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 ![]() ![]() "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 |
Jalál (Glory), 19 Sharaf (Honor) 176 B.E. - Saturday, January 18, 2020
PROMPT January 18th It’s Show and Tell Day here at the 30DBC! Think of an item that is special to you (it may help if you are able to see your chosen item while you write your entry). Describe it in as much detail as possible. Then, tell us its story. How did it come to be in your life and what makes it important to you? Ever since Thursday, November 29, 2012, (the day my Mother died) I've been learning to let go and downsizing my stuff. It's difficult because I came from a long line of people who keep things for one reason or another. I have a few more things to let go, which will happen in 2020 and 2021 (with most of the stuff anyway). There are a few things I can't let go of, such as the picture of 'Abdu'l-Baha that Mom kept on her night stand and her prayer beads. Prayer Beads Ninety-Five translucent rose pink prayer beads, wait for morning, wait for me to intone "Alláh-u-Abhá!" ==“God the All-Glorious!” Ninety-Five prayer beads-- that originally belonged to my Mother-- anchor my day to Baha'u'llah. I know Mama waits in the Abha Paradise to greet me when I walk through the door to eternal life. |
Istiqlál (Independence), 18 Sharaf (Honor) 176 B.E. - Friday, January 17, 2020
PROMPT January 17th Use the following words in your entry today: tumultuous, navigate, journey, and gargantuan. The city's tumultuous echoes penetrate the walls of sleep sending shock wave across mind and soul. Fearing the gargantuan terror of another sleepless night, the poet's muse takes flight. Following her muse, the poet begins her journey, and navigates bright streets or dark alleyways until she comes to a hidden garden where her muse with metaphors and similes play.. |
Istijlál (Majesty), 17 Sharaf (Honor) 176 B.E. - Thursday, January 16, 2020
PROMPT January 16th What are you waiting for? What Am I Waiting For? This afternoon, I'll be waiting for the RCT paratransit bus to take me to the appointment to see my Kidney Doctor, wait to see the doctor, and again wait for the bus to bring me back home. I'm waiting to make an appointment with my regular doctor for an issue that isn't going away and may or may not be a big problem. I can't make this appoint until after February 1 because I changed plans to a special needs plan with my health insurance company, and that kicks in on February 1. I'm also waiting until February 1 to make a dental appointment because the new (to me) plan will cover part of the cost for my dentures. Waiting Seconds Walk into view Dawdling over minutes Waddling past light curtained portals Seconds Waltz with Minutes beneath Artificial white lights Across bright floors hiding hours that waltz with Seconds Dance down the ages Forgotten by minutes Unremembered by echoing Seconds Beyond Forgotten hours Waiting outside of sight Outside of hope outside of time Beyond |
ʻIdál (Justice), 16 Sharaf (Honor) 176 B.E. - Wednesday, January 15, 2020
PROMPT January 15th Write your entry today about commitment. Committing to an activity, craft, person, way of being, etc. Consider the concepts of diligence, honesty, and responsibility. What does commitment look like to you? Commitment is steadfastness! Moving forward in the path of faith no matter what obstacles lay in your way, no matter what tests or difficulties confront you. Commitment is a spiritual attribute that is composed of four other attributes: steadfastness, diligence, honesty, and responsibility. At different times in my life, I have been confronted by obstacles and difficulties that test each of these attributes. Once I pass one test, I am confronted with another. If I do not pass a test, I am confront with the test again until I pass it. Life on the material plane is one test after another each focusing on developing spiritual attribute through commitment and stadfastness. |
Fiḍál (Grace), 15 Sharaf (Honor) 176 B.E. - Tuesday, January 14, 2020
PROMPT January 14th Write about a time when you made a wrong assumption. Did you realize your mistake right away, or did someone tell you later? What did you learn from your mistake? I'm not sure, but I think I made one last night. I'll know one way or the other later today. I attempt not to make assumptions because 99 times out of 100 I'm wrong. The other 1% of the time is usually the results of misscommunication or a missunderstanding. I don't remember anyone ever verbally pointing out that I made an assumption. If someone pointed an assumption out to me, it was probably one of my siblings. I usually find out about the assumption after I make it. |
Kamál (Perfection), 14 Sharaf (Honor) 176 B.E. - Monday, January 13, 2020
