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 |   This blog contains responses to blog prompts, & thoughts on spiritual or religious themes |
Disclaimer: Any views, about religion or sacred scriptures, expressed in this blog are my own and not the official views of the Baha'i Faith or any other religion. If you wish to know more about the Baha'i Faith, please check one of these websites: The Baha'i Faith: The Official Website of the Worldwide Baha'i Community  or Baha'is of the United States ."The gift of God to this enlightened age is the knowledge of the oneness of mankind and of the fundamental oneness of religion. War shall cease between nations, and by the will of God the Most Great Peace shall come; the world will be seen as a new world, and all men will live as brothers." Abdu'l-Baha1                     Other Blogs and Journals Content Rating 18+ "Writing in Snow" "The Snowflake Chronicles" "Snow Melt" "More Snow Melt" "Welcome to My Life" "Melting Snow" "Memories of Snow" "Dreams of Snow " "Poem Experiments" "Devotional Poetry" Other Journals Content Rating ASR "Bicentenary Poems and Prose" "Treasures lie hidden beneath the throne of God; the key to those treasures if the tongue of poets." The Bab "O my God! O my God! Unite the hearts of Thy servants, and reveal to them Thy great purpose. May they follow Thy commandments and abide in Thy law. Help them, O God, in their endeavor, and grant them strength to serve Thee. O God! Leave them not to themselves, but guide their steps by the light of Thy knowledge, and cheer their hearts by Thy love. Verily, Thou art their Helper and their Lord." Bahá’u’lláh2 ![Merit Badge in WDC Soundtrackers
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Jalál (Glory), 8 Qawl (Speech) 176 B.E. - Saturday, November 30, 2019
PROMPT: November 30th - Congratulations on making it to the last day of the competition! What was your favorite prompt from the last month? Did you learn anything new about your fellow competitors? What was the most rewarding aspect of participating in the competition? My favorite prompt was the November 24 prompt: What numbers hold special meaning for you? Consider dates, times, ages, years, or anything else you can count. "9, 18, 19. and 95" . In the past several years I've acquired a fondness of number. I wasn't crazy about numbers when I was in school, not even in college. However, once I left the academic environment, I begin liking number. I could be a mental exercise I've acquired. I add the number (in my head) of car tags together until I end up with a sing number between 1 and 9.I'm not sure when I acquired this habit, it could have been the results of something I read about keeping my mind active. It's now gone beyond car tags to addresses. When I'm riding the paratransit bus I add the number of the address on a building together to come up with a single number. |
Istiqlál (Independence)), 7 Qawl (Speech) 176 B.E. - Friday, November 29, 2019
PROMPT: November 29th - Write about gifting! What’s on your list? What do you have your eye on for yourself and what do you want to gift to your family and friends? Homemade or store bought? What was the best gift you ever received? I no longer celebrate Christmas. Sometimes I celebrate my birthday, which is December 24. I celebrate Ayyám-i-Há. which in 2020 is between sunset on February 25 and sunset on February 29. Right now I have no idea how I will celebrate that occasion. I will decided that as February 2020 draws closer. I will be 73 years old on December 24. I don't need a lot of stuff, so the only things that might be on my gift list is clothes and/or money. I know that many people don't think money is an appropriate gift; however, if you don't know the individual's size or taste in clothing or anything else, money is an appropriate gift. |
Istijlál (Majesty), 6 Qawl (Speech) 176 B.E. - Thursday, November 28, 2019 Ascension of 'Abdu'l-Baha and Thanksgiving
PROMP:T November 28th - Today, the prompt intentionally asks you to be succinct. It is also an invitation to enjoy your day first, before sitting down to write your entry, which I know is not the typical habit of some of you. But bear with me  Intentionally enjoy your day before writing today’s entry. Be present with your family and friends or make an effort to do something you love. At the end of the day, when you are content and the house is quiet, write a maximum of five sentences describing the most positive thing you will remember about today. I contacted my siblings either over the phone or on Facebook and wished them a Happy Thanksgiving. I made an earlier entry in this blog called "November 28, 2019" and posted it on Facebook.I transferred a poem to "Poem Experiments" titled "Halloween Epiphany: Scary Halloween" .I added a poem to "To Baha'u'llah" in "Devotional Poetry" .I'm waiting for the chicken and dressing to get done so we can have our Thanksgiving dinner. |
