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 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             ** Image ID #1802740 Unavailable **        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 ![Merit Badge in WDC Soundtrackers
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Kamál (Perfection), 9 ‘Izzat (Might) 176 B.E. - Monday, September 16, 2019
PROMPT: September 16th - Have you ever played a sport? Were you any good? What did you like about it? Why did you stop playing (if you did)? The only sports I ever played was in Junior high (Middle School) in Gym class. I played tennis and soft ball, neither of which I was good at. With the exception of the summer and winter Olympic Games, I don't watch sports on television. I don't attend ball games, unless someone else pays my way, and buys me a hot dog, soda, and any other type of non-alcoholic food and drink they sell. I remember, when I was in Junior high, going to a track meet. We had to go, even if we were participating. A friend of mine broke her wrist, which was the only exciting thing that happened at that track meet. |
Jamál (Beauty), 8 ‘Izzat (Might) 176 B.E. - Su nday, September 15, 2019
PROMPT: September 15th - In 1969, Neil Armstrong first set foot on the moon. Afterward, people commonly complained, “If they can put a man on the moon, why can’t they ______?” How would you finish that statement today? “If they can put a man on the moon, why can’t they stop denying climate change and global warming and accept them as scientific facts?” With the glaciers melting, heat waves in Alaska, and forest fires in South America, there is enough evidence to prove global warming a fact. Look at the hurricanes, which are becoming worse each hurricane season. Look at the evidence, instead of listening to the trolls who deny climate change or any other scientific they don't like. It's time humanity faced reality. If we don't so something now to alleviate the problem, our children or our children's children are going to end up dying on an uninhabitable planet. It's alright to believe in both God and science. God doesn't send a person to hell because they believe scientific evidence. When the Unknowable Spiritual Essence--that we humans call God--created the human race The Essence gave us brains to use, and we are expected to use them to ask questions, search for truth, and come to conclusions without depending on anyone else to tell us what to think. We are living in the twenty-first century. Humanity is on the verge of maturity. If the human species can survive into the twenty-second century, without making Earth so hot or so cold that it's uninhabitable, humankind and the Earth have a glorious future. However, to survive we need to tear down walls--between nations, religions, individuals, etc--rather than building them. We can no longer afford to live in a them and us world because there is only us, humanity. |
Jalál (Glory), 7 ‘Izzat (Might) 176 B.E. - Saturday, September 14, 2019
PROMPT: September 14th - It's said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Describe something that you think is beautiful or attractive that someone else might consider unattractive or ugly. Turned brown by nature's cold kiss one-by-one petals fall to the ground. Once brightly colored blossoms succumb to their inevitable demise, revealing new degree of beauty in their slow transformation from life to death. Brown petals cover the ground keeping still living roots warm as winter takes its toll upon the land. In spring decomposed petals feed another generation of colorful blossoms. |
Istiqlál (Independence), 6 ‘Izzat (Might) 176 B.E. - Friday, September 13, 2019
PROMPT: September 13th - List some of your favorite books/movies and explain why you like them. After posting your entry, go comment on other bloggers' entries with suggestions based on their favorites. What books are my favorite? This is a good question! Most of my reading the past few years has been reviewing on writing.com. In addition, most of my favorite authors are no longer living in the physical realm, they've passed on to the next world and are probably creating in a different medium. In addition, I have difficulty reading small print. If I read online, I can use the zoom function to increase the magnification on the page, which works much better than a magnifying glass. My favorite authors are J.R.R. Tolkien, Arthur C. Clarke, Issac Asimov, Edgar Allan Poe, and H.,P. Lovecraft. |
Istijlál (Majesty), 5 ‘Izzat (Might) 176 B.E. - Thursday, September 12, 2019
