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 Footnotes |
I managed to review and send a merit badge today. I hope to keep this up for the next few days. I have a doctor's appointment on Thursday so I don't know what I'll be able to do that day. 4 |
I've managed to post my goals, now I have to work on posting updates. I'm attempting to get into some sort of rhythm. It's going to take me sometime. |
September is the month I plan to do more on WDC. I'll begin with the BCOF prompts on Monday. I'll post more over the next few days. |
I'll have to make a to do list. I have stuff to make up here on writing. Com. I don't know how much l can do before January. I'm hoping to have the financial issues cleared up before the end of September, so that I can remain here. |
Happy Monday! I'm not sure how happy Monday is, but since I haven't shed any tears it isn't a sad Monday. I don't seem to be worried about anything and I posted my goals list. My main goals this week concern posting to my blog. I don't know how I'm going to remain where I am, if I can't find a way to pay the 80% I thought Medicare was supposed to pay. I'll have to deal with that this week. The weird thing is I'm not worried about it right now. Maybe something is in the works I don't know about.88 |
4 Asia 181 B. E. Sometimes we are unable to give thanks because of the difficulties we encounter. At these times we need to look up and outside ourselves. We need to give thanks for being alive or for friends and family. We don't have to be religious or spiritual to give thanks. I believe gratitude scatters the darkness of depression. It helps focus our attention on the joy of life. |
It's Wednesday, August 21, I'm waiting for my phone to charge so that I can make more calls. One call is to that I'm nolonger reasonable for the bill. I'm sure that is going to piss one person off. I can't help that, because I'm probably going to need what money I have coming in to help pay for my stay where I am now. I also have to call the power company and tell them the same thing. I'll call the person who will be pissed off before I call either the power or cable companies. That way she will have some warning. When I came to this facility, I thought my health insurance would take care of everything. I found out today it won't. I'm pissed, but I'm past the crying stage. I'm now in the prayer stage. |
Fidal (Grace), 14 Kamal (Perfection)-August 13, 2024 I'm back to writing short poems. I'll post them as soon as I can. Either in this book or another one. My main goal this week is the Spiritual Newsletter. I step through the gate Into the Garden of Pardise Set beneath the Tree of Life And raise my voice in praise To the Lord of Hosts. As I chant God's Most Great Name I hear my words echoed By the Concourse on High. I walk through the garden But I'm not alone The Glory of God walks beside me Telling me that beyond paradise I'll nolonger roam. |
Jamál (Beauty) 17 Sulṭán (Sovereignty) 180 B.E. - Sunday, February 4, 2024
Don't Complain Complain about the cold, it seems colder. Complain about the heat, it seems hotter. So don't complain, instead be grateful for the warm hoodie or the central air. Word Count: 41 |
Jalál (Glory) 16 Sulṭán (Sovereignty) 180 B.E. - Saturday, February 3, 2024
What Is Meant By Short? Short is relative, depending on the object you are dealing with. A 5' 9" pole is short because you don't want to touch anything with less than a 6' pole. A 300 word blog entry or story is short, while a 1 line poem is considered short. Since this entry covers Andre's definition of short, I'm closing and posting. Word Count: 75 |
Istiqlál (Independence) 15 Sulṭán (Sovereignty) 180 B.E. - Friday, February 2, 2024 Groundhog Day
Day 2996: “Groundhog found fog. New snows and blue toes. Fine and dandy for Valentine candy. Snow spittin'; if you're not mitten-smitten, you'll be frostbitten! By jing-y feels spring-y." The Old Farmer's Almanac Try your hand at a rhyming poem about February. Have fun! It's Groundhog Day in the U.S.A. We're looking forward to beautiful flowers and warm spring showers. So raise your voices in praise for longer and brighter days.
Day 4001: The first Groundhog Day was held, in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania on February 2nd, 1887. Discuss your knowledge of groundhogs or the history behind Groundhog Day or the movie Groundhog Day with Bill Murray. Groundhogs are fat furry rodents of the family Sciuridae and the genus Marmota monax. The most famous groundhog is Punxsutawney Phil, who is apparently descended from a long line of Punxsutawney Phils. Punxsutawney Phil's main talent is weather prediction and his main weakness is fear of shadows. It's this combination that makes him famous across the United States. |
Istijlál (Majesty) 14 Sulṭán (Sovereignty) 180 B.E. - Thursday, February 1, 2024
Prompt 1 of 8: Fashion - Stockings "Your stockings prove your virtues. Be certain they are clean and free of tears." Emilie Autumn Fashion is such a fickle thing. Always something new to purchase. Stocking are a necessity! His should match his...What? Tie or shoes? Is compression stockings required? Only if your feet and legs swell. New stockings make your feet happy! "Lost time is like a run in a stocking. It always gets worse." Anne Morrow Lindbergh Since becoming an adult, I have never wore a pair of stocking that did not eventually get a run in them. Even my compression stocking eventually got runs in them. When I was working as a waitress, I carried a bottle of clear nail polish to prevent the run from getting worse while I was working. The problem with the nail polish solution was taking off the stockings. When the nail polish dried it and the stocking stuck to my legs. Taking the stocking off always made the run worse, but the stocking was ruined anyway. I would have to purchase a new pair, one of which would eventually get a run in it. I always purchased my work stockings in the same style and color, so if one got a run I always had an extra stocking. I wear compression stockings most of time. I prefer the knee highs with open toes. I find the knee highs easier to get on. The open toes are convenient when I go to my podiatrist to have my toe nails cut, because I do not have to take the stockings off. If you wear compression stockings of any type you can find an instructional video on YouTube to show you how to put them on. Also, there is a sock assistance device to help put the stockings on. If you need compression stockings, you should go to a doctor for a prescription. When you go to purchase compression stocking you need to know whether you need moderate compression, 15-20 mmHg, or firm compression, 20-30 mmHg. Word Count: 358 |
