Sometimes

I was given this little gem, entitled "Sometimes," a couple of years ago. Though the identity if its author is unknown, I do know the identity of the creator of the images that I have blended into the written work. I gratefully credit him at the bottom. I offer this bit to You, My Dear Reader, in the hope that You will find something in it that has benefit or merit for you. Enjoy!

Sometimes people come into your life and you know right away that they were meant to be there, to serve some sort of purpose, teach you a lesson, or to help you figure out who you are or who you want to become.

You never know who these people may be - a roommate, a neighbor, a professor, a friend, a lover, or even a complete stranger - but when you lock eyes with them, you know at that very moment they will affect your life in some profound way.

Sometimes things happen to you that may seem horrible, painful, and unfair at first, but in reflection you find that without overcoming those obstacles you would have never realized your potential, strength, willpower, or heart.

Illness, injury, love, lost moments of true greatness, and sheer stupidity all occur to test the limits of your soul. Without these small tests, whatever they may be, life would be like a smoothly paved straight flat road to nowhere. It would be safe and comfortable, but dull and utterly pointless.

The people you meet who affect your life, and the success and downfalls you experience, help to create who you are and who you become. Even the bad experiences can be learned from. In fact, they are sometimes the most important ones.

If someone loves you, give love back to them in whatever way you can, not only because they love you, but because in a way, they are teaching you to love and how to open your heart and eyes to things.

If someone hurts you, betrays you, or breaks your heart, forgive them, for they have helped you learn about trust and the importance of being cautious to whom you open your heart.

Make every day count. Appreciate every moment and take from those moments everything that you possibly can for you may never be able to experience it again. Talk to people that you have never talked to before, and listen to what they have to say.

Let yourself fall in love, break free, and set your sights high. Hold your head up because you have every right to. Tell yourself you are a great individual and believe in yourself, for if you don't believe in yourself, it will be hard for others to believe in you.

You can make anything you wish of your life. Create your own life and then go out and live it with absolutely no regrets.

And if you love someone tell them, for you never know what tomorrow may have in store.

Learn a lesson in life each day that you live! Today is the tomorrow you were worried about yesterday. Was it worth it?

author unknown

IMAGES through the gracious courtesy of Ian Britton, FreeFoto.com

In A Moment of Stillness

When my son was diagnosed as having Cerebral Palsy, I had a lot to consider. All that I was ... all that I understood ... all that life represented to me was, in that moment, irrevocably and eternally obliterated. There was no person to whom I could go to discuss the ramifications of this life-altering circumstance. No Mentor, Guide, Counselor, nor Adviser was present. I could not share my confusion; my dismay; my grief; my fear; nor my ignorance with anyone. I was completely alone in my situation.

The setting that I found for my deliberations and considerations of what I must do; who I must now be; how I must proceed, was a small art shop wherein I allowed my soul to find its refuge and solace through hours spent in the solitary exercise of losing myself in racks of art prints. Here, I began what has been a consistent, comforting, encouraging, and rewarding relationship with my Muse.






In the precious images of those prints, I escaped the pressures of immediate Life demands.












I soared to heights of distant perspectives.



I found a refuge from the cacophony of immediate necessities.








Those images provided lanes and paths of possibilities that I would not have known within the confines of my natural world.






The time spent with those renderings of places, people, environs, and worlds free of the pressing torments of my responsibilities ... gave my Spirit freedom, and I gave it license, to contemplate perspectives beyond my own experience.





And, to carry those moments with me into my natural world, I purchased and had framed several of those works that surround me, in my little cottage, at this very moment of recollection ... and still afford me the gift of moments of quiet consideration.





So ... for the last, approximately, one and one-half minutes, My Dear Reader and loved Friend, I have shared that therapy of refreshment with you. I have structured, for your benefit, all that you have seen and read thus far, to provide a sample of just such a moment of consideration for you. All in the hope that you will recognize the calmness and serenity that lies at your doorstep ... if you will but permit yourself the renewal, of being in a place of apartness from all that demands your attention.

So, for now, I respectfully invite you to "Be still and know" what your own "still, small, Inner Voice" has been trying to whisper to you in this moment. As I remain your faithfully loving Friend and Servant.




ALL IMAGES through the gracious courtesy of Ian Britton, FreeFoto.com

Showing It All

Perhaps all of this "Tell All," MeMe, thingy has gotten to me. But when I received a message from Silvia (my Spirit-Daughter in Italy), I had "a moment."

In response to a photo sent to her by my Best Bud in the whole world, Dav (from Iceland), in which he showed an image of me with his visiting Dad and Sister [with Dav and his Wife in the center], Silvia said, “… in the pics there where you! first time seeing you in the whole figure...and not posing for the pic so i could grasp your real smiling...and How tall you are!” And it occurred to me that You, Dear Faithful Friend, have been presented the same perspective of me that I had shared with Silvia.

So, in the spirit of "full disclosure" ... Here is what you would find greeting you outside of our favorite Thai restaurant if we could share this moment.



I've shown you mine ... [smile]

Forwarding Love

Now, I must confess ... I do not always open "forwarded" Email messages. And, if I do open one, I have a habit of deleting it when I see that no bother has been taken to even add a bit of a "personalization" in the form of an individualized note. So, when I received this bit from a lovely Friend in the UK, who does share a few "forwarded" pieces ... I hesitated. But my regard for her outweighed my predispositions ... and I opened it . And, in spite of my "delete if no personalization" rule ... I read it. And Life's little Voice whispered a soft message of "Perhaps you might want to see things this way.

So, I did some editing, (you knew that I couldn't just leave it "as is"), made some additions and "improvements." And offer it to you for your own consideration. All in the spirit of respecting, accepting, and endorsing the merits of Another's perspective. (An exercise that I oft have to be reminded of.) Here 'tis ...

(This might explain why some folk forward jokes to each other ... and us.)

A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead. He remembered dying, and that the dog walking beside him had been dead for years. He wondered where the road was leading them.

After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side of the road. It looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight. When he was standing before it he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like mother-of-pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked like pure gold. He and the dog walked toward the gate, and as he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side.

When he was close enough, he called out, 'Excuse me, where are we?' 'This is Heaven, sir,' the man answered. 'Wow! Would you happen to have some water?' the man asked. 'Of course, sir. Come right in, and I'll have some ice water brought right up.' The man gestured, and the gate began to open. 'Can my friend,' gesturing toward his dog, 'come in, too?' the traveler asked. 'I'm sorry, sir, but we don't accept pets.'