PROMPT: September 12th - Have you ever taken writing classes or writing workshops? Here or anywhere else? What are your thoughts on taking them? Writing Workshop Poems I've attended several writing workshops, and found them inspiring, enlightening, and fun. Most of the worships I attended had to do with poetry. Below are two poems that were the results of two different workshops. Writing Poetry: The Compulsion To Write The compulsion to write poetry does not fulfill my body's needs nor sate my desire. When I am in the arms of the Muse food is moldy leftovers, sleep is a discarded lover at the door of my consciousness; shelter is the rusted husk of a topless convertible in an Oklahoma snow storm; and sexual satisfactions is a stale cigarette in the mouth of my libido. Eve Teaches Cain And Abel The Alphabet Adam’s rainbow presence enthralled, captivated and drew me into his embrace; pulled me to the ground beneath trees that … Blossomed and fruited, at the same time, without the seasons of separation between … Connubial bliss interrupted, not by sons arguing at the fire pit but, by the Voice … Descending from the sky; reverberating through the trees; echoing across the garden … Enunciating paradise … Forming the conjunctions of immortality … Giving us a choice between life and death; love and hate; innocence and guilt … How many times had I heard the Voice; it always came in the cool of the day; it always spoke in gentle nurturing tones laced with power and authority; it never told us we were naked … I do not remember being naked in the Garden; do not remember your father being naked before we bit into the … Juicy red succulent sweet tartness of … Knowledge ran down my chin; dripped onto my … Left a scarlet trail of disobedience across the body of my shame … My first taste of animal flesh came on the day we fled the garden; your father killed his first animal that day; for the first time in my life the Voice did not come in the cool of the evening; that … Night we clung together in cold terror of the noises coming from beyond the circle of our fire … Outside the Garden we were alone in the panic of our own thoughts; we had no comforter; we had no succorer; we had no one to turn to but each other; we had only ourselves to blame … Prayer came on the third day of our exile; we camped in a grove of pine trees; we slept on the needle covered ground; it was a simple supplication; we both intoned it at the same time; we spoke it, not to each other but, to the star filled sky; we hoped the Voice would hear and forgive; we hoped the Voice would … Quaver through the pines, as it had quavered through the trees of the Garden … Speak to us as it had spoken in the Garden when it intoned the BE of our creation … Thrush nesting in the pines announced the break of day; their songs preceded the arrival of the Voice from the direction of the dawn; the Voice’s … Undulating sonances washed away our guilt and terror; this time the … Voice spoke to us individually at the same time; it used different words and a different tone with each of us; your father told me later that with him the Voice spoke in tones of power and used words of authority; precisely what it said to him he has never told me … With me it used the tone of a nurturing-lover; it warned me of a new terror; it gave me a new name for fear … Xenophobia: fear of the stranger within myself; fear of the foreigner outside myself; fear of my own duality marked by the choice between opposites … You Abel and you Cain are now of age; this year each of you must sacrifice the first born of the flocks and the first fruit of the fields; your bickering jealousy will only contaminate the offering and separate the family; the choice is now yours; you can choose to obey the commandment to love one another and focus your … Zeal on developing the positive abilities intrinsic to your individual natures, thus contributing to the family’s survival, or you can go your separate ways before your jealousy destroys our family, the choice is yours … |
‘Idál (Justice), 4 ‘Izzat (Might) 176 B.E. - Wednesday, September 11, 2019
PROMPT: September 11th - Write about someone who truly moves/touches/inspires you. Do you know them personally, or admire them from afar? What do they do that makes them special? It is women of faith--female mystic poets, female mystics, the mothers of the Manifestations of God, and women who remained steadfast chosen faith, despite the tests and difficulties they encountered--that inspire me. Táhirih3, the Pure One, the only woman among the Bab's eighteen Letters of the Living, mystic, poet, and martyr for women's rights. Ásíyih Khánum4, wife of Baha'u'llah, titled the mother of Consolation because of her work with the poor before Baha'u'llah's wealth and land was taken away by the government, because he became a Babi. Khadijih Begum5 the wife of the Bab. There are others I could add to this list; however, I'm going to stop here. It is women of faith that inspire me because of the sacrifices they make, and the poetry they write. Footnotes |
