A poem in honor of the children

Twas 11 days before Christmas, around 9:38
when 20 beautiful children stormed through heaven's gate
their smiles were contagious, their laughter filled the air.
they could hardly believe all the beauty they saw there.

they were filled with such joy, they didn't know what to say.
they remembered nothing of what happened earlier that day.
"where are we ?" asked a little girl, as quiet as a mouse.
"this is heaven." declared a small boy. " we're spending christmas at God's house."

when what to their wondering eyes did appear,
but Jesus, their savior, the children gathered near.
He looked at them and smiled, and they smiled just the same.
then He opened His arms and He called them by name.

and in that moment was joy, that only heaven can bring
those children all flew into the arms of their King
and as they lingered in the warmth of His embrace,
one small girl turned and looked at Jesus' face

and as if He could read all the questions she had
He gently whispered to her, "I'll take care of mom and dad"
then He looked down on earth, the world far below
He saw all of the hurt, the sorrow, and the woe

then He closed His eyes and He outstretched His hand,
"Let My power and presence re-enter this land."
"may this country be delivered from the hands of fools"
"I'm taking back my nation. I'm taking back my schools! "

then He and the children, stood up without a sound.
"come now my children,let me show you around."
excitement filled the space, some skipped and some ran.
all displaying enthusiasm that only a small child can.

and I heard Him proclaim as he walked out of sight.
"in the midst of this darkness,  I AM STILL THE LIGHT ! "

Written by Cameo Smith, Mt Wolf, Pa

Why not agree to disagree and move on ?

As we are flooded by hostility and swimming in the ever widening divide between us, most of us are beginning to  feel the strain. Being politically correct is now taking a toll on us.  Even with close friends I  now use extra care to reinforce our love for each other in spite of our political differences today.



What ever happened to having a difference of opinion and agree upon just that ? Our values are unique to us individually as are our mixed cultures that have melded into our America.

We don't have to agree on everything, but we should be respecting  each other and the spices we each choose to color our own individual lives. They should be part of the tapestry of our America. We are all just a parade through history, going down our crowded streets and it is our differences that makes the parade, by adding color to all of our lives.

We don't have to be Italian to enjoy Italian food or a fisherman to eat fish. Yet, our trend toward a self destructive society is likely to make hash of us . Instead of highlighting what's special in each of us,and that which makes us uniquely who we are.

Why must the values that so many of us hold true be traded or replaced by a new age believing  "their" way is the only right way ?  To be happy is a right belonging to all of us, or at least that's the way it used to be. Why must there be only one path to that goal?


We risk in the end that we will all stand on barren land; absent of each other because we failed to see that inside out we are all the same, and even look like each other's brother.

The night when fiction became real and its horror

When they left for the movie that night they didn't know that the  "Joker" in the movie house was going to be real. He in all his brilliance was led to commit a horrific crime as the fictional "Joker" has been known to do. There was no real Batman to bring him to his knees before he was able to cause the terrible pain of that night on 7/20/2012  in Aurora ,Colorado, USA

Act one was indeed that of true insanity, a scene that left real bleeding hearts, some victims slumped in their seats and others that lie scattered along with their popcorn, and caused the real pain that one could only imagine.

A young couple with an infant in their arms believed they would have a night out before she was due for the next feeding, instead they held her limp body to their broken hearts.  And too, the pain of a six year old son taken so cruelly from his parents.  Many teens helped to drag each other out of the theater as their blood soaked lives took a twisted turn, taking their innocence along with it. Families and friends then spent the night outside of the theater sobbing as they awaited the final and worse pain that indeed their loved ones were part of this horror story,and part of the crime scene being investigated through out the night. So too we sob in our hearts with them for their loss, and we can only pray that they will be comforted in their grief .

Our God wants us to be merciful during these times and to forgive even what seems unforgivable, for us the common man, who among us can muster up the strength to be able to do so at this time ?  Is even the" Joker" in pain too ?

The brilliance of his mind that took him through grad school could have brought so much to all of us as a physician, then suddenly it became one of distortion. Replaced now by a grandiose fictional character of fear and violence instead of the healer he had hoped to be.

In addition to the despair his parents, and friends must feel, he like so many others that are led to these acts of violence; has once again shaken us to our very core.  Another  reality check on just how fragile our minds are. Once again we are reminded that even the brightest among us can drift into the unknown areas of  darkness and despair.

We can only hope and pray that families and friends can intervene in time to save others from the horrors of the troubled mind.

"Joker" Bigstock.com

Holding on and letting go..How do we decide ?

 The fourth of July is here again. But something feels different this year. Gone are the spontaneous celebrations of another summer beginning, another parade and  cook outs that filled our bodies and souls with good food and friends.  Suddenly when we least expect it, life as we knew it has taken a new course.