PROMPT January 13th In your entry today, write about games! Board games, video games, card games, sports games, mind games, etc... Share a memorable story. ![]() ![]() The games I've played are numerous and varied. The most memorable and enjoyable were Candy Land, Monopoly, and Dungeons and Dragons. I also think I had a game of Dark Tower once, which I gave to my brother and his wife some time in the last century. The other games got lost in the numerous moves I've made since High School. When I played Dungeons and Dragons, I a reporter did a story on the game for the RJ Sunday insert. I don't know what happened to my copy; it probably got lost in the moves I've made since coming to Las Vegas. I've lost a lot of things in all the moves I've made. Somethings I regret losing and other things are just stuff that was in my life for a while, and passed on to whoever found them. Life is a game of acquisition and forfeiture, of attachment and detachment, of fulfilling desires and learning to let go. The only games I play anymore are online single player games. I play solitaire games, which I use as a reward from completing writing projects or some other goal. The games I prefer are 247 Solitaire ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Jamál (Beauty), 13 Sharaf (Honor) 176 B.E. - Sunday, January 12, 2020
PROMPT January 12th Describe a time when you exhibited bravery. *Shield1* Bravery is getting out of bed on a cold winter morning when the arthritis in my knees and hips urges me to remain beneath the warm covers. Bravery is Googling my symptoms before making a doctor's appointment. When I was young, bravery was going to school everyday and facing the bullies or overcoming trypanophobia, but as I grew older I found myself redefining bravery on a personal level. In my middle years, bravery was overcoming Arachnophobia, driving to work, or cooking a twenty pound turkey in a microwave oven because the regular oven didn't work. Now-- at 73 going on 74-- bravery is dealing with the pain of everyday life. |
Jalál (Glory), 12 Sharaf (Honor) 176 B.E. - Saturday, January 11, 2020
PROMPT January 11th Do you tend to be skeptical or trusting when meeting new people? Is your first impression of someone generally accurate, or does their true character surprise you? Am I skeptical about people when I first meet them? Yes. No. Maybe. I know that is an ambiguous answer, which requires explanation. The answer depends on three things: (1) my gut (intuition) about the person, (2) who introduces me, and (3) where I meet them. There are certain things that raise red flags on my first encounter with a person. First, expressing prejudice about anyone. Second, presuming that if I look like them (same color of skin) I think the same way they do. Third, using the f-word or some other curse word in the first few sentences. Fourth, telling me I'm going to hell because I don't believe the way they do. Fifth, attempting to convince me I'm wrong without listening to why I believe the way I do. Are my first impression of people generally accurate? Sometimes yes. Sometimes no. Most of the time, I'm willing to give the person a second chance. The second change depends on my intuition, where we meet again, and who is with me or the other person. If a red flag is raised on the first encounter, the second encounter has to be in a place that I feel safe meeting them again. While there are some people who believe the three strikes you're out theory, I'm not one of them. As far as I'm concerned, three strikes only counts in a baseball game. Interacting with reals human beings is more like a Dungeons and Dragons game, especially under the present social and political condition. |
Istiqlál (Independence), 11 Sharaf (Honor) 176 B.E. - Friday, January 10, 2020
PROMPT January 10th What are some of the routines you follow in your daily life? Do you typically stick to your routine, or do you prefer more spontaneity? One Day At A Time One day at a time is my daily routine, with spontaneous insomnia sandwiched between. A couple of hours sleep before midnight arrives, check my smartphone, say the midnight prayer, and go back to sleep. Doze for an hour or so, check my smartphone-- its around three something a.m.-- I take my thyroid medication, contemplate the arthritis pain in my knees, listen for odd noises in my apartment or in the neighborhood, and go back to sleep. I am living my life one day at a time, through through routine minutes and spontaneous hours. I read, I write, I review, I meditate, I pray, I do a survey or two, and I Google physical symptoms or just research online-- not necessarily in that order. |
Istijlál (Majesty), 10 Sharaf (Honor) 176 B.E. - Thursday, January 9, 2020
PROMPT January 9th What are some of your favorite foods? Comfort food, ethnic food, meal, beverage, fruit, protein, unique food combination, etc - make us hungry!
