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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), 4 Ayyám-i-Há (The Days of Há) 176 B.E. Saturday, February 29, 2020
DAY 2661: Happy Leap Day. Write about something that occurs every 4 years. Every four years there is an extra day in Ayyam-i-Ha. Baha'is across the world Ayyam-i-Ha between sunset February 25 and sunset March 1. These are days of joyful celebration, gift giving, partying, and extra volunteering for Baha'is across the world. On the first day of Ayyam-I-Ha, I gave my true love, The good news of Baha'u'llah. On the second day of Ayyam-I-Ha, I gave my true love, A cloth bound Kitab-I-Iqan, And the good news of Baha'u'llah. On the third day of Ayyam-I-Ha, I gave my true love, A white stone with the Greatest Name, A cloth bound Kitab-I-Iqan, And the good news of Baha'u'llah. On the fourth day of Ayyam-I-Ha, I gave my true love, A blue prayer book, A white stone with the Greatest Name, A cloth bound Kitab-I-Iqan, And the good news of Baha'u'llah. On the fifth day of Ayyam-I-Ha, I gave my true love, A gold bound Kitab-I-Aqdas, A blue prayer book, A white stone with the Greatest Name, A cloth bound Kitab-I-Iqan, And the good news of Baha'u'llah. |
Fiḍál (Grace), 19 Mulk (Dominion) 176 B.E. - Tuesday, February 25, 2020 Artist: Dominique Sylvester Title: 'Abdu'l-Baha Lyrics3 CHORUS My name is Abdul-Baha my qualification is Abdul-Baha My reality is Abdul-Baha, My praise is Abdul-Baha VERSE Thraldom to the blessed perfection is my glorious and refulgent diadem And servitude to all the human race is my perpetual religion CHORUS My name is Abdul-Baha my qualification is Abdul-Baha My reality is Abdul-Baha , My praise is Abdul-Baha VERSE No name, no title mention no commendation hath I nor will ever have except Abdul-Baha CHORUS My name is Abdul-Baha my qualification is Abdul-Baha My reality is Abdul-Baha, My praise is Abdul-Baha VERSE This is my longing this is my greatest yearning, this is my eternal life This is my everlasting glory CHORUS My name is Abdul-Baha my qualification is Abdul-Baha My reality is Abdul-Baha, My praise is Abdul-Baha 'Abdu'l-Baha, which means Servant of the Glory, the son of Baha'u'llah and the Perfect Exemplar of Baha'u'llah's teachings. In His will Baha'u'llah named 'Abdu'l-Baha as the head of the faith, and the person Baha'is should turn to after the death of Baha'u'llah. 'Abdu'l-Baha was born on May 22, 1844--the same evening as the Bab declared His mission--and died on November 28, 1921.4 In 1911 and 1912, 'Abdu'l-Baha traveled to the west. He visited France, England, the United States, and Canada. During his travels he gave public talks and demonstrated in his actions the teachings of Baha'u'llah,5 Writing about everything 'Abdu'l-Baha did during his journey to the west is a subject that would take several blog entries. At Ridvan 2019, the Universal House of Justice--the world governing body of the Baha'i Faith--announce that construction would begin on the Shrine of the 'Abdu'l-Baha. In January of this year, the Baha'i World News Service printed the article A momentous endeavor begins: Groundwork being laid for the Shrine of ‘Abdu’l-Baha . The Shrine will be located at the Baha'i World Centre on Mount Carmel in Israel. When this shrine is completed, 'Abdu'l-Baha's body will be moved from its present location, in the Shrine of the Bab, to its new location in the Shrine of 'Abdu'l-Baha.Joyful news 'Abdu'l-Baha's shrine is now under construction, as humanity moves toward world peace. Footnotes |
Kamál (Perfection), 18 Mulk (Dominion) 176 B.E. - Monday, February 24, 2020 Artist: Shadi Toloui-Wallace Title: Bring Us the Flame Bring Us the Flame was written by Shadi Toloui-Wallace to celebrate the Bicentenary of the Birth of the Bab in 2019. The Birth of the Bab is one of the most joyful occasions celebrated by the Baha'is across the world. The two hundred birthday of the Bab was especially joyful. To find out how the Bab's two hundredth birth day was celebrated worldwide see Bicentenary 2019 .Oh, Thou Lamp of the Remembrance of God, Thou who ignited the Letters of the Living2 with the flame of God's love. OH, Though Light of Divine Guidance, Thank you, for the inspiration I receive from the prayers you revealed. The Twin Holy Days--the Birth of the Bab and the Birth of Baha'u'llah--are celebrated every year on the first and second days following the eighth new moon after Naw-Ruz. The date of Naw-Ruz, which is celebrated on the day vernal equinox, occurs when the vernal equinox occurs at the birthplace of Baha'u'llah. The calendar used by the Baha'is for holy day celebrations is the Badi or Baha'i Calendar. Invocation6 O Primal Point, did stellar dust generate New stars at Thy nativity? Radiant Stars shining brightly within their stellar Nurseries. Thine own companions shining. O Gate of God, the darkness of dogma's night Thy rising light did scatter, send scurrying. Thy brightly shining star did waken Out of a dreamless sleep men of wisdom. Footnotes |
