Thursday, May 16, 2013

play for me



Dear Street Musicians, 

Oh, how I love you. How you change my day and make me smile whenever and wherever I hear you. 

As I round the corner in of the city stairwells I hear the sounds of a flute or violin, a keyboard or sax and in some places I hear the beat on a pickle barrel. 

May the musicians of the world never stop singing and playing and being who they are. 

I love music; love, love, love music....more than popcorn, cole slaw, soft pretzels, heavily buttered and salted corn and more than a pizza fresh out of the oven with the cheese dripping into my mouth. 

Music does something

It brings people together
It forms bonds
It crosses bridges
It makes people smile 

Stop and listen

Hear the love
Feel the love
Become the love

tonight @7:20PMish at the bottom of the Metro steps leading  into Union Station this dude was taking music apart on his violin. Made it cry if you ask me. Just blew me away. I stopped, I sat. I listened. I cheered. Pure artistry. He played the Tango from the end of True Lies when Arnold and Jamie-Lee dance. He said the song meant "love" to him....to love!





this world is not my home


I think of God and Jesus daily. I don't understand those that don't. God's word says pray for understanding and I do, but I don't understand those that have not reconciled death. Maybe they have reconciled and I just don't like their reconciliation(s).....lol

The reconciliation for death, for me, is God, the Son and the Holy Ghost. 

I have searched my world and have experienced a vortex in Sedona, some weird stuff with a ouija board, but I  have not yet been to India, the Holy Land or Mecca. I have felt the Holy Spirit amongst mere men (and woman). I see Jesus in others eyes and hearts and on occasion I see evil in the eyes and hearts of men (and woman) and that evil turns my stomach (turns my stomach not in a judgemental way, but out of fear).

Today I saw evil again. It was fierce and piercing. It hurt my heart. 
I heard that evil, and amongst the pain caused by that evil I felt a collective uprising of hope, truth and love going against this evil.

I have reconciled. I am heaven bound and when I doubt, and I do, like a Christmas train falling off it's track, someone always picks me up and places my wheels back on that track, they push me back and forth a few times and then let me go.

May God bless you. 

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

experiences

experiences

The first tool I bought after the purchase of 505 Harrison Avenue in Collingswood, NJ (where I live), a monkey wrench, a large monkey wrench. We had a plumbing issue, which still persists to this day, 24 years later (albeit occasionally). 

I remember using this wrench, getting to the issue, working it over and over, and finally succeeding, although an issue still persists to this day.

I've not used this wrench since, well maybe once or twice very briefly, but mainly out of fondness. 

These experiences have added up to life. 

There have been other experiences, some in travels and some in daily routine commutes, They all add up to life. 

There was that time I chopped down a 30' maple, or the time I carted a Christmas tree to my daughter's to find it didn't fit in her stand. And then there was the moments we picked out the tree that did. 

There was the experience of almost routing my thumb off with a Roman Ogee bit (woodworkers?). And the times I didn't have my homework complete. 

Everything adds up to life. 

There was the time I gave away the medical scrubs in Honduras to find out I should not have. 

There were times I were snookered and times I did the snookering (not so proud of those). 

These were all times. All moments. All experiences. 

Experiences. 

Minutes of life leading up to life.

We all need to take advantage of these experiences. 
We all need to understand these moments make up a life. 
We all need to use that life. 
use it for each other
for that is life


Wednesday, May 08, 2013

hit like a brick



For we know that the whole of creation ((the world)) has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now ((the pains/hurts/trials and tribulations of the world w/o God)). And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits ((put simply, believers of Jesus)) of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons ((heaven)), the redemption of our bodies ((heaven)).
Black words are God's and blue is commentary


every now and again I get hit with a brick in the head and I begin to understand something
today that happened

Tuesday, May 07, 2013

motivation/confidence and where we find it

 "the world could be fixed of it's problems if every child understood the necessity of their existence" Dwight D. Eisenhower

When I am confident I feel strong and when I am not I wonder where it is from that I gain said confidence and where does my motivation come from. I am struck with such phrases as- git er done and just do it.  There's also this quote - "To the degree we are willing to be ourselves is the degree to which we can honestly feel loved. The risk is always rejection." D. Miller

Do you wonder where you get your motivation from?

Do you wonder from wherein you gain confidence?