The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and continued the way he had been going with his dog. After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came to a dirt road leading through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed. There was no fence. As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book. 'Excuse me!' he called to the man. 'Do you have any water?' 'Yeah, sure, there's a pump over there, come on in.' 'How about my friend here?' the traveler gestured to the dog. 'There should be a bowl by the pump.'

They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old-fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it. The traveler filled the water bowl and took a long drink himself, then he gave some to the dog. When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was standing by the tree. 'What do you call this place?' the traveler asked. 'This is Heaven,' he answered. 'Well, that's confusing,' the traveler said. 'The man down the road said that was Heaven, too.' 'Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope. That's hell.' 'Doesn't it make you mad for them to use your name like that?' 'No, we're just happy that they screen out the folks who would leave their best friends behind.'

Soooo.

Sometimes, when we wonder why friends keep forwarding jokes to us without writing a word. Maybe this will explain . . . When you are very busy, but still want to keep in touch, guess what you do? You forward jokes. (A little water in a Friend’s bowl to refresh.)

When you have nothing to say, but still want to keep contact, you forward jokes. (Sending a silent “splash” to cheer a Friend.)

When you have something to say, but don't know what, and don't know how, you forward jokes. (A silent “wink” or nod, to encourage a Friend)

Also, to let you know that you are still remembered, you are still important, you are still loved, you are still cared for, guess what you get? A forwarded joke. (A “whistle” that says “I’m glad that You are there.”)

So, next time that you get a joke, don't think that you've been sent just another forwarded joke, but that you've been thought of today and your friend on the other end of your computer wanted to send you a little smile. (And a Lotta Love!)

I am glad that YOU and I are travlin’ Pals.

(Thank you Denise, for your patient, forgiving, and gentle loving of your Travlin' Companion on our shared journey. I love You, Darlin.')

"Tagged" (Yet Again)

With tear-stained cheeks aglow with the fresh pride of being one of a select and highly exalted group of recipients of NiteByrd's endearingly (in)famous "DUST BUNNY IN THE WIND" Award For "BLOGGERS OUTSTANDING IN THEIR FIELD" ... I bow in all false modesty to the task of responding to the accompanying "Tag" that was bestowed with the Award.

The challenge at hand is to "sum yourself up in 6 words."

And after innumerable hours of meditation, medication, consternation, and contemplative constipation, I can render the much-sought-after and longed-for response (just as soon as the Brass Band completes Trills and Flourishes.) "Ahem!"

JUST WHAT YOU SEE ... IS ME!

(bows and backs into the darkened curtains to peals of thunderous applause)

(Thanks NiteByrd! I really had a fun tyme with that.)

Straight Talk

Pour yourself another cup of … whatever. For it is time for old John-Michael to reveal more of himself than he ever intended. Not with any measure of unhappiness of regret, … just in comfortable statement of “what is.”

I awoke this morning with chest pains and muscle spasms. This is a “morning greeting” that I have not enjoyed since my years in an unhappy marriage. This difference today is in the fact that I can do something about it. And what is the “It?” “It” is the residual effect of emotional conflict.

I received two phone calls yesterday. Each was from a woman who had initiated unsolicited, but very welcome, offers of romance in months past. Each have, in the past, spoken of love and desires. Each, yesterday, laid their individual variety of “You are a phony.” and “I don’t think that you are telling me the truth.” on me. Both of these outlandish statements are born of the unwillingness of each individual to accept my practice of speaking in blunt, direct, and unrehearsed candor with them … and all others. The very traits that motivated each of them to burst into my private space with their declarations of affections and desires for intimacy, were now being thrown as javelins of accusation against me. It would seem that I am just too far outside of the accustomed “norm” to be credible.

All of this in my very present mind brings me to this … my private and personal “pulpit” with a message of clarification and definition. I will, first, make it perfectly clear that I pursue no personal “agenda” in my moment-by-moment relating to the world around me. To have an agenda, I would have to be seeking some benefit or the acquisition of something of value … for my Self. This would only make sense if I had some preferential inclination for my Self. And it is here is where the whole scheme falls apart. For, the simply fact is that I have no interest in laying up benefits for my Self … because I have no interest in the continuation of my Self. I have no desire to be here (in this form … alive) tomorrow. I have had no such interest for a good many years now. I have gone to sleep with the spoken and unspoken desire to not wake the next morning for many, many years.

“No way!” you would (as several others have) reply. “You enjoy life far too much to have such a wish!” I have heard. And you would be more than right. I do, indeed, enjoy life more than most who I am aware of. But that is a conscious commitment based on a deliberate choice. I renew that election with each day that is forced upon me. And I do have fun … I like fun! But the whole deal requires effort and drains my emotional (the source of all energy for those of my temperament/personality type) resources. At each day’s end I am weary and (in the absence of the one “restorative element” that would “recharge” me [a passionately intimate romantic relationship]) have no interest in a “repeat performance” on a day to follow.

“OK God,” I have often prayed, “bring on “Plan B” … am sick and tired of “Plan A.” Whatever You have in Your bag of tricks for whatever is next … is fine with my Spirit. I trust you to be Loving and Caring. So, let’s do it!” Thus far, the Heavenly response has been “Tough shit, Big Boy! Here’s another Plan A day to make into something good for whomever I bring your way. That will be your source of joy.” So, I accept (as if I had a choice) and throw all of whatever I can muster into doing just that.

So, you see, My Friend, there is no room for devising plans for self-enrichment or situation-betterment anywhere in that daily Reality that is My Life. How could I possibly be motivated to waste a moment in manipulating or deceiving when I haven’t the slightest interest in being around to “benefit” from such exercises? The idea is just plain stupid!

Now, enter the two women previously mentioned. One who is incarcerated in a set of immutable circumstances that hold her in a passionless and unfulfilling setting that prompted her reaching out through the “bars of responsibilities” to me. Seeking acceptance, endorsement, encouragement, friendship, affection, and yes, even passion, she offered her return of some of the same as inclined. From this less-than-sterling foundation, she launched her attack against my unbounded openness to and embracing of all who I encounter. “You are just a phony!” she railed as she stated her need to feel “special.”

