Poetry and Thoughts
Life has been my mentor in my solitude following the death of my beautiful only son and then my last child, my beautiful daughter. Life can teach us all we need to know to survive our circumstances, our particular environment.
In solitude while dealing with the pain of losing my babies, I found something. Something I cannot teach anyone else to find. Something that came from somewhere inside me, definitely an inside job. That something is peace of mind. I sometimes falter momentarily, but I continue moving toward an inner peace. The strength I have found there is unequaled to any other sense of contentment I have ever known.
I walked thousands of miles proclaiming "LOVE LIFE' and really felt I did indeed love life. Then I spent time with a friend who was dying of cancer. I watched Susan, with earphones on her sweet bald head, learning a new language. A few months later she was gone. She never stopped being concerned for those around her. She never had time to dwell too much on herself. Susan Bergier taught me to stay busy. And she taught me a new language; I want to be able to speak love and concern for others, no matter the circumtances.
I’m not only walking America’s highways, I’m walking toward the center of myself. I’m walking toward personal freedom. Such freedom comes with inner peace. There is but one person in my life I am able to change... me. A difficult task indeed, to find fault not in others, but... in me. As I walk I learn more of myself. that which I see in myself not acceptable, I work on changing. As these things change I become more content with who I am. Being content with myself brings the inner peace. I am ever learning, to... "LOVE LIFE"
I truly believe, most of us are equipped to handle all our problems no matter how severe they may seem at the moment.
I would like to personally tip my hat to Maya Angelou for this profound statement: “If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude.”
:::
Maybe we all need to quit bitchin' and... "LOVE LIFE" It may help to remember, there are NO stipulations in that Golden Rule we all claim to follow. This will come as a shock to many but... this includes the Atheist, the theist, the Religious Right, the Liberal Left, and the most shocking of all... presidential candidates! No matter which party.
In my hometown of Vero Beach, Florida there is a huge church that was in the process of adding on to their building. They wanted to add fifty-eight feet to the already existing fifty foot steeple. City ordinance restricted the height to fifty feet. The congregation decided this to be unfair and tried to have the city ordinance repealed. The city government said no and refused to budge on the issue. The congregation then sued the city of Vero Beach. The local newspaper seemed to have an article or opinions on the matter every day for weeks. I was quite amused and felt obliged to compose a poem concerning the big church congregation's grave matter.
Preacher of Vero
Oh preacher of Vero, so wise, so knowing,
So proud, in large numbers you are growing.
Ever the clever in attracting more people,
"I know!" Said one, "Let's have a bigger steeple!"
The law says half that size you may build.
But to laws of man must men of God yield?
The answer is on a car, maybe owned by you ....
On a bumper sticker, WWJD - What Would Jesus Do?
Jesus said, "Give onto Ceasar," for this is the law.
Would He protest it .... steeple big or small?
Oh preachers of Vero and all other lands,
Can't you see, His temple is not made with hands!
I sent my poem to the local paper to be printed in the Opinion Page with the many other opinions being submitted regarding this grave matter. They sent it back to me and informed me that because it was a poem it did not belong on the Opinion Page. I sent it back and argued that it was indeed my personal opinion and it just happened to rhyme. They sent it back again with a big "NO" attached to it! I later found out the newspaper editor and his mummy were very big in that very big church. So I sent a copy directly to the head minister of the big building. He too, sent my wonderful poem back with the words, "Judge Not!" written on it. I wrote back and asked, "Does this mean you didn't put my lovely poem on the church bulletin board?"
I was somewhat disappointed I never got my poem printed, but then... they never got their damn steeple either!
"Lighthouses are more helpful than churches"
:::
In my hometown of Vero Beach, Florida there is a huge church that was in the process of adding on to their building. They wanted to add fifty-eight feet to the already existing fifty foot steeple. City ordinance restricted the height to fifty feet. The congregation decided this to be unfair and tried to have the city ordinance repealed. The city government said no and refused to budge on the issue. The congregation then sued the city of Vero Beach. The local newspaper seemed to have an article or opinions on the matter every day for weeks. I was quite amused and felt obliged to compose a poem concerning the big church congregation's grave matter.
Preacher of Vero
Oh preacher of Vero, so wise, so knowing,
So proud, in large numbers you are growing.
Ever the clever in attracting more people,
"I know!" Said one, "Let's have a bigger steeple!"
The law says half that size you may build.
