To Autumn
Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eaves run;
To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For Summer has o'er-brimmed their clammy cells.
Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?
Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find
Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,
Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;
Or on a half-reap'd furrow sound asleep,
Drows'd with the fume of poppies, while thy hook
Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers;
And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep
Steady thy laden head across a brook;
Or by a cyder-press, with patient look,
Thou watchest the last oozings hours by hours.
Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?
Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,---
While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day,
And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue;
Then in a wailful choir, the small gnats mourn
Among the river sallows, borne aloft
Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;
And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;
Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft
The redbreast whistles from a garden-croft;
And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.
English poet, John Keats
May you find serenity and tanquility
in a world you may not always understand
May the pain you have known and the
conflict you have experienced give you the
strength to walk through life facing each
new situation with courage and optimism.
Always know that there are those whose
love and understanding will always be
there, even when you feel most alone.
May you discover enough goodness in
others to believe in a wold of peace. May a
kind word, a reassuring touch, and a warm
smile be yours every day of your life, and
may you give these gifts as well as receive
them. Remember the sunshine when the
storm seems unending.
Teach love to those who hate, and let that
love embrace you as you go into the World.
May the teachings of those you admire
become a part of you, so that you may call
upon them. Remember, those whose lives
you have touched and who have touched
yours are always a part of you, even if the
encounters were less than you would have
wished.
It is the content of the encounter that is
more important that its form. May you not
become too concerned with material
matters but, instead, place immeasurable
value on the goodness in your heart. Find
time in each day to see beauty and love in
the World around you.
Realize that each person has limitless
abilities, but each of us is different in our
own way. What you may feel you lack in
one regard may be more than compensated
for in another. What you feel you lack in the
presnet may become one of your strengths
in the future.
May you see your future as one filled with
promise and possibility. May you find
enough inner strength to determine your
own worth by yourself, and not be
dependant on another's judgment of your
accomplishments. May you always feel
loved.
Author unknown