I blog about this thought process quite a bit and primarily because quite often, all of the mistakes and errors I have made come to a head and cause me to stumble. Billy Joel sings - "you're only human, you're allowed to make your share of mistakes". And yet myself, and I am sure others, dwell in their mistakes and errors. And it is hitting me. What if we did understand the necessity of our existence? What if we were just ourselves, in all of our glory, mistakes and all. Past history, errors, poor judgement and so on and so forth...need I go on?

Jesus calls it grace. You know that song isn't called Amazing Grace for nothing. his grace is amazing. More oft then not, the hardest person to offer forgiveness to is ourselves. 

So how do we do it? Where do we find it? 

I could be wrong, but for me I know, I get it from others. Their encouragement, their smiles, their knowing acceptances. I do not believe this is the same for all of us, although some may beg to differ.

So....the pig isn't finished and is a story unto itself. I need some motivation to finish it and will find it soon. 

But what motivates you? Where do you get your confidence from? Please share. 
Peace, grace and love. 

Friday, May 03, 2013

not giving up, not ever


Many people were attempting to successfully invent a light bulb, but it was Thomas Edison who did. 

Ever think about how he just kept at it? He had to figure it out. Creating a vacuum in the glass, figuring out what type of metal would hold the light. Over and over and over, again and again?

Today I cut granite slabs and I've never done that and after talking to some people determined that with the proper blade in a circular saw and with some water it could be done. 

I have to tell you that 1/2 way through the first cut, I was ready to give up. The saw blade bucked and then froze as the saw's engine let out a "I'm frozen" hum. It freaked me out. This is a 5' x 18", two inch thick piece of granite. Some serious, heavy, thick stone and my saw was not cutting it...literally. Am I going to get through this. I have a lot of cuts to make!! How is this going to work. Should I just.....give up?

I called a friend. 

She told me kinda what I already knew and was doing, she said yes, of course it can be done. She mentioned using a lot of water. 

I hung up, thought about what she had said

I said okay....more water, okay push down on the saw and okay let's see this through. I did. 

After each cut, I figured out something a little better to do. How to break the granite apart, how to properly disperse the water, how to do this and that, but yet, I was going to give up. Seriously give up. 

It was hard. 
It took all day. 
It's far from perfect (the cuts that is) and my ground is nice and muddy. 

But, I cut granite. Seriously thick granite. 

I often think about those telemarketers that always call. How do they do it? Why don't they give up? How to they have the spirit to call the next person, time after time after time?
They don't give up. 

Neither should we, not ever. 

Thursday, May 02, 2013

grow and inspire


grow and inspire

every day I am growing....even at the ripe age of fifty

every day I try to inspire, despite my prejudices
DESPITE MY PREJUDICES, that loom large, my prejudices, they loom large

every day I try to do something creative
and as I get older, I seem to get selfish

"star, star teach me how to shine, shine teach me so i so I know what's going on in your mind, cause I don't understand these people, saying the hills to steep well...." The Frames

let's all work on shining real bright like

Wednesday, May 01, 2013

tomorrow


Today has been long, my kinda day. I love long days. Days were purposed for 24 hours, and frankly I have never thought that was enough. I'd like to see a 32 hour day and in that, I have learned, sleep is a rejuvenator.

All in all, today was good. That being said there is so, so, much going on. BnB w/the lovely later this month, a wedding to attend  :),a  mini vaca with the youngest (21yrrs old), then camp, and not to mention work. New store opening and the fun that goes with it. 

Hey, word of God to follow - - you've been warned!!!!

"Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious enough for itself. Sufficient for the day is it's own trouble." Jesus the Christ  (go ahead.....reread that)

For those that struggle with; Jesus,I say, truly and really- what is wrong with those words???  What is wrong w/Christians??????...yeah, I get it. There is a lot wrong with Christians, and people in general, and then......"do not judge or you too, will be judged"....yeah Christians don't practice that exactly right now do they, nope. But many try....just like all of us do. 

But back to the subject at hand - today. What will tomorrow bring, bring for the people who ran the Boston Marathon?, for the people in 911?, the starving/dying children of the world?

I guess what I am trying to say is this-

Today was May 1st, 2013, and it was the only one ever made, hope you made the best of it and if not....there are still a few hours left. 

Go.