But to laws of man must men of God yield?
The answer is on a car, maybe owned by you ....
On a bumper sticker, WWJD - What Would Jesus Do?
Jesus said, "Give onto Ceasar," for this is the law.
Would He protest it .... steeple big or small?
Oh preachers of Vero and all other lands,
Can't you see, His temple is not made with hands!
I sent my poem to the local paper to be printed in the Opinion Page with the many other opinions being submitted regarding this grave matter. They sent it back to me and informed me that because it was a poem it did not belong on the Opinion Page. I sent it back and argued that it was indeed my personal opinion and it just happened to rhyme. They sent it back again with a big "NO" attached to it! I later found out the newspaper editor and his mummy were very big in that very big church. So I sent a copy directly to the head minister of the big building. He too, sent my wonderful poem back with the words, "Judge Not!" written on it. I wrote back and asked, "Does this mean you didn't put my lovely poem on the church bulletin board?"
I was somewhat disappointed I never got my poem printed, but then... they never got their damn steeple either!
:::
"Lighthouses are more helpful than churches"
~Ben Franklin
:::
"THE LUST FOR COMFORT MURDERS THE PASSION OF THE SOUL AND THEN WALKS GRINNING IN THE FUNERAL"
~Kahlil Gibran
:::
I stepped up to the counter at a convenience store, "How are you?" I asked the lady waiting on me. She only shrugged her shoulders. "I'm doing great!" I volunteered.
She reluctantly spoke, "I'm not!"
"Oh I'm sorry." I said, I then asked, "are you alright, is something troubling you?"
"No more than usual!" She replied with a smirk. She then added, "I'm just depressed, that's just me, I'm always like that."
She reluctantly spoke, "I'm not!"
"Oh I'm sorry." I said, I then asked, "are you alright, is something troubling you?"
"No more than usual!" She replied with a smirk. She then added, "I'm just depressed, that's just me, I'm always like that."
I smiled my best smile and as caring as I could be, I said, "That's too bad you are so centered on yourself and are making others around you miserable." Now I had her full attention! She looked at me as if I had not understood a word she said and so further explained, rather curtly, "No, it doesn't involve others, it's just me. I'm the one that's depressed... I never bother others with it." She was so sincere in her explanation.
I explained to her, "self misery effects others just as self joy spills over and lifts the spirits of those near us. When we are miserable it can cause those near us to also be miserable, this is why depression is so very self-centered.
"Well, I have had allot of bad things happen to me!" she justified.
I smiled real big and answered, "I can certainly understand that, so have I."
She rolled her eyes as if to say, "oh no, am I going to have to listen to his crap!" I was not going to let it end though, I wanted her to be happy, maybe I could help. I kept on explaining, I have a joy in my life, I love life." Even though I have lost both my beautiful children, I still love life." Now she was listening, I continued, "I lost my 26 year old son to suicide, six years later I lost my beautiful 36 year old daughter to an accidental drug overdose." I could see instantly I had hit home, she had at least one child, I could see it in her face as she said, "Oh God I am so sorry!" She was struggling with understanding this little debate we had engaged in, this was a new concept to her. When I left she had a smile on her face. She had taken her thoughts away from herself just long enough to make her smile.
Wanna' share what I've found of late,
Some good, some bad ... we'll debate.
Walked 'cross 'merica, felt love n' hate,
I'll reveal all and let you seperate.
Upon my back ... message on a sign,
LOVE LIFE it said, real simple, one line.
For it to work on you, gotta' love mine.
The more you love life the more you shine.
Many folks helped in their own way,
some said hey, some stopped to pray.
A few yelled, my brain had gone astray,
that I should see the U.S.A. in a Chevrolet.
Some pointed up to where angels linger,
giving me my own heavenly harbinger.
And some, fast as an old gunslinger,
raised hand high and gave me the finger!
Was mostly in Utah this infraction occured.
Utah, land of the Mormon I had heard,
why then the finger instead of the word?
Land of the Mormon, I call land of the bird!
This U.S.A. indeed ... a collective society,
Winnebago drivers, Harley riders ... such variety,
bicycle riders, truck drivers ... what diversity.
I oft felt extreme with my ... individuality
In California I danced 'cross the Golden Gate!
If life you love ... never hesitate to celebrate!
Sign says LOVE LIFE ... a mandate to demonstrate!
With love of life ... I instigate to reverberate!
