Sunday, March 1, 2015

Editor's Corner

March 2015

This editor likes to begin with a quote, but since Mattie Lennon devoted his column for March to 'famous last words' you can choose one of those for yourself. As usual, Mattie manages to get some of his Irish friskiness into the "Irish Eyes" column.

 And he managed not to mention Saint Patrick's Day.

This is the month for that celebration and yours truly shall indulge in a few Irish treats. Another treat is having Andrea Heisler (granddaughter of the late Leo Helmer) back with a tasty but simple to do recipe in "Cookin' With Andrea." Along with the columns you will find "Nursery Rhymes can be disturbing" an article by your editor's great granddaughter Bethany Davies.

New columnist Nancy Park changed her column name from "Park's Place" to "Mind, Body & Spirit Connection." She finds the synchronicities in life both interesting and puzzling, but always intriguing. Judith Kroll aka Featherwind's column "On Trek" recalls the birth of her first child in "Miracle of Children." Thomas F. O'Neill ("Introspective") tells details concerning China's one year ban on the import of Ivory carvings.

John I. Blair's column "Always Looking - People Who Made A Difference XXVII" focuses on Edward Everett Hale, author of "Man Without A Country." Blair's poetry contributions this issue are "Friendly" and "If Life Were Simple."

Bud Lemire shows six poems this month: "Universal Light," "I Got A Call From Me," "The Meaning of 'I Love You'," "Messages in My Chair," "From A Different Place," and "Read Her A Book." Bruce Clifford's two poems are "She," and "These Are The Moments."

Kudos to Mike Craner whose expertise and patience allows this little ezine to present over 400 different authors over the last seventeen years, bringing their compositions of story, poetry, articles, and ongoing columns.

Click on author's byline for bio and list of other works published by Pencil Stubs Online.
This issue appears in the ezine at www.pencilstubs.com and also in the blog www.pencilstubs.net with the capability of adding comments at the latter.

On Trek

Miracle of Children


         Like Rain on the tin roof, is the beat of a child in the womb.

         It is steady, and gentle, new life, new love.

         I held my hand over my extended stomach and felt the movements, and heard the music of the heart beat, and I fell in love all over again. I never even new a child was part of me for three months. I suspected it, but didn’t have it confirmed until three months. My Baby had grown silently without my knowing. What a miracle to love the imagination of my mind. I assumed my child was male, and I assumed he was handsome and healthy, and I pictured him tall and blonde.

         I dreamed of him every day and every night. I thought yes, he will be president someday. (Dating myself here). When the time came for me to go to the hospital, the weather was snowy, the roads were bad, our car acted up and the lights went out. It was freezing outside and I had to hold a flashlight out the window just so my husband could see the roads. We got to the small, little hospital, frozen but so excited to see our baby.

         It was over 12 hours of hard labor, but even then I was still excited.

         Then he came. The love I had felt for 9 months now cuddled in my arms, cozy warm and beautiful. A rush of wow what to do now engulfed me. I am sure it is true with everyone, that our first child is always scary for a while because they don’t come with instructions. One day he shows up and is with us constantly from then on.

         We managed to bring him to adulthood. Always having friends and family around to be “on call” was truly helpful. Yes, every person that is born is truly a miracle. I truly enjoyed my trek with my children. Having children is a great responsibility, but there are so many rewards that continue to this day.
Judith

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Cookin' With Andrea

"Gravel"

This is a recipe I like
because it is super simple and only
dirties 2 pans and a bowl.
I call it "Gravel" because
it kind of looks like it.
Ingredients:
  • 1 lb hamburger
  • 1 lb sausage (I use mild country sausage)
  • 5 medium or 2 large potatoes
  • 8 eggs
  • one onion Minced
  • garlic (amount is by preference but I use about 1 tbsp)
  • 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • 4 tbsp butter
  • Salt, pepper, seasoning salt
Put 2 Tbsp oil into a large skillet and heat over medium.
Dice the onion and the potatoes into small pieces. (The smaller the potatoes the faster they will cook)
Sauté the onions and minced garlic while you are cutting potatoes then add all potatoes at the same time for even cooking.
Season to taste with salt pepper and seasoning salt and add the butter and stir well.
Cover and cook over med heat stirring every 5 minutes or so to keep from burning and sticking.
While potatoes cook brown the hamburger and sausage in a seperate pan.
Drain and then while the meat is in the pan make a spot in the middle and pour in the beaten eggs and scramble.
Finally mix the meat together with the eggs and add the potatoes and stir.
There you have it "Gravel".
It's great for any meal and with ketchup and/or hotsauce if you like.

