Today, in all humility, I offer gifts to you.

The gift of light, an image of beauty and timelessness.

The gift of love. I found it and offer you a piece of it, to take and share.

The gift of stories. To touch your heart and made you laugh and sometimes cry.

The gift of peace. Fear is a space to cross, a geography. It is not the reality of your life.

The gift of perspective. I offer you my experiences in the world. My many mistakes, flaws,

difficulties. My successes, defeats, setbacks, disappointments, accomplishments lessons.

The gift of imperfection. We are, none of us perfect and the gift of acceptance is

perhaps the most important gift I can try to have and share.

The gift of tolerance. Anger is a poison, it corrodes the giver and receiver. My gift to you

is this: if it angers you, do not talk to it, do not listen to it, do not watch it. Do not give it to others or put it on them.

Like fear, anger will gobble up your soul like a potato chip and spit it right out. It is a virus.

And thank you for the gifts you give me daily. Your stories. Your love and support. Your annoying

messages of concern and alarm. The gifts we share.

Your search with me for a better and more meaningful life.

Your determination

for a better way.

Your love of animals and story-telling and bookstores. Your wish for honesty and the sharing of lives,

points of connection in a sometimes disconnected world.

Your gift of hearing my stories, buying them reading them,  listening to me fumble through life,

your patience at my many faults and flaws.

Your gift of loving my photographs, of thanking me for them, of appreciate them, of giving me the fuel

to take them and make them better. I take them for you, you love them for me.

A day of gifts. I offer you mine, I thank you for yours.