My friend Sailboat Dick walking over to greet a fishin' buddy at sunrise on Vero's beach. He says "It is impossible to fish and worry at the same time."
Questions from a friend in relation to a story I had told him of a man whom had decided against the taking of his own life. I told my friend I had made this simple statement to him, "You do not have the right to take your own life, it does not belong just to you. You can do whatever you want in this life, except... hurt others!":
Friend Why do you suppose he talked about that with you?
Answer I had met him and given him my card, he went to my web site and then asked me to lunch. He said he had a pressing matter. He told me at our lunch he thought I seemed to know some about suicide and might give him reason to stop those thoughts.
F What do you suppose could displace the hurt, in addition to not wanting to cause pain to others?
A A love for others that caused him to put their feelings in front of his own thereby causing him to take another look at how serious his problem really was. Evidently not important enough to hurt his loved ones and friends. His shame in seeing what he was about to do to others displaces the pain.
F Each time you cast, you have to be involved in that action. How do you suppose he lost the fascination in that?
A Suicide is a self-centered act, he got his eyes off himself long enough to end the fascination. He put his eyes on others instead.
F How will his new insight hold?
A Like the majority of those who take their lives, he has a very soft heart and would really hurt no one deliberately. Once he centered on the welfare of others instead of centering on self he can focus more clearly and see the forest regardless of the trees.
F Good, good, he will be glad, and pass it on somehow.
"If you want to be happy in this life, forget about yourself."
****
"What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us" ~Emerson
Emerson also said, "I hate quotations. Tell me what you know."
You can use quotations and still tell what what you know with the witty and entertaining greeting cards from: The Borealis Press QuoteUnQuote:
www.borealispress.net
****
If I die, survive me with such sheer force
that you waken the furies of the pallid and the cold,
from south to south lift your indelible eyes,
from sun to sun dream through your singing mouth.
I don't want your laughter or your steps to waver,
I don't want my heritage of joy to die.
Don't call up my person. I am absent.
Live in my absence as if in a house.
Absence is a house so vast
that inside you will pass through its walls
and hang pictures on the air
Absence is a house so transparent
that I, lifeless, will see you, living,
and if you suffer, my love, I will die again.
I explained to her, "self misery effects others just as self joy spills over and lifts the spirits of those near us. When we are miserable it can cause those near us to also be miserable, this is why depression is so very self-centered.
"Well, I have had allot of bad things happen to me!" she justified.
I smiled real big and answered, "I can certainly understand that, so have I."
She rolled her eyes as if to say, "oh no, am I going to have to listen to his crap!" I was not going to let it end though, I wanted her to be happy, maybe I could help. I kept on explaining, I have a joy in my life, I love life." Even though I have lost both my beautiful children, I still love life." Now she was listening, I continued, "I lost my 26 year old son to suicide, six years later I lost my beautiful 36 year old daughter to an accidental drug overdose." I could see instantly I had hit home, she had at least one child, I could see it in her face as she said, "Oh God I am so sorry!" She was struggling with understanding this little debate we had engaged in, this was a new concept to her. When I left she had a smile on her face. She had taken her thoughts away from herself just long enough to make her smile.
:::
Wanna' share what I've found of late,
Some good, some bad ... we'll debate.
Walked 'cross 'merica, felt love n' hate,
I'll reveal all and let you seperate.
Upon my back ... message on a sign,
LOVE LIFE it said, real simple, one line.
For it to work on you, gotta' love mine.
The more you love life the more you shine.
Many folks helped in their own way,
some said hey, some stopped to pray.
A few yelled, my brain had gone astray,
that I should see the U.S.A. in a Chevrolet.
Some pointed up to where angels linger,
giving me my own heavenly harbinger.
And some, fast as an old gunslinger,
raised hand high and gave me the finger!
Was mostly in Utah this infraction occured.
Utah, land of the Mormon I had heard,
why then the finger instead of the word?
Land of the Mormon, I call land of the bird!
This U.S.A. indeed ... a collective society,
Winnebago drivers, Harley riders ... such variety,
bicycle riders, truck drivers ... what diversity.
I oft felt extreme with my ... individuality
In California I danced 'cross the Golden Gate!
If life you love ... never hesitate to celebrate!
Sign says LOVE LIFE ... a mandate to demonstrate!
With love of life ... I instigate to reverberate!
