Saturday, May 1, 2021

Editor's Corner

 

By Mary E. Adair

May 2021

"Oh! That we two were Maying Down
the stream of the soft spring breeze;
Like children with violets playing,
In the shade of the whispering trees."

- Charles Kingsley


May: the month of my mother's birth, and seventeen years later on the following day she gave birth to me. Worthy of celebration, right? I cherish the many friends that I have known and loved who were also May born, Taurean or not, as many no longer walk this earth. Case in point, see the tribute, much of it in his own words, for Phillip Hennessy, born on the thirteenth of May and lost to us this past month. His final two poems, penned in April, are included in this issue, "Reasons Not to Do Things," and "Forever True." We stayed in touch via Facebook and messenger and it will be difficult to exist without his bright communications.


Other poems in this issue are "Reading the Morning E-Mail" by John I. Blair; "The Old Headquarters," "Judging People," and just in time for Mother's Day, "Letter to My Mother," by Walt Perryman; "In This Corner of the World," and "It's Not So Bad" by Bruce Clifford; and these four by Bud Lemire --"My Cghildhood," "The Tree of Life," "Rainbow Eyes," and "There's Always Good Things."


Melinda Cohenour, "Armchair Genealogy" is still processing moving problems, but in honor of Mother's Day, we encore her tribute to her mother, who happens to be your editor's parent as well. Rod Cohenour's column is an encore authored by the granddaughter of the late Leo C. Helmer, Andrea Heisler, with a delightful and easily done recipe for "Gravel."


Pauline Evanosky's column "Woo Woo" gives info on how becoming a psychic happens and Mattie Lennon, "Irish Eyes," gives us the info about Angela Burke and her Gateway Gifts.


Judy Kroll's column "On Trek" speaks of Divine Intervention. "View from My Back Steps" by John Blair who was fearful that most of his lovely garden perennials, shrubs, and bulbs had expired due to the unusually hard freeze suffered this winter, but was delighted to discover it wasn't all that bad.


Marilyn Carnell, "Sifoddling Along," speaks of her family history, regretting that she did not pay attention or gather facts as a youth, as so many of us fail to do. Thomas F. O'Neill in "Introspective" discusses the internet and the role it plays in education, plus some drawbacks when it is mis-used. 

To commenorate Memorial Day, here is one of your editor's poems.

Memorial Thoughts

Just before June holds sway
We honor those who've gone away
A special date, Memorial Day,
Not only for those killed in the fray.

We remember family and friends dear
And even men will shed a tear
For who can believe it's another year
Since those dear ones were still here.

We say the prayers and bow our head
In respect for all the Unknown dead
And few can remember what was said
Listening with hearts filled with lead.

Some will reflect on happier scenes
Yet support the loved one who closer leans
And know if we ever had the means
We'd spare them the pain that today gleans.

Yet somehow together we stronger feel
And there's a comfort in the trumpet's peal
And a promise to never forget we seal
Within our heart, as we reverently kneel.

So Ceremony surely has its place
Though tears may mark many a face
We know we still have time to race
With a bit of care and a lot of God's grace.

©May 29, 2006 Mary E. Adair

 
Mike Craner, Webmaster and co-founder of this eZine, who keeps this eZine functioning with his ingenuity and consideration, deserves bouquets of appreciation. Thanks, Mike!

We will see you in June!

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.

Armchair Genealogy=Tribute to Mother, Encore

 

Armchair Genealogy--Tribute to Mother, Encore

By Melinda Cohenour

A Tribute to a Remarkable Woman,
my Mother Lena May Joslin Carroll

Born: 7 May 1918, Pineville, McDonald County, Missouri
Died: 03 March, 2010, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma


In the month in which the day of my birth is celebrated, it is often that my thoughts turn to the woman who brought me into the world, my sweet and wonderful mother, Lena May Joslin Carroll. As this is a column devoted to genealogy, it seems fitting that mention should be made of the incredible advances made in both tracking our family histories but also in locating new members of our “cousin-ship” – that broad plane that comprises the largest number of leaves on each of our trees. For every parent, grandparent and great grandparent back into the mists of time that we list on our tree, there are siblings and their offspring down through the ages that carry the imprint of the familial DNA. Having submitted my DNA to Ancestry a year or so ago, my cousin-ship has grown into the thousands of living cousins who are identified through the matching process of their DNA to my DNA. Much can be learned, discerned, or confirmed by the branch of science that explores the mysteries of DNA, including a controversial subject: the genetic predisposition for inherited diseases. One of those most discussed today is the horrific thief known as Alzheimer's.


My precious mother, Lena May Carroll, was stricken with Alzheimer's and her loss of memory was first noticed about 1999 or so. Prior to that, we thought she had experienced a series of strokes that would leave her a bit confused for a day or a few minutes or so. Gradually, over the next couple of years it became painfully apparent that more than that was taking place. I cannot begin to tell you how agonizing it was to have my best friend, my confidante, my adviser, my adored mother retreat from us in her mind. She often did not recognize me, saying, "You cannot be my daughter. Melinda is not fat!" She would remember things from many, many years before - a poem, a conversation, a person she did not remember as having died years before. She never, NEVER ceased to mourn the loss of my father, who passed away in 1996. That was the one constant throughout all her days. She would ask, however, "When is Jack supposed to get home?" and bring about painful remembrances for me - and a concern as to how I should respond. I always chose NOT to remind her and bring forth a new and fresh bit of agony for her.