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Mind, Body, & Spirit Connection

 

Nancy's Mind Ramblings ~ Tuning in to "Synchronicity" ~the simultaneous occurrence of events that appear significantly related but have no discernible causal connection

A "wink" from the Cosmos


         I believe their are times in our lives, recognized or not, when the Universe comes into line with what we are needing in that exact moment. Recognizing these opportunities is something of a skill you may need to hone. Many of us may call these things "coincidences", we often judge them as fiascos, tragedies, insurmountable obstacles, a view that can block opportunities for us to see them more as welcomed, albeit unforseen blessings, we are taught or encouraged (or discouraged) from these things having any meaningful cause. These occurrences can often open doors for us to perhaps understand whats going in our lives, even perhaps in answer to our inner questioning of what to do next, or why do I find myself where I am, or what do I do now?
 
The blessing of unforseen opportunity: finding the hidden gem~


          You're cruising along in your career, making well planned, careful choices, always with an eye to some specific goal or future. You've worked hard, sacrificed, taken great pride in being dependable, reliable, your a dedicated employee for your entire career. Then your company begins to experience business lulls, things do not improve and so makes staff cuts. You go into work, they inform you your job has been eliminated. Boom. You find yourself reeling from this situation, you'd done all the right things, taken every opportunity to better yourself and here you are. You realize the position you'd held, worked your way up to, studied and sacrificed for, is now up for grabs to some younger, eager employee who will be paid far less. There it is. It's then you realize your lifestyle, your future dreams, all you'd planed so carefully for, just got pulled out from under you. Your at a loss as to what to do now. Surely a dilemma many can relate to. You begin to be affected by low self esteem, perhaps resentment and anger creep in, further lowering your energies, your sleepless, stressed, and in a financial spiral not of your own making. So what now?

         You've had this hobby you always enjoyed, on your off hours. Something that you really felt connected to. To ease the stress of losing your job, you find yourself spending more time doing what you enjoy. Friends comment on how great what your doing is, they envy your skill. You've made alot of friends who share your hobby, they also have friends who market this skill. More and more connections are made, and next thing you know, you find what you do that you so enjoy, is actually a marketable commodity. Voila~your seeming tragedy leads you to a happier, more positive job, a more fulfilling life and connections to like-minded people who become a wonderful resource. The Universe opens doors. The value of this is for us to be patient and look for the gem in each situation. I find within the most difficult events of life, if given time, we can find possibilities that unfold which would otherwise we would not have had the courage to pursue.

         It's all in your perception of events. Often what occurs, if you really are open to looking at the opportunities it presents, can be more a blessing then you realize. Something that can profoundly change the course of your life, for the better. "When one door closes, another one opens". Look for the key~
The players: kindred relationships


         You are in the mall, you've been thinking of an old school chum lately. This old friend has been on your mind quite a bit. You'd had a recent scare with an illness, lost family members and were feeling blue and out of sorts. Suddenly, there he is in the mall. You were great friends, shared many struggles and laughs, you grew together, had your fair share of life's ups and downs, then lost touch with life changes, jobs, moves and families. You begin to catch up, thoughts run through your mind of all the great times you had together. He too shares he's had very similar life events unfold and that you had been on his mind as well, wondering how you were doing. You find you have much in common and set a time to re-connect again. You remember that old warmth you shared in that friendship. You leave the mall higher in spirit. Its as if he was able to hear you, like you had called one another. We attract exactly what it is we require at that point in our journey and the Universe, if we are open to this understanding, provides.