Fiḍál (Grace, 3 ‘Izzat (Might) 176 B.E. - Tuesday, September 10, 2019
PROMPT: September 10th - What are some of the weirdest facts you've ever learned? Wow us with your bizarre knowledge! Life is Weird Life is weird, perhaps not all of the time, but some of the lime. Life is weird, so we have to celebrate the weirdness, celebrate the friend who has a pet red legged tarantula and prefers coffee grounds in the bottom of his coffee. Life is weird, and people acquire weird facts that aren't always true: for instance, at one time people didn't eat tomatoes because they thought they were poisonous. |
Kamál (Perfection), 2 ‘Izzat (Might) 176 B.E. - Monday, September 9, 2019
PROMPT: September 9th - What is your favorite storytelling medium, and why? Face-to-face? Movies? Novels? Audiobooks, audioplays? Stage productions? Comics? TV shows? Tweetstorms? Concept albums? Something else? What is my favorite storytelling medium? I've never give this much thought until today. I enjoy reading books, watching movies, comics, stage productions, and some TV shows. I've never listened to a concept album or participated in a tweetstorm. The concept album sounds like it would be interesting, but the tweetstorm doesn't appeal to me. The the three comics I follow regularly are Garfield, BC, and the Wizard of Id. The last stage production I saw was Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. I don't have a proper anti for my television, so I don't watch many TV shows any more. When I do watch television, I prefer science fiction, fantasy, and nature and science documentaries. |
Jamál (Beauty), 1 ‘Izzat (Might) 176 B.E. - Sunday, September 8, 2019 Feast of 'Izzat
PROMPT September 8th - What do you think makes a good leader? Share an example of a good leader from your life (or alternatively, a poor leader who taught you what not to do). What makes a good leader? Someone who is willing to take the responsibility for their actions and will admit when they are wrong or screw up. Someone who leads by examples and can motivate their employees. Someone who knows their own strengths and weaknesses, as well as those of their employees. Someone who shows respect for their employees. |
Jalál (Glory ), 19 Asmá’ (Names) 176 B.E. - Saturday, September 7, 2019
PROMPT September 7th - Reflect on WDC’s 19th Birthday week! I don’t know any other online community that celebrates like we do  What was your favorite activity to participate in? What is the favorite thing you wrote? What is the favorite thing you read? Did you win anything? (or hope to?  ) Tell us!  I had fun. I finally managed tp gave away seven merit badges, which has been my goal for several writing.com birthday.I didn't review as much as I had planned or as much as I did in previous years. However, I did manage to review one item a day. I wrote a poem for "The Random Poetry Contest" titled "Birthday Card With Gifts" . Now that birthday week is past I will focus on other things, such as finishing the poems in "Bicentenary Poems and Prose" and for "Invalid Item" . In addition, I will review at least one item a day or seven a week.I went to Supercuts yesterday and got my hair washed and cut. I know I could have washed my hair myself, but sometime its nice to have someone else wash it. I think I'll start going to Supercuts on Friday. They open at 9:00 am, and I can get a paratransit bus to pick me up about 8:10 am, so that I can get there when they open. Friday is their busy day, so I have to get their early or I have a long wait. |
Istiqlál (Independence), 18 Asmá’ (Names) 176 B.E. - Friday, September 6, 2019
PROMPT September 6th - I have long adored the practice on WDC of memorializing the portfolios of members who have passed away so all their writings remain visible without needing a membership. See: "White Case Memorial" and "Request a Deceased Member Be Memorialized" .Do you hope to be remembered for your writing? What do you think your writings will say about you when you’re gone? Is your WDC portfolio in suitable shape to be memorialized tomorrow if you were no longer around to tend it? I would hope that my family would carry out my wishes and send the necessary information to the The StoryMaster  . I would also hope that they would say a prayer for the depart, to assist my soul in its ascent in the next world. I would like to be remembered for my poetry.Physical death is inevitable. The soul lives on in another form in the spiritual world, with whatever spiritual attributes it has developed while partnered with the body. The problem is preparing for physical death and making sure there is enough money to bury your body. Making sure that your kin don't have to go through your stuff after you die. |
Istijlál (Majesty), 17 Asmá’ (Names) 176 B.E. - Thursday, September 5, 2019
