with whom you work or meet?
Do you look and act as if your job, 
Is not just work, but a treat?
Without the faith of trust of members who join,
The fate of Kaiser Permanente would lead to doom.
Without our members we are just a big hotel,
With a whole lot of empty rooms.
It's time we take down our "vacancy" sign,
And replace it with one that says "welcome."
If we show our community how much we truly care,
Then I promise, they will come back again.