Istijlál (Majesty), 6 Qawl (Speech) 176 B.E. - Thursday, November 28, 2019 Ascension of 'Abdu'l-Baha and Thanksgiving This year, commemoration of the Ascension of 'Abdu'l-Baha and Thanksgiving coincide. The Ascension of 'Abdu'l-Baha is commemorated between sunset on November 27 and sunset on November 28. It is dedicated to remembering 'Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'u'llah's son, who is the Center of Baha'u'llah's Convenient and the authorized Interpreter of Baha'u'llah's writing.“The greatest gift of man is universal love – that magnet which renders existence eternal.” Abdu’l-Baha34 Footnotes |
‘Idál (Justice), 5 Qawl (Speech) 176 B.E. - Wednesday, November 27, 2019
PROMPT: November 27th - Write about a time when you surprised yourself with your abilities. Is there a specific time you can remember when you were convinced that you could not do something, and then you did it? Tell us! This is an issue I've dealt with all my life. Ninety-nine times out of one hundred, when I do whatever it is I tell myself I can't do, I usually accomplish whatever it is I thought I couldn't do. This morning, for example, I went onto the Cox website and set up payment of this month's internet bill for November 30, the day one my checks hits the bank. I received a text message and an e-mail from Cox that the payment has been scheduled for November 30, 2019. |
Fiḍál (Grace), 4 Qawl (Speech) 176 B.E. - Tue4sday, November 26, 2019 Day of the Covenant
PROMPT: November 26th - Thanksgiving is coming up later this week in the US. Today, tell us what you’re thankful for. Make a list describing at least five things you’re thankful for. I'm thankful that I'm still alive. I can assure you that this is an achievement, if not a miracle. When I was very young--somewhere between five and six (if not younger)--I shut myself in an old Frigidaire refrigerator when I was play hide-and-seek at my cousin's farm. My grandfather found me, took me out, and never said a word to my mother. I'm thankful that I was born. My mother, who was born in 1921, was a premature baby. The doctor, who was the only person in the nearest town that had a car, told Grandpa that she would be lucky to survive. Grandpa did everything in his power to make sure she did. If my mother hadn't survived I wouldn't have been born. I'm thankful that my father met my mother, because if my father hadn't met my mother I would have inherited a different set of genes. I would not be the same person I am today because I would have a different father. I'm thankful for the day of my conception. If I had never been conceived, I would never have been born, and my soul would have nothing to be thankful for. I'm thankful for coffee, and the memories that it brings to mind whenever I have a cup. |
Kamál (Perfection), 3 Qawl (Speech) 176 B.E. - Monday, November 25, 2019
PROMPT: November 25th - If you could be a fly on the wall of any living person’s life for one day, whose life would you want to observe? A Fly On The Wall I don't want to be a fly on the wall. I remember seeing both the 1958 and the 1986 version of The Fly. In one of the versions, maybe both of them, the fly--with the head of a human--was killed on the wall of a bathroom. I would like to see both versions of this movie again. I saw the 1958 version on television and the 1986 version in a theater. I like the 1958 version better because Vincent Price had a roll. I can't remember which roll he played, so I'll have to watch it again. In the 1986 version, Jeff Goldblum played the scientist who had is DNA merged with that of a housefly. Both versions were good, and--for their time--scary. I prefer to watch Vincent Price over Jeff Goldblum. |
Jamál (Beauty), 2 Qawl (Speech) 176 B.E. - Saturday, November 23, 2019
PROMPT: November 24th - What numbers hold special meaning for you? Consider dates, times, ages, years, or anything else you can count.  I like nine because it is a beautiful number. In addition there are nine concentric circles on Mount Carmel, which is part of the geometry of the terraces.5 I like eighteen because it is the number of the Letter of the Living, the first disciples of the Bab. I like nineteen because it is the number of terraces on Mount Carmel. There are nine terraces leading up to the shrine of the Bab, which has its own terrace. There are nine terraces leading from the Shrine to the crest of Mount Carmel where the Seat of the Universal House of Justice and other buildings are located. In addition, nineteen is the number of months in a Baha'i year and the number of days in a Baha'i month. I like ninety-five because that is how many times I chant God's Most Great Name each day. I have a set of prayer bead with ninety-five beads to count the changing. There is also an app on my smartphone to help with the chanting if I can't find my prayer beads.Footnotes |
Jalál (Glory), 1 Qawl (Speech) 176 B.E. - Saturday, November 23, 2019 Feast of Qawl (Speech)
