The Strong, Silent Voice / Life And Love Are The Same / New Car Show

When evening blisters crimson
And carries life away,
It teaches someone, somewhere,
About Love.

Death teaches that,
The death
Of someone you Love.
Unbearable loss
Teaches us that,
When we feel the Eternal Warmth,
The endlessness of Love,
The infinite emptiness of time,
When we listen
To the Strong, Silent Voice
Of Abiding Love.

Worlds of deep silence
Step Into a void,
Fade into oceans of endlessness.
Then the sound of your heart,
Beating so slow,
To the midnight pace,
Whispers a song,
Alive with Love,
Deep in the shadows
All day long.

Yesterday was a dreaming thing.
I dreamed so deeply
I forgot it was a dream.
So alive it seemed,
Its memories born
Of vibrant, living things,
That played, made me happy,
And lived in wonder,
That never grew weary and died.

And so it seems
I learned a thing,
Death can birth Life.
Life can return
To your heart.
It can live again,
Awaken in you,
Deliver you,
In remembrance of
How precious it has been.

Yes, your heart
Can be reborn,
In a new day,
In a new way,
In death,
In loss.
Even the death
Of a small animal,
A loving companion,
A truly joyful and very good friend.

My friend Kirby’s life,
And death,
Reminds my heart
To forgive the person
Who took her so very far away,
Removed her from my arms,
Stole so many tears from my eyes.

Her precious memory
Reminds me to Love
Every second,
Every sound,
Each silent moment,
Every one,
Every living thing,

To cherish
Every Gift from God.

    Thank You.

“It isn’t easy.
It doesn’t count if it’s easy.
It’s the hardest thing, forgiveness.
Maybe that’s where
Love and Justice
Finally meet.”
– from Angels in America

Life and Love

My friends, today we stand on the eve of destruction of everything God holds precious. Nations stand armed with weapons of total annihilation, against other nations. And we must ask: Is there really any hope? I believe there is. For a Divine Spark resides within each of us. And it is vibrantly alive in us and alive in our children.

     Science is engaging.

The tragic errors of judgment made by the leaders and followers of some, have set societies adrift and in opposition to each other.

Now, with tattered sails of logic, no anchor of common sense and only ill winds to steer their course, they are set to crash upon rocks of horrendous and unimaginable discontent and horror. This nightmare seemingly will go on and on and on, until one day, no one will be able to utter the word, “On”.

Dad is coming to grips with the mad scientist his daughter has become.

Are reasonable people to assume this has no end, but the end? Is Salvation for all never to be realized, countenanced by the Grace of Forgiveness?

Perhaps Bob Dylan was right in his poetic and thought provoking inquiry:

“How many times can a man turn his head,
pretending he just doesn’t see?”

With the tragedy of so much hate living inside us, will Love ever guide us? Are we never to embrace others and circumvent such sad discourse?

There were many strange creatures on the loose at Ripley’s Believe It or Not.

Can we not envision lifting ourselves from this night, upward toward the light of compassion? Are we not made in the Image of God?

In my time over many years, I found so many parents who are supportive and compassionate toward everyone in need. They never denied the assistance requested for others and their children. And I often wondered, if such dynamic love and compassion could ever be harnessed to prevent war. And in my prayers, I wonder if raising a child today, being such a daunting and seemingly impossible undertaking, is closely related to the difficult complexities of achieving world peace? Perhaps.

        Just having fun.

My friends, it is becoming more and more difficult to cope in this world. Every passing day is evidenced by so many children unable to survive what is rapidly evolving into an overly complex and incomprehensible future. We are witnessing a massive and rapidly growing modality of self-destruction. We may no longer be able to fathom a depth of perspective. We have evolved into what is the equivalent of a terminal disease of our society. With drop-out, drug and alcohol addiction and suicide rates so unbelievably high and accelerating, it leads me to ask, Why?

One of our most gifted and prolific poets and writers of song, Neil Diamond, mirrors the question in a lilting and reflective way:

Some people got to laugh.
Some people got to cry.
And some people got to make it through
By never wondering why.

I believe the answers will never come from without. They shall only come from within. No, we will never cognitively know the answers. History has shown that we are not capable of thinking deeply enough to intuit the solutions. Intellectualizing has brought about very poor results. But we can feel compassionately and deeply for others. We can empathize. There are very real answers and they will come only from you and your children, and from deep within. They will come from the heart.

And the creepy costume winner is: Travis

My friends, by the millions our children are not surviving.