The Other woman … when presented with the stark realities of this life of “Starving Artist” that I have chosen in order to free myself to pursue my life’s dream (as stated in my profile … written two years ago, when I started this blog.) … simply could not believe that I could be in a situation that did not allow fuel for my vehicle’s trip across the bay to be with her. “I don’t think that you are telling me the truth.” was her delicate way of saying what I heard as “You are a damned liar … and must have some secret reason for not wanting to be with me!” Well … that hurt my feelings. It wounded me. It bruised what had been an unblemished beginning to a potential “something.” And my baring my soul in defense of myself with presentation of the fact that I live on a mere $150 each week, did nothing to bring about any appreciation from her.

So, here I am … one woman demanding to be loved with a romantic passion exclusive to her, whilst she is permanently ensconced in a situation that denies any possibility of remedy. And another who is available, intellectually and emotionally attractive (whilst I haven’t a clue as to her appearance or the possibility of any “chemistry” that might occur between us [we haven’t yet met “in person” and though I have sent many recent photos, she refuses to send any to me.]) She has insisted that she desires all that I have to offer romantically as well as personally and wishes to reciprocate in kind. And both of these women are attacking me with the very elements of my Being that attracted them to me in the first place … my emotional availability, honesty, passion, and candor. And I am vulnerable to them, for what reason … a rational mind would ask. For the reason that my innate make-up … my core functioning … is instinctively predisposed to intimacy and romance. I have an insatiable hunger for that. Not a choice … a fact.

So, Dear Friend, it is here (no! … not a potty break!) that I must make clear the form and method of my processing of all of this nonsense. As an “INFP- Idealist/Romantic/Introvert” my mind must convert all of my life’s “Input” into some form of a “concept” … an image, picture, setting. Until this is done, I simply cannot “deal with” anything from mathematics, to art, to relationships. My mind goes into a mad scramble to form an image with the first bit of information on any topic. This not only presents a challenge in an academic setting (where the data being presented is completely lost until an overall concept of where that data fits into a larger picture is made.) But also in every relationship in my life.

And what do the conceptual images of my relationships with these two women look like? Well, we can describe my feelings this way … I allowed and encouraged the “structure” of Love to be built in each instance. And finishing touches to the basic construction were being made … fine moldings and trim (far short of paints, stains, and the like.) And as of yesterday … the power was cut. The lights are out. The unfinished work is draped … silence inhabits where frenzied work had been present. Echoes replace the sounds of music and lively voices. And an air of sad acknowledgement of disappointment reigns. So the “structure” of Love still occupies a place in my Being (in both instances … as in every instance of Love’s habitation throughout my past ... I'm creating quite a "ghost town" for my Self) but there is no Life in the structure. It is a mute space.

And instead of typing separate Emails, to each of these Ladies, today … I opted to take out the trusty Waterman, find my quiet corner in Micky D’s, and write this absurdly long account to be posted on the blog. I will then Email a link to each of them. And to any and all who entertain the thought of broaching similar concerns or interests with me into the future. This will be my “check here to understand how I function on this topic” document.

For now, I will accept this new day and give it all of Me … candid, honest, expressing Love when Love is felt; Adoration when it surfaces in response to some stimuli; and leaving nothing on the table for tomorrow. For I still prefer to hope that tomorrow is not going to have to be dealt with. And these considerations, as discussed today, are part of the reason for that predisposition. I will, again today, choose love and happiness over any alternatives. And, at day’s end, because there is still no “Significant Other” in whom and from whom I can restore my Self … I will, once again, fall exhausted, spent, and happy in my realization of all that is the best … while genuinely dreading another day without the Love and Romance that would make me want to see another day.

A "Tell More" MeMe

With a gracious bow of recognition and respectful admiration to a Lady whom I have become quite fond and appreciative of, San Merideth, I offer this, my response to her “passing of the torch” of a MeMe. And, I will simultaneously earn the ire of some, and (no doubt), the thanks of others by letting this “fruit of the MeMe vine” wither and die with me. So, I will deny some, whilst blessing others (depending on your point of perspective), with my not passing this one on.

I do, most sincerely, want to express my genuine appreciation for and sense of compliment from the award bestowed on me by San. I am forwarding the “EXCELLENT BLOG AWARD” to each of the blogs on my list (on the side-bar) of places “WHERE I FIND BLESSINGS, ENJOYMENT and SATISFACTION”. For each of these continue to share in touching my life and spirit in ways unique to them individually.

That said, here is my response to San's:

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Me but Were Too Polite to Ask (All responses listed in alphabetical order)

4 Jobs I've held (Inasmuch as I have listed four on a previous MeMe, I will, here, list some part-time employs that met a need at their time)

Minister of Music and Youth (several years whilst a Life Insurance Agent Full-Time. I LOVED this! I had a brass ensemble, puppet performance groups, adult choir, youth choir, and a youth Bible study. It was marvelous! [just could not deal with the ‘politics‘])

Night-Time Delivery of Fuel Oil (for one winter season to accumulate a down payment for our first home)

Overnight Store Re-stocker, Lionel Play world (during the Christmas season for several years to provide for child-support [you would not believe the devastation wrought upon a toy store by Christmas shoppers!])

State-Wide Courier Contractor (in conjunction with delivering newspapers whilst going to school full-time [took my son with me on many ‘runs‘ and we explored and enjoyed together … great teaching and coaching opportunities for him])


4 Movies I have/would watch over and over again

(Four Robin Williams movies that I will count as One) Dead Poet’s Society/ Patch Adams/ Good Morning Viet Nam/ Mrs. Doubtfire/

Forest Gump

The Emperor’s Club

You’ve Got Mail


4 places I've lived (I have, previously, given locales in another MeMe. Here’s ‘another perspective.’)

With my parents and siblings. (19 years)

With my wife. (5 years)

With my wife and my children. (16 years)

With my Self. (22 years)

4 people I want to "Bitch Slap right into the middle of next week"

I can readily think of at least four associated with the current political administration in Washington DC. But I refuse to give any of them the benefit of having their names published in even this minuscule way. I do all that I can to delete any conscious awareness of them from my mind.

As to any other “candidates” … if I feel that strongly about them, I disallow myself from investing even the slightest amount of my emotions or attentions to them. Hence I will not permit my Self to visit their corporately-shared cesspool of my dismissal … for even this exercise.

Whatever emotional/Spiritual/ mental energies that would have been wasted in considering the Cancers of life is best invested in relishing its Treasures. (Don’t like to trash up my own mind … I tend to dwell … and there are far better things to dwell on.)