What other food do I like? I haven't found any food that I don't like. If there is a food that I haven't tasted, I'll taste it. If I don't like it at first, I presume its an acquired taste and I'll attempt to acquire the taste. |
ʻIdál (Justice), 9 Sharaf (Honor) 176 B.E. - Wednesday, January 8, 2020
PROMPT January 8th Share a story from your childhood when you did something you weren’t supposed to. Did you get caught? One summer afternoon, when my sibling and I were at our grandparents house, we invented a new taste sensation. We spread chocolate syrup on white bread, run water from the kitchen faucet over it and ate it. Grandpa Frank told us to stop and go outside. After Grandpa left the kitchen, we continued to spread chocolate syrup on white bread, but instead of water from the kitchen faucet, we ran water from one of the outdoor faucets. We would go into the kitchen, spread chocolate syrup on bread, and go outside to run the water over it. The taste was interesting, but it made a mess. Grandpa caught onto what we were doing and put a stop to that as well. That is the only thing I can remember that comes close to responding to this prompt. I can't remember which one of the four of us come up with this little game. I suspect it was either one of my brothers or myself. |
Fiḍál (Grace), 8 Sharaf (Honor) 176 B.E. - Tuesday, January 7, 2020
PROMPT January 7th What skill (craft, instrument, sport, art, etc) do you wish you could do but can’t? What’s stopping you from learning? I enjoy listening to music. I enjoy singing along with the singer. I've sang in the shower. As a child, I was in the choir of the Southern Baptist Mission in Blackwell, Oklahoma. I would love to sing on stage, unfortunately I am tone deaf. On the bright side, I can write lyrics or at least poems that appear to be lyrics, so I guess I can do something musical. I just can't sing. Barbra Streisand is one of my favorite female vocalist. Even though, I can't come close to singing like her, I can and do singing along with her. On Sunday, January 5, I went to the Baha'i Center for the January Devotional meeting. One of t he videos that was shown was One God, with Ms. Streisand and I found myself singing along with the video. I don't know if anyone else noticed, and I don't think i t matters if anyone noticed or not. |
Kamál (Perfection), 7 Sharaf (Honor) 176 B.E. - Monday, January 6, 2020
PROMPT January 6th Write about something that makes you squeamish. What is icky, gross, or just plain “yuck!” Is there anything that makes other people shiver with disgust that doesn’t bother you? Spiders sent chills up my spine, and needles are no friend of mine. I have overcome my arachnophobia to a point. I can kill a spider if it invades my spaces or appears on the verge of invading my space. I no longer suffer from trypanophobia, because I know that I'm tougher than the needles. I can thank a polio shot for helping me overcome trypanophobia. When I was in grade school, the lined us up in military style to give the shots. Since both my friend and bullies were watching, I decided I wasn't going to embarrass myself by running from the room screaming, and force the nurses to drag me kicking and screaming. Therefore, I tensed my muscles, closed my eyes, and waiting for the pain of the needle. However, when the nurse tried to give me the shot, I bent the needle. She give me a chance to relax, and gave me the shot. The shot wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I overcome arachnophobia when Mom and I were living in the house on Bracken Avenue. I black widow got into the house, I saw her crawling across the floor, and--since I had Mom and cats to care for--I killed her. I put her body in a small plastic bag, which I placed in a larger bag. I took those out to the garage, put them at the bottom of the trash container, and place more trash on top. I wasn't taking any chance of her coming back to life, and coming after me. The only way I can explain my actions is that I was suffering from a phobia. Anyway neither the spider I killed or her offspring came after me. |
Jamál (Beauty), 6 Sharaf (Honor) 176 B.E. - Sunday, January 5, 2020
PROMPT January 5th What music makes you want to dance? ![]() Over the course of my life, I have danced. I am not crazy about dancing, I will dance if someone ask me, otherwise I prefer to listen to the music and watch other people dance. I am not a wallflower. I am not antisocial. I just do not like to dance, with one exception. The only dance I have every enjoyed or want to dance was The Twist. I prefer music I can sing along to. That could be one reason I like The Twist. I can sing along with it. True it is difficult to sing along with the music while I Twisting. I know Chubby Checkers can sing and dance at the same time. I am not that talented or well balance, or whatever ability you have to have to sing along with the music you are dancing to. |