          So many of life's greatest opportunities, our highest potential, I believe, are hidden in plain sight. Situations/events that "seem to" synchronistically appear. Often, due to the nature of our day to day lives, we may not 'connect' with the timing and meaning. I believe if the "message" is important to our journey, it will reappear until we understand and incorporate it, if we so choose. Some of the most profound, life altering messages can very well be the most challenging for the soul. As with everything in this physical existence, all is free will, of course. Whether or not we recognize and choose to avail ourselves of these new pathways, I believe the Universe is constantly providing, in every moment, what the soul needs.
 
Endless choices on the CD rom~Forks in the road


          I personally believe in a 'higher self', as well as pre-determined paths, which include what I like to call 'forks in the road', choices and opportunities that assist our highest/best along the way. You may have chosen a very particular lesson, a difficult one, in conjunction with your own "soul group", and wisely allowed that the challenge of such a lesson to be more overwhelming, in physicality, than you thought. So you put alternatives on the path, choices that would lessen the difficulty if you found yourself overwhelmed. Perhaps a new relationship would appear, someone (part of your soul group perhaps) who was willing to take this journey with you, thereby completing the chosen lesson, or perhaps another entire set of circumstances that would then lead you out of your distress, if you so choose. I believe it is impossible to understand the nature of physicality, when you reside in the higher realms, our guides can then become invaluable in assisting us with making our 'journey choices'. Again, this is my personal view of how the process may be undertaken. As with many, I rely on my own guides, and intuition in my growing understanding of our journey here and the value of synchronicity within the journey. I realize we may not all share a common view in this, each of us may well be on a very different journey, with a unique set of understandings for ourselves. Still, what remains is that in each challenging situation, we can choose to look within, take our time to connect with the silence, perhaps our Source, whatever it is that you feel most grounded to and find within this, what serves us most. Life lessons each soul is free to choose, often times, in conjunction with another "soul group", who agrees to help fulfill each mission. Endless possibilities on the CD rom that is the Universe~limited only by our thoughts.

          Opportunities abound if you choose to look deeper into the events that cause you to worry, or wonder. When events in your life take your breath away, consume you with anger or worry, resentment and frustration, look for the synchronicity - Breathe!! Go within~ Find your silence, whatever it is you nurture and believe in. Within that space is unbounded opportunity. Whenever you are seeking answers, know that the Universe is always ready to assist, ready to provide paths by which it is designed you.
"Always walk in your truth. When you do you walk toward your deeper truth. A truth that may shatter the confines of a comfortable path. It is not destroying the path. It is expanding it. It expands with 'your' vibrational expansion. The discomfort exists only as long as it takes for you to get used to this new place of being. Resist not. Surrender to the flow of your own expansion. It is your greater good manifesting itself." - Council of 12 (posted with permission - thanks to Ara Parisien)
Many blessings!

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Always Looking – People Who Made A Difference XXVII

Edward Everett Hale

Edward Everett Hale (1822-1909) was one of the most prominent American ministers of the last half of the nineteenth century and a popular journalist, editor, and author.

 His short story, “The Man Without A Country,” has been read by generations. (See pic below) An active social reformer, he founded the Lend a Hand Society to help people needing financial assistance.

Hale was born in Boston. His father, the owner and editor of the Boston Daily Advertiser, had a great influence on Hale, who stated that he found it “hard to think of any real knowledge of any sort which I have ever had, on any subject, of which I did not trace the ‘origins’ to him.”

When Hale was thirteen he entered Harvard. “I was sternly old-school; thought Mr. Emerson half crazy; disliked abolition; doubted as to total abstinence, and in general, followed the advice of my Cambridge teachers, who were from President down to janitor, all a hundred years behind their time.” Still, he graduated second in his class, Phi Beta Kappa, and the commencement poet.

He wanted to be a minister as long as he could remember, but his first job was as a Latin teacher. Then he worked for his father as a journalist and began to try his hand at fiction. The first story to be published was in 1842. He was ultimately the author of almost countless stories, novels, and articles.