Questions from a friend in relation to a story I had told him of a man whom had decided against the taking of his own life. I told my friend I had made this simple statement to him, "You do not have the right to take your own life, it does not belong just to you. You can do whatever you want in this life, except... hurt others!":
Friend Why do you suppose he talked about that with you?
Answer I had met him and given him my card, he went to my web site and then asked me to lunch. He said he had a pressing matter. He told me at our lunch he thought I seemed to know some about suicide and might give him reason to stop those thoughts.
F What do you suppose could displace the hurt, in addition to not wanting to cause pain to others?
A A love for others that caused him to put their feelings in front of his own thereby causing him to take another look at how serious his problem really was. Evidently not important enough to hurt his loved ones and friends. His shame in seeing what he was about to do to others displaces the pain.
F Each time you cast, you have to be involved in that action. How do you suppose he lost the fascination in that?
A Suicide is a self-centered act, he got his eyes off himself long enough to end the fascination. He put his eyes on others instead.
F How will his new insight hold?
A Like the majority of those who take their lives, he has a very soft heart and would really hurt no one deliberately. Once he centered on the welfare of others instead of centering on self he can focus more clearly and see the forest regardless of the trees.
F Good, good, he will be glad, and pass it on somehow.
"If you want to be happy in this life, forget about yourself."
****
"What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us" ~Emerson
You can use quotations and still tell what what you know with the witty and entertaining greeting cards from: The Borealis Press QuoteUnQuote:
www.borealispress.net
****
If I die, survive me with such sheer force
that you waken the furies of the pallid and the cold,
from south to south lift your indelible eyes,
from sun to sun dream through your singing mouth.
I don't want your laughter or your steps to waver,
I don't want my heritage of joy to die.
Don't call up my person. I am absent.
Live in my absence as if in a house.
Absence is a house so vast
that inside you will pass through its walls
and hang pictures on the air
Absence is a house so transparent
that I, lifeless, will see you, living,
and if you suffer, my love, I will die again.
~Pablo Neruda
:::
I have a love affair with my home state of Florida.
If I should leave this land and not return,
The colors of its tropic dawns would burn
Behind my eyelids like an opal's flames,
And I would hear the music of the names
That Indians gave to rivers, lakes and streams
Like tom-toms pulsing. Sometimes in my dreams
I'd seek a certain secret jungle place
Where orchids, tangled in the jungle lace,
Are like bright swirls of vivid butterflies.
I'd hear the tropic night alive with cries
Of birds and prowling creatures of the dark.
I'd see jeweled lizards racing on the bark
Of ancient trees gray-veiled with Spanish moss.
I'd see the sun reflecting golden gloss
Of citrus groves and sense the rich perfume
That scents the silver of the moons that loom
Above this savage land. A thousand scenes
Would crowd my memory-book ... the living greens
Of forest and the changing blues of seas.
A tapestry of treasured memories.
One picture more than all, would seem to hold
This land's great soul inframed in tawny gold,
A picture that will ever haunt my eyes . . .
Wrought-iron trees against vast stained-glass skies.
Soul of the Land
If I should leave this land and not return,
The colors of its tropic dawns would burn
Behind my eyelids like an opal's flames,
And I would hear the music of the names
That Indians gave to rivers, lakes and streams
Like tom-toms pulsing. Sometimes in my dreams
I'd seek a certain secret jungle place
Where orchids, tangled in the jungle lace,
Are like bright swirls of vivid butterflies.
I'd hear the tropic night alive with cries
Of birds and prowling creatures of the dark.
I'd see jeweled lizards racing on the bark
Of ancient trees gray-veiled with Spanish moss.
I'd see the sun reflecting golden gloss
Of citrus groves and sense the rich perfume
That scents the silver of the moons that loom
Above this savage land. A thousand scenes
Would crowd my memory-book ... the living greens
Of forest and the changing blues of seas.
A tapestry of treasured memories.
One picture more than all, would seem to hold
This land's great soul inframed in tawny gold,
A picture that will ever haunt my eyes . . .
Wrought-iron trees against vast stained-glass skies.
~Don Blanding
You are the people of the hidden places.
Behind your dark guided eyes
Are the secrets of the Everglades
And the mysteries of the jungles.
your ears hear the song of the land
And your hearts know the language of the night.
You know the prophecies of the stars
And the warnings whispered by the wind.
You read the book of the seasons
And know the blooming of flowers
And the fruitage of trees.
