Dear Marianne, I am so sorry to hear of the heavy toll this crazy crusade has taken on your immediate family. You are not alone. Very big hug and much love in this last day of winter.
Oh, Marianne, I am so sorry to hear of your loss. I pray you will have the peace that surpasses understanding. Yes, God's creations are solid and beautiful.
Prayers for you Marianne - so very sorry for your many loses. I have to believe our Creator has us all in the Palm of His/Her Hand. Angels will surround you with GOD's Love ...
Thank you for the beautiful poetry and the kind thoughts. Spring is here, God is in His heaven and the world is under the thumb of evil, grifting , criminals. And yet there are so many good men and women fighting for the good of humanity. I thank God for them.
To Marianne, Abigail, and all others who have born the unspeakable burden wrought by the Great Lie,
Shame on me as I sit here at 4 a.m., bemoaning another sleepless night, one of many symptoms in my V.I. cluster. I was jolted back into perspective by your posts. I am truly sorry for your loss. Commiseration trumps elaboration for this normally loquacious writer. As another said, you are not alone.
Thank you for the lovely thoughts of spring. I am now in the south as well and the trees are full of blossoms. The red buds are my favorite tho they're not really red but a beautiful shade of pink. We had hermit thrushes up north, my favorite songbird and if the wood thrush sings as incredibly then enjoy it for me. All the continuing devastation is making it increasingly difficult for me to even want to keep up w it anymore. Feels like a neverending nightmare. Spring needs to be longer. 🌷
Thank you gentlemen, I feel like a soldier in the American Revolution , listening to the guidance of the SANE doctors and few people who have the deplorables back(Warroom)... WE MUST BAND TOGETHER..and NEVER give up for this great USA...enjoy the longer days and Happy Spring. I knew you where right from the beginning of 2020...
Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing. -Luke 23:34
Poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said, “If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find in each man’s life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility.” Longfellow’s words are an important reminder that every person has a context—a story. There were events that contributed to shaping them into the people they’ve become and that impact our encounters with them. We know our own history of joy and pain, success and struggle. And we need to recognize that others have their own life-shaping history as well.
Easter:Day4 Daily Bread
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
@Ed Quinn I am with you as it’s almost 5 am. Up since 3.
I struggle with the whole mess as I read the stories of losing loved ones - we clearly are at war. I hope that I could find forgiveness in my heart. This devotional is really convicting me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Daily Bread continues:
When Jesus hung on the cross, the events swirling around Him involved people who also had stories. Soldiers made brutal by years of combat, religionists hardened by years of trying to obey the law, crowds desperate for rescue but without real hope. None of that excused their hate-filled actions, but it may help to explain why Christ showed them mercy when He cried from the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).
While never condoning or excusing the pain that people inflict on one another, we can learn to appropriately show mercy when we understand that there’s a secret history behind the pain people cause. After all, as Jesus said, even our heavenly Father “is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked” (6:35).
Bill Crowder
How could you remind yourself to give people the benefit of the doubt? What difference would this make in the way you view or interact with them?
Father, thank You for the mercy You’ve shown me for all the wrongs of my life and the gift of forgiveness offered at the cross. Give me a heart of forgiveness and mercy toward those who wrong me.
My favorite by Robert Frost - yet more of a chime for the days to come - is Fire & Ice:
Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.
Being of a vindictive inclination, I do hope that this one ends in fire, and that all the dark sociopaths responsible for these crimes, together with their bastard facilitators, burn in the fires of hell. May God help them to find their way for the sizzling summer season...
Thank you for that, Jennifer. Makes me feel more tolerant of my own anger. I don't desire their deaths, nor do I desire gratuitous pain and torment. I simply want them arrested, convicted, and imprisoned. Most of all, I want them shamed. It's the one thing we never see from them. They lie so easily, and when caught, there is no shame at all!. Where oh where is their God given shame? In this regard, they seem not to be entirely human.
It is important to stay positive and as you say, enjoy the beauty all around us ... and as your seasons switch from winter to spring , the exact opposite is happening down under. Damn winter is on its way
Been watching weather drama over the west, SD Badlands/Mt. Rushmore area and plains in the country and you've all had TONS more than the Middle of the Midwest south of all the Great Lakes. Is CO-O-LD right now; but NO SNOW. Could be some over the weekend.