This period, 1839-46, also found him training for the ministry. On being accepted, he spent the next four years preaching whenever he had the opportunity. As his ministerial skills improved so did his writing ability. More importantly, his mind and intellect matured and the subjects that he wrote about broadened to include historical and moral matters. His March 1845 pamphlet, “A Tract for the Day: How to Conquer Texas, Before Texas Conquers Us,” was issued as Congress debated annexing Texas as a slave state. Hale argued that it should be admitted but as a free state. He was by now an abolitionist.

Hale was ordained and installed as minister of the Church of the Unity in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1845. He thought of a church “as one of the active social factors in American Life, working by whatever personal or institutional means suggested themselves, toward the up-building of the community in which it existed.” That view remained constant throughout his life, as did his religious faith, which he defined succinctly as “Our Father who art.” “I can tell you in very few words what I believe. I believe that God is here now, and that I am one of his children whom he dearly loves . . . the truth is, that what a man needs is to live as much as he can . . . For faith, the soul needs to pray simply to God, ‘Father—help me,’ [and] that is quite enough and to act bravely on what faith it has already.”

As he became comfortable in his new role, he enlarged his ministry. He refused to serve on the school board, choosing instead to work with the poor. Such “practical philanthropy,” along with private generosity, became a hallmark of his ministry.

When Congress opened the Kansas and Nebraska territories for settlement in 1854, Hale urged non-slave holders to emigrate to keep these future states “free.” To achieve this goal, he helped form the New England Emigrant Aid Company.

In spring 1856 the South Congregational Church in Boston, Massachusetts asked him to be their minister. He returned to Boston and served them for the next 43 years.

In 1858 Hale formed a society called “The Christianity Unity.” Its purpose was for mutual friendship and assistance, accomplished “by strict temperance and purity of life, and by fulfilling the duties of good citizens and friendly neighbors.” For years he was its president, seeing it as part of his regular church duties.

During the Civil War Hale worked with the United States Sanitary Commission and its president Henry Whitney Bellows to improve the dire health and medical situation facing wounded soldiers and those living in army camps. Throughout the war Hale urged military enlistment. To promote patriotism, he composed his most famous short story, “The Man Without a Country.” It was published in the Atlantic Monthly for December 1863, and told the tale of the traitor Philip Nolan who, when convicted, declared that he never wanted to hear again of the United States. As a result his punishment was imprisonment at sea for the rest of his life. The story’s call for patriotism during the Civil War influenced Hale's generation, and those that followed, and made him a national figure. Before, he wrote, “I was only known in Boston as an energetic minister of an active church; then the war came along and brought me into public life, and I have never got back into simple parish life again.”

Hale’s second most popular and influential story, “Ten Times Ten is One” had been published in 1870. Its hero Harry Wadsworth and his motto to “Lend a Hand” immediately resulted in the formation worldwide of hundreds of “Lend-a-Hand Clubs,” “Look-up Legions,” and “Harry Wadsworth Clubs.” Eventually the Ten Times One Corporation was formed, becoming in 1898 the non-sectarian Lend A Hand Society. Its headquarters was in Boston and Hale served as president until his death. Working in collaboration with other charities it still offered programs and services in 2014, even though all the clubs had long ago ceased to function.

Edward Everett Hale 1902

Hale died on June 10, 1909. The day before he had attended the annual meeting of the Lend a Hand Society. It was an appropriate final activity for, as The Boston Transcript declared, next to “unity among the religious denominations” that Society “was probably the nearest to his heart of his many interests.” In 1913 a life-size bronze statue of Hale was erected in the Boston Public Garden. Funded by public donations, it was created by sculptor Bela Lyon Pratt. It shows an elderly Hale, hat in one hand, cane in the other, strolling through the Boston Public Garden. A fitting tribute for an optimist who taught people to, “Look up and not down. Look forward and not back. Look out and not in. Lend a hand.”




