Writing in Snow

Thankful Thursday: The First Thankful Thursday in March 2018

Istijlál (Majesty), 5 Ayyám-i-Há (The Days of Há) 174 B.E. - Thursday, March 1, 2018

"Praise be to God! —that the Blessed Perfection hath freed the necks from the bonds and fetters and released all from racial attachments by proclaiming, “Ye are all the fruits of one tree and the leaves of one branch.” Be ye kind to the human world, and be ye compassionate to the race of man, deal with the strangers as you deal with the friends, be ye gentle toward the outsiders as you are toward the beloved ones…"

‘Abdu’l-Baha12

On the First Thankful Thursday
in March 2018 I am grateful...

1. ...for the blog "Counsels and Explanations by 'Abdu'l-Baha -- daily readings"3 because the quotes from the writings of 'Abdu'l-Baha give me something to meditation on and inspiration for writing poems.

2. ...that Baha'u'llah, the Blessed Perfection, emphasized the unity of the human race by stating we were the fruits and leaves of the same tree. This statement inspires me to write poetry, and gives me hope that humanity will finally become citizens of Earth.

3. ...for butterflies because each time I see one, I am reminded that my soul is eternal. At the moment of my physical death my soul will be freed from it chrysalis and ascend into the Garden of Paradise.

4. ...that the ‘Alá’(Loftiness), the month of the fast, begins at sunset this evening. Even though, I am too old to fast I enjoy saying the prayer revealed for the Fast. I want to write a poem each day of ‘Alá’ about one of the following divine attributes: Splendor, Glory, Beauty, Grandeur, Light, Mercy, Words, Perfection, Names, Might, Will, Knowledge, Power, Speech, Questions, Honor, Sovereignty, Dominion, and Loftiness.

5. ...for the merit badge sent to me by elusive4lyn sent me.

6. ...that I was able to write "Silent Compassion"  yesterday, because now I only have 51 of the following 52 virtues to write a poem about: assertiveness, caring, cleanliness, commitment, compassion, confidence, consideration, cooperation, courage, courtesy, creativity, detachment, determination, diligence, enthusiasm, excellence, flexibility, forgiveness, friendliness, generosity, gentleness, helpfulness, honesty, honor, humility, idealism, integrity, joyfulness, justice, kindness, love, loyalty, moderation, modesty, orderliness, patience, peacefulness, perseverance, purposefulness, reliability, respect, responsibility, self-discipline, service, tact, thankfulness, tolerance, trust, trustworthiness, truthfulness, understanding, and unity.

7. ...for the telephone call from my sister today. We talked a bit about how she was doing, her cat (who doesn't like her using the phone), and the weather. Thinking about the phone call, I realize that I miss Faye, and, if it were possible, have a better relationship with her. However, I don't plan on moving to Searchlight because it's too difficult to get healthcare there.

8. ...that I have 2,462,470 GPs in my Gift Points account. I need 1,737,030 GPs to purchase as 12-month premium plus membership. My present membership is up on May 5, 2018, if I get the GPs before May, I might go ahead and extend my membership. I'll give it some serious thought over the next couple of months.

9. ...for the inspiration of the series God Speaks Again4 by Kenneth E. Bower, because it gives me ideas for poems, and it helps me to understand more about my chosen religion or spiritual path.

10. ...that I completed the February "Invalid Item" .

Footnotes
1  Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, vol. 1
2  Counsels and Explanations by 'Abdu'l-Baha -- Daily Readings for February 28, 2018.
3  http://counselsandexplanations.blogspot.com/
4  http://bahaiteachings.org/series/god-speaks-again