Posies for us are at least a month away; although the green of the Crocus is peaking-out of the dirt. IT'S MOST DEFINITELY GOING TO BE COMING TO S.D soon. Hang-In There, Mary. 🙋🏻♀️🙏🏻
You mentioned your sense of "great and dreadful uncertainty hovering on the horizon." I'm not perceiving it on the horizon. We always live in uncertainty. I think we have been matured to see more of the evil that has probably always gone on, often more behind the scenes, though, and more often, in other parts of the world. There is good and bad in our newfound ability to pull back the curtain. I am grateful for not having had to experienced the depth of this evil in my country before now, and I hurt for the people in the world who probably live it every day. God gave each of us the gift of "Free Will" when we were formed in our mother's womb. As we passed young childhood, we became responsible for our freely-made choices. God wants us to Choose, ourselves, to love him and others. Harari says we don't need Free Will any longer. You can tell that he knows what Free Will means, though, so that doesn't bode well for him.
Agree completely concerning evil. I used to hate that word. It seemed drenched in religiosity and a kind of judgmental certainty that also bothered me. Now it feels entirely appropriate. I had no idea there were so many bad people in the world. So yes, in a way I'm glad to have had my eyes opened a bit more as to the nature of reality. I don't have any belief in God that I can hold onto. I just hope the universe has some mechanism whereby good and evil can be discerned , and thereby have some meaning. Otherwise, all is lost.
That's the thing, Al. You can hold onto your *hope that there's a God. That hope will sustain you.
We may or may not see the discernment of good and evil, ourselves, in our lifetime, but with all the beauty and wonderment in this world, it can only have been created by good.
When I turned on our big screen TV for the first time in two years, it wasn’t working. The Mrs. said “let’s just get rid of it.” Wait. Can we DO that? Is it legal? When I carted it to the recycling center, there was another one already there to keep it company.
I like the Robert Frost, “A Prayer in Spring”. This is off-topic. It reminds me how, some time ago a friend said to another Colchester friend, what did you do today? Answer: 'I took my mum on a tour of Colchester roundabouts.' Reason: we have a lot of roundabouts and at this time of year they are abundant with daffodils.
Thank you for your thoughts, it has been a blessing in that all is being revealed and God will be the judge of all
I have 2 dead sisters due to the Jab and a dead son and a dear friend
We must keep in prayer and certainly appreciate God's creation which never fails
Dear Marianne, I am so sorry to hear of the heavy toll this crazy crusade has taken on your immediate family. You are not alone. Very big hug and much love in this last day of winter.
Same here Ms. Marianne. My beloved from it in sep. :(
I'm so sorry for your loss, Abigail.
I so admire your attitude & faith in the face of such devastation.
Oh, Marianne, I am so sorry to hear of your loss. I pray you will have the peace that surpasses understanding. Yes, God's creations are solid and beautiful.
It is a good time to focus on them.
I am so sorry for your losses. May God bring you some peace and solice. 🙏
Prayers for you Marianne - so very sorry for your many loses. I have to believe our Creator has us all in the Palm of His/Her Hand. Angels will surround you with GOD's Love ...
Truly God will be the judge of all! May He comfort you as you deal with the loss of so many.
Thank you for the beautiful poetry and the kind thoughts. Spring is here, God is in His heaven and the world is under the thumb of evil, grifting , criminals. And yet there are so many good men and women fighting for the good of humanity. I thank God for them.
Loveliest of Trees
by A. E. Housman
Loveliest of trees, the cherry now
Is hung with bloom along the bough,
And stands about the woodland ride
Wearing white for Eastertide.
Now, of my threescore years and ten,
Twenty will not come again,
And take from seventy springs a score,
It only leaves me fifty more.
And since to look at things in bloom
Fifty springs are little room,
About the woodlands I will go
To see the cherry hung with snow.
Awe... so beautiful... All is possible with our universal consciousness in mindful ways.
Happy Spring to you both, and to all who subscribe to this Substack. May this be a beautiful season for you all
Thank you, same
To Marianne, Abigail, and all others who have born the unspeakable burden wrought by the Great Lie,
Shame on me as I sit here at 4 a.m., bemoaning another sleepless night, one of many symptoms in my V.I. cluster. I was jolted back into perspective by your posts. I am truly sorry for your loss. Commiseration trumps elaboration for this normally loquacious writer. As another said, you are not alone.