Jalál (Glory), 5 Sharaf (Honor) 176 B.E. - Saturday, January 4, 2020
PROMPT January 4th What books and/or movies are on your list to read/watch this year? What are your “go to” genres? 2020 Online Reading List My 2020 online reading list consists of (1) items I'm review on writing.com, (2) article posted on BahaiTeachings.org ![]() ![]() 2020 Offline and Smartphone Reading List 1. Hidden Words 2. Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah 3. Prayer and Meditations of Baha'u'llah 4. The Book of Certitude 5. The Most Holy Book. 6. Days of Remembrance 7. Tablets of Baha'u'llah 8. Some Answered Questions 9. Call to Remembrance 10. Tablets of the Lord of Host 11. Baha'i World Faith 12. The Call of the Divine Beloved https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/bahaullah/call-divine-beloved/... 13. Tablet of the Universe https://bahai-library.com/abdulbaha_lawh_aflakiyyih?fbclid=IwAR2ZiR7pspUKqkkNeiZ.... 14. Selections from the writing of the Bab https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/the-bab/selections-writings-ba... |
Istiqlál (Independence), 4 Sharaf (Honor) 176 B.E. - Friday, January 3, 2020
PROMPT January 3rd Make a list of 20 random things (nouns). Try as hard as you can to make each item on your list as unrelated to the other items as possible. If your muse moves you, you’re welcome to add whatever commentary you like. ![]() Three days into 2020, and I'm beginning to dislike January. It isn't January's fault, that it's the beginning of the Gregorian year. I think it's the fault of Pope Gregory or whoever installed the current calendar. In the last decade, January was the month that I had to hustle to make the rent, power bill, and internet bill. This month I've paid the internet bill, and I don't have to worry about the power bill until February. I still have $15.00 to find in order to pay the rent this month. I'm not sure about my financial outlook in February, because I have to set that up in the spread, which I will do after January 15. I've dealt with the spreadsheet. I've dealt with finances all morning, and I can't deal with them any more until later today, when I get the rest of the money to pay the rent. prayer car banana cane snow perseverance shoes coffee mask world theory knowledge love environment loss confusion awareness queen inspection sympathy |
Istijlál (Majesty), 3 Sharaf (Honor) 176 B.E. - Thursday, January 2, 2020
PROMPT January 2nd Yesterday, we looked to the past. Today, we’ll write about the future! (No resolutions, I promise, Robert *Wink* ) 2030 sounds so futuristic, but it’s only ten years away! What do you think the world will be like ten years from now? What inventions do you think we will have by then? What are some changes you think will happen in the world in the next ten years? If we don't do something about climate change and global warming, we're all going to end up on a beach somewhere watching our nations burn. I don't like to be a gloom and doom purveyor, because I'm sure there are other people who can do a much better job of it than I can. However, all our wonderful technology of the past, present, and future isn't going to do a dying planet or a dying race any good. The big problems that we face in 2020 and will face in the near future (2030), are global in nature. These problems can't be solved by individual human beings or individual nations, the solutions to these problems require the cooperation of all nations and of all human beings. The solution to these problems require that we accept humanity as a single species. Color, gender, gender identity, nationality, and religion are all part of the diversity that lends beauty to the human species. So, what do I believe the world will be like in ten years? I believe more people will accept the oneness of humanity. I believe that they will accept the fact that we (humanity) are all responsible for finding and working toward a united solution to the problems facing humanity and the planet. |
ʻIdál (Justice), 2 Sharaf (Honor) 176 B.E. - Wednesday, January 1, 2020
PROMPT January 1st Welcome to 2020! As we start a new decade, take the time in your entry today to look back on the previous decade (2010-2019). Write about some of the major milestones from the past ten years. When you look back on your life over the past decade, what events stand out as most noteworthy and significant? A Decade of Transformation and Change An January 1, 2010, I was living in a house with my mother who was suffering from Alzheimer's disease. On January 1, 2020, I am living in a one-bedroom apartment with a friend, who does the house work and cooks. My mother died on November 29, 2012. I lived in the house, I I affectionately refer to as the "Money Trap", until February of 2014. In 2014, I moved to a studio apartment. A couple of years later I moved to a two-bedroom apartment. In December of 2018, I moved into the one-bedroom apartment.
