Gekko From The Big Island of Hawaii
Good day dear readers! Much to talk about, much to say. I have been doing a fair bit of work lately, I have been looking into the field of comic and graphic novel publishing and I am thinking I would like to publish a comic from a script I wrote about mental illness to help educate the teens and young students I will be meeting when I start my new job as a public speaker for the Schizophrenia Society. It is all really exciting, I have also gotten an offer to set up a writing workshop or two that will actually pay. I don’t know what concept most of my readers have of writing, but it is a very rare occasion that you make money on anything. There are postings for people as writers in residence and other things, but I lack the education for such a posting. I do make a small amount of money on book sales, but when you figure in time and effort and publishing and shipping costs plus all the copies I end up giving out for free, I would be very surprised if I end up breaking even, which really isn’t that bad to be honest. I love to write, and I love it when others read what I write and give me favourable feedback. I don’t even mind when people give me negative feedback. A person the other day wrote to me on this blog about how my belief in God was like believing in Santa Claus and I actually greatly welcomed his comment because it is allowing me to open a dialogue about the whole theology question, which I not only have a lot of experience studying, but a lot of experience arguing about.
It has also been a pretty great week partially because people have been so kind and generous with me in regards to presents, but I am even happier because my sister and my niece are here and I love them both very dearly. My niece is a joy to be around, I am so amazed at how smart she is. It is weird that this little girl who I once held in my arms and fed a bottle to can say things like, “Hey dude-watch out!” and all kinds of gems like that. It really does fill my heart with joy just watching her play. I think one of the most amazing things about kids is that they really do love people unconditionally. Nothing can make them stop loving you, except possibly puberty. It reminds me a lot of when I was a kid and I had this Uncle in Drumheller who was an amazing guy. I loved him so much, he was a hero to me, he worked as a heavy duty mechanic and heavy equipment operator and he was John freeking Wayne to me. He was such a dear man and did things like one time my brother and I found a baseball glove, bat and mitt and we were going to share them and my Uncle took my brother’s share of them away from him and gave them to me. I kept the bat for a very long time and I fear sometimes that my brother still resents that incident. It did make me feel special though, something that didn’t happen a lot being the youngest although I suppose we all got our measure of love from family, just in different ingredients and measurements. Anyhow, this is all getting a bit drippy. I wanted to write a bit about the New Year before I leave you for today’s poem. It is interesting that the symbol of New Year’s is a new baby who replaces and old man. It is a metaphor, a symbol of new life, like my niece who is the subject of today’s poem. I look at her and think of new hope for our family, the idea that we will have this wonderful little human being to represent us after we are gone. Anyhow dear readers, please give me as much feedback as you can, I hope you enjoy today’s poem which will be below the below photo. Cheers!!
Edmonton Art Gallery
Children
As mankind approaches a brand new year
And we consider all of our hopes and fears
I think most of those that I hold dear
Some things in my mind become so clear
Close friends I lost that once meant so much
Lost lovers who I will never once more touch
Memories and mementos and such and such
Make me wonder if my past is just a crutch
My sister tries to come here in this season
I’m glad she comes for a special reason
My dear wonderful niece whose looks are pleasing
Comes along for happy hugs and teasing
My sister’s child who I love so dear
The only person for whom I can still shed a tear
Brings me new hope as innocent as a newborn deer
And reminds me that my goal is clear
It is a simple goal, I will tell it to you
To be a hero, always be good and true
It’s not fantastic, not anything new
It’s just what I always wished that I could do
My brother Kris was that person for me
My hero, my champion who worked to be
A person I could look up to and see
What it meant to be brave, strong and free
I suppose soon now that my niece is ten
I will have to look back on these days and remember when
I called her up every now and then
And she inspired me to pick up my pen
I want to paint in words her innocent smile
Her happy spirit, pluck and guile
Keep that in my head for a long long while
Pack the words away in a special file
She’s growing up so fast, it seems just days ago
Her little mind was eager to soak up all it didn’t know
At ten she is beginning to lose that glow
But we still laugh sometimes and play in the snow
I think often it would have been so nice to have my own child
But being a dad seems to just not be my style
And so I will cherish what I have for a while
A sweet niece for whom I will always go the extra mile
I look at my little niece and think about how she is so sweet
And how her soft appealing looks can not be beat
She dances and sings and runs me off my feet
Before I say goodbye and into my own space retreat
The love for my flesh and blood is so real
I just wish I knew a little more about how it feels
To be the only little one around your family’s heels
And not have an adults more firm ideals
I love her so much it hurts to think of the coming day
When she will change and feel a different way
I wish I had the words to help her, to say
That this world is hers in which to laugh and play
But the sad thing that I must realize
If I can ever be thought of as wise
No matter how much a family member tries
Each one of us on Earth has a time to live and a time when he or she dies
My little one will have to learn through work and play
And not even listen to what her Uncle has to say
Because truly at the end of each new dawning day
We must own our own choices, own the path we take
Leif Gregersen
December 29, 2014
Mental Health coping skills blog by leif gregersen 