February Poem

Mirror in February

The day dawns, with scent of must and rain,
Of opened soil, dark trees, dry bedroom air.
Under the fading lamp, half dressed -- my brain
Idling on some compulsive fantasy --
I towel my shaven jaw and stop, and stare,
Riveted by a dark exhausted eye,
A dry downturning mouth.It seems again that it is time to learn,
In this untiring, crumbling place of growth
To which, for the time being, I return.
Now plainly in the mirror of my soul
I read that I have looked my last on youth
And little more; for they are not made whole
That reach the age of Christ.
Below my window the wakening trees,
Hacked clean for better bearing, stand defaced
Suffering their brute necessities;
And how should the flesh not quail, that span for span
Is mutilated more? In slow distaste
I fold my towel with what grace I can,
Not young, and not renewable, but man.

Thomas Kinsella

Snow Moon

The Snow Moon is the February full moon. It was full last night, 2/7/2012 and it was beautiful. Tonight it snows albeit flurries and a mere coating, but how apt to have a snow with the moon so full. 


The moon is always a sight to behold whether it is but a sliver of a crescent , waxing or waning it is always most beautiful. 


The universe so vast it is not to be understood and a place where there are countless moons, but it only the one moon I know intimately and it is upon this moon I fix my gaze. The light of the full moon illuminating the darkness, it's light so white and bright as it dances across the sky. 


Like all light, it guides and the place it guides me is towards God for it is He that has made the moon in the sky. It tells me how I am nothing and everything simultaneously. 


The moon sets a peacefulness on my soul like God, it is always gentle, but yet powerful as is He. 


I love watching it wax and wane repeatedly, never tiring of it's infinite beauty and various shapes and hues. 


Look for it, see and feel it, for it is in this you can rest assured that God is ever present for God's presence, not always seen or felt, like the moon, is always present. Promise. 

regrets of life, b4 death

Bronnie Ware is an Australian nurse who spent several years working in palliative care, caring for patients in the last 12 weeks of their lives. She recorded their dying epiphanies in a blog called Inspiration and Chai, which gathered so much attention that she put her observations into a book called The Top Five Regrets of the Dying.

1. I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me. 

2. I wish I hadn't worked so hard.

3. I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings.

4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.

5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

Here are mine - 

 1. Yes, I dedicated to much time to work most especially in my younger days. At times it defined me. Now I try to let me define my work. 

2. I didn't tell my family how much I loved them. I tell my beautiful wife and my awesomely wonderful children this quite often. It is my siblings and parents that I need to tell this too.

3. Coincidence. I don't believe in it. So therefore when something seems coincidental I would like to more aptly take advantage of it. Grab it, embrace it and not ever look the other way. 

4. I wish I had the wisdom of today many yesterday's ago. Alas.....that ain't gonna happen now is it. That being said--  I wish I would have followed my heart more and not my brain. My heart is much smarted then my brain. 

5. I wish I had learned a trade with my hands. Be it a carpenter, a mason, a musician, an artist, a sculptor.......I find beauty in creating things and as I write this @ 49 (next week!) I realize time is disappearing with each keystroke. 

6. Yes, I am taking advantage of my blogging rights and adding a #6. There's this bible verse- Encourage one another daily as long as it is called today. Most people would say I am an encourager and while I can agree to an extent, I think I can do better. 

Special thanks on today's blog to Nurse Ware, theguardian (www.guardian.co.uk ) and of course God's word (Hebrews 3). 

...to love one another.....

to love one another

shine to each other

give to each other

to show one another

to live for each other

breathe for another

share for another

teach one another

to grow for each other

smile to each other

love

love

love

your brother

your sister

another

word

Yeah, I'm all about Him....you know, God....we can't see Him or can we and can we feel Him?
I MEAN REALLY?????????.....can we??????

I do feel Him and yes, I can see Him too.

Yes, there are a few things that come into play for this to happen.
a) I have to want to feel Him
b) I have to believe I will feel Him
c) repeat this--- I HAVE TO believe I will feel Him
d) now....look for Him, search for Him, seek Him

He won't be hard to find.

You have to look and sometimes depending upon your heart you will have to look hard and you have to believe and you have to look and believe. Then start talking to him.....call Him.

Serious - - - - talk to Him.    CALL UPON HIM.

Believing can be hard and understanding His existence can be even harder. I get it.

I have a hard time really believing that He isn't there more then He is. I have to work towards this.
I can see His beauty everywhere and His word is THE most powerful thing I have ever known.

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.  Proverbs

speaking

I admit it, I am a poor listener. I can bully with words and my listening skill is only endorsed by my ability to interrupt other speakers.

He who answers before listening— that is his folly and his shame.

He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity.   Proverbs

I wish this were all easy. After close to 30 years of marriage and 48 years of living, as indicated by the stocking stuffer book pictured above, received this past Christmas, I have a long way to go. 

I once even read a book (Planet Walker) by Dr. John Francis who walked North America and did not utter a word for 17 years as he walked. Our educational systems thought so much of him they gave him a PhD.  The book didn't help.  

Most often people say if you know your problems, then you can address them and while I find this true, I also find it difficult. I had a counselor write the following down for me....while it has been helpful I could use this tattooed on the back of my hand at all times. 

Before you speak-

Is it necessary?

Is it helpful?

Will it edify?

Is it said in loving kindness?

The key being BEFORE YOU SPEAK.   I will continue to work towards thinking before speaking and responding instead of reacting and only speaking when NECESSARY and using my words when they are helpful and only doing so in loving kindness.

Thanks to my lovely wife Margaret, and our children; Sean, Aryn and Taylor for they have listened to me for far to long and thanks for God's amazing grace for it has no limitations.

...let justice roll down

But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream
Amos 5:24

Switchfoot put out a song- The Sound (John M. Perkins Blues)

After hearing them perform the song live, and hearing Jon Foreman talk about how this book - Let Justice Roll Down inspired the song, more to say that John Perkin's life, his love for God, his reaction and non-reactions of being a black man, born a sharecropper; who moved to start his family in California, but then following God's plan by moving to Mendenhall, Mississippi in the 1960's when at the height of establishing equal rights felt the pain and hurt, the destruction and saw 1st hand the wickedness of man, that John Perkins, that is what inspired this song; The Sound.

"John Perkins said it right.....love is the final fight"

"There is no song louder then love"

God will roll the justice down. It is His to call.

and when it rolls down, rolls like waters and His righteousness like an everlasting stream; that is what I want to understand...how it is - - ALL HIS....and not mine....that my battle, is maintaining His love, showing His love. My battle is exposing my other cheek and walking two miles. This love, this uncomprehendable love, it needs to be understood and embraced and embellished by everything we touch.

John Perkins....a man who had more reasons (I pray) then I will ever have to show justice, did not, and let God have the call of justice....may we do the same.