Friday, September 16, 2016

Because I Believe in Miracles.

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Michelle who gives so much beauty to our community at Today's Little Ditty for Roundup.

Tomorrow would have been my father's 70th birthday, and I've got miracles on my mind. My father WAS a miracle, and he taught me to see the whole world that way. Little by little I've been going through his scrapbooks from the years he lived in Bismarck,  ND, and what overwhelms me is how despite health and other difficulties, he found beauty everywhere. Here are a couple of quotes from a newsletter he wrote for the Bismarck Cancer Center quarterly newsletter:

"One of my favorite quotes is by David Ben-Gurion: 'In order to be a realist, you must believe in miracles.” I know that there a lot of folks who can’t bring themselves to accept that concept, but, from my own experience fighting cancer, I believe it true.'"

"Not surprisingly, faith and hope are huge factors in their fight against cancer. Quite often, they will express belief in and hope for a miracle in their lives—a miracle that they do not simply wish for but make considerable personal effort to encourage through active participation in their treatment."

He was a regular Walt Whitman. So, today, for him, I give you "Miracles" by Walt Whitman.

Miracles
by Walt Whitman


Why, who makes much of a miracle?
As to me I know of nothing else but miracles,
Whether I walk the streets of Manhattan,
Or dart my sight over the roofs of houses toward the sky,
Or wade with naked feet along the beach just in the edge of the
        water,
Or stand under trees in the woods,
Or talk by day with any one I love, or sleep in the bed at night
        with any one I love,
Or sit at table at dinner with the rest,
Or look at strangers opposite me riding in the car,
Or watch honey-bees busy around the hive of a summer
        forenoon,
Or animals feeding in the fields,
Or birds, or the wonderfulness of insects in the air,
Or the wonderfulness of the sundown, or of stars shining so
        quiet and bright,
Or the exquisite delicate thin curve of the new moon in spring;
These with the rest, one and all, are to me miracles,
The whole referring, yet each distinct and in its place.
To me every hour of the light and dark is a miracle,
Every cubic inch of space is a miracle,
Every square yard of the surface of the earth is spread with the
        same,
Every foot of the interior swarms with the same.
To me the sea is a continual miracle,
The fishes that swim—the rocks—the motion of the waves—the
        ships with men in them,
What stranger miracles are there?

17 comments:

  1. I love how your father continues to inspire you. Nice to imagine him walking and talking with Walt Whitman.

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  2. Such beautiful ordinary miracles! I hope your day is filled with them.

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  3. Those first two lines have been my favorite for a long time. Between you, your dad, and Walt, you brought a tear to my eye! xo

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  4. What a beautiful poem. Love hearing more about your wonderful father and how he continues to inspire you every day. He was indeed a miracle, and we are fortunate to be able to experience his legacy in your creative vision.

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  5. I'm guessing you've heard this Einstein quote, Irene?

    “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” ― Albert Einstein

    So not only was your dad a Walt Whitman, but he was an Albert Einstein, too. Pretty darn impressive. xo

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  6. Such a beautiful miracle to have these memories of your father. Wishing you a weekend full of "continual" miracles.

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  7. Beautiful, and how inspiring. Thank you for sharing your father with us today.

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  8. My wish is that each person could have a miracle seer in their life. Those who don't, miss out on being able to see and pass on this ability to see miracles. And the cycle ends with them.

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  9. A wonderful tribute to your father today, noticing and spreading love and miracles.

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  10. Or birds For me, it always comes back to the birds. They announce the spring, they announce the day, they announce the lightness of life through flight.

    My thoughts are with you today.

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  11. Thanks for sharing your dad with us, Irene. Every time I read a poem that celebrates ordinary things, like Whitman's does, I promise myself to be more attentive. Sounds like your dad was that kind of person--and you certainly are.

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  12. I believe in miracles too. You dad was an amazing man. I know that without ever having met him because he raised an amazing daughter. xo

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  13. Beautiful, Irene, Walt's poem and your dad. Thank for sharing with us. Sending you love.

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  14. What an inspiring post and wonderful tribute. What an excellent outlook for a dad.

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  15. Loved listening to you read this poem and your remembrances of your father: "He found beauty everywhere." I especially like this phrase from "Miracles:" "Or the wonderfulness of the sundown, or of stars shining so
    quiet and bright..."
    Just last week, a friend and I drove around watching the sun go down and then a beautiful full moon on the rise. It was delightful and a miracle!

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Your thoughts?