PROMPT September 5th: I spent some time today reading "Writing.Com 101" (a normal Wednesday activity), and found a few entries describing some of the lesser-known features on WDC including the "Sliders Tab" , "Macros" , the "Ideanary" , and "Portfolio Highlighting" . In addition to these tools and features, there are 22 item types available for members to create, but only a handful make up the majority of content on the site. Take a look at the full list here: "Item Types and Their Uses" Is there any item type available to you that you've never created? Any that you've > never read? Any tool or feature on WDC that you haven't tried? Why not? What are the benefits of having these extra features available on a site dedicated to writing? (I have a feeling our restless muses are to blame, but I'd love to hear your thoughts! I've used the Ideanary before, and I like it much better than just looking up a synonym in one of the internet thesauruses. I don't know why I don't use it more often, because when I do use it I feel that my writing is fresher with more choices of synonyms. The only other thing I want to try is the Portfolio Highlighting. That sounds like it would be fun and interesting. |
‘Idál (Justice), 16 Asmá’ (Names) 176 B.E. - Wednesday, September 4, 2019
PROMPT: September 4th - Did you know that WDC keeps track of everyone who views your items? To have a look at your blog’s statistics, open your blog, click the gear icon in the top right, and then click “Statistics.” You can do this for your blog or any other item in your portfolio! In your blog entry today, share anything interesting you found while exploring your blog’s statistics. What is the profile of your average reader? Do you consider your readership when composing a blog entry? Everyone has an “ideal reader,” as Stephen King says. Who is your ideal reader? I learned that some web browsers don't provide referring URL information. At this time that all I learned considering that I'm tired from all the time I spent on the phone doing business, which stressed me to the point that I'm not sure that I can think straight. All that time on the phone also run down the battery and it cut me off before I completed the business. I had to complete that on the landline. I haven't been considering my reader when composing a blog entry. I may start doing that, but not today. Today I'm lucky to be able to compose a coherent blog entry that isn't a rant. I'm upset because for the third time in two months I've had to change my Facebook password because someone from clear across the country attempt to log into my Facebook account. I'll have the check my blog statistics again and look at them a little more closely. I can't do that until next week because this week I'm going to be catching up on what I didn't get done today. |
Fiḍál (Grace), 15 Asmá’ (Names) 176 B.E. - Tuesday, September 3, 2019
PROMPT September 3rd WDC is huge - there's no question about that. No matter how long we've been on the site, there is always more to learn. Today, I'm sending you on a mission with three easy steps: 1.) Go to the Community Newsfeed and comment on the post of a member you do not know. https://www.writing.com/main/newsfeed/community 2.) Go to the Blog Board and comment on a blog you haven't read before. https://www.writing.com/main/list_items/type/blogs 3.) Return to your own blog and share what you learned. In addition, answer this question: How would a life where you regularly stepped outside your comfort zone be different than a life where you never did? What have I learned? I learned a new word, frenetic. Frenetic means energetic, and uncontrolled. I also learned I'm not the only one who stumbles out of bed and to the computer, with a cup. In my case, I think lack of helped the stumbling part. Comfort zones are not intended to be inhabited. They are those little corners that we hide in when we need a break from life's overwhelming moments. A place to regroup and get our thoughts straight. |
Kamál (Perfection), 14 Asmá’ (Names) 176 B.E. - Monday, September 2, 2019