You trust the moccasin of the river
Or the rattlesnake of the pines
More than you trust the white aliens
Who came among you like a scourge.
You are children of the Earth
And god-children of the Sun
And the moody Moon.
You move among us, silent and distrustful,
Like creatures of the wood,
Bright in your vivid garments,
Like gay plumage of jungle-birds
Or the scaled patterns of the coral-snake.
Keep to the hidden places, Oh, Seminoles.
Trust the spider, the moccasin. Trust the hawk.
There is no peace in our gifts. There is death in our friendship.
Seminoles
You are the people of the hidden places.
Behind your dark guided eyes
Are the secrets of the Everglades
And the mysteries of the jungles.
your ears hear the song of the land
And your hearts know the language of the night.
You know the prophecies of the stars
And the warnings whispered by the wind.
You read the book of the seasons
And know the blooming of flowers
And the fruitage of trees.
You trust the moccasin of the river
Or the rattlesnake of the pines
More than you trust the white aliens
Who came among you like a scourge.
You are children of the Earth
And god-children of the Sun
And the moody Moon.
You move among us, silent and distrustful,
Like creatures of the wood,
Bright in your vivid garments,
Like gay plumage of jungle-birds
Or the scaled patterns of the coral-snake.
Keep to the hidden places, Oh, Seminoles.
Trust the spider, the moccasin. Trust the hawk.
There is no peace in our gifts. There is death in our friendship.
~Don Blanding
My Walk
A barrage of metal steeds
Charging toward me, behind me,
Spewing spent petroleum fumes.
Riders pursuing the Jones’s, image chasing,
Economic bondage thus created.
The horror persists, knowing they’re gone...
I cannot touch them, feel them,
or see them... they're missing.
My babies are not within reach,
It’s said, "They've gone on."
How quaint, how final... not reassuring at all.
I'm in a living hell and…
The steeds keep charging by
Ignoring me completely, in my horror, in my grief.
But I keep on trekking, trudging, no one sees...
I'm really running as fast as I can.
Where I'll get to, how I'll land…
A mystery and I just don't care.
I've begged, to touch them another time,
let me hear their sweet voices but once more...
I'll gladly embrace death the moment it occurs.
Oh, if those riders only knew the horror I’ve seen
They would hitch up their iron horses and ponder...
What life really means…
After reading this, my good friend Carol Tabbert, said,
“We all pass by many people without knowing their pain, their story...”
I smiled.
*******
A barrage of metal steeds
Charging toward me, behind me,
Spewing spent petroleum fumes.
Riders pursuing the Jones’s, image chasing,
Economic bondage thus created.
The horror persists, knowing they’re gone...
I cannot touch them, feel them,
or see them... they're missing.
My babies are not within reach,
It’s said, "They've gone on."
How quaint, how final... not reassuring at all.
I'm in a living hell and…
The steeds keep charging by
Ignoring me completely, in my horror, in my grief.
But I keep on trekking, trudging, no one sees...
I'm really running as fast as I can.
Where I'll get to, how I'll land…
A mystery and I just don't care.
I've begged, to touch them another time,
let me hear their sweet voices but once more...
I'll gladly embrace death the moment it occurs.
Oh, if those riders only knew the horror I’ve seen
They would hitch up their iron horses and ponder...
What life really means…
After reading this, my good friend Carol Tabbert, said,
“We all pass by many people without knowing their pain, their story...”
I smiled.
*******
I am, you are, everything just is, so... "LOVE LIFE"
“When love fills your life all limitations are gone. The medicine this sick world needs so badly is love.”
~Peace Pilgrim
This and the other sunrise pictures on this page are from my beautiful hometown of Vero Beach, Florida.
~Peace Pilgrim
This and the other sunrise pictures on this page are from my beautiful hometown of Vero Beach, Florida.
"An eye for an eye and the whole world would be blind"
~Gibran
When you are alone as much as I have been, you need things to amuse you. I read every sign I saw. I came to particularly enjoy reading bumper stickers. One sticker was so numerous that it became annoying to me. WWJD .... "What Would Jesus Do" I began pondering this question and came up with this:
WWJD
What Would Jesus Do? If you have to ask you need more school.
Haven't you read the Golden Rule?
WWJD belongs with a Jesus that is dead!
If He lives, it's WIJD, What Is Jesus Doing... instead.