4 People who email me regularly (I rarely receive Emails, so had to look back at saved files and these were the most 'received from'))

Carol M. (my very dear and longstanding friend)
Denise D. (a wonderful friend in the UK)
Elaine C. (a sweet friend and my brother’s friend/colleague in Missouri)
Silvia D. (my spirit-daughter in Italy)

4 TV shows I watch (when I do watch … which is very rarely. Click on their Names [linked])
Antiques Roadshow
Antiques Roadshow, UK
CBS Sunday Morning Show (One of my rare concessions to ‘network TV.’ Charles Kuralt drew me into it and kept me there for al of his years as host. I seldom watch now.
Charlie Rose
Great Cars TV


4 Places I've visited

Denver, Colorado (amazed [being a ‘Florida Guy’] at the snow on the leaves whilst we wore shirtsleeves in the warmth of the sun … So cool!)

Key West, Florida (where my lighthouse-keeper grandfather met my Bahamian grandmother … I still feel “at home” there.)

Siesta Key, Florida (the most perfect powder-soft sand beaches and romantic get-away [sunsets that enchant!])

Toronto, Ontario (the most hospitable, gracious, and genteel people that I have ever been blessed to develop friendships with)

4 favorite foods (I have mentioned foods in an earlier MeMe, so here are styles that I prefer)

Indian
Italian
Mongolian
Thai
(seems to be a “spice theme” here)

4 places I'd like to be right now

Saint Petersburg Beach, Florida (very intimate, personal reasons)

Lucca, Italy (with my spirit-daughter)

Peculiar, Missouri (close to my brother, Steven, and his family)

With You (and if your Spirit is speaking an affirmation to You, as You read this … this is how You know that You are One, to whom I speak.)(I live and love in this Reality)


4 things I'm looking forward to this year

Taking the “Adirondack Special” (train) through the Adirondack Mountains as the leaves are at their full Autumnal-colour. [I have been fantasizing this trip for decades.])

Taking my first “exploratory” trip to Europe in search of my future home (If not at the end of this year. The first of next.)

Dating. (NEVER before done [yep! You heard right … NEVER!])

Improving my skills with my cornet. (Love to play the Blues. [Living the Blues ... not quite so much fun. [smile])

Moments With You

Softly… delicately… the sweet song with warm mellow tones moves gently through the chords of my heart.


‘Tis the harmony, without structure or discernible melody, of united impressions, emotions, and inclinations that join together as the instruments of an orchestra.


All to the tempo of an energized spirit … and soaring hope.


And the resultant sound … the completed effect … the blessing enjoyed is the music of a blissful heart.


What concert hall … what Conductor … what gathering together of elements can produce such a happening?



Moments with You.




IMAGE through the gracious courtesy of Ian Britton, FreeFoto.com

Love ... Another View

Friendship and love are the recurrent themes of all that my life moves to. If I can give anything to my world, I would that it be an awareness and appreciation of the treasures held in these elements of life that are so readily available to us all. Better than I could ever express, Roy Croft presents a fresh and exhilarating view of what I am feebly trying to say. His words paint the picture that I would hope that my life sketches in the hearts of those whose lives I touch. If it could be so… My life will have been a success.

Love

I love you,
Not only for what you are,
But for what I am
When I am with you.

I love you,
Not only for what
You have made of yourself,
But for what
You are making of me.

I love you
For the part of me
That you bring out;
I love you for putting your hand
Into my heaped-up heart
And passing over
All the foolish, weak things
That you can’t help
Dimly seeing there,
And for drawing out
Into the light
All the beautiful belongings
That no one else had looked
Quite far enough to find.

I love you because you
Are helping me to make
Of the lumber of my life
Not a tavern
But a temple;
Out of the works
Of my every day
Not a reproach
But a song.

I love you
Because you have done
More than any creed
Could have done
To make me good,
And more than any fate
Could have done
To make me happy.

You have done it
Without a touch,
Without a word,
Without a sign.
You have done it
By being yourself.
Perhaps that is what
Being a friend means,
After all.

ROY CROFT

Choice … Loss

I would protest in loudest of voice,
Register my complaint and confirm it in the most strident of terms.
But, alas, there are no ears to hear.
And my fury is diluted into a whimper of anguish and despair.

For, it was never mine, in Fact.
All that I knew was the thrill of a Promise that lacked in substance.
All that I really heard were words ...
Whispered in tones of wistful awareness of Impossibility.

But the words were the Ones that I yearned to hear.
The voice in timbre that stirred comfort and peaceful acceptance.
All too willingly I hushed dissent … dismissed the tones.
Only postponing the inevitable unhappiness that accompanies loss.

And loss it is … loss of all possibilities.
What never was, ‘could have been,’ had only the circumstance allowed.
Circumstance and choice of will.
Not my will, but hers … beyond my influence or control … she chose …
We lose.


John-Michael
22April 2008

This ... Day of Rest

Well, Dear Friend, inasmuch as this is Sunday and the day recognized in a large part of the world as a day of rest … and in light of my happily immersing my self in the bosom of Family, here in the far-from-home state of Missouri ... I am inclined to divert our attentions away from all of the “stuff” of everyday consideration. So, let's give ourselves liberty to drift into the realm of “Leisure” courtesy of William Henry Davies
with accompanying images as credited. I bid you, each and all, serene respite and recreation.

Leisure

What is this life if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand

beneath the boughs





And stare as long

as sheep or cows.







No time to see,

when woods we pass,









Where squirrels hide

their nuts in grass.






No time to see,

in broad daylight,






Streams full of stars,

like skies at night.






No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,

And watch her feet, how they can dance.



No time to wait till her mouth can

Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

WILLIAM HENRY DAVIES

IMAGES: Squirrel; Jon Sullivan, PDPhoto.org, Dancer; Institut Teknologi Bandung, Jakarta, All Remaining; Ian Britton, FreeFoto.com

"The Human Touch"

In this day of applied Programs, Plans, Initiatives, and Systems, there is a void that is all too often left wanting. That want is addressed by this work of Spencer Michael Free. He (from his perspective as a practicing physician) spoke to an elementary requirement of the Human Spirit. I ask that we consider the power and potential that awaits each of us… if we will but offer our own personal provision of “The Human Touch.”