PROMPT: November 23rd - Write about writing. What makes you feel inspired to write? What steps do you take to get your words from your head onto the page? What does your editing and rewriting process look like? What have you learned from fellow writers? What makes me inspired to write? Anything and everything I encounter eventually inspires a poem or a story. Sometimes I have to let the inspiration brew, like coffee in a coffeemaker, before it results in a poem. At other times, the words, lines, and stanzas come easily, but eventually everything I encounter or have encountered produces a poem or piece of prose. Weather Report: Inspiration Interspersing light and shadow between joy and sorrow, the sun plays hide and seek. Editing? This is my downfall. I have issues, problems editing. Most of the time I can write without any problems, but when it comes to editing I have difficulty. I have fewer difficulties editing poems than I do prose, but the problem of what to keep and what to throw out still raises its head. |
Istiqlál (Independence), 19 Qudrat (Power) 176 B.E. - Friday, November 22, 2019
PROMPT: November 22nd - Write about a missed connection. Right now I'm more interested in missing sleep than missing connections. In the past seven days--Saturday, November 16, to Friday, November 22--I've had only two nights of good sleep. Wednesday night I went to bed early, because I had an appointment with a vampire on Thursday morning for a blood test. That night I slept five or six hours instead of my normal two or three. On Thursday night, I went to bed at my normal time, slept two or three hours, woke up at midnight, and went back to sleep. I slept until about 6:00 a.m. As for missing connections, I've had a few of those. I just can't remember any that were important enough to remember. Today, my strongest connections are with my friends, even though I don't see them but perhaps once a month. For some reason, I've felt disconnected from my siblings most of my life. There were moments in my childhood, especially with my grandparents, that we had a connection. The only one of my siblings I seem able to connect with is my brother, Tom, and that's because I can talk to him about anything without him getting upset. My sister and I are disconnected and connected. We connect with each other over the phone, about once a month or so. My brother Frank and I connect on Facebook and that's about it. |
‘Idál (Justice), 17 Qudrat (Power) 176 B.E. - Wednesday, November 20, 2019
PROMPT: November 20th - Do you remember your first friend? Under what circumstances did you become friends? Are you still in contact with them or any of your other childhood friends? I grew up in Blackwell , Oklahoma, and that is where I met and played with my grade school and Junior High School (middle school) friends. Between Junior High and High school we moved from Blackwell to Shawnee , Oklahoma. I remember a few girls from Blackwell, I can put a names to only two of them. I've encountered several people from Shawnee high school the class of 1966 on Facebook, but I haven't encountered anyone from Blackwell, or at least no one who will admit being from Blackwell.I have very little in common with the class of 1966. I respond to poss with a like or a couple of words. That is the extent of my communications with my acquaintances from my youth. I have never been back to Blackwell or Shawnee, which is fine with me. The only reason to go back to Blackwell is my grandparents' graves, and I have no reason to go back to Shawnee. |
Fiḍál (Grace), 16 Qudrat (Power) 176 B.E. - Tuesday, November 19, 2019
PROMPT: November 19th - What characteristics do you admire in a leader? Is there or was there a time in your life when you took on a leadership role? Research different leadership styles and describe which style you would most like to follow. Which style are you? When you are in a leadership position, do you exemplify the qualities you admire in a good leader? I'm neither a leader nor a follower, I'm a member of the team. As for my leadership sty, I remember encountering this theory in one of my college courses. I think there were probably three or four leadership styles, but I don't remember what they were. If we did a group project the class was divided into teams of two, three, or four--depending on the size of the class--and each one had part of the research and write part of the paper. Next we had to proof read each others work before merging the written work into a project report that was handed to the instructor. At least, that's how I remember it. I neither know nor care what my leadership style is. If I'm put in charge of a team, I will reluctantly accept the position and find out about the talents and experience of the rest of the team before attempting to come to a consensus on how to share the workload and divide the project. I firmly believe that each member of the team should have a chance to use and develop their talents, as much as possible. A team has to work in unity, otherwise the project will fail. The success or failure of a team project is the responsibility or fault of the entire team and not just one person. |
Kamál (Perfection), 15 Qudrat (Power) 176 B.E. - Monday, November 18, 2019