But the Christian today will insist on WWJD,
And being blinded by doctrine, will not listen to me.
So in a sense of fairness and in fair play,
Let's be more than reasonable and try it their way.
Would Jesus be a Republican and go to the right?
Or would He take a left turn, to the Democrats delight?
Would Jesus become a Liberal thinking His brain larger, with false pride.
Would He be a Conservative thinking He's superior and on God's side?
Would Jesus become a Christian and a denomination have to choose?
Or would He just be Himself knowing that divided we loose?
Would Jesus have an open door to churches to teach His way?
Or would He without seminary be restricted and labeled "lay"?
Would Jesus when looking for His church have far to roam?
Or would He simply look for the cars with the little fish of chrome?
Only great sorrow or great joy can reveal your truth. If you would be revealed you must either dance naked in the sun, or carry your cross.
~ Kahlil Gibran
"DOUBT IS A PAIN TOO LONELY TO KNOW THAT FAITH IS HIS TWIN BROTHER"
~ Kahlil Gibran
"DOUBT IS A PAIN TOO LONELY TO KNOW THAT FAITH IS HIS TWIN BROTHER"
~ Kahlil Gibran
:::
"Insanity in individuals is something rare - but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule.
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for privilege of owning yourself."
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for privilege of owning yourself."
~Friedrich Nietzsche
:::
"Kindness is the shadow of God in man."
~ Kahlil Gibran:::
The "Godless" are they who are goodless, even though they may be members of churches and make a great profession of faith in God. The "Godly" are they that are goodly even though they make no profession of religion. The complainers and bewailers are the faithless and unbelieving. Those who deny the power of good, and in their lives and actions affirm and magnify the power of evil, are the only real atheists.
~ James Allen
:::
From that famous philosopher, Ted Nugent:
"When the assholes stop thinking you are an asshole, you could be... becoming an asshole."
:::
"If God truly did create man in his own image... we have certainly returned the favor."
~Voltaire
"And if there were a God, I think it very unlikely he would have such an uneasy vanity as to be offended by those who doubt his existence."
~Bertrand Russel
Beware of all enterprises that require a new set of clothes
~Henry David Thoreau
Beware of all enterprises that require a new set of clothes
~Henry David Thoreau
:::
We seek true individuality and the true individuals. But we find them not. For lo, we mortals see what our poor eyes can see; and they, the true individuals, - they
belong not to this world of our merely human sense and thought ~ Josiah Royce
We seek true individuality and the true individuals. But we find them not. For lo, we mortals see what our poor eyes can see; and they, the true individuals, - they
belong not to this world of our merely human sense and thought ~ Josiah Royce
:::
:::
"A human being is part of the whole, called by us UNIVERSE, A part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something seperate from the rest ... A kind of optical delusion of consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty."
~Albert Einstein
:::
A very dear friend of mine, who in spite of having tragedy in her own life, does all she can to share love with others. She travels to the scenes of natural disasters to share her love and expertise. She is particularly involved with bringing clean water to African communities. This is her quote and I want to share it as I feel we can all benefit by following this as a rule:
When all is said and done
and the dust has settled in,
I ask myself
Did I feel all the love I was given?
Did I give life my optimum?
Did I love all my maximum?
When all is said and done
and the dust has settled in,
I ask myself
Did I feel all the love I was given?
Did I give life my optimum?
Did I love all my maximum?
~Elizabeth A. Garcia-Gray MD
:::
Beautiful advice from James Allen:
Train your mind in strong, impartial and gentle thought; train your heart in beauty and compassion; train your tongue to silence and to true and stainless speech; so shall you enter the way of holiness and peace, and shall ultimately realize the immortal love. So living, without seeking to convert, you will convince; without arguing, you will teach; not cherishing ambition, the wise will find you out; and without striving to gain mans opinions, you will subdue their hearts. For love is all-conquering, all-powerful; and the thoughts and deeds, and words of love can never perish.
:::
Walking America's roads as I have, I've seen a lot of things at the roadside that certainly spark my curiosity, and imagination. For instance; one Valentines day, in a remote area, I saw a dozen beautiful long stemmed roses, professionally prepared, still fresh and wrapped in that green paper with a beautiful red bow and obviously tossed from a passing vehicle. Wouldn't you love to know that story!