It seems that we spend most of our time censoring our behavior. Taking on instead political correctness, a behavior that now stunts our enthusiasm, dilutes our spontaneity and for many leaves  us feeling a great void in our hearts.

 As we stumble a while trying to regroup and regain some sibilance of control, we try to separate those heart felt beliefs that we have,  from those that are just part of our present day. There are changes going on in our society over which we have no control, changes that we will most likely have to acquiesce .

We are standing in the middle of a crossroad. Neither here or there, but somewhere in between our present and our future, not unlike everyday is but with a bolder and radical drift away from the solid foundation we have built on in the past. 

"It's a small world after all " rings painfully true and not just a childhood memory from the worlds Fair. Will we ever become stronger because we share our strengths or will we succumb to the greed and jealousy of our human nature ?  We are all here on earth for a very short time and we are merely guests on this blessed land. Outsiders will twist our pictures to fit their albums and we can only pray that we will be recognizable.

It is up to each individual to decide for themselves what values they will hold on to, and what they are willing to let go of in our ever evolving society.  History takes its own journey and ready or not we can travel with it with hopes to see a new light where there was once darkness. Or we can choose to add our own light with our own candles and maybe even light a candle for someone else.

I should have told you yesterday...Memorial Day

With memorial day weekend approaching take the time to tell your family and friends how special they are to you and that you love them. Do not live out your life as if there will always be tomorrows for some this may not be. Feed your family nourishment for both their body and soul. Share pictures and good memories make them part of today.

Whether it be picnics or parades that help you celebrate this holiday remember those who are far from home. Those who spend most of their lives defending our country in far away places.
.

The beaches that our service men find themselves on in foreign countries are always hot, cruel and barren. No picnics or parades. Their wives, lovers or frolicking children are always on their minds. It is those memories from home that help to keep them strong. They think of  their last encounters with loved ones as they lean on crumbled walls holding on to only weapons, they can only pray that they will return home again. As most of us will do, especially on this Memorial Day 2012

" Be the change you want to see"

With an open mind I often search history and find words that the wise have spoken in the past and find that they still apply today and will in all of our tomorrows.  Why reinvent the wheel when it is the same wheel that rolls from the past and into our future ?  Truly the wheels go round and round.

" It's the action, not the fruit of the action that is important. You have to do the right thing. It may not be in your power, may not be in your time, that there will be any fruit.  But that doesn't mean you stop doing the right thing. You may never know what results come from your action. But if you do nothing, there will be no results."

Mahandas Gandhi 1869-1948

In spite of our political differences and changes that history has made we remain the same.
We all live with the unrest at home and around the world. Where lives are used up fighting over land and territory that by the grace of God is only loaned to us, for our brief time on earth.  The discourse in the pursuit of power over Global control has lessened us as a whole. Our strengths could be better used for good in the world. Instead, our greed and lust for power takes from us the peace that we seek.



Just saying by Olivia

People power and purpose with an update

A 76 year old terminally ill former Marine of the Vietnam war, and a father who had hoped to fly to see his daughter who was undergoing surgery,was himself deeply cut. His physician had advised him not to fly at this time because he was ill with esophageal cancer. However, another sad cruel blow was by the airline that refused to reimburse him for the cancellation of his flight.

This Airline failed to take flight and meet the public's expectations of what is considered fairness in the public's eye. They missed a perfect opportunity to win over the public during these hard times and possible would have been rewarded by the flying public.

The social media of today has now harnessed a powerful position in our lives. The power of the people. Although it's not without risk, it can influence users to support those who have been mistreated, ignored, abandoned or who are in need, such as FB's  most recent undertaking listing organ donors.The silent majority is no longer silent and can change many things by saying out loud "listen up."

The airline that flew off and left a retired sick Marine standing alone without a refund, will likely be flying with empty seats as the public expresses their outrage. Sometimes action speaks louder then words.

There is no stronger link of people and purpose then standing hand in hand in our pursuit of good over evil.

As of May 5,2012. The Airlines has reconsidered and will do the right thing.     http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/05/04/spirit-caves-airline-boss-refunds-dying-vet-fare/?test=latestnews

Are we waiting to implode ?

It doesn't take wise men or Solomon to see how we as a nation are coming undone.  As with many "things" we are now a society that is being considered obsolete by those that are creating a new vision and a global world.  Those of us who placed value on our past history and our constitution now see it being rewritten by an evolving culture, one that is influenced by the media,  the money and bitter politics.

It is easy to see the outside forces that believe they have the "goodwill of man" in mind. Global efforts and shifting powers are in play.  As if a game of chess, a plan is always in play. The future is patiently waiting  for a new vision to unfold.