Since I no longer have a car, I have to take the city bus. Fortunately, the city bus has a paratransit service which I can use because I am disabled to the point of using a walker. So I do get out of the house a little bit, In 2017, I attended the Bicentenary of the Birth of Baha'u'llah. In 2019, I attended the Bicentenary of the Birth of the Bab. I attend devotional services one Sunday a month, and I get my hair cut every few months. My life is interesting (sometimes way too interesting) and good. |
Fiḍál (Grace), 1 Sharaf (Honor) 176 B.E. - Monday, December 31, 2019
DAY 2601: I am looking forward to the next decade because ... I am looking forward to the next decade because, which actually begins in 2021, because it is the centenary of the Ascension of 'Abdu'l-Baha. 'Abdu'l-Baha, the eldest son of Baha'u'llah and His wife Ásíyyih Khánum. 'Abdu'l-Baha3 was born on May 23, 1844 in Tehran. In his early years, 'Abdu'l-Baha spent his life in luxury and living between the family's home in Tehran and country estate. After Baha'u'llah declared his faith in the Bab, 'Abdu'l-Baha and the rest of the family were persecuted and exiled from Iran. Eventually the were sent to the prison city of Akka. After 40 years in prison, 'Abdu'l-Baha was freed as a results of the Young Turks Rebellion. "abdu'l-Baha travel to Europe in August 2011 and after visiting several cities there including Paris and London. After leaving Europe, he sailed for America arriving in New York on April 11, 1912. While in America he made a tour of the country from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and even visited a part of Canada. Prayer for America4 "O Thou kind Lord! This gathering is turning to Thee. These hearts are radiant with Thy love. These minds and spirits are exhilarated by the message of Thy glad-tidings. O God! Let this American democracy become glorious in spiritual degrees even as it has aspired to material degrees, and render this just government victorious. Confirm this revered nation to upraise the standard of the oneness of humanity, to promulgate the Most Great Peace, to become thereby most glorious and praiseworthy among all the nations of the world. O God! This American nation is worthy of Thy favors and is deserving of Thy mercy. Make it precious and near to Thee through Thy bounty and bestowal." ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Footnotes |
Kamál (Perfection), 19 Masáʼil (Questions) 176 B.E. - Monday, December 30, 2019
DAY 2600: At the end of a year, newscast bombard us with the year's bad news. However, there is also good new for any year. Take a look at 50 Pieces of Good News We Got in 2019 ![]() The good news for 2019 was the success of the Bicentenary Celebrations of the Birth of the Bab across the planet. In every country, where there is a National Spiritual Assemble or a Baha'i temple the birth was celebrated through community projects, art projects, and plays. In Las Vegas, the Local Spiritual Assembly produced a play that told the story of the life of the Bab. The below video, which lasts a little over an hour, tells the story of the life of the Bab. It tells the story through the words of those who knew Him and who witnessed His execution in July of 1850. The number of videos that were produced, by Baha'is across the Earth, is so great that it will take me all of 2020, if not longer, to watch. The worldwide celebration lasted 72 hours, 72 hours, one world ![]() |