Another time while walking in a remote area, spread out, but in sight of each other, were six Kennedy half dollars! Go figure .... right? I figure maybe, some proud grandfather had unwittingly given a little one just the right projectiles to test that huge vacuum in the side of the car when the window goes down .... ? Who knows? But one of my favorites occurred on my walk from Georgia to Ohio.
I was still in Tennessee and just sauntering (I love that word!) along, loving life, and there by the side of the road was a book On the cover of the book, "Reconcilable Differences": Healing For Troubled Marriage by Jim Talley. And it was opened to chapter two, "Why make the effort?" Evidently that's exactly the way the reader felt .... and out the window it flew!
One time a lady pulled up beside me and yelled, "Thank you!" and as she sped off she threw out a full pack of cigarettes and a lighter. Evidently the message on my sign, "LOVE LIFE" inspired her to quit smoking... and become a litter bug!
PIED BEAUTY
Glory be to God for dappled things..
For skies of couple - colour as a brindled cow;
For rose moles all in stripple upon trout they swim;
Fresh - firecoal chestnut - falls, finches wings;
Landscape plotted and pieced - fold, fallow, and plough;
And all trades, their gear, tackle and trim;
And all things counter, original, spare, strange;
Whatever is fickle, freckled, (who knows how?)
With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle dim;
He fathers - forth whose beauty is past change:
Praise Him.
:::
Walking America's roads as I have, I've seen a lot of things at the roadside that certainly spark my curiosity, and imagination. For instance; one Valentines day, in a remote area, I saw a dozen beautiful long stemmed roses, professionally prepared, still fresh and wrapped in that green paper with a beautiful red bow and obviously tossed from a passing vehicle. Wouldn't you love to know that story!
Another time while walking in a remote area, spread out, but in sight of each other, were six Kennedy half dollars! Go figure .... right? I figure maybe, some proud grandfather had unwittingly given a little one just the right projectiles to test that huge vacuum in the side of the car when the window goes down .... ? Who knows? But one of my favorites occurred on my walk from Georgia to Ohio.
I was still in Tennessee and just sauntering (I love that word!) along, loving life, and there by the side of the road was a book On the cover of the book, "Reconcilable Differences": Healing For Troubled Marriage by Jim Talley. And it was opened to chapter two, "Why make the effort?" Evidently that's exactly the way the reader felt .... and out the window it flew!
:::
One time a lady pulled up beside me and yelled, "Thank you!" and as she sped off she threw out a full pack of cigarettes and a lighter. Evidently the message on my sign, "LOVE LIFE" inspired her to quit smoking... and become a litter bug!
PIED BEAUTY
Glory be to God for dappled things..
For skies of couple - colour as a brindled cow;
For rose moles all in stripple upon trout they swim;
Fresh - firecoal chestnut - falls, finches wings;
Landscape plotted and pieced - fold, fallow, and plough;
And all trades, their gear, tackle and trim;
And all things counter, original, spare, strange;
Whatever is fickle, freckled, (who knows how?)
With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle dim;
He fathers - forth whose beauty is past change:
Praise Him.
~Gerard Manly Hopkins
:::
A tribute to Steve "LOVE LIFE" Fugate by Oklahoma City poet , Michael Steven Edwards,
aka "MyKalangelo"
"Love Life" the problems and a living solution.
Ask yourself: Where do you draw the line? What can you change and what is completely out of your grasp? What are the solutions to our manifold problems as a society, country, and world today? Here's a little about the problem, and a story about a man who demonstrated real faith and perseverance, and showed what a person can do with God's help. A real story of faith.
POEM by MyKalangelo
Prices are higher,
war continues longer,
social security more debatable,
politicians attack each other,
president approval a roller coaster,
stock market unpredictable,
self centered people
in their self centered worlds,
and here we are.
Overwhelmed and dismayed.
As we look at our world
from our small little view,
we think all that exists
are the places we see.
How complex we think are our lives,
that even God can't help.
The paths we travel each day
are all there can be.
Preoccupied we hurry daily,
missing life as we rush by.
So serious are our problems!
maybe we lost our perspective. Why?
How self important we are!
How our pain is much worse
than our neighbor's.
I recently was introduced to a man,
who has walked coast to coast three times.
He lost a son, then a daughter.
Yet his message is not,
my pain is greater than yours.
And by comparison my problems seem so small.
His message is Love Life! And that's what he does.
He says God lifts him up and carries him through.
If anyone has a right to lay it down it was he,
"Love Life"! "Believe in God, share it with others,
that's about all."