PROMPT: November 18th - What is something that most people misunderstand or wrongly assume about you? It's Monday morning. I've drank one WDC travel mug of coffee and am working on the second. I've had one apple cider doughnut to eat, and am trying to decide what I want to fix for breakfast. It would help if I knew or cared what was in the freezer or the refrigerator. I'm also attempting to decide whether it really matters if people understand or misunderstand about me. I'm sure there are a number of acquaintances, who believe I'm going to hell. If they bring up the subject I will attempt to explain the reasons I believe otherwise. If they don't bring up the subject, they are entitled to their opinion. At 72 I have acquired some wisdom and learned not to judge. I know for a fact that there are some who think I'm manipulative, because I've been accused of being manipulative. There was a time when I would have attempted to prove otherwise. However, you can't change someone's opinion when they don't want their opinion to be changed. There are some people who think I'm rude because I hang up on drunks and telemarketers. If I'm given the choice I'd rather deal with a telemarketer than a drunk. There are some people who think I'm stingy because I don't give to every charity I call. I decided long ago that I give to my faith on a regular basis, so that is enough. Especially since I live on a fixed income. Learned to do my best, learning obedience to my Lord and supplicating forgiveness when I fail. Do I care about what other people understand or misunderstand about me? This morning the only things I care about is having another mug of coffee, figuring out what I'm going to have for breakfast, and increasing my water intake. |
Jamál (Beauty), 14 Qudrat (Power) 176 B.E. - Sunday, November 17, 2019
PROMPT: November 17th - There are 45 days remaining in the year. What do you want to do or accomplish before 2019 is over? Since there are 45 days left in the year, and 45 has a numeric root of 9, (At least, I think you get the numeric root of a number by adding its components together. I'm sure someone will correct me if that isn't right.) I'm going to list 9 things I have to do before the end of the year. There are other things I probably should list, but I'm not going to do that right now. I suspect 9 items is as much or more than I can complete in 2019.  Finish the 10 poems I need to complete for the 200 dedicated to Bicentenary of the Birth of The Bab and place them in "Bicentenary Poems and Prose" . Make an appointment to have my dentures relined. Order ink cartridges for the printer. Make appointment and have blood drawn (November 18-22). Make projected budget for 2020. Send for birth certificate because my drivers license is due in December 2020. Sign lease choosing Option B as the rent for a years lease. Check on the DMV website and make sure I changed my address. Clean off and organize stuff on computer desk and TV tray (beside desk). |
Jalál (Glory), 13 Qudrat (Power) 176 B.E. - Saturday, November 16, 2019
PROMPT: November 16th - If you had to spend one million dollars in one day, what would you spend it on?  If I Had a Million Dollars Some say that a million dollars is better than a million scholars, but I don't see how this can be since education can set us free if we use it properly. Since I believe education should be free, I'd found a university for those who wanted to learn, but couldn't afford the exorbitant fees. |
Istiqlál (Independence), 12 Qudrat (Power) 176 B.E. - Friday, November 15, 2019
PROMPT: November 15th - In your entry today, write about focus. Use the following questions to guide you. At what time of day are you the most focused? When you need to focus on a task, how do you prevent distractions? How do you manipulate your environment to keep yourself focused? How else do you practice focus in your life? Any tools or techniques you can share? At what time of day are you the most focused? Morning focus is helped by coffee, a breakfast pastry, and breakfast. Morning is the best time to focus, however, I make my doctor and hairdresser appointments of a morning. Sometimes, the appointments interrupt my writing focus. Other times I can focus on writing when I get back home. I've thought about changing the appointments, but that would mean I'd have to interrupt my writing or whatever I'm doing to get ready and go to the appointment. I've rather go to the appointment and come back ready to write or review than interrupt the writing/reviewing process. It's more difficult to refocus after an interruption. When you need to focus on a task, how do you prevent distractions? Long ago I learned that it is next to impossible to prevent distractions and interruptions. The reason for this is that God, fate, the universe, and everything in the universe has a sense of humor. This means that I will be distracted or interrupted at the most inconvenient time. I've found the best way to deal with these situations is to