Forty Plus Miles

         I dream of the joys of old and wonder, wonder as my inner child soars on some swing set somewhere in a distant past. Pinecones of pine trees greet the aged child now grown up: me, encouraging my worn soul and calling to memory good times then and ones still to be.          I am a fugitive from fear and discouragement. I am the outlaw from failure pursuing a lost joy that I seek to claim, curious as to how the joy of old can be fanned and the flames kept from suffocating to embers flickering in the soul. This is storytime playing out in thoughts and memories of mine. Once upon a time I revelled in the simple heights achieved on some old swing set that carried me to joy in the present. Once upon a time I knew the overwhelming thrill of simply driving my first car by myself. In a galaxy not so far away I delighted in my new wife and the exhilaration of being such a blessed man that she chose me to be her husband. In ...

        "Maybe I can do it.", she thought, looking at the odds, the pressure, the rough road ahead. "Maybe if I just start.", she thought to herself, laughing a little at her overcomplicating it all; then she did. Line after line. Fragmented pictures called dreams arrived clearer in her thoughts, as if they were answering a call for their involvement and she drew them.              Slowly they greeted her on the paper before her, welcome encouragement to a troubled soul: beautiful art in pictures when she answered maybe with can. Sidenote: If any of the writing on this blog has made a good impact on your life in someway (EVEN if it was something you may have enjoyed reading for a particular reason), please feel free to share this blog with someone else who could be blessed also. Thank you for your support!   

         Hidden then not as a way is seen, not a portion but the whole of it, and so I walk confidently toward home. Home is what's familiar (the simple and the complex), where it all comes together and where the worn paths of thoughts most experience with memory are the ones I too experience....only in a more extraordinary way. Let me explain; it’ll make sense. I’ll start at the beginning.            They called me gifted, extraordinary even. I had the memory of an elephant (and I still do), we didn't know how much however, until I was three years old. Watching, listening, and taking it all in was easy and possible the first time every time. It didn’t matter what it was, I only had to remember to actively pay attention (listening when it was spoken, and listening and focusing on what was taking place around me when it was more than just words). When it was displayed in every use of this "superpower", the word “extraordinary” was of...

         It was high, and he was short, still he would try. The tall tree with the delicious reward hanging from it's branches. The boy stretched up and still couldn't quite get there!          He thought about it for a moment as his stomach joined the conversation, contributing with growls, then he looked once more at the winding tree. Beginning again, he climbed the tree this time. One foot then the other. A foothold placed on the bend of the trunk, a hungry grasp finding it's way to the next branch willing to offer aid in his journey. He was reaching for difficult, little by little, until he got it.          Reaching his reward, he was satisfied as he took hold of the pear, then carefully climbed down. Once on the ground he began to enjoy his prize, realizing his "treasure" was more than some tasty food, it was learning how to reach for something better in a better way, more t...

              Dreary and cold was the morning.....for a time. The lingering storms dwelt in me; though the rain was all but gone. Driving and yawning the "cloudy" perspective remained....for a time. Concrete and metal came into view as a business was approached and the clouds remained....for a time.                The work day began (and I with it), setting things in order, slowly until it all began to change.....after a time. After a time of clouds and rain it all changed, a light entered the atmosphere and new grace appeared. After a stormy night (and a dismal morning), Hope beat back despair and faith started to rise, rise in me.                Life isn't perfect, and there are still needs to be met.....but for a time heaviness was lifted, something I'm grateful for. Thank You Jesus; thank You for being that Hope. Sidenote: If any of the writing on this blog has made a g...

From a place of determination,  Running forward with great motivation,  On the lookout for a new way,  Moving with purpose in these actions. Sidenote: If any of the writing on this blog has made a good impact on your life in someway (EVEN if it was something you may have enjoyed reading for a particular reason), please feel free to share this blog with someone else who could be blessed also. Thank you for your support! 

         Upside down and inches from my face there it was, there he was. A cat's face that both annoyed and amused me; I will admit though, a restrained terror was my first response when I woke up. I'm still not used to him.           I'm not a cat person (something I think he uses this to his advantage), and I never have been. I am close to my sister though, and when she was gone I couldn't just let him go. He didn't wanna leave her at first (knowing something was wrong when she didn't wake up), and so I took him since he knew me from frequent visits. I wanted to have closure, I needed it since it was sudden (I think both of us did), and so I took him with me.            He didn't eat much (if any) at first, and then one day that changed. He met me on my bed, fast asleep, waiting patiently until I woke up, and then meowed. He was hungry. I was hungry. We both wanted change that we were hungry for. This fir...

 Finding "fruit" from Friday.  Finding faith from Friday.  Finding fights from Friday.  Fighting forward from Friday. Sidenote: If any of the writing on this blog has made a good impact on your life in someway (EVEN if it was something you may have enjoyed reading for a particular reason), please feel free to share this blog with someone else who could be blessed also. Thank you for your support! 

 Fast, furious, fighting forward from Friday. Sidenote: If any of the writing on this blog has made a good impact on your life in someway (EVEN if it was something you may have enjoyed reading for a particular reason), please feel free to share this blog with someone else who could be blessed also. Thank you for your support! 

