Skip to main content

A Heart Full of Thanks

Oh, the thanks I could think, and the thanks I could say!

For the wonderful people who brightened my day.

The first one is Lori, my wife, sweet and true,

Who knows just the thing and knows just what to do.

She whipped up a feast with a smile and a sigh,

With corn on the cob and a steak cooked “On the Fly!”


My neighbor, Steve, with a mischievous gleam,

Said, “No fence work today! No work, it would seem!

You’ll paint with some water, some colors so bright,

And sign your new painting with all of your might!"

I laughed and I said, “But I don’t know that skill!

I’ll slap on some paint and see what sticks still!”


Then there’s my friends on the Facebook machine,

The best group of readers that ever was seen!

They read all my blogs and they hear my podcasts,

They send all their cheer that's built to last!


And Billy and Linda.

A Snoopy card in the mail.

A wonderful surprise that was sure to prevail!

From very good friends, a delightful new tale!


But the thanks didn't stop, no, not even a bit!

For James and for Merrill, who just wouldn't quit!

“It’s your birthday again!” they both shouted, “Hooray!

Let’s have a barbecue the very next day!”


Oh, the people I've met, all so kind and so grand,

From here to there, all over this fine land.

What makes them so giving? What makes them so keen?

To be the best friends that have ever been seen?


My thanks to you all for the love that you've shown,

For the seeds of pure joy that you've heartily sown!


I’m Patrick Ball. Stay curious, ask questions, and always hold onto the power of love and friendship. See you in the next episode!

Comments

Don Hanley said…
Beautiful sentiments and delightful poetry - thank you!!

Most Popular of All Time

The Compass of Cuba: Mom

🎄  Preview of this week's  On the Fly  blog: A Holiday Tribute to Mom. As the holidays hustle with pixels and beeps, the world scrolls along in a smartphone-y sleep. I log off for a moment—just one little minute— To breathe in the past and to sit myself in it. My mind doesn’t wander to faraway places, Or trips full of tickets and new airport faces. Instead, it drifts backward, as memories do, to Cuba, Illinois, where the best moments grew. To a home full of warmth, in the wintry Midwest, Where my mother—dear “Marcie”—put love to the test. With a smile that could melt the most frigid of dawns, and hugs that hung on you like shivering fawns. She came from La Rochelle in France, brave and bright, Across oceans and war shadows, into new light. A town full of strangers soon felt like her own, And her courage built up the foundation of home. “Oh yes, we know Marcie!” the locals would say— “It's Doc Ball’s French lady! She brightens the day!” She cleaned, and she cooked, and sh...

Feeling Human Again

In this episode, The Unexpected Thankfulness of Feeling Human Again I’ll be honest with you: My triumphant return from France was not the glamorous homecoming I had imagined. No graceful glide back into routine. No cinematic jet-setter moment where I lift my suitcase off the carousel and wink at life like we’re old pals. Instead? I came home and immediately launched into a two-week performance piece titled The Great American Couch Collapse. My days blurred together in a haze of soup, hot tea, tissues, and desperate negotiations with the universe for just one nostril—one!—to function properly. The living room sofa became my emotional support furniture. And any creative idea that dared tiptoe into my congested brain was gently shown the exit with a firm but courteous, “Not today, friend. Try again later.” When life hits the pause button like that—when you’re exhausted, sick, and mentally unplugged—how do you find your spark again? Somehow, today, I felt it. A tiny shift. A clearing of th...

Believing Is Seeing

🎄 In this episode, Believing Is Seeing . . . It's December, we bustle, we wrap, and we dash. We sort life into boxes— myths  here,  to-dos  in a stash. We whisper of Santa (adult code: “Not Real”), but hold on one minute—let’s rethink this whole deal. For the stories we cherish, the movies we stream, hold more truth in their sparkle than we grown-ups may deem. So hop in this sleigh and hold on real tight— We’re chasing down Santa by the glow of his light! Scott Calvin once landed in the North Pole’s cold air, with elves, cocoa, and snow everywhere. He squinted and frowned—“This just  cannot  be so!” (Like thinking tangled lights will detangle if we  blow .) Then Judy the Elf gave a cocoa so steaming,  and said something simple . . . yet surprisingly gleaming: Seeing’s not believing—no, that’s not the key. "Believing is seeing!"   Just trust, and  you’ll  see!” Kids don’t need a map or a satellite screen to know Santa’s workshop is her...

Stamps and Snow

In this episode, Stamps and Snow . . .   You don’t usually walk into the local Post Office expecting a time warp . . . but here we are. All we wanted were stamps for this year's Christmas cards— yes, the old-fashioned paper ones that require licking, sticking, and hoping the Postal Service is feeling ambitious this week. But holiday errands have a talent for slowing you down, almost like the universe whispering, “Relax. You’re not getting out of this line any faster anyway.” So we waited. And while we waited, we talked (Are you surprised?). Because the Post Office is one of the few places where people still look up from their phones long enough to talk . . . Maybe it's because they're holding packages. It’s the modern town square: part civic duty, part free entertainment, part sociology experiment. The discussion began with holiday specials streaming on Netflix, Paramount+, and other services during this time of year. One gentleman who has lived in Vista since 1958 told us,...