What an example, his world is definitely not small.
Copyright MyKalangelo 2005 All rights reserved.
To find out more on MyKalangelo: thepoetstime@yahoo.com
New York based Iranian born writer/ poet/ film director Majeed Beenteha composed this poem for me in honor of my son.
And thus Love is Such
Love never falters, forsaken or lost
but deepens and thrives
It carves out a luminous path,
and bids us to follow
It's never a mere memory
but an endless road upon which
we meet, part, and reunite
For incredible beauty and talent, please visit the web site of Maheed Beenteham www.net2infinity.com
****
He who joyfully marches to music in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would suffice.
Albert Einstein
****
Appalachian Trail
by John Davis
To know the cold morning he simply
shifts inside his mummy bag
to measure the marbled sky:
so soft the valley and the first owls
voice and the bronze mountain
of maple trees and a whistling,
Somewhere in the giant hush of the forest
a whistling - a stream - a bird - a music
so simple he can hum it past hickory
and oak, always back to the oak
those leaves like stubby footprints.
He's taken to shaking their hands on the trail
and talking, gently talking to rocks
calling the pitch and white pines
by name down the trail, down
down to Georgia in the slow cold
of November as the pine needle trail
switches back and back up.
Beside his tent he eyes the merciful
and moth-like frost, scrunches low,
sights down the miniscule glaciers,
the coming snow. Maybe death will be a learning:
to squeeze into the cold and keep warm.
Maybe the spirit remains a wild blueberry and ripe.
But that whistling. What is that whistling?
********
aka "MyKalangelo"
"Love Life" the problems and a living solution.
Ask yourself: Where do you draw the line? What can you change and what is completely out of your grasp? What are the solutions to our manifold problems as a society, country, and world today? Here's a little about the problem, and a story about a man who demonstrated real faith and perseverance, and showed what a person can do with God's help. A real story of faith.
POEM by MyKalangelo
Prices are higher,
war continues longer,
social security more debatable,
politicians attack each other,
president approval a roller coaster,
stock market unpredictable,
self centered people
in their self centered worlds,
and here we are.
Overwhelmed and dismayed.
As we look at our world
from our small little view,
we think all that exists
are the places we see.
How complex we think are our lives,
that even God can't help.
The paths we travel each day
are all there can be.
Preoccupied we hurry daily,
missing life as we rush by.
So serious are our problems!
maybe we lost our perspective. Why?
How self important we are!
How our pain is much worse
than our neighbor's.
I recently was introduced to a man,
who has walked coast to coast three times.
He lost a son, then a daughter.
Yet his message is not,
my pain is greater than yours.
And by comparison my problems seem so small.
His message is Love Life! And that's what he does.
He says God lifts him up and carries him through.
If anyone has a right to lay it down it was he,
"Love Life"! "Believe in God, share it with others,
that's about all."
What an example, his world is definitely not small.
Copyright MyKalangelo 2005 All rights reserved.
To find out more on MyKalangelo: thepoetstime@yahoo.com
:::
New York based Iranian born writer/ poet/ film director Majeed Beenteha composed this poem for me in honor of my son.
And thus Love is Such
Love never falters, forsaken or lost
but deepens and thrives
It carves out a luminous path,
and bids us to follow
It's never a mere memory
but an endless road upon which
we meet, part, and reunite
For incredible beauty and talent, please visit the web site of Maheed Beenteham www.net2infinity.com
****
He who joyfully marches to music in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would suffice.
Albert Einstein
****
Appalachian Trail
by John Davis
To know the cold morning he simply
shifts inside his mummy bag
to measure the marbled sky:
so soft the valley and the first owls
voice and the bronze mountain
of maple trees and a whistling,
Somewhere in the giant hush of the forest
a whistling - a stream - a bird - a music
so simple he can hum it past hickory
and oak, always back to the oak
those leaves like stubby footprints.
He's taken to shaking their hands on the trail
and talking, gently talking to rocks
calling the pitch and white pines
by name down the trail, down
down to Georgia in the slow cold
of November as the pine needle trail
switches back and back up.
Beside his tent he eyes the merciful
and moth-like frost, scrunches low,
sights down the miniscule glaciers,
the coming snow. Maybe death will be a learning:
to squeeze into the cold and keep warm.
Maybe the spirit remains a wild blueberry and ripe.
But that whistling. What is that whistling?
********