Blair adds this personal note: This is a favorite quote of mine – we have it in our church hymnal as a reading.
I am only one,
But still I am one.
I cannot do everything,
But still I can do something;
And because I cannot do everything,
I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.
Edward Everett Hale.





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Introspective


For many years there has been a huge demand for ivory by China’s elite and that demand has made the ivory trade extremely lucrative. Unfortunately, though, the demand for ivory is causing the African Elephants to be slaughtered by the tens of thousands each year for their tusks.

Many celebrities out of concern for the African Elephants have signed an open letter to China's President Xi Jinping to ban China’s trade in ivory. Celebrities like, funnyman Ricky Gervais, nature TV broadcaster Sir David Attenborough and actress Joanna Lumley have also signed the letter. The open letter asks China's leader to outlaw the buying and selling of ivory in a bid to save the African Elephants from extinction.

Brittan’s royal Prince William is set to visit China this month, and he is expected to discuss the wildlife trade with China’s leaders during his trip.

In response to this growing criticism of the Chinese demand for ivory, China’s State Forestry Administration has announced a one-year ban on the import of ivory carvings. The ban will remain in place until February 26, 2016.

The Chinese government is well aware that the continued demand for ivory has made China the world’s largest market for the ivory trade. The insane demand has also decimated the African Elephant population, with one Elephant being killed every 15 minutes for their tusks.

China’s temporary ban on the import of ivory carvings seems to be a step in the right direction. However, it’s nothing more than “window dressing” that fails to address the larger problems of the ivory trade. A total and permanent ban on all ivory imports to China would be more appropriate and it would certainly lead to many Elephants being saved from illegal poaching.

I like many others throughout the world would hate to see the African Elephants being driven out of existence by nothing more than sheer greed.

The cruel and irresponsible demand for ivory is not just rooted in China it has become a serious global issue. If all countries were to ban Ivory from crossing their boarders the Elephants would have a better chance at survival. That would certainly be a good thing not just for the Elephants but for our planet as a whole.
    Always with love from Suzhou, China
    Thomas F O’Neill
    U.S. voice mail: (800) 272-6464
    China Cell: 011-86-15114565945
    Skype: thomas_f_oneill
    Email: introspective7@hotmail.com
    Other articles, short stories, and commentaries by Thomas F. O'Neill can be found on his award winning blog, Link:
    http://thomasfoneill.blogspot.com

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Irish Eyes

"Good, a woman who can fart . . ."

We, in Ireland, are very proud of some of the last words of our heroes, Robert Emmets last words spoken from the dock is one example. Or Erskine Childers’s instruction to the firing squad, “Come closer boys, it will be easier for you.” And Oscar Wilde’s “ I am in a duel to death with this wallpaper. One of us has to go.” There are many examples of last words from around the world.

Last words can vary from the amusing to the philosophical.

From Seattle Slew’s “You get on with your life. I’ve got to Go” , to The much quoted , George Bernard Shaw finished with, “Sister, you’re trying to keep me alive as an old curiosity but I’m done , I’m finished, I’m going to die.”

John Barrymore said, “Die, I should say not, dear fellow. No Barrymore would allow such a conventional thing to happen to him.” Of course not everyone feels ready to go. Madame Pompadour felt the need to apply more rouge and said, “Wait a second.”

Harry Houdini gave up at Halloween in 1926 with the words, “ I’m tired of fighting. I guess this thing is going to get me.”

George Kelly, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and uncle of Grace Kelly, expected the utmost elegance from his relatives. On his deathbed he told his niece, “My dear, before you kiss me goodbye, fix your hair. It’s a mess.” Restaurateur Fred Harvey’s final instruction to his sons was, “Don’t cut the ham too thin.”

Lorenz Hart went out with a question, “What have I lived for?” and Lady Astor finished with a good question also, ”Am I dying or is this my birthday?” Historians are not sure of the final question of Edward the Seventh. Was it “How is the Empire?” Or “What is on at the Empire”? When Disraeli was on his death bed he too had a question. When he was told the Queen Victoria wanted to see him he asked, “What for? She’ll only want me to take a message to Albert.”

