JOURNEY OF THE COMMUNITY MATRIARCH

Its been not quite a decade since I was honored to work with a wonderful woman, who became affectionately known as the community matriarch. Her passion for children of all ages and persons with disabilities, combined with her love for the YMCA and her devotion was well respected by community leaders throughout Broward County (greater Fort Lauderdale) and the vast YMCA professional network. She continually embraced our great organization's mission along with her selflessness opened the YMCA of Broward County to national exposure in forward moving programs. The Broward County Child Care Inclusion Project and the expansion of before and after-care and summer camp programs for persons with disabilities from age 3 to 21 and programs for typically developing youth in middle and high school.

Here's to a wonderful woman,
Always true to heart and feelings.
Passionate about her career,
People know her from all over.
Yet compassion and love for all,
Really brought us all together.
Every life she touched in her years,
Truly made her like family.
In your eyes she stands above all,
Resembling an angel on earth.
Even with demanding schedules,
Mentoring others was her gift.
Eager to share her expertise,
Not turning anyone away.
Tirelessly working projects,
Into sleepless nights and weekends.
Recreating each budget and,
Endlessly proofing narratives.
Now she finishes this journey,
Emotions will be truly mixed,
But her words will echo for years
Until our paths cross once again,
Tales of yesterday will be told.
Cheers to you, and Godspeed, Irene,
Health, happiness, and best wishes.
Endless gratitude and with love,
Robert William Kovacs.

Epilogue - In July 2005, I had written this poem (above) for her retirement party and had been blessed to read it (through tears and emotion) to her in front of a rather large captive audience and then present a framed copy of it as a gift. Although, I've trained hundreds of people in a variety of ages, genders and differences, I never felt as much stage fright as having all eyes on me as I did that evening. I am certain my voice quivered and cracked with nothing more than a monotone mumble leaving my lips. With gratitude, love and well wishes, I let my once boss; by virtue of title, mentor by nature, friend and second "Mom" by God's blessings; exit stage right with her bestowing me with powers to continue her legacy to the Broward County community.

Here's to you Irene!

FIRST DAY

Smells of new notebooks being opened,
Crayons breaking in for the first time,
Backpacks hushing by with each large leap,
Textbook spines cracking for the first time,
Pencil sharpeners twirling away,
Teachers and pupils dressed to the nines.

May all my teacher friends near and far,
Set off the first day with great splendor.
May you be blessed with patience and love,
Stamina and tolerance to brighten
Our future’s minds with wisdom to grow
And be tomorrow's next great leaders.

TWO BECOMING ONE

Join us in a celebration,
Of our lives together as we
Share our love for one another.
Here we are together again,
United by our vows of love
As family and friends look on.
Being there for one another,
And not looking back anymore
Now we can look to our future.
Dreaming of endless tomorrows,
New adventures to chase after
Is just only our beginning.
Chasing after the rainbow’s end,
Only to find treasures of gold
Like the Leprechaun’s tale whispers.
Except the new treasures of wealth,
Merely appear as a guide to
Simply finding all life’s treasures.
Creating a tapestry with
Hues woven with bright radiance,
Waking the world to share our joy
As we lead our life in marriage.
Reminiscing our many years,
The best time of our life comes through
Zephyrs whispering our future.

 

A NEW DAY IS NEAR

A new day is near...
Sees more light than dark,
Hears more calm than fury,
Feels more love than hate,
Smells more fresh air than stale,
Tastes more sweet than bitter,
...all within grasp before I know it.

A new day is near...
I blink,
I listen,
I know,
I breathe,
I swallow,
...all within grasp before I know it.

A new day is near...
Sunrise scrambling to conquer majestic mountains,
Wildlife waking to scrambling sunrise,
Touring trails to wildlife waking,
Crisp cool air as I walk through touring trails,
My taste buds dance to crisp cool air,
...all within grasp before I know it.

A new day is near,
all within grasp before me and
...all I have to do is reach.

FORFEITED RADIANCE

Morning dew rises, as the sun scrambles
Above the horizon as midday nears.
Right away, awakening my senses
Joining them in a varied splendid hue
Of beauty I have never encountered.
Rustling palm fronds and the swaying sawgrass,
Yet, I stare at the Everglades splendor,
Stretching horizons, boundless as blue skies.
Tidal waters drain the river of grass
Of all new vitality brought by spring.
No place like the Everglades exists on
Earth as it does in my very backyard.
Merely tranquility is what I sought,
And leaving solace disturbances in
Not so familiar surroundings for
Doing my part may not be enough now.
Only to realize her once beauty,
Underscored by the polluted soil.
Greatly respected by all those who have
Lived off the land for past generations
And future generations coming forth.
Sun sparkled, beautifully bounded as if
A tapestry were woven in a mixed
Nightmare of many colors in the sky.
Disappearing quickly, acres of land
Hopelessly scream for protection from the
Endless destruction towards her once beauty.
Reminiscing of the river of grass,
Remembering the many faceless names.
In the afternoon, the fiery sun
Victoriously forfeited to the
Ever present gathering gray clouds of
Rain storms of thunder, lightning and wind gusts
Of which seemed to arise before my eyes.
For the life she holds, some are not even
Grateful for the beauty she possess,
Rarely keeping her pristine armor whole.
As generations of families come,
So many leave feeling vacant while,
Someone else be fulfilled with inner peace.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Marjory Stoneman Douglas and her River of Grass
April 7, 1890 – May 14, 1998

THROUGH ALL THE YEARS TO COME

Today, like all other days is to be
One of opportunity for me to
Daydream about tomorrow’s encounter.
During this moment in time, I see you,
As distant as parted seas, I try to
Near the silhouettes with each passing stride.
Daring to be quaint, they become one now,
Happening silently as the first time
In which his fearless stare met her shy gaze.
Sharing the beginning, of what will be
Everlasting passion for each other
Like a first love between a boy and girl.
Giving each other the world’s offerings,
I see them together eternally
Sewing a quilt filled with endless color.
Bringing forth, this gentleman and lady,
Only to now become husband and wife,
To bestow their heritage to their kin.
Now that I completed telling this tale,
Emotions of joy and celebration
Remind me why they are now together.

 

 

REFLECTIONS

No one knows how long they’ll be on Earth.
Dying a little each day right from birth,
We never know our reasons for being,
Or what we’re going to do or be.

When a loved one finishes their journey,
It leaves us feeling sad, remembering the past.
It hurts us knowing we’ll see them no more.
But we must go on, for they’ve gone through a door.

The good times we had and the love we shared
And the many things we did to show how we cared.
But as we grow and learn,
We each have a different journey.

As we walk the path down through the years,
Sometimes filled with laughter,
And other times filled with tears.
Memories are the only possessions of them we’ve got.

Be thankful for family and friends, tried and true.
They’re the ones that helped us when we’re feeling blue.
So until the day comes when we reach the end of our time,
We must try hard to love others and find peace of mind.