Sometimes in these times I know not how to speak. Some days in these ways I reach and come up empty; still I try.  Reaching for words to say words, watching them fly away as birds; still I try. Here I fly. When sometimes, in these times, writing comes easier through rhymes. Sidenote: If any of the writing on this blog has made a good impact on your life in someway (EVEN if it was something you may have enjoyed reading for a particular reason), please feel free to share this blog with someone else who could be blessed also. Thank you for your support! 

I am as a child scribbling words with a crayon, learning how to express myself creatively.  I am some kid learning cursive writing for the first time;  having some time. I am a growing soul learning new ways, through many days, to live and express what I see, learning how to be;  even in days that are busy. This is me; where this tired soul will not stay down, rising time and time again, returning to where I've been, trading in "crayons" for "pens" where I "speak" again. Sidenote: If any of the writing on this blog has made a good impact on your life in someway (EVEN if it was something you may have enjoyed reading for a particular reason), please feel free to share this blog with someone else who could be blessed also. Thank you for your support! 

Back to the basics where it's writing, where it's rhyming,  where it's me climbing up some mountain inside;  and this time I don't hide. Sidenote: If any of the writing on this blog has made a good impact on your life in someway (EVEN if it was something you may have enjoyed reading for a particular reason), please feel free to share this blog with someone else who could be blessed also. Thank you for your support! 

   Normally Hiakus don't rhyme. This is an experiment to see how a rhyming Hiaku would actually work (below). Rhyming timing now, Writing something new somehow, Rhyming timing now. Sidenote: If any of the writing on this blog has made a good impact on your life in someway (EVEN if it was something you may have enjoyed reading for a particular reason), please feel free to share this blog with someone else who could be blessed also. Thank you for your support! 

Midway through the work week on a workday, In between the coming and going today, Daring to hope for better this day, During another busy workday, Letting hope take root as I act and pray, Even here on a busy Wednesday. Sidenote: If any of the writing on this blog has made a good impact on your life in someway (EVEN if it was something you may have enjoyed reading for a particular reason), please feel free to share this blog with someone else who could be blessed also. Thank you for your support! 

This a poetic experiment, one where I'm trying to write an Acrostic poem AND hiakus blended together (I think I need a shorter word for the next example though as the last line was ONLY the FIRST line of a new Hiaku). Tuesday trying here, Under Pressure writing here, Every time climbing; Still I am trying, Doing something new today, Always persistent, Yet I am nervous. Sidenote: If any of the writing on this blog has made a good impact on your life in someway (EVEN if it was something you may have enjoyed reading for a particular reason), please feel free to share this blog with someone else who could be blessed also. Thank you for your support! 

When life seems confusing, Hope becomes difficult to grasp, Even here I'll plant a seed of faith, Never forgetting even mustard seeds change things. Sidenote: If any of the writing on this blog has made a good impact on your life in someway (EVEN if it was something you may have enjoyed reading for a particular reason), please feel free to share this blog with someone else who could be blessed also. Thank you for your support! 

      "I just.", is what the person said. "I just do ____.". I must admit, I am tempted to think this way sometimes too, believe this way also. I am tempted to stay in this type of mindset. "I just do____ .", said the guy as I told him "Thank you.", for what he did, and I called out something specific in what he did; then his outlook suddenly changed.          We as people may not have all the answers (nor are we intended to do the saving work that Jesus Himself can only do), but we all have purpose, meaning, and we do not just do _____. As I consider this, and think about the times I am tempted to believe what I do isn't that significant I too must remember this truth. I know that the world is not about me (and that's okay, it's not supposed to be), but like everyone I don't just do _______, and neither do you. There is a significant thing taking place that you yourself are doing, something that makes Heaven smile, and I believ...

      " Before we run we must learn to walk." . This is a statement we've all heard before, and it's true. We want to master something from the beginning, yet here we trip ourselves up before learning, to do something well.           Sure we wanna "test our limits" and see what we can do (and in some capacity we should), though there's treasure and reward found in small steps taken first. We will get bored in these "small beginnings" and be tempted to give up in the process for sure. "It's not exciting or glamorous! I wanna do more! It's too slow! It's taking too long!", all objections we wrestle with (myself included). Before we run though, we must learn to walk, take small steps in those new, big, and exciting things we want to do well; and remember small or slow isn't boring if it's leading us to greater things (something I must remember also).  Sidenote: If any of the writing on this blog has made a good impact...

 Through new expression there's a story, Having many words in many different ways said, Ready to communicate change honestly, On another journey through exploration, Under pressure heavy still a voice speaks, Going through the trials to express clearly, Having courage to express a life differently. Sidenote: If any of the writing on this blog has made a good impact on your life in someway (EVEN if it was something you may have enjoyed reading for a particular reason), please feel free to share this blog with someone else who could be blessed also. Thank you for your support! 