The Human Touch

'Tis the human touch in this world that counts,

The touch of your hand and mine,

Which means far more to the fainting heart

Than shelter and bread and wine;

For shelter is gone when the night is o’er,

And bread lasts only for a day,

But the touch of the hand and the sound of the voice

Sing on in the soul alway.


Spencer Michael Free (1856-1938)
Free graduated from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of the Johns Hopkins University in 1880, and practiced medicine and surgery for some fifty years thereafter. In addition to some one hundred medical papers, he wrote many poems.


IMAGE: Maria Brandstetter, BBC

Consider ... The Leaves

There are times when it is all simply too overwhelming... and in those moments, I relish the intricate simplicity and marvelously faithful functioning of... The Leaves!


IMAGE through the gracious courtesy of Jon Sullivan, PDPhoto.org

Unfulfilled Dream

I awoke from a dream.

A dream in which I was holding, in my arms, my wife ... sharing a tranquil moment of stillness. And I said to her “Put your head on my arm … as long as I am dreaming about holding you, let me feel your head resting here on my arm.” And she raised up from her dream-position, lying next to me (the back of her summer dress against my shirt) and said “You are dreaming about me … Why?” To which I replied, “I dream about you often … just as right now … I dream of the hoped for Fantasy that never lived.” Then I woke.

And as I lay there, I was aware of the image of her that had transposed itself into my dream. It was the image of her in her youth … at the time when the fantasy was borne … before it died in reality. And the image remains in my recollection just as it was in its never-matured state. Just as a child who dies in youth remains always recalled as that image. Full of promise and possibility … never to produce disappointment, frustration, or loss.

So it is with that image of her in my sub-conscious. Always that package of ripe possibilities … waiting to blossom into the life-satisfying fruits of romantic fulfillment. Yet … now … always to remain but a dream.

Perhaps, My Dear Reader, there is here, something that translates to your unresolved past. Might it be that we can accept those unfulfilled hopes, dreams, and even expectations as something borne to us, but never living to thrive, flourish, or allow us the desired satisfactions longed for? I think it altogether appropriate to mourn the loss. Then to properly memorialize the recollections. And to then, embrace the new day with its offerings and fresh opportunities.

To the end that these reflections serve to encourage and give you peace, I remain, as always, Your constant Friend and Servant,

Yes ... We Can

We Can


We can achieve to the limits of what we can express.


We can express to the boundaries of what we understand.


We can understand all that we have the courage to discover.


John-Michael
31 Dec 2003


IMAGE through the gracious courtesy of Jon Sullivan, PDPhoto.org

I've Been "Tagged" (did anyone get that tag number?)

OK, Folks. I have dreaded the remote possibility that I might someday be "tagged" for one of these "bare your soul" MEME thingies. And now (thanks to that ever-inquisitive and unrelenting Cath-Daughter [who thinks that just because I love her, she can "push the bounds" {and she's right ... don't tell her, OK?}]), I am stuck!!

Now, you must know ... I have a miserable "learning disability" that makes ANY assignment of this nature an absolute terror to me. But, "Thank God!" I have learned how to cope and accommodate this set of mental and emotional hurdles (YES!!, I am QUITE serious! It is quite debilitating.) So, in order to "deal with" this challenge ... I have turned it into a little, structured, and defined "Game." The number five (5) was in the original rules as passed down by Cath. (copy of original rules are in Cath's post telling me of this "blessing." You can read them by clicking HERE.)

So, I enlarged upon that number and applied a "Five Rule" upon Myself (remember ... this is my personal "coping tool" and this is only an "option" to the original set of guidelines for this MEME dealie.) You will see that I have simultaneously contained, and required myself to responses of five (5) words for all of the five-worded questions. And I invented a silly title to take the (very real) emotional pressure off of myself. (see, dear friend, all of that psychological, mental, and emotional stuff that I talk about ... are my very genuine and realistic discoveries and life-saving mechanisms acquired through many years of very uncomfortable struggling. This is an exercise in application of all of that jazz!)

So, enough said ... Here 'tis ...

FASCINATING TAG IN FIVE WORDS [5 words]
(check it … used five words) [5 words]

FIVE FASCINATING FACTS ABOUT ME [see … 5 words … no more, nor less]
(EACH in EXACTLY FIVE (5) WORDS) [again … 5 words]

FIVE YEARS BACK I WAS [5 words]
(1) still delivering the morning paper
(2) still driving the same vehicle
(3) was fifty-seven years old (OK, I cheated)
(4) publishing my thoughts by Email
(5) spending days with my son

SNACKS AND TREATS I ENJOY [5 words]
(1) baked, crunchy thin cheese curls
(2) raw peanuts in the shell
(3) nachos dipped in spicy salsa
(4) spicy chicken wings and dip
(5) banana pudding with vanilla wafers

IF A BILLIONAIRE, I WOULD [5 words]
(1) pay for homes for individuals
(2) establish child care family homes
(3) visit intimate friends and family
(4) remainder in 'perpetual' trust accounts
(5) specify trusts for individual charities

SOME JOBS I HAVE HAD [5 words]
(1) climbing poles and installing phones
(2) field engineering of power lines
(3) owned land clearing/paving company
(4) brokered investments, life/health insurance
(5) designed/sold commercial interior plantscapes

DIFFERENT PLACES I HAVE LIVED [5 words]
(1) subsidized public housing it Tampa
(2) “Happy Days” type Tampa neighborhoods
(3) “newlywed” duplex apartment in Tampa
(4) “sub-urban sprawl” Tampa neighborhood
(5) one-room cottage in Tampa

NAMES OF FIVE I TAGGED [ call them as many words as you like {they will return the favor … no doubt!}]
(1) Aims @ Big Blue Barn West
(2) Jim ‘SulDog’ Sullivan @ Suldog
(3) Joni @ Morning Coffee
(4) NiteByrd @ A Dust Bunny In The Wind
(5) Rose @ Classic Charm

(COMMENT LEFT ON EACH BLOG) [still ...5 words]


As much as I would like to tell you how much fun this was ... my Mommy does not allow such language from her all-too-big little boy. (was that subtle enough?!)

I still love you, Cath-Darlin'!

Bathhouse to Boathouse

I saved this image quite some time ago … simply because it made me smile. I have enjoyed the pleasure that accompanies imagined scenarios attached to it each time I see it. I have envisioned all sorts of possible commentary and conversation, offered by an endless supply of conjured characters, encountering this far-out-of-the-ordinary pair of structures. The “Boat houses of Encinitas” have entertained me a great deal … but I had to find out the story behind their existence. And I share that story with you now.