There were moments, sometimes a whole day, when she was completely lucid. Blessed moments when I would greedily grab time with her to share love and conversation, times when her sparkling wit and massive knowledge of things both everyday and normal and complex would make my heart sing. Love, alone, however, did not bring about full communication. Yes, I always, always, tried to show her love. She had always been the most dear person to me, memories of her sweet attention and loving way of making my most hurtful wounds stop hurting, make my happy moments even more blessedly happy with her to share - but those times were increasingly fewer and fewer between. I lost my mother many years before her death. So sorry for that. I would give anything for science to find the cure that no one else should ever have to suffer the pain of that horrible, slow, losing.


In closing, and as a further tribute to her, I offer the text of Mother’s obituary as published by the Fort Worth Star Telegram, March 11, 2010. (In 1952, our Daddy wanted a portrait of Mother before she became a grandmother the first time. This is the portrait chosen for the obituary.)




Lena Carroll (1918 - 2010)


Lena May Joslin Carroll passed away peacefully at an Oklahoma City, Okla., hospital, Wednesday, March 3, 2010.


Funeral: 3 p.m. Saturday, March 13, at Bluebonnet Hills, where she will be interred beside her beloved husband. Visitation: 5 to 8 p.m. Friday.


Lena May was born May 7, 1918, in Pineville, Mo., to James Arthur and Carrie Edith Bullard Joslin and lived an extraordinary life. She was a poet, rockhound and lapidarist, coin and stamp collector, Sunday school teacher, leader of a number of benevolent organizations, gardener, artist, sculptress and essayist. She served her country as a journeyman electrician in the shipyards of Oregon during World War II. She was a member of the First Baptist Church of Monahans, and later the First Baptist Church of Guthrie, Okla., and was a 50-year member of both the O.E.S. and S.O.O.B.


She was preceded in death by her husband of 62 years, John Edward Carroll; her daughters, Noralee Edith Crowson and Jacquelyn Earlene MacGibbon; four grandchildren; a great-grandchild; and her brother, Jack Oakley Joslin.


Survivors: Her brother, Rex Edward Joslin; sister, Linnie Jane Burks; daughters, Mary Elizabeth Adair and Melinda Ellen Cohenour; eight grandchildren; 22 great-grandchildren; 13 great-great-grandchildren; numerous nieces and nephews; and many beloved friends.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~


No amount of narrative could possibly convey the many facets of my mother. She was a force to be reckoned with, both strong and tender, firm in her faith, giving and loving in her humanity, fascinated by knowledge and dedicated to learning, a brilliant mind and a compassionate and benevolent person who never seemed to tire of the pursuit of beauty in nature. Her memory brings forth tender regard from all her many descendants. Instead, your author offers some photographs that help to portray her personality.


The month of February is most noted for Valentine’s Day, the usual commemoration of devoted love. MomMay and DaddyJack became engaged on Valentine’s Day in 1934 and were married 10 June of that year. Their love was an everlasting love, they shared 62 years of marriage before DaddyJack’s passing in July of 1996. Even though Mother lost memories of so many other people and events, she never lost the memory of her lifetime love. She was blessed in many ways by the effects of Alzheimers, for she was always cheerfully “…just expecting Daddy to come home any time now.”



Lena May Joslin's engagement portrait - taken after becoming engaged Valentine's Day 1934 and before her marriage 10 June of that year.


River Lady. A young and vibrant Lena May, a newlywed of 16, DaddyJack took her photo as she waded the waters of the Pecos River. Summer of 1934.



Mom thru Van Window as she left with her two oldest daughters and their daughters for a trip to Canada in 2001.



In 2006, Mother traveled with me to a job assignment in Sarasota, FL. Hurricane Wanda forced our evacuation from Sarasota to Orlando. Then Wanda became fickle and hit Orlando instead. This photo was taken on our return trip. Wanda's flood waters are evident in the background.



On the weekend of 7 May 2007, Mother shared her birthday at our home in Phoenix, with her first-born, Mary who was born the morning after Mother was 17.



An exuberant Mother amongst the bougainvillea and oleander in our backyard in Phoenix in 2008.



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Irish Eyes

By Mattie Lennon

Stepping Back to Live in the Past

It was once said of me, “He loves living in the past because it’s cheaper.” And, you know, it’s kinda true. That’s why I found "Step Back in Time" impossible to put down. It’s written my County Mayo woman Angela Burke, and deals with things that I and many like me remember or have forgotten.


If, like me, you were born in the first half of the last century this book will bring you back-provided you are not too far gone! If you are younger please buy it. It will show you that we are not spoofing when we tell you stories from pre-rural electrification days two generations before the mobile phone. The author is the founder of award-winning Greenway Gifts. These gifts are all unique ideas reflecting the cottage type industry in Mayo and contribute to the local economy.


Angela is no stranger to celebrity endorsement – her Greenway Gifts products were presented to none other than President Barack Obama, President Michael D. Higgins, and Sonia O Sullivan.