Jamál (Beauty), 17 Mulk (Dominion) 176 B.E. - Sunday, February 23, 2020 Artist: Children's Choir Title: We Are Drops We Are Drops is a song from the Ruhi Children's Classes: Songs for children’s classes I've been feeling a bit down lately, so for the rest of February I'm focusing on upbeat songs. Songs that I can sing along with while I'm watching the video. Many of the song from the songs inspired by the Baha'i sacred writings or the Baha'i scriptures and payers put to music are uplifting and encourage me to sing along with them. With everything that is going on in the world today, I have to refocus my positive energy everyday. I can do this through prayer, meditation, reading the sacred text, and listening to spiritual music. World Citizens Citizens of a single country, we walk from town to town, intoning God's Most Great Name. Secure in the knowledge, that out of the crucible of tests, World Peace will come. As a world citizen, who lives in the United States, I have to keep up on national and international news. The news can be depressing and generate negative energy. The only thing negative energy does is generate more negative energy and depression. This requires an individual to find a way to generate positive energy, and one way to do this is to listen to and sing along with uplifting songs. |
Jalál (Glory), 16 Mulk (Dominion) 176 B.E. - Saturday, February 22, 2020 Artist: Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young Title: Teach Your Children Lyrics7 You, who are on the road, Must have a code That you can live by. And so become yourself Because the past is just a goodbye. Teach your children well. Their father's hell Did slowly go by. And feed them on your dreams. The one they pick's the one you'll know by. Don't you ever ask them, "Why?" If they told you, you would cry. So, just look at them and sigh, And know they love you. [Verse in the background:] Can you hear and do you care And can't you see We must be free To teach your children What you believe in, Make a world that we can live in? And you, of tender years, Can't know the fears That your elders grew by. And so please help them with your youth. They seek the truth Before they can die. Teach your parents well. Their children's hell Will slowly go by. And feed them on your dreams. The one they pick's the one you'll know by. Don't you ever ask them, "Why?" If they told you, you would cry. So, just look at them and sigh And know they love you. I agree that the youth today don't know or understand the fears earlier generations grew up with. Nor does my generation know the secret fears of the youth. Some fears are spoken and discussed if a bad dream wakes a person up screaming in the middle of the night. Other fears remain hidden, concealed beneath layers doubts and half remember events from the past that spill over into the present. How do I explain to a twenty-something, the fear caused by an atomic bomb drill? We were taught to hid under our desks when the sirens went off, as if hiding under a wooden school desk would save my life if an atomic bomb was dropped on my town. That is a fear--a hell--I couldn't explain to my parents or grandparents. Now, at 73, I understand that the fears my parents and grandparents grew up with were far different from those I experienced. I also know that the fears experienced by young people today are different from those I experienced. I look back at the, so called, atomic bomb drills and wonder how adults could thin children were that stupid. Even if we didn't talk about the illogic of the drills, how could adults think we were so stupid as to believe that hiding under a wooden desk would protect us from radiation. I know that most children are smarter than their parents give them credit for. The best thing a parent can teach their child is to investigate what they are taught for themselves. "The essence of all that We have revealed for thee is Justice, is for man to free himself from idle fancy and imitation, discern with the eye of oneness His glorious handiwork, and look into all things with a searching eye." Baha'u'llah8 Footnotes |
Istiqlál (Indepence), 15 Mulk (Dominion) 176 B.E. - Friday, February 21, 2020 Artist: Woody Guthrie Title: This Land Is Your Land Lyrics9 This land is your land and this land is my land From California to the New York island From the redwood forest to the Gulf Stream waters This land was made for you and me As I went walking that ribbon of highway I saw above me that endless skyway Saw below me that golden valley This land was made for you and me I roamed and rambled and I've followed my footsteps To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts All around me a voice was sounding This land was made for you and me When the sun come shining, then I was strolling And the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling The voice was chanting as the fog was lifting This land was made for you and me This land is your land and this land is my land From California to the New York island From the redwood forest to the Gulf Stream waters This land was made for you and me When the sun come shining, then I was strolling And the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling The voice come a-chanting and the fog was lifting This land was made for you and me This land is our land, this planet is our planet-- we are children of the same God-- no matter where we roam upon it. Building walls between human beings and nations only serves to enhance our xenophobia. Walls, which are equivalent to "no trespassing" signs, don't solve problems or stop wars. We have to communicate rather than build walls. What would Woody Guthrie say about what's going in America and the world today. This land belongs to the people and not the politicians.The Earth belongs to humanity, we can't separate the American land from the Earth because America is part of the planet. We need to respect the land instead of desecrating it by building walls. Footnotes |
Istijlál (Majesty), 14 Mulk (Dominion) 176 B.E. - Thursday, February 20, 2020 Artist: Bob Dylan Title: Times They Are A-Changin' Lyrics10 Come gather around people, wherever you roam And admit that the waters around you have grown And accept it that soon you'll be drenched to the bone If your time to you is worth savin' Then you better start swimmin' or you'll sink like a stone For the times they are a-changin' Come writers and critics, who prophesize with your pen And keep your eyes wide, the chance won't come again And don't speak too soon, for the wheel's still in spin And there's no tellin' who that it's namin' For the loser now will be later to win For the times they are a-changin' Come senators, congressmen, please heed the call Don't stand in the doorway, don't block up the hall For he that gets hurt will be he who has stalled The battle outside ragin' Will soon shake your windows and rattle your walls For the times they are a-changin' Come mothers and fathers throughout the land And don't criticize what you can't understand Your sons and your daughters are beyond your command Your old road is rapidly aging Please get out of the new one if you can't lend your hand For the times they are a-changin' The line it is drawn, the curse it is cast The slow one now will later be fast As the present now will later be past The order is rapidly fadin' And the first one now will later be last For the times they are a-changin' This song is as relevant today as it was when Bob Dylan sang it live in concert in 1965. Indeed, it could be more relevant today because times are changing faster in the twenty-first century than they were in the twentieth century. Today the ills of prejudice of race, nation, and religion are playing out on national and worldwide scales. There are two forces active in the world today. One of those forces focuses on exclusion, and deepening the wounds caused by past hatreds and xenophobia. The other forces is inclusion, which focuses on the oneness of humanity and healing the wounds of the past. The survival of the human race and the planet itself is at stake. Humanity's survival depends upon accepting the oneness of the human race, while healing the woulds that the hatred and prejudice of the past has caused. In order to heal these wounds we must face them and accept responsibility for healing them through our interactions with the rest of the human species and the planet. Footnotes |
ʻIdál (Justice), 13 Mulk (Dominion) 176 B.E. - Wednesday, February 19, 2020 Artist: Eleanor Swan Title: Home Means Nevada Lyrics11 Way out in the land of the setting sun, Where the wind blows wild and free, There's a lovely spot, just the only one That means home sweet home to me. If you follow the old Kit Carson trail, Until desert meets the hills, Oh you certainly will agree with me, It's the place of a thousand thrills. Home means Nevada Home means the hills, Home means the sage and the pine. Out by the Truckee, silvery rills, Out where the sun always shines, Here is the land which I love the best, Fairer than all I can see. Deep in the heart of the golden west Home means Nevada to me. Whenever the sun at the close of day, Colors all the western sky, Oh my heart returns to the desert grey And the mountains tow'ring high. Where the moon beams play in shadowed glen, With the spotted fawn and doe, All the live long night until morning light, Is the loveliest place I know. Home means Nevada Home means the hills, Home means the sage and the pines. Out by the Truckee's silvery rills, Out where the sun always shines, There is the land that I love the best, Fairer than all I can see. Right in the heart of the golden west Home means Nevada to me. I've lived in Nevada since sometime in the last century. I'm not saying exactly when I moved here because I like the phrase "sometime in the last century" better than the exact year. This phrase establishes the fact that Nevada is now my home and I can truthfully say "Home means Nevada to me." Many of my poem deal with Southern Nevada, Clark County, and the Las Vegas valley. I Dark soulless faces stare Up from the cement sidewalk, Their huge blank eyes burning holes in your thoughts, Their voiceless mouths screaming in silent terror. II Pale ghost Walk across the deep blue sky Leaving their dusty footprints upon the firmament. III The odor Of the silence Permeates the mind And sends the senses reeling. 1 Wave upon wave the rolling hills Lap at the foot of Mt. Charleston, while coin by coin tourist feed, the local economy. 2 Tread marks on the Jersey walls, beer cans on the shoulder, and pot holes the size of Cadillacs, give the city color. 3 Through scattered pools of light, wade daughters of the night, plying their illegal trade, beneath casinos' glittering shade. 4 High in the sky distant stars pale, at the shame of the city's dancing lights, while suicidal pedestrians, cross against both traffic and lights. 5 Queued in irregular lines, locals wait for signs, to change from red to green, from closed to open. 6 Questions commonly asked, by arriving tourist: "Are there any churches here?" "Do people really live here?" 7 Why set alone in your room, when you can be alone in a crowd; why listen to a noisy T.V., when there's the poker machines' symphony. 8 The part of town you live in, determines the quality of the streets; the part if town you live in, has little effect upon crime. 9 The most important piece of equipment, isn't the one-armed-bandit, but an environmental control unit, that runs without stopping all day. 10 The asphalt rivers are dry receding waters left dirt ramps along concrete curbs 11 Incongruity Sprinklers watering the lawn While it is raining 12 In winter the cold air awakens the longing for summer, as the night wind echoes the voices of lost souls. 13 Winter's wind is a knife cutting through your thoughts, and severing all hope of warm happiness. 14 The wind's cold laughter sends joy flying: no snow; no rain; no sleet; only the glacial wind of night. 15 In the hot light of day , the city lays spread across the desert a hooker seductively beckoning. Footnotes |
Fiḍá (Grace), 12 Mulk (Dominion) 176 B.E. - Tuesday, February 18, 2020 Artist: Gustaff Besungu Title: "Whither Can a Lover Go" “O SON OF JUSTICE! Whither can a lover go but to the land of his beloved? and what seeker findeth rest away from his heart’s desire? To the true lover reunion is life, and separation is death. His breast is void of patience and his heart hath no peace. A myriad lives he would forsake to hasten to the abode of his beloved.” Baha’u’llah One of the wonderful and inspiring things about the Baha'i scriptures is that they can be put to music. "Whiter Can a Lover Go" sung by Gustaff Basaungu, is just one example of a Baha'i musical artist putting the words to music. Many of these, both scriptures and prayers, can be found on YouTube. Because The Hidden Words are short pearls of wisdom, they lend themselves to the creative process of putting the sacred scriptures to music. Baha'u'llah revealed The Hidden Words in 1858 while he walked on the banks of the Tigress River.14 This book is divided into two parts, Part One is from the Arabic and Part Two is from the Persian. The book was translated into English by Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Baha'i Faith. in the preamble to Part One Baha'u'llah said: "This is that which hath descended from the realm of glory, uttered by the tongue of power and might, and revealed unto the Prophets of old. We have taken the inner essence thereof, and clothed it in the garment of brevity, as a token of grace unto the righteous, that they may stand faithful unto the Covenant of God, may fulfill in their lives His trust, and in the realm of the spirit obtain the gem of Divine virtue."1516 The Hidden Words also inspire poetry. The three poem below can be found in "Sacred Scriptures (19 Short Poems)" . In addition to those "The Accounting" and "Feast of Jamal (Beauty)" were also inspired by these pearls of wisdom.The Hidden Words God's Glory exhaled faith's perfume, revelation's essence and power's utterance. Reading The Hidden Words A child of spirit intones eternal light's joy; crystal radiating life. The Hidden Words An orchard planted By the Glory of God to Feed humanity. Footnotes |
Kamál (Perfection), 11 Mulk (Dominion) 176 B.E. - Monday, February 17, 2020 Artist: Dan Seals & The Voices of Baha Title: We Are One Lyrics17 In a bombed out room in Belfast A young boy is crying He's alone and he don't understand How the teachings of one book Built on love and understanding Could cause the hurt and killing in his land In an old part of Jerusalem Two children are playing They run and laugh The way it's meant to be But one will wear the star and one will wear the crescent And they'll grow up and change from friends to enemies But we are one Flowers of one garden We're one the leaves of one tree Let the walls come down And stand here together We are one family In a Pakistani village A young boy on crutches Takes a fall And lies helplessly there And he holds out his hand But no one will take it They won't touch him Or the clothes that he wears On a side street in Selma A black child is sitting In a squad car Protected from the whites 'Cause they're burning a cross To send her a message And you can see The fear in her eyes But we are one Flowers of one garden We're one the leaves of one tree Let the walls come down And stand here together We are one family Ponder in our hearts How we were all created From the same dust And searching we will find That spirit of the age Has come to find us To find us But we are one Flowers of one garden We're one the leaves of one tree Let the walls come down And stand here together We are one family With all that's going on in the world today, we need to remember that humanity is a single family, a single species. We were created by God, a single entity with many names, who sent prophets or manifestations (individuals reflecting the attributes of God) down through history. Some of the Divine Manifestations--such as Moses, Krishna, Zoroaster, Muhammad, Jesus, the Bab, and Baha'u'llah--we know by name. Since all the Divine Manifestations were sent by God, the religions they revealed have the same foundation. "The utterance of God is a lamp, whose light is these words: Ye are the fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one branch. Deal ye one with another with the utmost love and harmony, with friendliness and fellowship. He Who is the Daystar of Truth beareth Me witness! So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth. The one true God, He Who knoweth all things, Himself testifieth to the truth of these words." Bahá’u’lláh18 Sometimes I get discouraged by everything that is going on in the world today, that I want to withdraw from it. However, I can't physically with draw from the world. When I get discouraged, I turn to the scriptures revealed by Baha'u'llah, the Bab, and 'Abdu'l-Baha, and I leave the discouragement behind. I know that the problems humanity is dealing with at present are its own fault. I know that once the majority of humanity accepts the oneness of mankind, we will begin treating each other as members of the same family and not as aliens or strangers. Footnotes |
Jamál (Beauty), 10 Mulk (Dominion) 176 B.E. - Sunday, February 16, 2020 Artist: Dizzy Gillespie Title: On The Sunny Side of The Street Lyrics19 Grab your coat and get your hat Leave your worry on the doorstep Just direct your feet To the sunny side of the street Can't you hear a pitterpat? And that happy tune is your step Life can be so sweet On the sunny side of the street I used to walk in the shade With those blues on parade But I'm not afraid This rover crossed over If I never have a cent I'll be rich as Rockefeller Gold dust at my feet On the sunny side of the street I'm attempting very hard to remain on "The Sunny Side of the Street". I'm not sure how good a job I'm doing. Right now I want to cry, but I don't think it would do any good. Therefore, I will push forward with everything I have to do. I know that my taste in music isn't everybody's taste, but I'm sure it isn't crap either. Oh well, I just have to deal with things the way they are until I have some bills paid off and can find a Senior Citizens place that I can afford. I'd forgotten how much I enjoy listening to Dizzy Gillespie until I read the article How Dizzy Gillespie and Jazz Changed America From the Editors of BahaiTeachings.org. The article gives links to several different pieces by Mr. Gillespie, none of which I chose to feature in this entry. I'm not sure why I picked "The Sunny Side of the Street", maybe it had something to do with the way I've been feeling lately. It's an upbeat song and those types of songs usually change my mood.Weariness sets in the music helps a little: I still want to cry. Footnotes |
Jalál (Glory), 9 Mulk (Dominion) 176 B.E. - Saturday, February 15, 2020 Artist: Glen Campbell Title: Try A Little Kindness Lyrics20 If you see your brother standing by the road With a heavy load from the seeds he's sowed And if you see your sister falling by the way Just stop and say "You're going the wrong way" You got to try a little kindness, yes show a little kindness Just shine your light for everyone to see And if you try a little kindness then you'll overlook the blindness Of narrow-minded people on the narrow-minded streets Don't walk around the down and out Lend a helping hand instead of doubt And the kindness that you show every day Will help someone along their way You got to try a little kindness, yes show a little kindness Just shine your light for everyone to see And if you try a little kindness, then you'll overlook the blindness Of narrow-minded people on the narrow-minded streets You got to try a little kindness, yes show a little kindness Just shine your light for everyone to see And if you try a little kindness then you'll overlook the blindness Of narrow-minded people on the narrow-minded streets Glen Campbell was one of my mother's favorite singer and actors. Mom never said which one of his songs was her favorite. "Try a Little Kindness" is my favorite song. When I found out he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease it was almost as big a shock as when my mother was diagnosed with the same disease. One of the biggest problems in the world today is that there isn't enough kindness being shown. If we showed more kindness to humanity and to Earth's environment, we would be a lot better off. Kindness has to be shown to everyone, not just a person's friends and family. If each individual did one random act of kindness each day it would spread because kindness is contagious.
DAY 2647: "One who knows how to show and to accept kindness will be a friend better than any possession." ~ Sophocles What do you think? Which is more difficult to show kindness or to accept kindness? Accepting kindness is sometimes easier than showing it, but not always. When I was younger, and more immature than I am now, I went through phases where it was difficult to do one or the other or both at the same time. I didn't have problems (most of the time) with family. My main problem was showing kindness when I was driving, and in a hurry to get somewhere. As I matured, and drew closer to God, I found it easier to do both. Sometimes I still have problems, however, I'm working on it and each day I become better at showing kindness to both my fellow human being and myself. Footnotes |
Istiqlál (Independence), 8 Mulk (Dominion) 176 B.E. - Friday, February 14, 2020
5 DAY TRUTH or FICTION BLOGGING CHALLENGE Blog Prompt for Day 5 - Tell us about your earliest memory of finding romantic love or a story of how a romancing lover finds you. Romance is over rated! Romance is all in a person's head! Romance doesn't exist in the real world! Now that I've stated my personal opinion of romance, I will say that I believe love exists. I believe people fall in love. I don't believe in love at first sight, rather I believe in passion at first sight. I don't believe in soul mates in the traditional sense. I believe a couple can become soul mates if they work on their relationship consistently over a period of years. I don't have a story about finding romance! I don't have a story about romance finding me! I can write all sorts of stories about men who thought a woman's only function was in bed! I did get flowers from a secret admirer once. I don't know who the secret admirer was. I don't want to know who he was, because the flowers made my day and pulled me out of the depression I was slipping into. I enjoy receiving flowers form an anonymous secret admirer, because I can fantasize who the admirer is. It also helps me to write sweet love poem instead of bitter love poems. |
Istiqlál (Independence), 8 Mulk (Dominion) 176 B.E. - Friday, February 14, 2020 Artist: Baha'i Children's Choir Title: Prince of Peace Lyrics21 They called Him the Prince of Peace, They called Him the Prince of Peace, From Constantinople to Adrianople, To Akka the prison by the sea. There lived a man across the ocean, There lived a man across the sea, He spoke of love, He spoke of justice, He spoke to man of unity. His light is shining forth in all His Glory, His light is shining for all to see. It's covered the earth, Given it new birth, His light is shining forth for you and me. His teachings spread from kings to laymen, His teachings spread to all mankind. His teachings took on all religions, And left no helpless soul behind. This is one of the first songs I learned after declaring my faith in Baha'u'llah. It is still one of my favorites. Some of the lines have been running through my mind for the last few days, so I decided to search for it on YouTube. I found this version, which was recorded during Ridvan 2012 in Seremban, Malaysia. The first verse gives the cities Baha'u'llah was banished to. In the last verse, where it says "His teachings spread from kings to laymen," it refers to Baha'u'llah's letters to the kings and political leaders of the world. Baha'u'llah proclaimed the three onenesses: (1) the Oneness of God, (2) the Oneness of the foundation of all religions, and (3) the Oneness of the human race. Footnotes |
Istijlál (Majesty), 7 Mulk (Dominion) 176 B.E. - Thursday, February 13, 2020
5 DAY TRUTH or FICTION BLOGGING CHALLENGE Blog Prompt for Day 4 - Given that we've all had a ghostly encounter, convince your fellow bloggers that your ghost story is true. (even if it isn't) On the morning of November 29, 2012, my sister and I were going to visit my mother at the hospice where she was staying. I'd decided to move Mom there while we were waiting for a room at a memory care home. I was having difficulty caring for Mom and thought a place where she had access to 24/7 nurses care was a good idea. My sister had come into Las Vegas the day before, and her husband had taken the truck back to Searchlight. Faye and I got ready to go, and went out to my car. My car wouldn't start. We called Triple A and a service tech came out to start the car. He found that the battery was dead, and charged it. There was no logical reason why the battery was dead. It was a new battery, and the night before I had made sure that all the doors and windows in the care were closed. The Triple A tech got the car started and my sister and I went to the hospice to visit my mother. When we got to the hospice, we walked down the hall to my mother's room. When Faye and I went into the room, we found that Mom was dead. I called for the nurse, who came in and made the official determination that Mom had passed. She told us that Mom was alive less than thirty minutes before, when one of the Nurses Assistance had given her a bath. There was no reason for my car battery to be dead, apparently it last all it charge sometime before Faye and I left the house. If my sister and I had left the when we planned, Mom would still have been alive when we arrived. Faye and I would have been in the room when Mom died. I believe that Mom didn't want us in the room when she died, so her spirit drained the car battery to delay our arrival at the hospice. I can understand Mom's reasoning in this. I was in the hospital room when my Grandfather died. I saw him take his last breath, there was nothing I could do to prevent Grandpa's death any more than I could have prevent Mom's death if I were in the room with her. Witnessing someone you love take their last breath is more traumatic than walking into a hospice room and finding someone you love already dead. |
Istijlál (Majesty), 7 Mulk (Dominion) 176 B.E. - Thursday, February 13, 2020 Artist: First Dallas Choir & Orchestra Title: Battle Hymn of the Republic Lyrics: First Published Version22 Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord; He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored; He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword: His truth is marching on. (Chorus) Glory, Glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah! His truth is marching on. I have seen Him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps, They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps; I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps: His day is marching on. (Chorus) Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah! His truth is marching on. I have read a fiery gospel writ in burnished rows of steel: "As ye deal with my contemners, so with you my grace shall deal"; Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with his heel, Since God is marching on. (Chorus) Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah! His truth is marching on. He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat; He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment-seat; Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! Be jubilant, my feet! Our God is marching on. (Chorus) Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah! Our God is marching on. In the beauty of the lilies[14] Christ was born across the sea, With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me. As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free,[15] While God is marching on. (Chorus) Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah! Our God is marching on. Lyrics: Original Final Verse23 He is coming like the glory of the morning on the wave, He is Wisdom to the mighty, He is Succour to the brave, So the world shall be His footstool, and the soul of Time His slave, Our God is marching on. (Chorus) Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah! Our God is marching on! The Battle Hymn of the Republic is one of those songs that sounds better when sung by a choir, with a full band accompanying it, which isn't how I first heard the song. The first time I heard this song was in a Sunday service held in the First Southern Baptist Mission in Blackwell, Oklahoma. At that time the Mission--as those of us who attended services there called it--was located in the Smelter Heights. The only musical instrument the Mission had was a used piano donated by the First Southern Baptist church located in downtown Blackwell. At one time or another, I have heard people sing all five verses. I loved this song when I first heard it, and I love it even more as a Baha'i. The first reason I love it is because it reminds me of a dream I had when I was growing up in Blackwell. I saw Him descending out of light, robbed in the sun's bright splendor. Clouds of glory could not conceal the beauty of His countenance. Nor could snow capped peak rival the magnificence of His hair and beard. The second reason I love this song is that I believe the same Divine Attributes that Christ manifested are manifest in Baha'u'llah, the Glory of God. In this sense Christ has returned. Not the literal or physical Christ, but the attributes of God that Christ reflected to humanity. Footnotes |
ʻIdál (Justice), 6 Mulk (Dominion) 176 B.E. - Wednesday, February 12, 2020 5 DAY TRUTH or FICTION BLOGGING CHALLENGE Blog Prompt for Day 3 - Everyone has a story to tell, so... What did you do with the money? What did I do with the money? I didn't do anything funny! Contrary to popular or unpopular opinion, money isn't the root of all evil. It is a tool. Like any other tool it should be used either wisely or frivolously, depending on whether one is a penny pincher or a spend thrift. I know from experience that being a penny pincher is just as big a pain in the backside as being a spend thrift. The one advantage of being a spend thrift is that you have everything you wanted or thought you wanted except financial security in your old age. The main advantages of being a penny pincher is that you have financial security in your old age and money to leave your children or to give to your favorite charity when you die. What did I do with the money? I didn't spend it on my honey! The truth is I don't know what I did with the money; I do know that I have one hell-of-a good time while the money lasted. Fortunately, I'm not homeless, yet. There are times during the month, close to the end of the month, when I suspect I could be homeless. I'm walking a very thin line, while attempting to live on Social Security--which about the middle of the month--becomes an oxymoron. What did I do with the money? I could have spent it on my honey! I know I spent some of it on myself. However, thinking back over the decades, I realize I could have had a lot more fun if I had pinched a few more pennies. Of course, you have to be careful pinching pennies because the little buggers can pinch back. It's too late now to should on myself, I have to move on and survive the best I can. I can survive with the assistance of family, friends, and government assistance; and without the assistance of ex-lovers. I don't need to get involved with any of the guys I knew when I was younger, because they're just going to want me to support them again. |
ʻIdál (Justice), 6 Mulk (Dominion) 176 B.E. - Wednesday, February 12, 2020 Artist: Hank Williams Title: Cool Water Lyrics24 All day I've faced the barren waste With out the taste of water... cool, water. Ole Dan and I, with throats burned dry, and souls that cry for water... cool, clear water. The nights are cool and I'm a fool. Each star's a pool of water... cool, clear water. And with the dawn I'll wake and yawn and carry on to water... cool, clear water. The shadows sway and seem to say Tonight we pray for water.... cool, clear water And way up there He'll hear our prayer and show us where there's water... cool, clear water. Keep a-movin' Dan. Don't you listen to him Dan. He's the devil, not a man. He spreads the burnin' sand with water. Say Dan can't you see that big green tree, where the water's runnin' free. It's waiting there for you and me and water.... cool, clear water. Dan's feet are sore he's yearnin' for Just one thing more than water.... cool, clear water. Like me I guess he'd like to rest where there's no quest for water... cool, clear water. Hank Williams was one of Grandpa Frank's favorite singers. I remember the vintage Victrola radio-record player that set in my Grandparent's living room. Grandpa had a collect of records that he had acquired over the years. One of the records I remember him playing was Hank Williams recording of cool water. Grandpa wasn't afraid of technology, in fact, when he farmed he was the first farmer in his are to have a Fordson (Mom gave me this information) tractor.  Grandpa would purchase anything he thought that Grandma wanted or that would make her life easier. For years Grandma used an electric wringer washing machine. When automatic wringerless washers came out, he purchased Grandma one of those. I think the one he purchases was a Westing House, but I'm not sure. He never purchased her an automatic dryer because she wouldn't have used it. Grandma like to hang her clothes outside on the clothes line to dry. Footnotes |
Fiḍál (Grace), 5 Mulk (Dominion) 176 B.E. - Tuesday, February 11, 2020
5 DAY TRUTH or FICTION BLOGGING CHALLENGE Blog Prompt for Day 2 - I've heard it said that truth is stranger than fiction, but is it? Finish the story - It started out as any typical day but then... It started out as any typical day but then Lion slipped out the sliding glass doors onto the enclosed patio. At least, it was supposed to be an enclosed patio. The problem was that there was a small area, at the top--just large enough for a sparrow to enter--that wasn't enclosed. I didn't worry about that area, because I had never seen a sparrow or any type of bird inside the patio screes. Outside, yes, but never inside. It was spring, and birds were singing and flying throughout the backyard. The bird entered the patio through the unenclosed area, and Lion saw the bird. I saw the bird attempting to get out of the patio, so I opened the sliding doors to go out. I didn't look for Lion or any of the cats when I went onto the patio. The bird landed on the patio floor. Lion saw it and lunged for the bird, catching the bird in his mouth. The bird was paralyzed by fear and stopped moving. Since the bird wasn't moving, Lion didn't bit down, he just held the paralyzed bird in his mouth. He looked proudly up at me, as if to say "Mama, look what I caught." "Lion," I said, "drop the bird." Lion opened his mouth, the bird flew one the patio table, and stayed there while I got Lion into the house. After I made sure the sliding glass doors were closed, and all the cats in the house, I turned my attention to the bird. I opened the patio screen door and the bird flew into the backyard. |
Fiḍál (Grace), 5 Mulk (Dominion) 176 B.E. - Tuesday, February 11, 2020 Artist: Chubby Checker Title: The Twist Lyrics25 Come on, baby, let's do the twist Come on, baby, let's do the twist Take me by my little hand and go like this Yeah, twist, baby, baby Twist ooh yeah, just like this Come on, little miss and do the twist My daddy is sleepin' and mama ain't around Yeah, daddy's just sleepin' and mama ain't around We're gonna twisty, twisty, twisty Till we tear the house down Come on and twist, yeah, baby Twist ooh yeah, just like this Come on, little miss and do the twist, yeah Related Yeah, you should see my little sis You should see my, my little sis She really knows how to rock She knows how to twist Come on and twist, yeah, baby Twist ooh yeah, just like this Come on, little miss and do the twist Yeah, that's all rock Yeah, twist on now, twist Check Out Chubby Checker is one of my favorite vocalist. I remember watching him on television, listening to him on the radio, and playing at least one of his records. However, my favorite memory is going to the Showboat, with my mother, and seeing him in person. I'm not sure of the date, I know it was sometime in the late 1990s when my mother was still working at the Showboat. The Showboat had a couple of--what I would call--small lounge rooms on the first floor. They hired singer, who were famous with the Baby Boomer generation. The only thing required of the audience was the purchase of a drink of some type. Mom and I went, we ordered either coffee or hot tea, and set at a table listening to Chubby Checker sing. The songs I remember him singing was The Twist and Let's Twist Again. Mom was in her late 60s or early 70s at the time. She was still working, she work up until the eventually closed that casino-hotel. Anyway Mom enjoyed listening to Chubby Checker as much as I did. Which is one of the reasons I don't buy into the generation labels. I think the generation labels are false and don't apply to real world interactions. Footnotes |
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