It seems that there once was a most frugal and creative individual incorporated in the person of one Mister Miles Minor Kellogg, of Encinitas, California. In the period encompassing the 1920’s and 1930’s Mister Kellogg was energetically involved in what is, in this twenty first century, popularly known as 'recycling.' He had an acute eye for bargain-priced, pre-used materials that his skills as a versatile builder and enterprising businessman could transform into some new creation to satisfy an envisioned need.

This was demonstrated when his hotel building became infested with bats. Mister Kellogg solved that problem by removing the top floor of the building. Then, with a supply of perfectly usable lumber liberated from the hotel, he set about constructing a silent movie theatre next door to that same hotel.

So it was not surprising that our Mister Kellogg saw the demolition of the Moonlight Beach Bathhouse in 1925, as the source of a fresh supply of right-priced building materials. But timbers used in the construction of the low-ceilinged bathhouse were not suited for use in a traditional building with requirements for higher ceilings.

Mister Kellogg’s lingering interest in the sea coupled with his recollection the time spent working on low-ceilinged ships on Lake Michigan gave birth to inspiration. There you go then! The obvious destiny for the bathhouse lumber was a resurrection as a boat … or boats. Hence his creation (with the after-school assistance of his young son, Miles Justin Kellogg) of the SS Moonlight, and the SS Encinitas … or what we now know fondly as “The Boat Houses of Encinitas.” Both were “launched” with their sterns to, and a block away from, the sea in 1928 and are, to this day, the most photographed scene in the Encinitas area.

A lovely (and fun) example of what can be done with the materials that Life gives us.


IMAGE through the gracious courtesy of Jon Sullivan, PDPhoto.org

You Hold the Key

All of your life's possibilities are securely held in the strongbox of your control.

And You ... only You hold the single key to accessing the treasure of your individual potentialities.

Only You can choose to use the key of your free will in the lock of your self-determination.

You can keep all of your talents and abilities securely stored ... safe from exposure...

Or you can unlock them and engage on the dynamics of self-investment in your life.

Your willingness is the key.


IMAGE through the gracious courtesy of Jon Sullivan, PDPhoto.org

Please Try Living ... NOW!

Three "Life Management Tools," from Three Different Teachers, on Three Different Occasions, in My Life. Offered Today, for Your Consideration.

When the Instructor had himself situated in front of the waiting class, he looked over the group and asked for a show of hands in response to this question; “Who, among you, has either implemented or made an attempt to implement all that we have discussed in our sessions up to this one, today?” Finding himself want of so much as a single hand raised amongst the group, he continued “It is obvious then, that we are in need of no new instruction, inasmuch as you have not made use of what has been given to you, thus far.” He then made a deliberate step back from the rostrum and looked out at us … silently. His lesson for that day was satisfactorily communicated. Every member of the class had his or her own personal indictment. We had been accumulating a prodigious quantity of information … to no beneficial end. We had no confidence in what we had already learned. (Tuck “tool #1” [Confidence in Our Readiness] in our “Tool Pouch.”)

On another occasion, and from another instructor, I was handed a tool that has proved invaluable, over the course of many passed years, in this business of Living. This instructor simply asked “Is what you are doing Emotional Tension Relieving … or is it Primary Purpose Achieving?” We were then asked to reflect on our daily activities and determine if there had been any times when we found ourselves “tidying up” the clutter of our desks or workspaces in the guise of making ourselves ready to work more efficiently … when the truth was that we were merely practicing an avoidance of some task of primary importance that seemed daunting, unpleasant, challenging, or some combination of any of those.

Were we doing what relieved the emotional tension created by some visual or circumstantial clutter while hiding from the demands of those things that required our attention for meaningful purposes?

And did we then, at end of the day, find ourselves wearied by a day of activity spent in “busy work” … still facing the now-larger (for want of our timely attention) Monster that had intimidated us away from addressing it? (OK, now we have “tool #2” [Focused Action] in our “Tool Pouch.”)

Then, My Dear Reader, I need let you know that I do know something of the barriers to moving ahead that we all must contend with. Yes, I do understand the debilitating power of Fear. I am intimately familiar with the force of scale when perceiving myself as the ‘David’ of mere mortal abilities confronting the ‘Giants’ of life’s challenges. So my heart was ready and receptive when I discovered the teachings of Ann Kiemel as she presented examples of her own life walk.

I, too, wanted to be of use to my world … to leave it better for my having taken up space in it for my time here. (For this is, in fact, the definition of my temperament/personality type.)Thus, my "all-of-Me" was ready when she repeatedly spoke of the times that she presented herself to settings that required more of her than she and the attendees of that particular moment thought possible. She had taught herself the power of a monumental Truth, in her well-practiced declaration, “I am just a small person in a great big world … but I have a giant of a God in me, and … He, and I, and Love … are changing my world … one day at a time … one challenge at a time. You just wait … you will see.”

Here was something that I could grasp! Here was a way to unleash the Someone that I wanted to Be! I had all of the power resources that this internationally recognized Author, Speaker, and Motivator/Minister to her world, had available to her. And I was so moved by her example, that I found a way to contact this demure and seemingly-delicate young woman, to express my appreciation for, and admiration of, her, and her demonstration of the Power available to us all. I then, began to apply those Resources that I already had … resources that were, individually, and corporately, all ready and waiting for my decision to employ them. All that I had needed was a sense of Power to step out and use them. (Tool “#3” [Positive Power Source] added to our “Tool Pouch.”)

And, do you want to know something quite exciting, my Friend … I quickly discovered that my world was not hungry for “all of the Answers” that I had been studying, taking classes, attending seminars, and listening to and viewing diverse taped presentations, to “prepare myself” with. Oh, No! I discovered that my world (just as Ann Kiemel’s world) is hungry for my Self … my Love … and my Spiritual perspectives and insight. My world wants just the Me, offered as I was and am. (And I can assure You, Dear Reader, that your personal world is starved for that You that is waiting on your individual "shelf of readiness" right now.) My world was simply waiting for me to care enough, to be willing to … Be … my Self.

Ask yourself those questions … “Am I implementing what I already know?”… “Is what I am doing AT THIS MOMENT simply Emotional Tension Relieving … or is it Primary Purpose Achieving?” Tension Relieving or Purpose Achieving? Then …“What is the energizing and motivating Power Source that I have willed my Self to be directed by?”

