#291 "Light of day" By Susan Pearl

A child who lives in the shadow of others or of things will not experience the brightness of the sun shining on his or her own self worth and confidence.
There is something about seeing things in the light of day that brings a clarity of truth and knowledge of  experiencing such a presence.

#290 "Workbreak" By Susan Pearl

"Work" like anything else can be over done,
Especially if people are on a constant run,
For prolonged stress may eventually have an affect on health,
And without health what good is wealth?
So it could be time to slow down the pace,
And not be keeping up the break neck speed of a race,
And maybe by taking an enjoyable break it would not be counter productive,
Because being refreshed may bring new outlooks and new energies to give,
And instead of feeling burned out or pushed to the limit time after time,
A person will have a renewed way in seeing the picture of work with a better frame of mind.

#289 "Tangled" By Susan Pearl

When something is tangled it doesn't have to be entwined or entangled with something else,
It can be all tangled up within itself,
A rope that is tangled can not reach the full length of its potential,
Yarn that is tangled has to be untangled to be useful for a handwork project, 
The act of untieing the knots within oursevles can allow us to go further than before,
To reach what we were grasping for just beyond our reach and be able to even go beyond,
Untieing the knots of bitterness, jealousy, and self pity can make useful the part of us that was once tied up,
This allows us to be the person we want to become, to go the full distance we know we can go,
And to know with time, patience and understanding with ourselves that this can be done,
Then we are on our way of reaching the goal of a desired and the best possible outcome.

#288 "Time And Good Fortune" By Susan Pearl

The high winds and gusts were causing turbulence for our ride,
But we knew time was on our side,
We could stop until things would pass and then proceed,
So having time on our side is a luxury we sometimes indeed need,
But it doesn't go that way each day,
Without time on our side there is not an option for another way,
So we have to continue going through with what we are going through,
And hope that good fortune is on our side while we do.

#287 "Depth Of Hardship" By Susan Pearl

I remember an interview on television of a nine year old boy,
His family was being focused for a homeless feature on the news,
The interviewer asked the boy if there was anything he would like people to know about being hungry,
The boy, without hesitation, said, "When you are hungry, you can't sleep."
I know sleep deprivation can take a hard and terrible mental toll on people,
So now I am aware of the added tremendous difficulty of the people who are hungry,
A nine year old boy showed me that insight in the interview,
It made me realize more depth of the hardship for those who are hungry,
In a follow up television program it was reported an individual had watched the report and had helped the boy and his family,
But it taught me that when children are hungry they can't sleep,
And there is something about a hungry and tired child that should make us weep,
We can't do it all but if we can help one that is what we should do,
One by one dreams do come true, and the ability to sleep and dream is for everyone, too.

#286 "Being Thankful" by Susan Pearl

"Being Thankful" is one of the key components that unlocks our own happiness.

#285 "World Playground" By Susan Pearl

If we view the world as a big playgound with so much wonder to see and do,
Then we have to know that there will also be some big bullies on the playground, too.

#284 "Can't Be Late" By Susan Pearl

Sometimes it is hard for me to wait,
A feeling arises in me like we are going to be late,
And there is nothing that we are going to and no one is coming here,
So why do I feel late with no expected company and we aren't going anywhere?
When I ask for something I guess I want it to be right now so that means fast,
It's a habit I want to break because that feeling of being late is an anxiety from a time past,
A past when things had to be done in a hurry and each day the scurry was on,
And I shouldn't feel that way now because those days of "can't be late" are over and gone.

#283 "Change Is Upon Us All" By Susan Pearl

Things can change when something new comes into view,
Even though at times we don't want it to,
Because such a view of change can be an end,
When we are wanting things to go on for another round again,
Or the change could be more and be better than we had hoped for,
But to have realistic expectations no matter what the view has in store,
Keeps us knowing that even on a day without a cloud in sight,
That same day can change and hail ice stones before night.

#282 "An Impression" by Susan Pearl

It could have been a moment lost but it wasn't,
It was recorded in a child's memory,
A loving kindness that would be remembered,
And talked about from time to time,
And thought about from time to time,
As the child became an adult the moment didn't stay behind,
But was carried through life as a treasured memory,
Giving a lasting impression of a kind act that was recieved,
And the person who gave the kindness to the child may have not known,
How many times over the years good thoughts were reaped by the kindness that had been shown and sown.

#281 "A Good Candidate" By Susan Pearl

A person one time was trying to explain politics to me,
The person said "Politics is kind of like - you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours",
I think we should have people run for office who don't itch.

#280 "Deep Thoughts" By Susan Pearl

The deeper the thought, the deeper we go with what we know,
And better are the chances of finding something new as we think these thoughts through,
Like going as deep as a person possibly can to an ocean floor,
To discover what very few have ever seen or been able to discover before,
And if it is meant to be, a once hidden pearl awaits there for us to find and then see,
Because going deep within ourselves in our thoughts makes for a very rewarding journey,
That gives a wealth of worthwhile value and these new thoughts will continue to show,
Beauty upon beauty before our eyes that we can now realize by having reached such depth of soul.

#279 "Enjoyable People" By Susan Pearl

It is so wonderful to be with people who are good natured and of good humor,
Who are filled with goodwill and mean well,
Interesting and mannered,
Who want to do his or her part and not have you do more than your share,
And wouldn't want it any other way,
Oh, how I like to have people like that in my day.

