A Family Poem for the World
A Participatory Project Created By YOU!
Edited and Introduced by John Schlimm, in partnership with Familius
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Launched on April 22, 2020, “A Family Poem for the World” grows every day with words, phrases, and sentences written by people from all walks of life.
To join the project, please email your original word, phrase, or sentence to: [email protected].
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YAY!
. . . and our hearts, breath, and prayer became one . . .
Be the “YES” person!
To have the power to know you’re special
while humble enough not to use power.
Be the “special” in someone’s life.
AWAKEN!
Perhaps God has pushed the reset button
to remind us of what’s important.
Not money, power, or material things, but each other.
Of our many blessings even in dark times,
I’m thankful for technology to help keep us together
while we need to be apart.
SMILE,
it makes the world a brighter place!
We don’t have to be perfect, we just have to be.
Silver lining of life becoming simple, unfrazzled.
MEOW!
Love all.
Serve all.
. . . to be a redeeming presence in the world.
COMFORT!
Love, unity, community.
Sometimes the person you don’t want to talk to
is the very person you need to talk to.
She embraced the suffering world with open arms.
Enduring pain and hardships together
will bind us with love for the rest of our lives.
We work to liberate love.
Que sera, sera.
What will be, will be.
You got this!
BREATHE:
slow;
focus;
exist;
be present.
Feeling my way in the darkness
Pinpricks of light
Squinting, I glimpsed God.
VULNERABILITY!
. . . be in tune
with thoughts, emotions, wants, needs.
Be a better you
and there will be no end to what we can do.
Be good, do good.
GRATITUDE!
I look up at the stars.
I give thanks to God for putting them there,
and for keeping my family, my community,
my self safe another day.
I draw in deep breaths of air
and am thankful that I can.
CREATION!
The world created in the still and silence
will again be vibrant and full of color.
At the sunlit eaves of my rib-cage
clouds morph
in their urgent, timeless instruction
to be here now, and now, and now again.
Life finds a way
in the in-between times.
CONNECTION!
One day, we will all be stardust.
Do unto others
as you would have them
do unto you.
Luke 6:31.
We are equals.
Good humans connected
in a new, different way,
seeking solutions and working together
to keep our loved ones and neighbors
safe.
The titles that matter most
are not related to our jobs:
Mom
Dad
Sister
Brother
Daughter
Son
Aunt
Uncle
Grandmother
Grandfather
Friend.
LIGHT!
“A single sunbeam is enough
to drive away many shadows.”
Saint Francis of Assisi.
TIME
The earth groaned.
A Voice resounded.
We sifted
together
from crevice to crevice.
Hope is alive in every new morning.
COMPASSION!
Always available, not always present.
When we are divided, it doesn’t exist at all.
But in times of trouble, shield your eyes,
look to the horizon.
For compassion is riding in.
Compassion drives out division.
Humanity wins.
NATURE!
I sat and opened my senses
to the cleansing gifts
that nature is always willing to bestow.
Winds wending through tree branches, beguiling.
Cardinal’s distinctive songs.
Sunlight warmly stroking my skin.
Tension evaporated, replaced by gratitude.
A grateful, natural prayer
to what always awaits me.
KINDERGARTEN!
Five and six year olds:
“I’m sad . . .”
“I’m happy . . .”
“I’m mad . . .”
“I’m hungry.”
What is one word you would say to the world?
“Healthy.”
“No.”
“Love.”
“Happy.”
What brings you joy?
“Talking to teachers everyday!”
“Toys!”
“Mario and Luigi!”
“Therapy!”
F-R-I-E-N-D-S!
Amazing
Loving
Loyal
Incredible
Encouraging
I’ll be there for you!
NOW!
Go inward, cocoon, discover.
Break free of old
and fly
to your wondrous NOW!
DARKNESS
The darkness always promises
the brightest light.
When life gets scary and hard,
choose to be a ray of light.
PAUSE . . .
PRIORITIZE . . .
EMPATHY:
a blessing, a curse, feeling every hope and fear
vulnerable, but grateful
worried, but faithful
a spinning wheel of emotion
we are human
we are love
we are strong
together.
FAMILY!
Family is . . . connection, time, and balance.
Family is . . . laughter, tears, and joy.
Family is . . . humility, grace, and courage.
Family is . . . giving, receiving, and sharing.
Family is . . . truth, transparency, and respect.
Family is . . . the power of unconditional love.
STORMS!
I can’t stop the rain
nor the storm clouds
but
I
can
adjust
my focus.
Together is better.
I can stop the tears
and see beauty in the storms
as
I
breathe
hope
to the world.
RESTLESS SOUL
Mercy, Compassion, and Presence
from above
calm our restless soul
and fill our heart
with Love and Hope.
JOYS!
We can still greet the simplest of joys,
lying on a patch of green,
watching the clouds cavort . . .
Join hands whoever you may be.
We are all of this world you see.
AMEN!
FORGIVENESS?
A learned art
of letting go,
of loving . . .
of listening,
of looking back in step
with moving forward, of healing,
humility.
(To be continued . . . Stay Tuned!)
About the Project:
A FAMILY POEM FOR THE WORLD is an exclusive participatory collaboration between Harvard-trained educator, author, artist, and advocate John Schlimm and his publisher Familius—whose brand and mission are built upon the foundation of helping families and folks everywhere to be happy by creating works that teach, inspire, and bring people together. Working with the billions of beautiful voices across the globe, A FAMILY POEM FOR THE WORLD combines the impactful and healing forces of words and creativity—along with this rare and challenging moment in time—to capture both the blessings and the true essence of what it means to be alive.
To create A FAMILY POEM FOR THE WORLD, words, phrases, and single sentences are being sourced by Familius and John Schlimm in numerous ways, including via social media (#FamilyPoemForTheWorld), email ([email protected].com), and other outlets. By submitting an entry, you consent to Familius sharing and republishing your line as part of this project. John, in collaboration with Familius, is then compiling and editing the contributed quotes into A FAMILY POEM FOR THE WORLD, which for the foreseeable future will be a living, breathing, ever-evolving and transforming piece of writing that can exist and be enjoyed during its ongoing stages of creation by readers anytime on a landing page within Familius.com.
While the project will be open to everyone to participate, A FAMILY POEM FOR THE WORLD is an especially appealing activity for parents to enjoy at home with their children, and for teachers and librarians to remotely share with students and other folks. These ripples of hope in its purest form will begin with you and radiate from there.
About John Schlimm:
John Schlimm is a Harvard-trained educator, artist, advocate, and the award-winning author of 20 books, including his first children's book, The Star Jumped Over the Moon, which will be published by Familius in 2021. In addition to "A Family Poem for the World," he is also the creator of such Participatory Art projects as THE SMILE THAT CHANGED THE WORLD (is yours), Planting PEACE / #5dayPEACEchallenge, A Garden of Kindness, and Text COMPASSION. For more information about John and his projects, or to connect with him on social media, please visit: www.JohnSchlimm.com.