All this in mind, Dear Friend, I offer you this encouragement. You have all of the powers available to you that have, from the commencement of time, been available to anyone. So, let us, you and me, agree together to stop this business of “getting ready … to begin to prepare … to start to get everything in order … to live.” And simply LIVE! Trust in what you have already experienced and learned. Put aside all of those nagging doubts and fears of inadequacy and unpreparedness. You are more ready to be YOU, than anyone else has ever been. [smile] And please consider giving your spiritual/loving side some free reign in opening your windows of opportunity. (It can be such liberating fun!)

These considerations have served me well over many years. I trust that you will realize the same benefits from your own thoughtful reflection on them … as I remain, always, Your faithful Servant and Friend.

Something Borrowed (so, OK ... STOLEN)

Here is something that I stumbled across whilst visiting Jillie's (one of my most favorite people and places for my restoration and pure [I use the word advisedly] enjoyment.)
And I simply HAD TO ... how should I say this??? OK!! I had NO CHOICE but to steal it and share the fun with YOU. Enjoy!

An Addendum (see previous post)

This is an Addendum to my post of Thursday, April 10, 2008, entitled “our One Body of Humanity.”

I have edited/amended my post of yesterday to read (replacing the original parenthetical note in the midst of the apostles comments):


“(I will interrupt here to acknowledge that the apostle was addressing his intended audience which was the “Body” of Christian believers in Rome. He was applying a TRUTH that his Spirit directed to the specific need that was evident in that particular group ...at that defined juncture in the life of that assemblage of worshipers.

But it is my considered conviction that that TRUTH, applied by the apostle, and translated by him into that group’s interests in their struggles, is a TRUTH ... in independent, eternal and unconfined fact. (Just as Gravity is Gravity ... whether on earth, or in the most distant reaches of the Heavens.) And TRUTH ... any TRUTH ... is always of universal applicability. For, I submit, no TRUTH is only true in the confines of a limited sample … it is validated, and re-validated ... again and again ... without limit ... when proven in unbounded applications.

Therefore, for us to assume a position that Paul was so limited in his vision as to be confining his belief (in the TRUTH that he was applying) to be only true in that singular and peculiar circumstance, would require (what I consider to be) an enormous degree of underestimation of Paul’s intellect and vision. This man was a very learned and highly schooled person of diverse societal and cultural background. He had an awareness of the World that was certainly far wider in scope than any singular point of focus, for any particular problem’s solution. In today’s terms; it is extremely doubtful that Paul’s understanding of any TRUTH was confined in any “Box” of any brand, persuasion, label, or denomination. I am quite certain that Paul never felt that he (or anyone of his contemporaries) had an “Exclusive Franchise” on the Love, or Favor of The Almighty … the Creator of All.

I am comfortable in my conviction that Paul understood that he, and those who prescribed to his teachings, had something that “worked” for them … that met their spiritual need. And there can be no doubt that he fervently believed that all who would subscribe to those convictions and precepts that he espoused, would benefit to the fullest possible extent that he could conceive of. Hence his zeal in promoting an acceptance of and adherence to his understandings of the order of spiritual matters as he saw them.)”

For me to ascribe something that is an obvious TRUTH, in and of itself, to be the sole “property” of … and to assign exclusive “ownership” of that TRUTH to a people, place, or time of that TRUTH’s application is … well certainly not “open minded” … to say the least.

I am delighted in the realities that are mine to enjoy today. And chief among them is the wonderful awareness that all of those “walls” of sectarian fundamentalism that had confined my understanding and stifled my joyful celebration of the universality of my Creator’s powers, affections, and intimacies … are simply … GONE! Leaving me in this marvelous position and condition of anxious anticipation of WHATEVER infinite possibilities my tomorrows hold.

And the absence of ANY “need,” on my part, to define, package, pigeon-hole, label, affix ownership of, or explain any of what my Creator has Allowed, or Defined, as the Past, is no more. For, you see, My dearest Friend … I take every breath of Life in complete confidence that ALL of it … Past, Present, and most assuredly Future … is in “Hands” that are fully capable of handling it. It ain’t my job! Not the understanding, the explaining, nor the predicting of any of it.

I am free and enabled to go from this, and every subsequent, moment … and enjoy it all! And, believe me, I do! For my joy is realized every day in Your letting me know that You … yes! YOU … have had a moment’s peace where there was turmoil before. In You smiling when just a moment ago tears were your mask. In my awareness that my words … my Love … my demonstrated concern … my spreading of all of that “composted” pile of my experiences, around those hungry roots of your life-plant, has nourished and nurtured your growth and blooming. Oh yes, My Darling, I enjoy my ... “fundamentalism-sectarianism-free” ... life!

May the “walls” of your entrapping “box” of spiritual confinement come tumbling down … real soon! (But not a moment before you have grown and developed an individual strength that no longer benefits from their protection from the confusions and doubts that would assail you from without.)

NAMASTE, MY Darling Friend!

our One Body of Humanity

Because I have had this “kettle of fish” simmering on the proverbial “back burner” of my mind for so long that it now occupies several of the “burners” of my “mental stove,” I am going to serve it up lest it spill all over my personal attitudinal kitchen. As much as I try to avoid network news and discussions, the proliferation of rhetoric addressing the “situations” that boil in conflict today has made avoidance impossible. My major difficulty in acknowledging these problems is with the arrogance, disrespect, and sheer ignorance (coupled with a determined refusal to be informed) paraded by political leaders and religious pundits. These proliferators of pompous prejudice regurgitate their self-righteous nonsense at the expense of peoples whose lives are affected by the stupidity of these self-serving manipulators of perception. These hapless victims of arrogant political, religious, and social dominators suffer hourly (even as you and I consider this page) due to prevailing political choices being made by the insensitive and callous who hold the reins of global control. (I warned you that it has been simmering for a while.)

When these religious/political performers present their well rehearsed (but not so well reasoned out) views, there is a disattachment from reality that demands some clarification. To that end, I present some requisite definitions of terms that you and I have heard bandied about ad nauseum.

“Sect:” A group… forming a distinct unit within a larger group… by virtue of certain distinctions of belief or practice.
“Sectarian:” One characterized by bigoted adherence to a factional viewpoint.