either take care of the interruption or ignore it. How do you manipulate your environment to keep yourself focused? I don't. I've attempted to manipulate my environment numerous times over the years. The problem is that nothing works for more than a few hours or a few days. Therefore, I do my best to piece by piece eliminate the piles of distractions around my computer. Right now I'm working on the distractions on the left side of the computer. How else do you practice focus in your life? Prayer, meditation, making a "To Do List" on the notepad of my smartphone, remembering to check the "To Do List" on my smartphone, getting up from my computer to wash dishes and other necessary things, and getting up to look out the front door to check on whatever is going on outside. Any tools or techniques you can share? Pausing what I'm doing to read an interesting article online. When worry interrupts me, I pause to say some prayers. I tend to worry about things I don't have any control over or worry because I don't have anything to worry about. In these cases saying a prayer helps me to refocus. I downloaded the Baha'i Prayer app to my smartphone so now all I have to do is open the prayer app. |
Istijlál (Majesty), 11 Qudrat (Power) 176 B.E. - Thursday, November 14, 2019
DAY 2551: Do you look for the best in a situation or prepare for the worst? Not An Either/Or Question This isn't an either/or question. A person can hope for and pray for the best, while preparing for the worsts. The reason for doing both is that stuff happens, and Murphy's Law--"If anything can go wrong, it will"6--kicks in when you least expect it. Therefore, by preparing for the worst, you will have a back-up plan. It's true that the worst you prepare for probably won't happen, but something will go wrong and your back-up plan won't go to waste.
Day 2049: "A poem is never finished, just abandoned." Paul Valeri How do you feel about this quote? To Abandon or To Rewrite To abandon or to rewrite? That is the question. Is it better to abandon the poem, let it lay, as is-- pretending that it is finished-- or to rewrite and change the entire ode. The poet's only salvation is to save the rewrites under such titles as Poem's Nave Draft 1. 2, so on and so forth. Footnotes |
Istijlál (Majesty), 11 Qudrat (Power) 176 B.E. - Thursday, November 14, 2019
PROMPT: November 14th - Think back to a moment in your life when you were faced with making a difficult choice. (Which city to move to, which college to attend, what to ask Santa for, etc) How might your life be different if you had made a different choice than the one you did? No! No! No! I do not want to know how my life would be different if I had made different decisions. I do not want to go back (even if I could) and change the decisions I made in the pasts. The decisions I made in the past created the person I am today. I am just beginning to like the person I am, and I do not want to go back and start the process over again. It takes too long to retrace my steps over the shards of memory, and across the petrified tears of yesterday. It takes too long to follow paths covered with the dust of history, littered with scraps of illusions, and strewn with the bones of vain imaginings. |
‘Idál (Justice), 10 Qudrat (Power) 176 B.E. - Wednesday, November 13, 2019
PROMPT: November 13th - In what circumstances do you believe it is okay to fib or tell a white lie? White Lies The Cambridge English Dictionary defines white lie as (1) "a lie that is about a subject that is not very important, or one that is told to be polite or kind" or (2) "a lie that is told in order to be polite or to stop someone from being upset by the truth"7. Now that I have stated the definitions of a "white lie", I can answer the question "In what circumstances do you believe it is okay to fib or tell a white lie?" Honesty is the best policy or, at least, a good policy. It is up to the individual whether or not to tell a white or any other color of lie. Every individual encounter different circumstances and have different motives. I cannot judge another person's circumstances or motives, therefor it is up to them whether or not to tell the truth or to lie. I am responsible only for myself and my decisions. Footnotes |
Fiḍál (grace), 9 Qudrat (Power) 176 B.E. - Tuesday, November 12, 2019
PROMPT: November 12th - What is one thing (sight, smell, sound, object, etc) that, when you encounter it, instantly brings you back to your childhood? One of the smells that takes me back to my childhood is the aroma of Prince Albert Tobacco . For years Grandpa Frank rolled his own cigarettes using Prince Albert Tobacco. Every time I smell this tobacco I remember Grandpa and I smile. Prince Albert is the only type tobacco that I can stand to smell and it's because it brings back memories of my Grandfather. The scent of the tobacco was on his clothes all the time.I inhale the aroma and memories rise like cigarette smoke on a cold Oklahoma day. |
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