#278 "Loyalty Versus An Idol" By Susan Pearl

Loyalty is not keeping an unlawful secret,
Loyalty does not want us to go against our moral convictions,
Loyalty wants us to stand up for what is right,
To defend the defenseless and to protect the innocent and vulnerable,
Loyalty is a commitment to do what we know is good and unselfish,
Selfishness preys on and overpowers victims for own self interest and gratification,
Loyalty askes us to live being loyal to what we truly believe in,
Loyality is built on trust and is held together with mutual respect,
Without trust and respect such loyalty becomes having an idol,
I was told in a sermon once that anything that keeps us from doing the right thing is an idol.
I remember that sermon and believe those words to be true.

#277 "Sobering Thought" By Susan Pearl

I was told to drive slow,
Because a botttle neck road situation was changing the traffic flow,
So I went as slow as I should go,
Waiting for things to improve with more driving room beginning to show,
I needed to be on time and so I wondered what had changed the traffic flow,
Then I saw a vehicle needing a tow,
I saw flashing lights and that was all I needed to know,
My inconvenience disappeared before my eyes at what I saw as I drove by slow,
And all of a sudden I arrived at a place inside myself that made me know,
How precious life is and how fast people in our lives can come and go. 

#276 "Dancing On The Beach" By Susan Pearl

With the breeze by the coconut trees we danced so slow,
The sand beneath our feet felt like a satin sheet,
Comforming to which ever way we wanted to go,
The moonlit beach was as long as the eye could reach,
With the caresses of waves that would come and go, and oh,
With the breeze by the coconut trees we danced so slow.

#275 "One Of A Kind" By Susan Pearl

So as with a pearl is made by having the irritation of a grain of sand,
The pain of the irritation becomes coated with the mother of pearl made by the shell fish,
Like an automatic defense system is in place of having a good coming out of something hard to live with,
So, too, learning to live with life's irritations will develop a special character within us,
That makes us become far more than we ever were before in so many valuable ways,
Ways that could only become processed by learning to live with a pain and having something productive come from this process,
And then knowing this process forms a beauty from within that is rare and so hard to find,
That's when we become living a special and beautiful quality, like a pearl, a real one of a kind, and pearls take time.

#274 "Have Patience/ Be Kind" By Susan Pearl

Have patience and be kind,
Because we don't know what burdens may be on another's mind,
Maybe another is thinking of a past hurt or tragedy,
And this perception will then be what the other can only see,
To get beyond this place will take time,
Until then have patience and be kind.

#273 "Hear Say" By Susan Pearl

Second hand talk is really "hear say",
People saying what they hear from another each day,
Sometimes it falls into the category of destructive gossip words,
Other times it is the telling of something concerning that was heard,
Wanting to know if another has heard it, too or what another knows,
So round and round the merry go round of "hear say" goes,
But where there is smoke there is fire and therein the test for questioning does arise,
Does second hand talk fan a dying ember and turn it into a burning blaze of lies,
Or can it reveal something that we are better off to know, or may not ever knowing it is best,
It's a toss up, and the thing about "hear say"  is that it really may be none of our business.

#272 " Past Resentments" By Susan Pearl

If an old resentment came in a printed form,
It wouldn't be worth the paper it was printed on.
It would also be like a worthless currency to continue to pass around,
This negative input becomes like litter tossed to now become cluttered ground,
Such useless scatter, disturbing matter, distracting to be put into a new day's view,
Someone's old resentment is a waste that subtracts from life's true beauty and from me and from you,
It leaves nothing behind but a mess of tangled windwhipped trash caught by whatever it can cling to,
And sometimes these past resentments are passed on for another generation to wade and sort through.

#271 "Love And Happy" By Susan Pearl

In my life I have known a very kind man,
Who loves and accepts me for who I am,
And I'm so happy that I'm married to him.

#270 "Different Scenarios" By Susan Pearl

We shouldn't fear the different scenarios we can face along the way each day,
We should trust with our core values in place we will know what to do and say.

#269 "Connecting The Dots" By Susan Pearl

We have to go with the facts and not feelings when connecting the dots,
Then by connecting the dots a picture will begin to emerge,
This picture will show us a reality.

#268 "A Hit And A Miss" By Susan Pearl

Some things are best kept at a distance,
Lightning is one of those things for me,
The nearer electrifying lightning is the more terrifying,
Thunder and lightning go together the closer they are the nearer they are,
The further apart they are the further the distance,
But when the booms and the flashing strikes happen at the same time,
It's yikes, thunderous flashing strikes, upon strikes, yikes upon yikes,
Then the sound and sight get to be fufther apart again so the passing of a storm has now come,
I like lightning at a distance but then at the same time it would be over head for someone else,
So I have to take a turn, too, with the things in life that hit and miss both at the same time.

#267 "Thank You Times" By Susan Pearl

Take time to say "thank you",
And mean it from the bottom of your heart,
With sincere appreciation the words of criticism will depart.

#266 "No Guarantee" By Susan Pearl

Rocks can crumble,
Anything on legs can stumble and tumble,
Balloons can gently wave and then suddenly pop,
Some people will go when they should stop,
We all have to live with these odds so don't tell me,
That against such things you can sell me a guarantee.