Greenway Gifts got the Royal Seal Of approval from Queen Elizabeth II when she acknowledged the successful Greenway Gifts product, which is an innovative package, gift-wrapped County Mayo turf, that will be delivered anywhere around the world. It reminds people everywhere about Ireland and Irish things.


"Step Back in Time on the Wild Atlantic Way" acts as a record of life in Ireland in bygone days. The book takes young and older readers on a historic journey, with coloured images throughout, providing further details of how we lived in past times. Angela’s book is now part of the national heritage and is available for future generations to enjoy in Trinity College, The British Library, University of Oxford, and all Irish universities.


When not at the desk on the computer, she is out on her bike cycling the Mayo Greenway, where she gets her inspiration for writing and much more besides. Her love for history and the culture came from growing up on the west coast of Ireland on the Wild Atlantic Way, living on a farm, visiting the neighbours, and hearing all the stories from an early age, stored in her mind and one day to be recalled. She says, “I love to walk in the countryside ... oh, and I love to hop on my bike, have a cup of tea, of course, and a chat.”


"Stepping Back in Time" is 153 pages packed with everything you ever wanted to know about Irish life in days of yore. Making hay, cutting turf and even a dog’s funeral. It’s all there. There are many philosophical gems such as, “We can’t have everything. Where would we put it?” And 60 high resolution pictures which show everything from day-old chicks and dash-churns to turf-spades. Also from a milk-separator to a “twister making hay-ropes (“Sugans.”)


When you order the book directly from http://www.greenwaygifts.ie, you will receive a copy. Signed by Angela who holds a BA degree in Community, Enterprise, Business, and Development.

* * * * *


Speaking about stepping back in time. The late John B. Keane wrote, “Being a Kerryman, in my opinion, is the greatest gift that God can bestow on any man. When you belong to Kerry you know you have a head start on the other fellow. In belonging to Kerry you belong to the elements, to the spheres spinning in the Heavens. You belong to History and Language and Romance and Ancient Song. It is almost unbearable being a Kerryman and it is an awesome responsibility.”


But what was it like being a Kerryman, living in Kerry more than a hundred years ago? I managed to get my hands on the front page of The Kerryman newspaper from that time.

See you in June.

Click on author's byline for bio and list of other works published by Pencil Stubs Online.


See pic below"
An Interesting Statistic


 

 

Encore: Cooking wih Andrea


By Andrea Heisler

"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 separate 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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Sifoddling Along


By Marilyn Carnell

Fading memories of the Civil War

As a young person I had little interest in my family’s history – something I regret a great deal now. I remember only the outlines of some of the stories and little “factoids”, not the identities of the central characters.


So far as I know, none of my ancestors lived in McDonald County, Missouri before or during the war, but it is possible that my great-grandmother Eliza Jane Carnell followed her husband south from Cass County, Missouri to be near him when he was in the military. She is likely the one who swallowed her wedding ring to keep it away from either soldiers or bushwhackers. A good story, but I don’t know for sure. Her husband, John Leonard Carnell was based at a camp in Maysville, Arkansas, and fought at the Battle of Cane Hill. Since it was close to Pea Ridge, it is likely he fought there too, but no proof. We do know that they fled to Sherman, Texas after the war and were likely acquainted with the Younger and James brothers.


I have so many unanswered questions like: Why did my great grandfather, Nimrod Porter Bunch move his family from Sarcoxie (the oldest town in SW Missouri) to Johnson County and remain there for some time thereafter? My grandfather was born there in 1865 and was old enough to remember the difficulties of bringing a herd of hogs across the many waterways between there and McDonald County where they settled on Big Sugar Creek at White Rock.


Was he a Confederate? Likely, but unknown. His brother, James Henry Bunch fought on the Confederate side and is featured in an online story called “Big, Mean and Ornery” by Dr. Barbara Inman Beale. My mother knew him and remembered how he liked to trip children like her with his cane. Apparently, he was ornery to the end.


One great-grandmother managed to raise and butcher a hog in times of great want. She hid her efforts from a gang of bushwhackers by covering the carcass under the laundry. The same tools were needed for both projects – a big iron kettle of boiling water being the most obvious and the clothing was used to hide the parts of the hog, so she was able to deceive the intruders.


Another interesting story was about some shirttail relatives who lived near Rocky Comfort. With the men all gone to war, an old woman died. The remaining women managed to construct a coffin but transporting it to the graveyard was a problem. They had no horses or mules, so they hitched a cow to a sled, loaded the coffin, and set off to the burial site. At some point, the sled tipped over, the coffin fell off and shattered. It was not told how they coped from that point, but they did manage to complete their task.


It has been reported that by the end of the war, only eight families still lived in McDonald County. With both the Union and Confederate armies and countless bushwhackers roaming the countryside, it is not too surprising that it was left an empty land. I wish I had paid more attention to the stories, but my memories have faded too much.


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View from My Back Steps

View from My Back Steps

By John I. Blair

Louisiana Iris Surprise

North America has beautiful irises that are native to this place, related to the gorgeous German, or “bearded”, irises that have been a glory of this otherwise rather difficult 2021 springtime. The natives are called Louisiana irises and include six species: Iris brevicaulis, Iris fulva, Iris giganticaerulea, Iris hexagona, Iris Nelsonii, and Iris savannarum. All are totally lovely.


