By Liesl Garner, Written specifically for Fresno County Women’s Chamber of Commerce Guest Speaker, Armen Bacon, writer of the Radio Series called “Live, Laugh & Love” on KJewel in Fresno, CA. I am honored to be able to start each month’s meeting with a poem, and end each meeting with a soft word.

I love the reminders we get

To live simply

To laugh with a full heart

To love with wide open arms.

I have signs telling me to slow down,

to live, laugh and love

emblazoned upon my walls.

My children are constant reminders

of life that is lived fully

while swinging wildly from atop

Monkey Bars and singing

the neighborhood awake.

And yet, there are still those days

when my bad hair is all that

preoccupies my mind. I stand in line

at the bank thinking mean thoughts

at the woman ahead of me with perfectly

– I mean Per-Fect-Ly beautiful hair.

I make all these excuses to myself

about how busy I am being a mom

and running a business, being involved

in my community. The list goes on and

on and yet, I still begrudge her the

amazing amounts of free time she must

have to make her hair so gorgeous.

I even make a snide comment to someone

else in line, and catch myself, and

realize how horrible I am. I decide to be

really big, and just give the woman

a flat-out compliment when I notice her

walking right in front of me in the parking lot.

I mention her divine hair – and she turns

to me and says, “It’s not my hair. I have

Cancer. This is a wig.” And I don’t have words

to express my sorrow at begrudging her

any amount of time to primp and feel beautiful.

My hair is not perfect, I do not have copious

amounts of free time for glamour. I have Time.

I have the time I have right now with my husband,

my children and my friends. And I could not

be more grateful to have the ability to live

and laugh and love without counting grains

of sand in an hourglass, the moments remaining.

I am grateful for the reminders we get

To live fully the life we’ve been given.

GREAT END

Thank you Women’s Chamber – Thank you Armen Bacon – let’s all say it together now “Live, Laugh and Love!”

Photo Credit: I took this picture of the rose my husband picked for me from our garden in Fresno.