        "You're not who you used to be.", someone told me in the past year or so, when talking about jobs and the possibility of going back to what I used to do (general labor; mostly factory work). General labor isn't bad, but the old me once thought that was all I could do for income (or in general. No pun intended); that's who I used to be. I'm not who I used to be keeps echoing in my thoughts lately. Who exactly am I now then, besides aged?             I'm one who isn't perfect, doesn't have a wide array of skills, but has more experience. I am one who is willing to try differently, step out boldly. I am the one who can talk with people better than I used to (not perfectly, but less self-consciously). I am one who can empathize, pray for (and with) people, and create different ways to make better impact and better income in better ways. I'm not who I used to be. I can't (and shouldn't) be doing everything the same. Aside from fo...

One written word to change life, Needed steps to empty pressure on a page, Easier the actions are found to write this new way. Sidenote: If any of the writing on this blog has made a good impact on your life in someway (EVEN if it was something you may have enjoyed reading for a particular reason), please feel free to share this blog with someone else who could be blessed also. Thank you for your support! 

 Sunny and warm, Under bright skies, Never forgetting the grace given here, Not neglecting the blessing of rest from storms, Yet remembering those in "stormy" seasons still. Sidenote: If any of the writing on this blog has made a good impact on your life in someway (EVEN if it was something you may have enjoyed reading for a particular reason), please feel free to share this blog with someone else who could be blessed also. Thank you for your support! 

        I heard a submission listing for Acrostic poems, and wondered what they were (along with how to write them). For those unaware (like I was), an Acrostic poem is a poem where the first letter of the first word of each line makes a word when read downward, and this word is the title and topic of the poem. The poem below is one of my attempts. Forty-five years of impact, On and off wondering the level of impact received, Ready to get up again after each knockdown in life, Tenaciously pushing forward through the trials, Yet remembering it's because of Jesus I'm able to. Finding the "wear and tear" as another year is here, Investing in hope despite it all, Very aware of grace given in it all, Every day (good or bad) is given to be a blessing. Sidenote: If any of the writing on this blog has made a good impact on your life in someway (EVEN if it was something you may have enjoyed reading for a particular reason), please feel free to share this blog with someone els...

          What would it look like...if I just wrote, expressed myself with no pressure to publish or write perfect? What would it look like...if I stopped "grinding" every day and simply moved with intentionality? What would love be like....if expectations were to live and not simply be productive? I imagine it would look like these words written here.  Sidenote: If any of the writing on this blog has made a good impact on your life in someway (EVEN if it was something you may have enjoyed reading for a particular reason), please feel free to share this blog with someone else who could be blessed also. Thank you for your support! 

Where I left off here,  using something new this time,  from where I left off. Sidenote: If any of the writing on this blog has made a good impact on your life in someway (EVEN if it was something you may have enjoyed reading for a particular reason), please feel free to share this blog with someone else who could be blessed also. Thank you for your support! 

 Fast and faster still, Always on the move somewhere, Fast is life lately. Sidenote: If any of the writing on this blog has made a good impact on your life in someway (EVEN if it was something you may have enjoyed reading for a particular reason), please feel free to share this blog with someone else who could be blessed also. Thank you for your support! 

Forward marching truck,  bright lights announcing their rush,  passing recklessly. Sidenote: If any of the writing on this blog has made a good impact on your life in someway (EVEN if it was something you may have enjoyed reading for a particular reason), please feel free to share this blog with someone else who could be blessed also. Thank you for your support! 

     At a place today, I encountered a dog that was kinder this time than in other times (though still jittery). This writing exercise (below) is my attempt to write that out in Hiaku form). A Dog A dog once angry, Now surprisingly kind here; A dog still afraid. Sidenote: If any of the writing on this blog has made a good impact on your life in someway (EVEN if it was something you may have enjoyed reading for a particular reason), please feel free to share this blog with someone else who could be blessed also. Thank you for your support! 

      I'd see, under the gray blankets called skies, surrounded by metal and concrete: "Let There Be Light". Written plain as day upon some license plate holder parked at a gasoline buffet. "Let there be light", I'd think, pondering the dark stalemate of creativity felt today. Let there be a shining way through the darkness of a difficult day, where burdened souls like mine need healthy ways to express tension....then it appears....the inspiration upon some vehicle as I finish the work day.         Thank You Jesus for inspiration, be the Light in all my days! Sidenote: If any of the writing on this blog has made a good impact on your life in someway (EVEN if it was something you may have enjoyed reading for a particular reason), please feel free to share this blog with someone else who could be blessed also. Thank you for your support! 

Between shifting days, Creating something somehow; something new this time. Between busy days, finding new ways to share, life differently now. Sidenote: If any of the writing on this blog has made a good impact on your life in someway (EVEN if it was something you may have enjoyed reading for a particular reason), please feel free to share this blog with someone else who could be blessed also. Thank you for your support! 

 Slowly writing now. Slowly appearing again, slowly writing here. Sidenote: If any of the writing on this blog has made a good impact on your life in someway (EVEN if it was something you may have enjoyed reading for a particular reason), please feel free to share this blog with someone else who could be blessed also. Thank you for your support!