Of course last words can be cut short. Such was the case with General John Sedwick when he said, “They couldn’t hit an elephant at this dist . . . “

P. J. Barnum’s last enquiry, “How were the circus receipts in Madison Square Garden?” reminded me of the old quarry-owner in Ballyknockan who was almost on his last breath when his son told him, “Da, the quarry is not payin.” He said what any committed entrepreneur would say, “Get me me boots an’ I’ll make it pay.” And Louis B. Mayer reckoned ,” It wasn’t worth it.”

Karl Marx didn’t see any need for last words but he expired after saying the following, “Go on, get out. Last words are for fools who haven’t said enough.” Florenz Ziegfeld called for, “ Curtains, fast music, Light. Ready for the last finale. Great. The show looks good. “ And poet, Johann Wolfgang Von Goathe asked for, “More light.”

In 1728 aristocratic Comtesse de Vercellis broke wind on her deathbed. Her final comment was more like the language of Kylebeg or Lacken than that of a French aristocrat. Before expiring she said, “ Good, a woman who can fart is not dead.”

If I get the chance, before I reach the back door of Tony Clarke’s hearse, perhaps I should repeat the last words of Leonardo da Vinci, “ I have offended God and mankind because my work did not reach the quality it should have.”

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If Life Were Simple


If life were simple
I’d know the answers
To the questions that you didn’t ask,

The path before me
Would lead me to a place
I could foresee,

Problems find solutions,
Analgesics come to be
For every pain.

If life were simple
Instead of staring at you
Wondering

I’d gladly give
The warm embrace
I have to guess you need.

©2015 John I. Blair

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The Universal Light

 
There comes a time when our lives must end
Upon this Earth with which the time we spend
To return to that place where Spirits dwell
A Heavenly place that we know so well
Never knowing when it's our time to go
Our bodies die, but not our soul
For we are Spirits within our forms
Our strength inside survives the storms

Within our bodies we can not see
The bigger picture and what is to be
Yet there are things that you just know
If you listen closely to your soul

Visitations from those who have passed
A dream that is one that will always last
Flickering lights, a smell, or a song on the radio
Will remind you of someone that you use to know

Transitioned to a different level of energy
Yet they are found wherever you will be
Unconditional love they give to you
Upon your journey here to help you through

Heaven and Earth are hand in hand
If you open up your mind, it'll expand
Those who you thought gone and dead
Gather closely around your bed
They're with you every day and night
Your love united in The Universal Light
©Oct 24, 2014 Bud Lemire
                                           Author Note:
The people we love so much who have passed
come around us to let us know they are watching
us and know everything that is happening in our
lives since they passed. They guide us with their
unconditional love and spiritual wisdom from
The Other Side (Heaven). If we acknowledge
their presence, we too can bask in the
Universal Light.

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Friendly


I’ve always been a friendly cuss;
Even as a child I thought
Everyone I saw was fine to smile at.

And I haven’t changed;
I still regard a stranger
As a chance to make a friend.

Oh I try to mind the limits
And dance away if signs
Are negative;

But given just the least
Encouragement
I’ll do my best to match it.

So if we meet
And I say “Hi”
Please don’t raise a fuss.

©2015 John I. Blair

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I Got A Call From Me

 
I answered the phone to see who it could be
When I looked at it, it said that it was me
How could it be possibly be me?
That's what it said on called I.D.
I didn't leave myself a message at all
What would be the reason I would call
I am right here and only have one mind
So maybe it might have been a Spiritual sign

I know I didn't call myself, and yet it was me
The information was simply there for me to see
I tried to figure that one out
I wonder what that was all about

Phone trickery, could it be
Or spirits trying to contact me
What could it all mean
Is there something in between

Maybe you should call you
See if you can get through
If you answer, wait and see
I might get another call from me
©Oct 28, 2014 Bud Lemire
                                            Author Note:
I received a call from me today. The Caller I.D,
said my full name and phone number. It seemed
very odd to have that show up on the phone, because
that is me. That is my information and usually it shows
the people who are calling. The phone rang, I never
called me. I tried to take a picture of it, and while
I tried to focus, the phone stopped ringing and the
information faded. Could it have been phone tricks?
Or something more?