Because they are rather more delicate than bearded irises and most of them not adapted to really freezing cold temperatures, they aren’t seen nearly as often in American gardens as are the European irises. But they should be.


Several of these are quite showy. But Iris fulva, the so-called copper iris, was the first to be widely known and grown. Also called the Louisiana flag, it’s a true wildflower. And that’s the one I grew, starting about 30 years ago. For several years I was convinced it was going to become almost a pest in my garden, as it was volunteering all over the place, spreading from the black seeds that form after the plant finishes blooming. One clump in particular, at the 90° bend in my main garden path, was a highlight of the garden – a small grove of waving stems topped with bronzy blossoms.


Another clump, almost as large, was next to my back patio in what was then the “wild” part of the garden. It eventually came to be as large as the clump up by the house.


But time and changes and neglect eventually brought the entire garden to a different state of being. Instead of the original manicured design with a network of brick paths and brick patios surrounded by large flower beds glowing in the sunshine, the garden transitioned into a mostly shaded tangle of honeysuckle vines, coralberries, vinca major, goldenrod, and ever-larger thickets of shrubbery and small trees.


The Louisianas, once so vigorous, got crowded out, shrinking in area and finally all but vanishing. It had been 10 years since I had seen even a single blossom from them. A memory of a different era.


Yesterday, however, while staggering carefully around on a newly cleared trail through the jungle, I had my eye caught by a speck of bronzy color. There, rising on its stalk just barely above a bunch of miscellaneous plants and shining bright in a sunbeam, was a single fulva blossom. A testimony to how persistent and stubborn some plants can be in the face of competition.


I’ve not decided yet how I am going to respond to this experience, this minor miracle. Perhaps I’ll have my garden helper carefully dig up the other fulvas that have survived, foliage only, not too far away from the flower I found and transplant them into a couple of large flower pots. Then see what they do next spring. If nothing else, this experience has brought me present pleasure and happy memories.


As I used to tell my wife, gardens are by their nature ephemeral and sometimes very much so. But the memories can be almost as important as the current experience; and the two blend to make the total gardening experience.


We’ll see what happens next.


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Introspective


By Thomas F. O'Neill

There are times when I feel I’m spending too much time browsing the internet. The reason being, I’m connected to the world wide web continuously between my computer and smartphone. The internet, after all, has countless materials I can use to make my classes more interesting for my students here in China and that is certainly a good thing.


I never use the internet to play online computer games as many do here and elsewhere around the world. In recent months, I learned that there is a growing number of computer addicts in Asia who are addicted to online gaming.


According to ‘China Youth Association for Network Development’ over 30% of China’s population find their internet use problematic, and more than half of China’s internet users between the age of 35 and under are “obsessed” with online computer games.


Many of China’s parents are now paying about $3,000-USD to send their children to ‘Internet Addiction Boot Camps.’ On average young adults in China spend 3.2 hours at night online, mainly playing online games and on instant messaging. The Chinese Government in 2019 declared online addiction as the number one health risk for China’s youth.


Online gaming can indeed be dangerous to your health as proven recently. A Chinese video-game addict dropped dead from stress and exhaustion after gaming for 20 hours in an Internet cafe in Chengdu. Two secondary school students in Chongqing were also killed. Exhausted after two days of online gaming they were both killed by a train when they fell asleep on railroad tracks. In Tianjin, a 13-year-old boy after a 36-hour session of World of Warcraft—leaped off the roof of his 24-story building, hoping to “join the heroes of the game.”


My students ask me what video games I enjoy playing? I tell them that I never played a video game and I never had the interest to play one. Many children will play games online with total strangers from all over the world. I find that quite intriguing but like I said it was never 'my cup of tea.'


The internet surely makes my life and perhaps billions of other people’s lives throughout the world, much easier. We can buy countless products online and gain information on any topic instantly with just the click of a computer mouse.


I can also call just about anyone throughout the world who has a mobile or landline phone via Skype. This sort of technology did not exist in my youth-filled days and most people, today, especially people my students' ages are clueless as to what the world was like before our existing technology.


Our modern internet has certainly made my teaching much easier. I can now store all my lesson plans onto a 128 Gig thumb drive or upload them to an ‘Internet Cloud.’ My students can then load my lesson plans onto their thumb drives or computers for review.


When I was the age of my students - I never imagined that textbooks in the future would be digitized. Students can now load all their textbooks on an iPad, smartphone, or laptop computer. Those days of lugging your textbooks to class are long gone and that to me is certainly a good thing.


Today’s technology is only a shadow of what is to come and like I said many times before 'I can’t even imagine where technology will be when my students are my age.'


A company in China called ‘Tencent’ is the leading industry in developing robotic technology that uses the internet as a gateway for robots to gather and communicate with their surrounding environment. Robots by using artificial intelligence technology here in China can now learn from the information they gather from the internet and they utilize that information to assist us, humans. I think that is the only logical direction an artificially intelligent internet can go. Perhaps the internet of the future will become the ultimate tutor for those future struggling students. That is if their parents can get them away from the video games.


