be unforgettable

I once read, actually listened to a story about one of the Audubon fellas, you know the bird painter people. Well in this story Audubon's daughter-in-law mentioned how her father-in-law (stay with me), James Audubon, was incredibly friendly to everyone he met. When he would walk the town everyone knew him and he greeted them with a smile and a handshake. 

Let's all do that. 

Let's all treat others better than we treat ourselves. 

Let's show each other love. 

Let's not ever stop. 

in the words of Burt Bacharach - "what the world needs now is love sweet love" and in the words of Jesus Christ - - 

 "and as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them"

the respect of each other

respecting  yourself + respecting others = grace

enemy love

" ...but I say to you. love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (God's words)

That's a "heavy metal" verse. 

Think about it, think about it long and hard. 

Who are your enemies. Is it the person who doesn't use their blinker? Is it the driver who cuts you off? Is it the person who smokes in your pathway? Is it someone you see dropping trash? Is it a co-worker? Is it some jerk for whom you have countless reasons to think, I mean KNOW they are a jerk?

Whomever it is - - Pray for them and show them love!
"if you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners (I take the word "sinners to mean everyone) love those who love them" (more of God speaking). 

and what about those politicians and rulers and kings whom just screw EVERYTHING and I do mean EVERYTHING up?!?!?!

pray for them

show them love

how else will anyone ever come to know Christ?

for those i love

"he who is often reproved, yet stiffens his neck. 

will suddenly be broken beyond healing"

Being reprimanded, scolded or reproofed often causes a certain mechanism within my persona to rear up. That mechanism is sarcasm, facetiousness, defensiveness and even lashing out, especially to those closest to me. 

And yet here is wisdom that states we are not to lash out, and if we do "we will suddenly be broken beyond healing".  "Broken beyond healing!!" That's what I call a "heavy metal" statement. 

I tend to take criticism from my bosses and others who are not close to me fairly well. It is the criticism from those closest to me that causes me to....well....lash out or sulk and yet those people, the ones closest to me are the ones who care about me the most, love me and offer that reproofing out of that love. 

So where do we go with this. 

Pretty simple...'eh. Let the reprimanding and scolding be music to your ears. Let it be like honey sweet and nurturing, let it be welcomed, for upon doing that, we will we not be broken beyond repair, but I believe we will be a better person.

And I want to be a better person. 



Written while listening to the Flaming Lips "Do you realize" Inspired by a devotional by Keith Hodges on Proverbs 29 and more importantly my wife who takes my deepest lashings. Thank you for your love and forgiveness Margaret. Thank you. 

here and now

the meaning of time

as if it rhymed

this time here 

is nothing 

if you believe in forever

Heaven is now

not tomorrow

not ever

but always and forever

parisienne walkways

gary moore

GOD

details details DETAILS

Everything is in the details. And twitter exacts out those seconds making them all that fleeting and yet meaningful at the same moment. 

Spontaneity at a concert is not spontaneity as much as practiced music and yet to the listener. the watcher it seems  unrehearsed and performed as improvisational, and yet, it is not. 

So what is real, what is timed and what does it all mean? 

It is all real, every moment of it. Every single solitary delectable second of today is as real as it will ever get and most of those seconds are spent without regard to their value. 

There's this song - Out Loud and it's about hearing someone, someone you care about and someone who cares about you - this someone calls your name, calls your name Out Loud. 

So again. Not sure this blog post is cohesive, but I know I love,and I do mean LOVE,when someone, anyone out of love, out of caring,calls my name, calls my name Out Loud. When I hear my name It is like a song. I love it. 

My dad called me "Tater" and I love that nickname. My children, whenever they call me "daddy" it is like the most delectable delicious sound one could ever hear. 

Anytime you use the word "delactable" twice when you are not talking about food in any form of written essay....that essay is over.

Later. 

<>

Hit a deer

It isn't often that when I write I have peace about me, but today I do.

While driving to the Atlantic City airport at 4:30 AM to deliver my favorite daughter and my favorite son-in-law Johnny for a trip to Florida, we hit a deer, or the deer hit us. It happened fast, instantaneously fast. I can still see the deer's face, it's eyes, as the airbag deployed. So many things came to thought, like how that one absolute second of doing something, anything different would have made the difference. 

The fact is - it was close.I was holding a cup of hot coffee in my hand and Aryn and I got splattered with the coffee, we thought it was blood, ours and and the deer's. It was neither, there was no blood. 

I remember the impact and then the airbag deploying. Amazing how that I can remember both of those moments separately, separated by what, a second?

All four of us - not a scratch. The deer hit the driver's headlight smashing the front of the car to the battery and then dented the door. There was deer hair all over the car including the rear of the car. The deer was larger than life when we hit. It happened so fast. So very fast.

It was cold, it was dark. People whizzed by as we gathered ourselves together on the side of the road. I remember Margaret letting out 2 or 3 short screams as it happened. I remember our hug as we awaited the police. 

The state trooper came, the tow truck arrived, Johnny and Aryn missed their flight and my dad came to pick us up. 

Hours later Margaret sits next to me looking at cars on the internet. The tv is off. The cats sleep peacefully and Johnny and Aryn are enroute to Florida. My back has a slight soreness, nothing big, I feel tranquil. I feel relaxed. I am enjoying the moments as small as they are. 

I am not caught up in my possessions for this moment. I am caught up in God. I am glad I talk to Him. I am glad to have a relationship with Him. Not because He spared us so much as that I know Him. That's why I am peaceful. May you too have peace. 

At approximately 4:30 AM on January 18th my wife and I went to drive Aryn and Johnny to the AC airport via the AC expressway. I remember before leaving thinking of all the deer on the road. There are 30,000 deer/car collisions in NJ per year. The tow truck driver said that during mating season he can have up to 15 deer related accident calls per night. 
Mile marker 37. 
The car sits in front of Elmers on 130 for the weekend. 
We have a 500.00 deductible and despite my wanting to cancel "collision" insurance on the car Margaret never did. 
The car has been paid off for two years. 
I'm just glad we're alive. 

Go find God, He is real.