Jamál (Beauty) 12 Masáʼil (Questions) 180 B.E. - Sunday, December 24, 2023 I was born on Tuesday, December 24, 1946. Today, Sunday, December 24, 2023, I turned 77, and it started me thinking of past birthdays. Many of those birthdays I didn't enjoy because they occurred on Christmas Eve and didn't feel special. My family Christmas Eve custom was for me to open my birthday presents and my siblings to open one of their Christmas presents. At 77, I'm attempting to let go of past traumas and hurts and allow the wounds on my soul to heal and scar over. |
Istijlál (Majesty) 4 ʻIlm (Knowledge) 180 B.E. - Thursday, October 19, 2023
Prompt 5 of 8: REDS - Scarlet The Martyrs' Rose Scarlet tipped white roses bloom in the Abha Paradise for those who sacrificed their lives for the love of God, The Bab, and Baha'u'llah. Commemorating faith's sacrifice scarlet edged ivory petals glisten in the light of God's new day. Martyrs in the path of love and in the Cause of God, they ascended into the garden of paradise. "O SON OF MAN! Write all that We have revealed unto thee with the ink of light upon the tablet of thy spirit. Should this not be in thy power, then make thine ink of the essence of thy heart. If this thou canst not do, then write with that crimson ink that hath been shed in My path. Sweeter indeed is this to Me than all else, that its light may endure forever." Scarlet is the color of blood, the color of life, the color of faith, the color of love, and the color a sacrifice. All the revealed religions have martyrs who, willingly, shed their blood because of their love for God. For me, scarlet and the deeper shades of red will always remind me that the soul lives forever and that the sacrifices made it the path of God and His Cause are what will be remembered and commemorated. Footnotes |
Idál (Justice), 4 ʻIzzat (Will) 179 B.E. - Wednesday, September 14, 2022
Day 2554: What books are on your Reading List for winter? Winter Reading Right now I'm reading The Summons of the Lord of Hosts: Tablets of Baha'u'llah. I will continue reading this book through out the winter. The planned reading time for this book is morning and evening, when I say my prayers and meditate. Because of the exalted language of the translation, this book can be difficult to read if one does not meditate on the paragraphs. The rest of my reading list concerns a series of articles called The Purpose of the Prophets of God by John Hatcher on Bahaiteaching.org and review of stories and/or poems on writing.com. Right now, that is all the winter reading I have planned. Of course, I could add something else if I finish these before the end of winter. |
Istiqlál (Independence) 11 ʻAẓamat (Grandeur) 179 B.E. - Friday, May 27, 2022 "We faith would hope that the people of Baha may be guided by the blessed words: 'Say: All things are of God.'...By this single utterance contending peoples and kindreds will attain the light of true unity." Baha'u'llah As I contemplate the words "All things are of God." The darkness that spreads across the planet congeals into a deeper darkness. A darkness reminiscence of the Stygian gloom in the Síyáh-Chál, when Baha'u'llah received the news that He was the manifestation of God for the present age, the age of humanity's maturity. When Baha'u'llah received the light of His mission in the Síyáh-Chál, the darkness didn't comprehend it. So it is with the light of unity, as it spreads across the planet. The denizens of hate are so focused on keeping the status quo, that they don't see the light of unity as it breaks about the battle of Armageddon. Soon will the light of divine unity scatter the forces of darkness and unite the planet Earth. |
Istiqlál (Independence), 14 Jalál (Glory) 179 B.E. - Friday, April 22, 2022 Earth Day
Prompt 6 of 8: Water: Storage Plastic and the Pacific Garbage Patch This is Earth Day, the day we're supposed to celebrate the planet of our birth. How can we celebrate a planet we're using as a garbage dump. How can we, at the grass root level, celebrate Earth and Earth Day. Instead of throwing away plastic, we need to recycle it either by reusing the plastic storage container or taking them to be recycled and repurposed. The Pacific Ocean is infected with plastic, and the Atlantic Ocean is probably infested with plastic, humanity is making a plastic garbage dump of some of nature' most beautiful creations. |
Fidal {Grace), 5 Masa'il (Questions) 177 B.E. - Tuesday, December 15, 2020
Day 2950: The best gift I ever received was ______. Why? The best gift I ever received Baha'u'llah is ... The Manifestation of God for today The Return of the Spirit of Christ The Day star of the universe The Pen of the Most High The Speaker on Sinai The Blessed Beauty The King of kings The Fifth Buddha The Most Great Name The Return of Lord Krishna The Founder of the Baha'i Faith The Glory of God Life didn't become easier when I declared my faith in Baha'u'llah, and my acceptance of the three onenesses: (1) the oneness of God, the oneness of religion, and (3) the oneness of humanity. Finding Baha'u'llah answered a number of questions that no one else, including my childhood Sunday school teachers could answer. It also generated more questions, which I can answer by turning to the writings of the Central Figures of the Baha'i Faith. Each revealed prayer and scripture I read helps me to become stronger in my faith and firmer in the Covenant of Baha'u'llah. |