Internet addiction is no laughing matter, and it is just as debilitating as any other addiction. But internet addiction seems more problematic in Asian countries than in America.


Neurol-scientists have been studying the effects internet addiction has on the brain. What they discovered is that video game addiction has similar chemical reactions in the brain as someone who is addicted to sex. Scientists have also discovered that the chemical reactions in the brain become intoxicating for both the sex addict and the chronic video game user. There are medications now being developed to help the addict overcome their compulsion to play video games for hours on end.


I tell my students quite often that the future of technology will continue to evolve. But the technology in our lives can be good or bad depending on the hands that are using it.


The overall future of technology does look brighter, but I suppose only time will tell ……

    Always with love from Suzhou, China
    Thomas F O’Neill
      WeChat: Thomas_F_ONeill
      U.S. Voice mail: (800) 272-6464
      China Cell: 011 (86) 13405757231
      Skype: thomas_f_oneill
      Email: introspective7@hotmail.com
      Blogspot: http://thomasfoneill.blogspot.com
      Facebook: http://facebook.com/thomasf.oneill.3/

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Woo Woo


By Pauline Evanosky

Becoming Psychic

In writing this column about life in the WooWoo lane or what being an ordinary psychic is like, I hope to show everybody what it is like for a person who was as ordinary as anybody else to the day that person started hearing voices. No, I do not have any specific psychological trauma, at least not any more than the next person, but what I hope to explain to you is what it is like to be an ordinary psychic.


I am 28 years into this “thing”. So, I have had time to get used to it. It happened when I was 35 years old. There was definitely a before and an after. It is different now for me than it was in the beginning. First, I had to learn about boundaries, relearn expectations about life and just generally get a handle on it. Was it weird in the beginning? Oh, yes. I felt like Dorothy in, “The Wizard of Oz.” for the first couple of years.


I learned not to blurt information out at every turn. Not everybody really wants to know what Spirits are saying. I also learned that psychics everywhere are only human and the information that comes through them in a reading will be colored by their own life experiences.


I learned from other psychics so getting readings from a variety of sources was interesting and I felt necessary for my own development as a psychic. Major Psychic Reader Rule #1 is nobody gets to know the time or manner of their own death, including other people. In the beginning, I did ask though. None of the Folk in Spirit I was talking to would tell me and like a whiney little kid, I kept asking. Then, one day somebody in Spirit said, “You are going to get hit by a Mack truck.” Shut me up. Fast. I’ve never asked since then and learned a big lesson that day. If you don’t get answers to a specific question right away, then maybe you aren’t supposed to know.


Becoming a channel involves a whole lot of introspective work. I had no idea that was going to happen. But it’s a good thing because it actually mirrors the old saying, “Garbage in, garbage out”. Bluntly if you are out of tune with yourself you will be just as out of tune when you put on your psychic hat. I made a promise to myself when I began this journey that I would tend to my own emotional and psychological growth as best as I could so that I could be the best psychic I could.


I’ve also noticed that as I get older, I think I’m becoming a better psychic. So much of it involves people learning at their own pace and in their own ways. I remember once a lady kept peppering me for advice from the guides. Mostly, she wanted to know if her new marriage was going to be happy and last forever. The word I got back from the guides was no. I dragged my feet in giving her the answer because it was so blunt and I also did not want to get into an argument with her because at the time I was working with her and that whole scenario would have been unwelcome. What the guides finally said other than that bald no was for her to, “enjoy the ride”. I did tell her that and, in the end, it did end up being a wild ride for her. She never asked me again to read for her.


It helped as time went by and after I’d read a lot of books on the subject to get a better understanding of how stuff works.


You don’t have to be afraid to go to a psychic. What they say isn’t necessarily what is going to happen. It might be one aspect, one possible outcome to a situation. I remember once my guide said to me, “There are many ways to get to Cincinnati. You can walk, take a car, a train, a plane, or crawl on your hands and knees. The goal is to get to Cincinnati. How you get there is your business.” Is there a right way or a wrong way to do things?


Only if fire is involved. Sorry. One of the guides just said that.


You learn with everything you do. If it takes 10 tries to do something, in the end, you still did it. I remember when I quit smoking. I tried, it seemed to me at least 200 times over the years. Once, I had actually stopped smoking for 3 years and started up again only to quit again years later and it is true, the second time you quit is worse than the first time. But, the point is I felt like such a failure every time I tried to quit and it didn’t work. It wasn’t until I was smoke-free that I realized each one of those failures was a step in the right direction.


Something that did happen in having a connection with Spirit that was different for me from the “before days” was that not once since then have I ever felt lonely. Certainly, there are many times I find myself alone, but finding something to do or somebody to chat with has not been a problem.


They have always been there to console me after a mishap and during hard times.


Mostly what I’ve learned about being psychic is that it just enlarged the scope of my life. If you are inclined you can do so too.


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On Trek


 


By Judith Kroll

Divine Intervention

Finding myself seems to take forever. Breaking it down, year by year, experience by experience makes it fascinating.


Multitudes of memories, when recalled, put me on little excursions, day trips. My mind is wrapped around the positives, which I love. I personally tend to smother out the negatives, stomping on the spark before it turns into a bonfire!!