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The Meaning Of “I Love You”

 
There are so many ways to say “I Love You”
Yet it is how it's said that makes the meaning true
Love comes in many ways when it is spoken
How it is taken, is a heart felt token
“I Love You” is always felt from the heart
From the depth of your soul, is a special part
To your mate, it's a romantic kind of love
Touching upon your feelings, whatever you think of

You can have a strong love for a pet you befriend
Just like any bond, that love will never end
Love of your family, familiar and complete
Growing up with this, kept you on your feet

Love is found in many ways every single day
It's what's behind the feelings in everything you say
With who you use it for, the meaning you will know
Some don't use words, yet their love will show

Sometimes it can be felt from miles away
You can even think of them and feel them every day
One thing I can say and I know it is true
I always feel my best when I say “I Love You”
©Feb 11, 2015 Bud Lemire                                             Author Note:
There are many different kinds of Love. Love that
you feel when you're with your partner for life. Love of
a dog or cat. Love of family. The things you love to
do. Love comes to us in many different ways. The best
kind is the feeling I get when I say “I Love You” and I
truly mean it from the depths of my heart and soul.

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Messages In My Chair

 
Every time I lie down the phone rings
When I stand it is silence it brings
I hear whispers when I sit in my chair
They come from spirits who wish to share
I listen closely and then it will begin
Too many spirits makes my head spin
The messages that are coming through
Are from your loved ones that I give to you

I'm seeing something, but can't make it out
Someone in spirit is beginning to shout
Do you have a clue of who it could be
On who this loud spirit that is coming to me

Now he's talking softer, let's hear what he tells
There they are again, those ringing bells
I pick up the phone and nobody talks
Across my room a spirit walks

What is the message they have come to give
It's words that make your life easier to live
What is it lately that you've been thinking of
The answer you seek is Sunshine and Love
©Feb 2, 2015 Bud Lemire                                          Author Note:
It's always nice to hear from our loved ones
who come around us often and watch over and
guide us always. Yet we should know they want
the best in Love and Sunshine for us. Everything
that is good for us, they want for us.

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She


She took her top down
Fancy car
She didn’t want me around
I wasn’t a rock n roll star

She took a free ride
Soon he died
Worlds and spirits collide 
She didn’t cry

I left home early
Could have been home late
She said take care at a quarter to eight

The festival was angry
The panic was setting in
The universe of masters
Never knowing where to begin 

She took her top down
In front of the bar
She didn’t notice me
I wasn’t a rising star

She took a free ride
Soon he died
Empty hearts and minds collide
They went for a ride

I left home early
Could have been home late
She said take care at a quarter to eight

The festival was angry
The panic was setting in
The universe of masters
Never knowing where to begin 

©2/8/15: Bruce Clifford

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From A Different Place

 
When you lose a loved one, and you start to grieve
Know that they come around, they never truly leave
They come around often, to check up on you
From a different place, they try to leave a clue
It may not be the same, as it was before
Their energy has changed, but their love is even more
They come around, because of their love for you
Heaven isn't far away, when the love is true

Their energy is different, with no body they're inside
They guide you on your journey, they haven't really died
You may not be able to see them, or hear them like before
They could even be standing, right next to the door

When you are open, and are finished with the grieving
Then in your dreams, their messages you'll be receiving
You'll know a visitation, when it strongly touches your heart
In the Astral Stream, a connection plays its part

Never doubt that the bond of love, is always there
You'll know the love continues, when you are aware
So even though physically, you can't see their face
Their loving energy, comes from a different place
©Oct 27, 2014 Bud Lemire
                                           Author Note:
Even though our loved ones have passed into the
Heavenly Spirit World, they still come around to
guide us and watch over us. They know what is
happening in our lives, and they want us to continue
to do our best on our journey. The love we shared
doesn't end, because their lives never end. The soul
continues its journey from a different place.