Quiet acquiescence suits some who know where the power lies. Yet our heavy hearts had hoped for a better world for our children. We worked hard and quietly took care of the needy in our neighborhoods.  Every man's accomplishment was cheered on and rewarded with pride and the respect one had earned. We encouraged on going education and planted christian values in our children. We got caught up in the ecumenical movement and respected all faiths and the men who built values for all of us to measure up to. We are aware of our own flaws and do not give up, we will fight for what we cherish.


Yet now, as if unrest is the norm we are being leaned on from the "outside"  toxic irritants at play. In spite of our great steps forward in closing racial and cultural divide, timely divisive pollutants now fill our air. As if a puppet master rules over our powers to be and footman stand by and  stir up the long buried pain of our growth as a civilized country.

We are being stacked against each other now and losing our personal space. How long will it take to implode ? Some in our great nation will continue to fight the uncivil, and the depreciating culture of those trying to destroy values of a proud society.  Growth and positive change can come without "throwing away the baby with the bath water."

We are stronger when we respect each others values and richer when we share them.


We can only hope for divine intervention for the simple man in tears.

A garden of lost children

i>

Daddy said someone took mommy away... And he cried with my brother and me... Hoping she would come home any day... Wanting things like they used to be... Daddy cradled us carefully... In the place we called home... The now burned down halls... Where we cried and we roamed...

I dare you to love us... Your first born child... And the brother I had... Who laughed and smiled...

"You don't look the same daddy... What is so wrong... Where is our mommy... And where is her song?"...

I think I smell gasoline... Why are you so cold...Why is the surprise... The hatchet you hold...

You said that you loved us... But this we do know... Your eyes were so empty... When you hurt us so...

When we go to that space... Where other dead children Are kept in this place... A place between life... And their sad unknown... A garden of lost children... Who are never alone..

Words left in the shifting sands..

After walking the shores in South Jersey, I wondered where my inspiration would come from, then when I least expected it, the sand showed me everything I needed to know. As we are bombarded by the media with incoming messages that all we know is likely to change and not necessarily for the better. I wondered if these words were indeed true, or were they like the small and large sand castles that lined the shores last summer. Many beach lovers, especially the young children with the help of their moms and dads, spent hours creating sand castles. Some, in between eating their hot dogs and drinking their warm soda, actually drew a crowd. A competition began and their castle's took on a life of their own. Each bigger and more uniquely beautiful than the other as the day went on. The rest of us re-lathered with suntan lotion dragged our blankets over to our favorite spots, and watched them until the sun slowly took their spotlight away. Today in the chill of a winter sun, the castles are all gone, having been wiped away by the reality of the season and changing tides. The barren beach is now left with only pock marks where fragments of litter lie and where castles once sat. We wonder about our times and our truths, and because we believe, or not, we do know that new castles will be built by our young when the time is right. And even though we have no control over these things, the seasons will gracefully grant us another chance to enjoy the warmth of summers and to live as if the tides will never come.

"There are two ways of spreading light, be the candle or the mirror that reflects it"

Extreme Makeover was one of the most popular TV programs during the last nine years.

Those who volunteered and those who contributed to its success received the accolades they so deserved.  The final show was in Joplin Missouri where they began the resurrection of a town that was hit by a devastating tornado last summer.

In addition to building and furnishing seven homes in a week. More was being done behind the scenes, the community park was rebuilt and college scholarships were offered to graduating seniors. Massive donations, and corporate support found  ways to begin getting Joplin back on their feet again.

That is the true power of the people.

 There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it * Edith Wharton

Just don't blow it out !

Recycling good thoughts

As the new year is off and running, writers are looking for inspiration again.  Each of us searching for the thought that opens the flood of energy that drives us and keeps us at our laptops. We hunger for words that reach our dormant finger tips and have a mind of their own.

I find myself bored by the mundane and the redundancy in today's political unrest. We are witnessing the subtle indoctrination of our youth,both in our society and in our great halls of education. The language used has been changed to meet and great an idealistic, but unrealistic new world vision. One that has failed in the past, yet it appears we are doomed to repeat.

If we were truly to learn from our mistakes,and to move forward to rights and freedoms for all, our best lessons would be in our history. Yet,it is said, that has been changed to be part of the larger plan, one that is not within our control As if the puppets with strings to the puppeteer.

We are unable to insulate ourselves or our families  from the negative forces we all live with. However, we do have the power as writers to perpetuate the positive things in our culture and be sure that it stays out there and is read .We can recycle the wisdom of the past and make it part of today.We can consider it a calling and make it our own. Such as reminding others of the wise words of George Washington:

"Be courteous to all,be intimate with a few,and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence."