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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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Jamál (Beauty), 15 Jamál (Beauty) 176 B.E. - Sunday, May 12, 2019 Mother's Day
PROMPT: Write your entry inspired by the word “nurture.” What does it mean to nurture something or someone? How were you nurtured growing up, how are you currently nurtured, and how do you nurture others? Mother's Day: Thoughts on Nurturing Nurturing goes beyond the body to include nurturing of the mind and the soul. Mothers, who are the first instructors of their children, nurture on all three levels--sometime simultaneously. As I found out, when I was taking care of my mother,it isn't always the parent that does the nurturing. My mother suffered from Alzheimer's disease, which stole her mind, memory, and changed her personality. Nurturing Mom became a process of feeding her body and her spirit, while attempting to find a way to nurture her mind. "O ye loving mothers, know ye that in God’s sight, the best of all ways to worship Him is to educate the children and train them in all the perfections of humankind; and no nobler deed than this can be imagined." Abdu’l-Baha3 I don't know how good a job I did nurturing Mom. I'm told I did a good job, but I don't know for sure how good a job I did. Sometimes I think I did a good job, and sometime I think I didn't. The only thing I can do now is wait until my soul ascends, and I meet Mom face to face again. In the mean time, I will say prayers for the progress of her soul. Footnotes |
Jalál (Glory), 14 Jamál (Beauty) 176 B.E. - Saturday, May 11, 2019
PROMPT: Write your entry today from the perspective of an animal. You could choose a pet, a lioness on the hunt, a rhino being pursued by poachers, or any other animal of your choice. I Am The Nightingale I am the nightingale singing in the garden of splendor, intoning my adore for the rose. "Oh, My Beloved, how can I choose to sleep when the fragrance of your hue perfumes the night air with the aroma of dawn." Look at the glorious rose, its rainbow complexions beautify the garden, arouse my affection, and inspire my song. |
Istiqlál (Independence), 13 Jamál (Beauty) 176 B.E. - Friday, May 10, 2019
DAY 1969: Coffee or Tea Surely you drink one or the other know someone who does write about it. Coffee or Tea Grandpa drank coffee, and Grandma drink tea; despite their difference they shared 50 years of wedded bliss.
DAY 2364: Write a poem or short story or blog entry about numbers that have special meaning to you. Special Numbers: Eighteen Eighteen is a multiple of nine! The Bab had eighteen disciples, who he called Letters of the Living. Each of the Letters of the Living searched for the Bab independently and found him without assistance from the others. The Shrine of the Bab is on Mount Carmel in Israel, nine terraces ascend the Mountain to the terraces of the shrine, and nine more terraces ascend from the shrine up to the building that cover the crest of Mount Carmel. |
Istiqlál (Independence), 13 Jamál (Beauty) 176 B.E. - Friday, May 10, 2019
PROMPT: Fact! Today is Sum1  's birthday!   Write something to celebrate the dedicated Head Judge of the "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" .Happy birthday, Sum1 !May your day be filled with a galaxy of fun. Birthdays are special, intended to created good memories and pleasant experiences. In addition to Sum1 birthday,it is Military Spouses Day . |
Istijlál (Majesty), 12 Jamál (Beauty) 176 B.E. - Thursday, May 9, 2019
PROMPT: What is the farthest you've ever been from the place you call "home?" It's the second Thankful Thursday in May 2019, and I'd rather be anywhere except Las Vegas. I'd like to go back to New, which is the farthest away from home I've ever been, or to Mars or any other planet in the known or unknown universe. I'm tired. I didn't get a lot of sleep last night. I haven't gotten much sleep for several weeks. I don't expect to get a decent night's sleep in the foreseeable future. I know what the problem is, we have bedbugs. I'm sleepy. I have bed bugbites all over my body. I could be depressed, but since I'm sleepy I'm not sure about the depression. We've used every home remedy we could think of to get rid of the bedbugs, and none of them have worked. A neighbor is going to purchase something at one of the stores for us to use. It should help because it isn't a home remedy. However, it will be a slow process because according to the information on line it takes a couple of three weeks to get rid of all the damn bugs. Once there are no more bugs we have to reapply it again and again over the next several week. Lack of sleep has begun to effect me physically and emotionally. Th is could be a problem because I have to schedule a wellness exam around the end of May or the beginning of June. Part of the exam is a depression screening, Gait Examination and Cognitive Evaluation. I can tell you right now that, as a results of no sleep, I'm dealing with issues in all three of those areas. Gratitude List Today I am thankful...  ...that I visited New York before the twin towers we l were taken out. ...for the hot coffee and oatmeal raisin cookies this morning. ...for the chocolate milk and cup cakes I had as my morning snack. ...that I was able to request payment from Survey Junkie to my PayPal account because that will help cover a draft that's coming out of my checking account. |