PROMPT September 2nd As you may or may not be aware, in the early days of Writing.Com, SM and SMs hosted in-person Conventions for members! From everything I’ve heard from the site’s veteran members, these get-togethers were beyond memorable and so inspirational. Take a trip to the past by reading this item advertising the 2006 WDC Convention: Writing.Com Convention 2006 . Then, share your thoughts on what a Convention hosted today might look like. Where would it be hosted? How many members could attend? What activities would take place? Who would you want to meet in person? Have fun!I didn't attend the writing.com convention in 2006. In fact the farthest I've been out of las Vegas this century was when I attended my brother's third wedding in 2000, fortunately he's still married to his third wife, which doesn't make my depression any better. I want to cry, and crying because I haven't had a real vacation in 19 years is just as good a reason as any. Instead of getting even more depressed I'm going to suggest a place that a convention could be held today. I thin Las Vegas would be a good place to hold a convention. Las Vegas has experience in dealing with conventions and tourist. It would be expensive, but there are off the Las Vegas Strip hotel that are less expensive. There is more to do here than gamble because we have several interesting museums, Boulder Dam or Hoover Dam, whichever you want to call it, and shows on the Las Vegas Strip that are entertaining. |
Jamál (Beauty}, 13 Asmá’ (Names) 176 B.E. - Sunday, September 1, 2019
PROMPT September 1st Celebrate 19 years of Writing.Com by writing a thank you letter to someone on WDC or a thank you letter to the website itself. Then, visit
Thank You, Writing.com Happy Birthday, Writing.com! I've been a member for 17 years of fun, writing, and joyful tears, and I plan to be around for at least 17 more or until I can no longer use the keyboard. I've changed my skin to one of red poppies, to brighten up my portfolio, I'm looking forward to doing reviews, giving away merit badges, and participating in both the games and the contests.  Writing.comthe most fun you can have will typing on a computer keyboard. |
Jalál (Glory}, 12 Asmá’ (Names) 176 B.E. - Saturday, August 31, 2019
DAY 2481: Write about endings and beginnings. Endings and Beginningss The end of August foretells the beginning of September and the approach of autumn. The autumnal (September) Equinox is the official change of seasons, but Labor Day-- September 2, 2019-- is the official end of summer. It's time to end summer romances and begin autumn love affairs, it's time to close the door on summer dreaming and open the window to autumn planning for the coming winter. |
Istiqlál (Independence}, 11 Asmá’ (Names) 176 B.E. - Friday, August 30, 2019 The Last Friday in August 2019 On the last Friday in August 2019, I contemplate the next 60 days and the poems I need to finish before the Bicentenary of the Birth of the Bab. I have written 110 out of the 200 poems I intend to write before October 29. I have only 90 poems to write in 60 days. If I write 2 poems a day, it will take me 45 days to complete the 200. I suspect there will be days when I won't get two written and there will be other days when I write more than two poems. Poetry is like that, especially when one is writing a series of poem covering the same theme. All I can do is keep reciting the Remover of Difficulties, which helps because when I recite it I find titles. Many of the poem in "Bicentenary Poems and Prose" started with a title. I've found that sometimes a title helps when writing a series of poems on the same theme. Other poems in this book were inspire by the sacred scriptures. |
Istijlál (Majesty}, 10 Asmá’ (Names) 176 B.E. - Thursday, August 29, 2019 There are 61 days until October 29, which is the two hundredth anniversary of the Birth of the Bab. The Las Vegas community will be celebrating on October 26, with a program open to both everyone no matter what their religion. Between now and October 29, I have to finish 92 of the 200 poems I'm writing to celebrate the Bicentenary. One of the things I'll be doing to help inspire the poems is watch the videos created by the Irish Baha'i community. I'm posting the poems in "Bicentenary Poems and Prose" . I'm worried, but not about finishing the poem by October 29. I'm worried about how good the poem are. Most of the poems are either free verse or free style because those forms seem to fit the subjects and themes better then other types of form poem. I'm going to dedicate either Saturday or Sunday exclusively to working on the poems. During the week I surveys, which usually takes longer than what I expect.I'm going to close this entry because I have a couple of things to finish today. |
‘Idál (Justice}, 9 Asmá’ (Names) 176 B.E. - Wednesday, August 28, 2019
Day 2075: "Life is not measured by the breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away." Maya Angelou Do you agree with Maya? Breathless: To The Bab Breathless, I let the Holy Spirit's echoes flow through my mind and penetrate my soul, as I intone the prayers by the Bab,
Day 2474: Begin your blog entry with: On my way home——- On My Way Home On my way home I look out the window of the paratransit bus and I see individual citizens moving through the city. Some ignore the homeless asking for assistance, while others help in the only way they can by giving coins or dollar bills. |
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