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Read Her A Book


Read to her, read her a book
Take her on an adventure, take a look
It's like a movie, more personal though
There are so many places, where you can go

More personal, and you can be very close
It's even better with the one you love the most
When you put more into what you do
You'll be amazed at where it takes you to

Pick out a book that you both can enjoy
It can be more fun that any old toy
It's romantic and you both are taking part
It touches your soul, and touches your heart

Your voice is more powerful than you ever knew
The love that you share will be felt all the way through
Your body will shine, on your face will be a smile
You'll want to keep reading, for quite awhile

Read her a book, something you both can treasure
You'll both be taken into so much pleasure
Read her a book, do it tonight
Then you'll understand what makes her love light
©Feb 21, 2015 Bud Lemire
                                           Author Note:
I know when I read to the one I love, we both enjoy
it so very much. Even when I've read the book before,
I am taken to the place again in a different way. And my
baby, she loves it so very much and can hardly wait for me
to read some more and see where it takes us.

Nursery rhymes are disturbing

.
So for speech and debate we had to do a nursery rhyme explication.

There was an Old Lady who Lived in a Shoe 

 There was an old lady who lived in a shoe.
She had so many children she didn't know what to do.
She gave them some broth without a bread.
Then whipped them all soundly and sent them to bed.
 
My Interpretation

We grow up reading nursery rhymes but have we ever stopped and thought about how gruesome and disturbing some of them are? Take this poem.
    It starts of “there was an old woman.” Now I take old as meaning she looked aged. Maybe she isn’t actually old but she’s had a hard life and her suffering and stresses have caused her to appear “old.”
    Then it says, “she lived in a shoe.” Now we always saw the pictures of her living in an actual shoe, right? When you think about the woman and the hard life she may have faced then you can change the image of a shoe. A shoe is a tight cramped place that holds us in. It doesn’t let us breathe per se. Because of her difficult life she is placed in a situation where she can’t better herself. She is held in one place because of the troubles she faces every day. It is a tight, cramped, worn down home that she now has to live in because she doesn’t make enough money to have the luxury of a nice house.
    “She had so many children, she didn’t know what to do.” Because of the woman’s troubles, she turned to men to help her with her problems but she turned to the wrong men. They only wanted sex and when she became pregnant they abandoned her so she was left with too many children for her to handle by herself.
    “She gave them some broth without any bread.” The woman doesn’t make enough money to support herself and the children. She can’t give them much food to eat because there is so little she can buy with the meager amount of money she can earn.
    “She whipped them all soundly and sent them to bed.” This is perhaps the most disturbing part of the nursery rhyme. I think that maybe the woman was raised getting spanked or even possibly abused. As we know, abuse is a cycle and is very hard to stop. Because of her difficulties in life, she has no hope and she is not able to end the cycle. She takes her anger at herself and her past out on her children without feeling guilty and then she sends them to bed without a word.
I read this nursery rhyme when I was little and never thought anything of it. I just thought it was a story of a crazy woman who lived in a real shoe (how I ever thought this was possible I will never know. Kids imaginations are wild.) Now I realize how deep this kids poem really is. It describes a situation that is constantly seen in the world today. A situation of poverty, struggle and a never-ending cycle.

Bethany Davies
March 12, 2012

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My Heart


I can’t believe how hard I have to fight
There’s no relief when you’re no longer in my sight
My heart is beating, but only beats for you
I’m lost for words, but I’m so in love with you

I can’t believe how you turn on my light
I wasn’t prepared to fall so hard, and have it feel so right
My heart keeps beating, but it only beats for you 
I’m lost in time, but I’m so in love with you

I could talk with you for hours while looking into your eyes
I wish you could feel what I am feeling, but what I feel should come as no surprise
Without you I’m left feeling so empty, when I’m with you my heart makes a whole new sound
I can’t believe how hard it is to pick myself off of the ground

©2/16/15  Bruce Clifford

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