The elements of our frighteningly advanced society are placing more and more demands upon the shoulders of our unsuspecting parents. And with technology advancing and accelerating at a pace that is seismic in scope, what shall we expect?

If you want to see the results, just watch the evening news. The plethora of violence and death is stunning. It overwhelms our ability, or that of our children, to even comprehend. We become numb, desensitized, uncaring, because we are just human. We were not created, not designed as human beings, to cope with such.

Is that Dr. A? NO! Maybe in another life!

In a recent visit with a friend about the sad state we are in, I was asked, “And what is Justice?” What is one people, one nation, or even one person, to do about the injustice inflicted by one upon the other? This appears to be the cause of so much of the tragic history, the many wars, we have been in sufferance of.

I reflected many hours upon this question. And, in my final moments one evening, I opened up the New Testament of Jesus Christ. And in that instant it became clear to me that the answer is so evident that it has become obscure.

Jesus, while in agony and unimaginable pain and literally nailed to a bloody Cross, showed us that the highest form of justice that can be revealed is forgiveness. I cannot imagine our failure to forgive others left to their own devices and judgment and placed into a virtual survival modality by circumstance and poor leadership.

I was going to give Rylee a hand. But she already got a new one – in wax.

Today, as we are witness to see how the circle of life will turn, let us behold the fullness of the Grace of God in our judgment of each other. I wait to see whether the courage to be compassionate guides us in our Sacred Mission to uphold the beautiful Ideals to which we aspire or whether we succumb to the innermost frailties of misconception and hate and bigotry and fear.

I ask on behalf of our precious and Sacred children, that we forgive each other, that we forget the past. I ask this knowing full well that it is much to ask. All people, of all nations, of every faith and ever belief, need our deep compassion. They need what has been so absent during a time of greatest need.

Who is that in a brand new 57 Chevy?

My friends, you are a beautiful person of worth. Everyone is a child of God. And what resides deeply imbedded in our hearts needs to be truly admired. It needs to be explored. It needs to be shared.

 In the wisdom of Leo Buscaglia, we find the answer to every question:

“To live in love
is life’s greatest challenge.”

Let us live in Love, or we shall not live at all. Life and Love are one. They are, my friends, the same.

“Let there be peace on earth
And let it begin with me.
Let there be peace on earth
The peace that was meant to be.
With God as our Father
Brothers all are we.
Let me walk with my brother
In perfect harmony.”
                                           – Vince Gill

This is the least afraid I’ve been of you.

Our Trip: The New Car Show

On Friday, Nov. 7, 2014, , we will meet at 10:00 a.m. at  Half-Price Books, located at 475 Sherry Lane, north of Ridgmar Mall –Telephone: 817-732-4111, to purchase reading material to help fulfill our requirement to read, or be read to, for one hour each day. We will then enjoy lunch at a nearby restaurant. Following lunch, we will attend the Tarrant County New Car Show, which begins at 1:00 p.m. at the convention center.

Pick up will be at the MAIN ENTRANCE of the Tarrant County Convention Center (WEST side) at 3:00 p.m. Parents may participate. Please consult with your children regarding appropriate behavior.

So that’s what a black hole looks like. Dr. A said it was the federal budget.

Please Note: Uniform pants with a belt & red monogrammed school shirts are required. PARENTS / NEIGHBORS / FRIENDS, ETC. are always invited to participate on our trips.

FINANCIAL: Ticket Prices – $11 for adults, $5 for senior citizens 65 and older, $5 for children 6 to 12 years old; children 5 and under admitted free. Cash only accepted.

Please provide funds for lunch & a book. Refreshments: Available

I’m the mad scientist who made you. So stop talking about my hair.

Students may NOT leave the bookstore, restaurant or show room at any time, for any reason, including the need use the restroom or secure a ride, without approval.

IMPORTANT DATES
Nov. 14 Civil War Museum (Try to avoid wearing BLUE)
Nov. 24-28 (Mon.–Fri.) Thanksgiving / Fall Break (Yes, we give thanks for the break)
Dec. 3-5 (Wed.-Fri.) Texas A.G.T. Conference (NO school)
Dec. 19 Last Day of Fall Semester
Jan. 23 Fort Worth Stock Show (It was called the FAT stock show. But, Dr. A lost a few pounds.)
April 28 Scarborough Renaissance Festival (Drama Competition play is “Twelfth Night”)
May 21 Last Day of School (visitations to see Dr. A may be made at the cardiac ward as he recovers from the school year)

And you thought I just built boats. (This is Noah)