Istijlál (Majesty), 12 Jamál (Beauty) 176 B.E. - Thursday, May 9, 2019
DAY 2363: Use these words in your entry: plow, hearth, care, family, defiant, serenity, and nurse. Tests and difficulties plow the field of the soul: turn the soil of faith. Standing at the hearth of certitude, the defiant seeker falls upon her knees begging forgiveness. In the serenity of meditation, the contrite lover chooses to care for the family of humanity and to nurse it back to health. |
‘Idál (Justice), 11 Jamál (Beauty) 176 B.E. - Wednesday, May 8, 2019
PROMPT: In the future, if space travel became possible, would you want to go? What would most influence your decision whether or not to leave Earth? Exploring the Universe For me, the possibility of space travel isn't and if but a when. Right now, with humanity divided into political and national factions, space travel is an if. However, when humanity realizes that the only way we can survive on this planet is to unite, space travel will become possible and cheaper. When it does become possible, I'll either be much too old or my soul will have passed into the spiritual realm. This thought is a bit depressing because I have dreamed of traveling the universe since I first read Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clark. "...Know thou that every fixed star hath its own planets, and every planet its own creatures, whose number no man can compute." Baha'u'llah4 What would influence me to leave Earth? The opportunity to communicate with other intelligent life forms. Yes, I believe that there are other intelligent and soul possessing creatures in the universe. I have no doubt that humanity, when it begins to explore the universe, will encounter other life forms. Life forms that are both sentient (soul possessing) and non-sentient. Footnotes |
Fiḍál (Grace), 10 Jamál (Beauty) 176 B.E. - Tuesday, May 7, 2019
PROMPT: They say art is subjective. What is art to you? Question About Art: Is Art Subjective This is a question I've never contemplated. Most of the time, I can tell what it is that I like about a piece of art. I suppose that can be considered subjective. Sometime I will see a piece of art I like, but I don't knew what I like about it; however, this is rare. I've seen some pieces of art that I didn't care for, but this is rare. I don't ever remember seeing a piece of art that hated. Is that half moon shaped object on the top of building D at the West Charleston Campus of the Community College of Southern Nevada an owl's aviary, the Cheshire Cat's smile, an avant-garde watermelon slice, a radio telescope, or a cradle for the accumulated knowledge of humanity? |
Kamál (Perfection), 9 Jamál (Beauty) 176 B.E. - Monday, May 6, 2019
PROMPT: Regarding your craft of writing, is there something specific you want to improve on or give more attention? What steps will you take to motivate yourself? On this motivational-blue Monday, I'm drinking my second writing.com travel mug of motivation and attempting to stay awake, or at least not fall asleep in the keyboard. I can feel a depression coming on, and I don't like it because when I'm depressed I can't do anything constructive or even destructive. I'm working on 200 poems dedicated the The Bab,"Bicentenary Poems and Prose" , for the bicentenary of His birth.How do I find motivation? This is a good question, at this point I'm just writing and hoping the motivation comes. I figure if I just keep writing the motivation will come. Of course, if I fall asleep at the keyboard it might be a bit difficult to write. That is if I don't fall asleep at the keyboard.... I go away from this for a bit, and took a nap. The nap helped. I'm still looking for motivation, so I think I'll pretend I found it and push forward the rest of the day. |
Jamál (Beauty ), 8 Jamál (Beauty) 176 B.E. - Sunday, May 5, 2019
PROMPT: Happy Sunday! Take the time in your blog today to reflect on your week. Share one thing you accomplished this week and one thing you hope to accomplish next week. Sunday Reflections I feel the presence of the Holy Spirit, when I read the prayers revealed by The Bab or Baha'u'llah. It's been an interesting week. As usually, interesting weeks are stressful in one way or another. I suppose interesting is better than boring. Most mornings were quite and peaceful, and I managed to sleep through the night, at least, once. I made several blog entries, wrote several poems, and did several surveys I cancelled the one appointment I had because I didn't have the co-pay or money to take the paratransit bus to and from the appointment. My main accomplishments was that I survived. At 72, I'm amazed that--with all the stupid stuff I did in my younger years--that I'm still alive. I'm sure there is a good reason for me to be alive even if I don't know what it is. I suppose that I will eventually find out what it is, although I may have to wait until my soul passes into the next world to find out what it is. What do I want to accomplish in the coming week? I would like to continue to survive. I want to finish poem thirteen of the two-hundred I'm writing to celebrate the Bicentenary of the Birth of the Bab. |
Jalál (Glory), 7 Jamál (Beauty) 176 B.E. - Saturday, May 4, 2019
PROMPT: Stand outside for two minutes. Make a list of ten things you can smell, ten things you can hear, and ten things you can feel. With the exception of people, emergency responders, and cars going the wrong way down a one-way street, it's difficult to find ten of anything. It's Saturday and no one is airing their dirty laundry in the street, so thing appear to be fairly peaceful. Ten Things I Can Smell 1. Coffee. 2. An occasional whiff of Marijuana. It's cool enough for everyone to keep their doors open, so sometimes I detect some odd aromas. 3. Cars that need some work done on their engines or whatever. 4. Some passer by wearing too much perfume. That's the limit of what I can smell. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Ten Things I Can Hear 1. Buzz saw. Some of the property managers are ren0vating the apartments so that they can raise the rent. 2. Music. 3. Gate slamming. 4. Distant train. At least, I think its a train. This is something we hear every Saturday morning. 5. Car door slam. 6. Cars going too fast down Sunrise Avenue. 8. Dogs barking at nothing specific. 9. Traffic noise, either from the express way or Eastern Avenue. I can never tell which direction these noise come from. 10. People talking (not shouting) as the walk toward Eastern Avenue. They could be talking on their smartphones. Ten Things I Can Feel 1. Happy that it's Saturday. 2. Hungry, so I think I'll warm up t he spaghetti in the microwave. 3. Rested. I slept well last night. 4. Worried about my sister who tends to go into deep depressions. 5. Warm. The sun is shining. 9. Curious. Birds keep walking back and forth in front of my apartment, as if they are looking for something or someone. Eventually they go to another apartment and do the same thing. 7. Slight breeze caresses my arms. 8. Irritated at myself because I took my blood pressure pill later than normal. 9. Sneezing because of the olive tree. 10. Impatient because I have work to do. |
Jalál (Glory), 7 Jamál (Beauty) 176 B.E. - Saturday, May 4, 2019
DAY 2358: Use these words in your blog: butterfly, baffle, vivacious, boat, bait, furious, gift, surprise. Saturday Poem Butterfly flutter, as dawn's vivacious echoes scatter night's furious birds. Sol sails his boat of light across the blue lagoon of morning. In verdant valleys, the lovers of light awake, and give thanks for the gift of another day. Intoning the joy of day the children of light bait the hooks of curiosity. Their joyful songs surprise and baffle the creatures of night, who lay concealed in their dark burrows. |
Istiqlál (Independence), 6 Jamál (Beauty) 176 B.E. - Friday, May 3, 2019
PROMPT: Tell us a fact about one of your ancestors. Where does your family come from? How far back can you trace your ancestry?  I'm Scotch, Irish, English, German, and--if the rumor is true--Native American. I haven't traced my ancestors or had a DNA test, so the only information I have is from family. Knowing ones ancestry is fine, as long as it doesn't make an individual feel superior to the rest of the human race because of it. There are advantages and disadvantages of knowing ones genetic heritage. If knowing ones family and DNA heritage is going to make one feel superior to the rest of humanity, the disadvantages outweigh the advantages.  I have my parents and grandparents to thank for my DNA, for my genetic and family heritage. Who I am goes beyond family or genetics. I am a spiritual being having a physical experience. My soul, my spirit, is eternal. My soul will continue to progress in the next world when my body dies and turns to dust. My spiritual family is all humanity, and not just the physical family I was born into.  |
Istijlál (Majesty), 5 Jamál (Beauty) 176 B.E. - Thursday, May 2, 2019
Day 1961: What things in life make you feel at peace? Where Do I Find Peace of Mind? Peace of mind is difficult to find unless you have a view that looks beyond this present darkness. "Hear Me, ye mortal birds! In the Rose Garden of changeless splendor a Flower hath begun to bloom, compared to which every other flower is but a thorn, and before the brightness of Whose glory the very essence of beauty must pale and wither. Arise, therefore, and, with the whole enthusiasm of your hearts, with all the eagerness of your souls, the full fervor of your will, and the concentrated efforts of your entire being, strive to attain the paradise of His presence, and endeavor to inhale the fragrance of the incorruptible Flower." Baha’u’llah5 Where do I find peace of mind? In the sacred scriptures of the Baha'i Faith. In the scriptures revealed by The Bab and Baha'u'llah, I see a world completely different from the one I live in today. Through prayer, reading the scriptures, and meditation, I can look beyond this present chaos to see the vision of a world united in all aspects of life. A world where the different religions are no longer compete for the souls of humanity, but rather are all part of God's plan because each reveals a different stage in the material and spiritual evolution of humankind. DAY 2356: “Where words fail, music speaks.” ~ Hans Christian Andersen Let's talk about music's effect on our craft. Do you agree with Anderson? How much does music influence the words on the page, your thought process? Music Speaks Music speaks to our souls, but we have to be careful about the music we choose to listen to. Listening to uplifting music brings us out of depression, while listening to some of the other types deepens the depression. Footnotes |
Istijlál (Majesty), 5 Jamál (Beauty) 176 B.E. - Thursday, May 2, 2019
PROMPT: Remember bringing something from home for “Show and Tell” at school when we were little? Today, I want you to do the same in your blog. Pick an object that means something to you and describe it. What does it remind you of? How did the object come into your life? Does it bring you comfort? What is the story behind the object? My Mother's Prayer Beads My Mother's prayer beads are a pinkish-rose color. There are 95 beads on the cord. and they are used the chant “Alláh-u-Abhá”6 every morning. I have a string of green prayer beads, which I put away because I use Mom's pray er beads. In 2018, I used Mom's prayer beads one day and mine the next, however, this year I've started using Mom's beads every day.
After Mom died, I considered giving her prayer beads to someone, but I didn't know who. Mom and I are the only Baha'is in my family. I put her beads away and forgot where I put them. When I was cleaning out a desk drawer I found them again. That's when I started using them off and on. Now I've put my prayer beads away (I know where they are), and have decided to use my Mom's prayer beads. Footnotes |
‘Idál (Justice), 4 Jamál (Beauty) 176 B.E. - Wednesday, May 1, 2019
PROMPT: Crazy as it may sound, we are now officially 1/3 of the way through 2019. Write about some of your goals and plans for the remainder of the year. What are you looking forward to? I moved in December 2018, and I'm still attempting to get things straighten, especially my finances. I haven't been sleeping well because of unwanted creatures in my bed. I didn't have this problem until we moved into this apartment. On the bright side, I haven't seen a mouse in this apartment in a little over a month. In addition, a neighbor gave coffeemaker, so I don't have to boil my coffee any more. Plans Finish the group of poems I'm writing to celebrate the bicentenary of the Birth of The Bab. Increase income. Enter "I Write in 2019" Attempt not to overdraft checking account. Review Attempt to remain awake while making a blog entry. Inbox housekeeping.I'm looking forward to attending the Bicentenary Celebration of The Bab. I'm enjoying doing surveys again, possibly because I'm making some money at it. I would be looking forward to a lot more if I could keep awake and not doze on my keyboard. |
‘Idál (Justice), 4 Jamál (Beauty) 176 B.E. - Wednesday, May 1, 2019
Day 1960: Best Day Ever! What was your best day ever? The Best of Days: The Festival of Ridvan These are the best of days! These are the King of Days! These are the days, when Baha'u'llah entered the Garden of Paradise,] and God cast the splendor of all His names on creation.
Day 2355: Happy Beltane.. Happy May Day. It's the halfway point between the spring and summer solstice.. Or if you're down under the half way point between the fall and winter solstice.Time flies when you're having fun. Speaking of fun, let your imagination take you away to some where special. if you could have a place or space anywhere, where would it be and what would it look like. be creative too and represent yourself by showing us your goals once your there. Happy May Day The spirit of May, wearing emeralds in her hair, dances across the Northern Hemisphere perfuming the air with lily-of-the-valley. |
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