“Fundamental:” Of or relating to the foundation or base; elementary.
“Fundamentalist:” One adhering to the practices of a usually religious movement or point of view characterized by a return to fundamental principles, by rigid adherence to those principles, and often by intolerance of other views and opposition to secularism.

Inasmuch as a sect is, by definition, something that is a part of something larger, it seems (to me) that the obvious extrapolation of reason is to discover the identity and nature of that ultimate “Whole” that is the larger group. And, after years of consideration of the matter … triggered into active life (some years ago [Aug. 22, 1980, to be precise]) when the president of the Southern, Protestant, Christian sect (aka: “Denomination” ) (that had ordained me as a Deacon) declared in a much-publicized speech “God doesn’t hear the prayers of the Jews.” Upon hearing of this absurd proclamation, my “inner voice” immediately spoke up and said “Sorry about your situation, ol’ buddy, but I do not worship a Deity that is limited by some theological hearing impairment.” And I began looking, asking, and listening.

I have since reached my own personal conclusion that the larger Whole (of which the aforementioned “sect” is a part) is Humankind. All other subdivisions are but sectors of the Human Whole … or, if you will … The Body Human. And the intolerance practiced by, and bigotry perpetuated between, various members of this universal Body Human, is (by definition) an exercise in self-abasement. To cause harm, injury, or discomfort to any part of One’s whole body is, most certainly, infliction of self-harm. And we can take note that these attitudes producing this prevailing dynamic, across our present world, are, most certainly, not something of a recent, regional, nor “modern” construction. (History will demonstrate that the USA was brought into being as a direct result of groups seeking refuge from just such pressures.) This ain't no new phenomenon, My Friend!

In the year 58 (as nearly as can be determined) the apostle Paul, while in Corinth (completing a fund-raising drive for the benefit of the poor in Palestine) wrote a letter to a church in Rome. A portion of that letter deals with (in very elementary language) the attitudes that he wants the members of that church to understand as basic to their core values. Now, this was a goodly number of years ago … yet I can not help but hear the apostle addressing the very same attitudinal conflicts and challenges that we are living in the midst of today. So, I offer this portion of that letter to your consideration as we reflect, together, on the sectarian conflicts that affect every part of today’s globe (inclusive [unfortunately] of our own local neighborhoods.)

“For I say to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

For as we have many members in one physical body, and all members have not the same function:

So we, being many, are one body in belief, and individually one with each other.”

(I will interrupt here to acknowledge that the apostle was addressing his intended audience which was the “Body” of Christian believers in Rome. He was applying a TRUTH that his Spirit directed to the specific need that was evident in that particular group ...at that defined juncture in the life of that assemblage of worshipers.

But it is my considered conviction that that TRUTH, applied by the apostle, and translated by him into that group’s interests in their struggles, is a TRUTH ... in independent, eternal and unconfined fact. (Just as Gravity is Gravity ... whether on earth, or in the most distant reaches of the Heavens.) And TRUTH ... any TRUTH ... is always of universal applicability. For, I submit, no TRUTH is only true in the confines of a limited sample … it is validated, and re-validated ... again and again ... without limit ... when proven in unbounded applications.

Therefore, for us to assume a position that Paul was so limited in his vision as to be confining his belief (in the TRUTH that he was applying) to be only true in that singular and peculiar circumstance, would require (what I consider to be) an enormous degree of underestimation of Paul’s intellect and vision. This man was a very learned and highly schooled person of diverse societal and cultural background. He had an awareness of the World that was certainly far wider in scope than any singular point of focus, for any particular problem’s solution. In today’s terms; it is extremely doubtful that Paul’s understanding of any TRUTH was confined in any “Box” of any brand, persuasion, label, or denomination. I am quite certain that Paul never felt that he (or anyone of his contemporaries) had an “Exclusive Franchise” on the Love, or Favor of The Almighty … the Creator of All.

I am comfortable in my conviction that Paul understood that he, and those who prescribed to his teachings, had something that “worked” for them … that met their spiritual need. And there can be no doubt that he fervently believed that all who would subscribe to those convictions and precepts that he espoused, would benefit to the fullest possible extent that he could conceive of. Hence his zeal in promoting an acceptance of and adherence to his understandings of the order of spiritual matters as he saw them.)
Paul continues…

“Having then gifts differing (according to the circumstance that is given to us) let us exercise them accordingly: whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;

Or service, let us wait on our serving: or he who teaches, in his teaching;

Or he who exhorts, in his exhortation: he that gives, let him do it with liberality; he that rules, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.

Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor that which is evil; cling to that which is good.

Be devoted to one another with brotherly love; giving preference to one another in honor;

Not lagging behind in diligence; fervent in spirit; serving your God;

Rejoicing in Hope; patient in Tribulation; devoted in Prayer;

Contributing to the needs of the Saints; practicing hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you: bless, and curse not.

Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.

Be of the same mind One toward Another. Do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the Lowly. Be not wise in your own estimation.”

Now, am I missing something … or is there not an absence of ANY of this instruction coming from the pulpits, rostrums, or podiums of our political, social, national, religious, or global centers of influence? And are not those who fly the flag of Judeo/ Christian belief carrying, tucked firmly under their arm on their way to and from their worship exercises, the book that contains this letter. Therefore ignorance is not a viable excuse. What then gives us license to wag our collective finger toward the Balkans, the Middle East, the Far East, Europe (“old” or “new”), or any other point of geo-political/religious conflict while we carry an “instruction manual” that prescribes that all of us are of “one body”?

Is our sectarian bigotry of some sort of acceptable variety as opposed to the unacceptable form that we condemn in others. For crying out loud people! … let’s get off of our “high horse” of what the apostle referred to as “haughty in mind”, “wise in our own estimation”, and embrace the completeness of our one body … whatever headdress it wears (be it of feathers, whalebone, scull cap, or turban) … or name it assigns its place of worship ( mosque, temple, kingdom hall, synagogue, cathedral, or sanctuary ) … or name by which it recognizes, respects, and worships our common Creator.

Within a smiling deference to Norah Ephram as she defined blogging as one’s expression of what they perceive as truth on the day of their blog’s posting and subject to the winds of change with each new day … I submit this … my Truth as seen today … for your consideration.

As I bid us all a “Welcome to our One Body of Humanity.” Which is made real easy, for me, in light of the fact that ... I do Love YOU. (I made my choice to do that long ago [smile].)


Definitions from: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright© 2004, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.