People have and continue to play a huge role in molding us. Likes and dislikes help us to weave into what we keep and what we discard. I knew people who were drunks. I, therefore, knew I didn't want to become a drunk. That didn't stop me from drinking at one point in my life, but it did help me from making that my career so to speak!!


On the other side of the coin, we see what we feel to be a happy person, and think, I wanna be like that..NOT knowing the shadows in their life that make them unhappy, but knowing happiness is a good goal.


Who I am is best said as I AM. We are all I AM. We have the power to BE, (State of Being) in the physical, not just the spirit.


Yes, every day I make changes in who I am becoming. I can feel love more, appreciate more, gratitude abounds. I feel and see, smell, taste, and touch with delight.


I want to live without judging and accept each soul I meet as they truly are, being the best they can with what they know now in their life. I have never seen a mistake in the sunsets, or rainbows, animals, and flowers. I shall see my fellow souls with that same purity.


Love, Judith. 4/27/21


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Phillip Hennessy, A Tribute

 

By Mary E. Adair

Phillip Hennessy

Phil Hennessy, aka phillipo, a writer of poetry, music, and life experiences. A musician, in the late 1990's he belonged to, and co-established the musical group "The Common People." A cd by the same name was released by RedMan Records.


A carpenter by trade, today Phil spends his days writing, investigating, and reading about spiritual and paranormal experiences. He made friends easily and formed lasting relationships with them. He was a true "people person" who observed, commiserated, consoled, and comforted those who were saddened by grief or circumstances. Many of his poems were based on his need to understand and offer encouragement. Some of those very poems were the ones chosen by various bands, from different countries like Holland, as well as in England, to be lyrics for songs they were recording. "Spiritual Cobwebs" was one chosen to do in song.


His poem "Joining Hearts" was chosen to be The song for a national charity, sung by Paul Salvage and a choir of children which include Phil's own. Here is the uTube link for it:UTube link "Joining Hearts"
Here is the link to Phil telling us about it and the poem itself, which means you can follow the words as you listen to the link. Joining Hearts.


Here is an example of the popularity of his poetry as lyrics, in a letter he sent me many years ago.

Another Poem that became a Song

Hello, Mary...!!

One Day, Jacqueline called by my place. We'd broken up as a couple some time ago, though still stayed friends, of course, as that's where we'd started. She said something that was (to me) quite profound. She said : "A piece of YOU came back, today". I joked, something like "I didn't notice anything drop off !", and she replied "It was a piece of your Heart, Phil". She had been out with some Friends, and got talking to a bunch of people in the garden of a local pub. As she got up to leave, one of the people said, (as a parting gesture) "Bless your Heart". Well, that's a term I use, you see.

Jacqueline said it reminded her of me, so that's why she came by to visit. It made me think quite deeply, because it was then that I realised how many terms, and words, or phrases and sometimes music, songs, even sounds and smells remind us of people we have known, past and present. It's not always the particular Words that we remember about those people, though - it's the way they made us FEEL that we remember most, I think, and the words are simply a trigger for that memory.

Tea, cakes and jam always seem to remind me of my Mum, and all those times she and I sat in a beach cafe at the local seaside resort and looked out, over the sea, eating scones, with cream and jam, and her telling me how that reminded her of Her mother, too. Funny. Certain Song titles sometimes remind us of a particular singer, or band, and then, beyond that, of someone we may have been with, the first time we heard it, and how we were Feeling, at that time. Know what I mean..?

As these thoughts entered my mind, I wrote them down on a scrap piece of paper, then later that day another friend (Daz) happened upon them, and started strumming a few chords on a guitar, and I said something like, "Oh, that sounds nice", to which he replied - this is a Song, here, not just a Poem. SO, my friends' words came Alive, and all the notes just fell into place.

Mary, here is the link to the Song.....*S*
*Bless your Heart*
Phil. The Words _ You Tube Link


The Words

A piece of you came back today
I spoke to someone in that way
that Special way, you speak out Loud
to raise each person from the crowd

Those words I spoke came straight from you
I passed them on, the same way, too
...that way you make each person feel
they're such special friends, so real

Each time I speak your words, I try
to use them Wisely, knowing why
...that corner of my heart for you
forever wide apart, ...so True

On every word I feel your smile
memories heard in sweet denial
no Caution, daring, intertwined
those thoughts we shared within our minds

©Published on Mar 24, 2015 Phil Hennessy


Although he never complained, Phillip had cancer which had metastasized into his bone structure. When he could no longer play his guitar, he obtained a keyboard to satisfy his need for creativity and music.


He enjoyed an outing with one of his daughters, then passed peacefully in his sleep that night. He had sent a photo taken of them that day and declared what a lovely time they had and how much better he was feeling. May he rest in peace.


Well over a hundred of Phillip's poems have been published in this ezine over the years. You may browse them by using this link: Phillip Hennessy


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My Childhood

 

By Bud Lemire

My childhood was the best, I'll have to say
We weren't rich or poor, but we got by anyway
At Christmas time, my friends got mostly clothes
My family got lots of games, which helped us through the lows


In the neighborhood, we had lots of fun
“Kick The Cans,” was a favorite with everyone
We played until it got real dark outside
Our parents called us in, and we'd always abide


With my Bicycle, I explored all sides of town
Met so many friends, and I felt like a clown
Escanaba, was a fun place to be
Growing up here, was a good time for me


Catching frogs on the island, and bringing them home
We caught so many of them, and I was never alone
Pollywogs, in the pond by the beach
Couldn't catch any, as they were out of reach


Pioneer Trail Park, smelting at Well's Bridge too
Never a dull moment, there was always something to do
Looking back on those days, they were so good
Escanaba was a great place, in My Childhood


©March 24, 2021 Bud Lemire

                           Author Note:

I loved growing up in Escanaba. A beautiful place
to be and to enjoy. We didn't have computers or
cell phones. We just enjoyed the great U.P. Outdoors.
I still enjoy it today.


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Judging People

 By Walt Perryman

We cannot fool most little kids or dogs for very long,
They are a good judge of character and seldom wrong.


But when grown people judge people like people do,
We seldom know what that person’s been through.


We judge people from rumors we have heard,
Sometimes we judge them before they say a word.


So, before we judge someone on this beautiful day,
Let’s just not do it, because, that is God’s job anyway.


You may not agree with this and you might want to fuss,
When I say, “God, kids, and dogs are better judges than us”.


©2020 Walt Perryman


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Reasons Not to Do Things

 By Phillip Hennessy

Reasons Not to Do things,
are Many, you will find
and when they Don't get done,
it plays upon your Mind


What Could have been,
is Never, now
it's All, way in the Past.
What Should have been,
you'll never Know.
it's Happened, way too fast


The Next time that you Have a Choice,
Don't think what could go Wrong
there's No Time, like the Present
you've Known that, All along


The Where, is Here.
The When, is Now.
you Must decide
just what to Do.
To Do, or Not to do,
that's the Question,
and the Clue.


©April 19, 2021 Phillip Hennessy


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The Tree Of Life

By Bud Lemire

As the Tree Of Life strengthens, and grows upwards to the sky
We grow stronger internally, striving for knowledge until we die
Craving wisdom and new experiences, as we move along
As the branches sway, to a brand new song

Bringing positive energy, and good health to you
A brighter future, in all the things you do
Genealogical relationships, will grow and branch out
Life's evolution is grand, let's celebrate and shout

Be grounded, connect to your inner being
Feel nature's beauty, with everything you're seeing
Let your faith guide you, let its strength be your key
Reach higher with your branches, becoming who you'll be

Your roots go very deep, into the ground
Nourish them well, keeping them Earth bound
Let your bark be strong, let your voice be heard
Keep steady on your feet, speak careful every word

The branches will move, carried by the wind that blows
Your soul will be the captain, of everywhere it goes
Let love be the inspiration, in all that you will do
With The Tree Of Life, let all things remain true


©March 17, 2021 Bud Lemire

                           Author Note:

You are the tree,
and the life is yours.
Be good to yourself
and you will go far.


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The Old Headquarters

By Walt Perryman

When I was a kid, I spent some time on a ranch on the West Texas range.
Fifty something years later, I went back out there to see if there was any change.
Back then, driving out, you could see the cluster of trees from five miles ahead.
But it was not like that anymore because the trees were all dead.


The old two-story ranch house had burned down many years back.
The only thing left standing was a piece of the old chimney stack.
The old windmill had fallen and was laying on the ground,
Bits and pieces of it were scattered for a long way around.


I walked out where the barn and horse pens once were
. Under some rubble, I found a piece of a saddle and a rusty spur.
Somehow, the old memories started coming back to me,
About how beautiful and full of life this old ranch used to be.


I remembered two cowboys-one was Slim the other one was Ben.
I like to believe that piece of saddle and rusty spur belonged to those men.
There were two kids; they were older than I was by a year or maybe two,
But we did not play very much because there were too many chores to do.


Their mother always had clean clothes hanging out on the clothesline.
She always cooked us big meals and man, were they fine.
Back then, wearing a hat in the house was a big deal.
It was almost as big of a sin, as not saying grace before each meal.


I remembered some cowboys breaking horses in the round pen,
But I really could not recall if it was Slim or old Ben.
I could almost hear the old windmill noise as it pumped water into the tank.
I could almost taste the cool water when I would get a big drink.


There is not much out there anymore, everything is gone or fallen apart.
But it is still a beautiful and busy old ranch deep down in my heart.


©2004 Walt Perryman


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In This Corner of the World

By Bruce Clifford

In this corner of the world I’m dreaming
During this moment In time, I could feel your pain
In this state of dispair life has a new meaning
What are you seeing
What are you believing


In this corner of the world I’m dumbfounded
Every step of the way I understand your pain
Emotional ties when nothing seems well rounded
We never rebounded
We could have rebounded


On the edge of the seat
Every emotional way
In this corner of the world
I guess we’re here to stay


In this corner of the world, I’m believing
During this moment in time, I believe your pain
In this state of confusion, I feel lost in true meaning
What are you feeling
What are you believing


In this corner of the world, I’m dreaming
During this moment In time, I could feel your pain
In this state of dispair life has a new meaning
What are you seeing
What are you believing
What are you feeling
What is the meaning


©4/16/2021 Bruce Clifford


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Rainbow Eyes

By Bud Lemire

She had Rainbow Eyes
She wore no disguise
The colors so bright
Her eyes took flight


The greenest of green
She'd always be seen
The bluest of blue
Than I ever knew


The red was there
I was quite aware
Of the purple that was shown
That had set the tone


Those Rainbow Eyes gazed
I watched and was amazed
All the color was there
And that was quite a pair


She looked at me
I knew she could see
Right into my soul
She made me feel whole


©March 15, 2021 Bud Lemire

                           Author Note:

All the colors of the Rainbow
showed in her eyes. Believe me
when she touched me, it was
a pleasant surprise.


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Reading The Morning E-Mail

 

By John I. Blair

I sit mornings in my swivel chair,
Wrapped in a blanket
Against the chilly air,
Checking recent Facebook posts
And repetitious e-mails.


It’s year two of the great pandemic;
I’ve been alone at home
(Except for cats)
Fourteen months and counting,
Near-bereft of humankind.


My wife said often in her aging days
I’d do better living by myself
Than she would and more equipped
To be the sole survivor
Of our partnership.


No way then to test if she was right,
But now I am approaching 80,
Talking to the cats and to the walls,
Watching children’s TV shows,
Laying half-read books aside for later.


To right of me are blinds that have been closed
Beyond recall, dusty, disarranged.
And to the left, past a shallow hall,
A shabby kitchen with a window
Where birds perch on a feeder.


Each of these has stories I could tell
And yet I seldom tell them,
Trapped in thinking
There’s no one left to speak to,
No one left to hear.


©2021 John I. Blair, 4/6/2021


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Forever True

 

By Phillip Hennessy

I hope that when you think of me, you Smile
I hope that you makes you Feel good, for a While
for when we're just a memory, and feel like, so Apart
doesn't mean that Love is Gone, that's Always in our Heart


I'll Love you till I die, You said, and then, I said it too
the Promise that we made that day, will be Forever True
For I will love you evermore, for Ever, And, a Day
there's nothing that could change my mind
that's all there is, to say


Forever True, Forever True,
That's what we said that day
Many things, have changed since then
though Love's not gone away


Forever True, Forever True,
forever, and a day
the smile on my face feels good
you're here, with me, to stay


I smile, when I think of you,
each time you're on my mind
that look in your eyes, straight at me
so Happy, and so Kind
and now I know that Love is here,
in its rightful place
that Smile that you gave to me
I feel it, on my face


Forever True, Forever True,
forever, and a day
the smile on my face feels good
you're here, with me, to stay


©April 8, 2021 Phillip Hennessy


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There's Always Good Things

By Bud Lemire

Even with the bad things happening today
There's always good things that come our way
If you look all around
The best in life, can be found


For me, it's nature, the birds in the tree
It does something special to me
A butterfly, so beautiful, flying by
Catches my attention, in front of my eye


A bike ride by the water, people having fun
Out on the water, fishing in the sun
On a Paddle Board, or flying a kite
To me, I'll tell you, it's quite a sight


The Song Sparrow, singing his song
A Robin on the ground, walking along
A chipmunk, running through the grass
Someone on their bicycle, just going pass


These are the things, that I like to see
When I spend a nice day, and set my soul free
Even with the bad things, happening today
There's always good things, that come our way

©April 8, 2021 Bud Lemire

                      Author Note:

There are always good things, among any bad things.
In fact, these days, the best things mean even more.
Because you are here now, to enjoy them. So please
take advantage of that time, and enjoy them..


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Letter to My Mother

 

By Walt Perryman

Hello Mom, how are you doing these days?
I have missed you down here in so many ways.


You were only thirty when God took you and I was nine.
I was mad at God for a little while but now I am doing fine.


You went to Heaven way back in nineteen fifty-three.
Yet, in my heart, you have always been here with-in me.


There is a lot going here on earth and some of it is awful bad.
Mom, I wonder if Jesus talks about it and does it make him sad?


I am still trying to be a Christian, but I still have a ways to go.
I reckon I am telling you something that you already know.


Mom, I am trying to do better and live the way God wants me to,
So, someday when God calls me. I can be in heaven with you.


©2002 Walt Perryman


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It's Not So Bad

By Bruce Clifford

It’s not so bad when you’re stuck in a jar
It’s not so bad when you can’t travel very far
It’s not so bad when your rewind repeats
It’s not so bad with your heart on your sleeve


It’s not so bad when you’re lost in a time
It’s not so bad when you're out of your mind
It’s not so bad when you reach another place
It’s not so bad with your time and space


Erase the powers
Getting under your skin


It’s not so bad when you’re talking out loud
It’s not so bad when you drift above a cloud
It’s not so bad when you test another's fate
It’s not so bad with your own special ways


Lifting up
Letting go
There you are
What do you know


Erase the powers
Getting under your skin
It’s not so bad when you let me in


It’s not so bad when you’re stuck in a jar
It’s not so bad when you can’t travel very far
It’s not so bad when your rewind repeats
It’s not so bad with your heart on your sleeve


©4/1/2021 Bruce Clifford


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