The pain is great - hopefully everyone can maintain perspective in light of this. Carpets of wildflowers here on the icy tundra of Tennessee.
Sounds beautiful.
Thanks it can be. Some of the early mornings with ice glittering on the flowers. Spring not cooperating this year.
The seasons aren't the only things not acting right this year.
Nope not at all! I think this is a great understatement.
Thank You for your service given for the benefit of the many.
Thank you for the lovely thoughts of spring. I am now in the south as well and the trees are full of blossoms. The red buds are my favorite tho they're not really red but a beautiful shade of pink. We had hermit thrushes up north, my favorite songbird and if the wood thrush sings as incredibly then enjoy it for me. All the continuing devastation is making it increasingly difficult for me to even want to keep up w it anymore. Feels like a neverending nightmare. Spring needs to be longer. 🌷
Thank you gentlemen, I feel like a soldier in the American Revolution , listening to the guidance of the SANE doctors and few people who have the deplorables back(Warroom)... WE MUST BAND TOGETHER..and NEVER give up for this great USA...enjoy the longer days and Happy Spring. I knew you where right from the beginning of 2020...
Secret History
Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing. -Luke 23:34
Poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said, “If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find in each man’s life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility.” Longfellow’s words are an important reminder that every person has a context—a story. There were events that contributed to shaping them into the people they’ve become and that impact our encounters with them. We know our own history of joy and pain, success and struggle. And we need to recognize that others have their own life-shaping history as well.
Easter:Day4 Daily Bread
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
@Ed Quinn I am with you as it’s almost 5 am. Up since 3.
I struggle with the whole mess as I read the stories of losing loved ones - we clearly are at war. I hope that I could find forgiveness in my heart. This devotional is really convicting me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Daily Bread continues:
When Jesus hung on the cross, the events swirling around Him involved people who also had stories. Soldiers made brutal by years of combat, religionists hardened by years of trying to obey the law, crowds desperate for rescue but without real hope. None of that excused their hate-filled actions, but it may help to explain why Christ showed them mercy when He cried from the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).
While never condoning or excusing the pain that people inflict on one another, we can learn to appropriately show mercy when we understand that there’s a secret history behind the pain people cause. After all, as Jesus said, even our heavenly Father “is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked” (6:35).
Bill Crowder
How could you remind yourself to give people the benefit of the doubt? What difference would this make in the way you view or interact with them?
Father, thank You for the mercy You’ve shown me for all the wrongs of my life and the gift of forgiveness offered at the cross. Give me a heart of forgiveness and mercy toward those who wrong me.
My favorite by Robert Frost - yet more of a chime for the days to come - is Fire & Ice:
Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.
Being of a vindictive inclination, I do hope that this one ends in fire, and that all the dark sociopaths responsible for these crimes, together with their bastard facilitators, burn in the fires of hell. May God help them to find their way for the sizzling summer season...
You are not being vindictive. You simply want justice for hardened criminals. God will ultimately decide, but how you feel is understandable.
Thank you for that, Jennifer. Makes me feel more tolerant of my own anger. I don't desire their deaths, nor do I desire gratuitous pain and torment. I simply want them arrested, convicted, and imprisoned. Most of all, I want them shamed. It's the one thing we never see from them. They lie so easily, and when caught, there is no shame at all!. Where oh where is their God given shame? In this regard, they seem not to be entirely human.
It is important to stay positive and as you say, enjoy the beauty all around us ... and as your seasons switch from winter to spring , the exact opposite is happening down under. Damn winter is on its way
Must be in the South...Won't be any Dogwoods or Tulips blossoming here for weeks...
Glad to hear the blooms marking Spring to be coming though.
Same. Mid-Atlantic. We have daffodils and grape hyacinths a-plenty so far.
So Lucky...Son is in NC Raleigh area and he's reporting the same news just yesterday. Mid Atlantic so lovely this time of year.
Same here...our eastern South Dakota “spring” remains snoozing under a few feet of snow with more on the way.
Really?
Been watching weather drama over the west, SD Badlands/Mt. Rushmore area and plains in the country and you've all had TONS more than the Middle of the Midwest south of all the Great Lakes. Is CO-O-LD right now; but NO SNOW. Could be some over the weekend.
Posies for us are at least a month away; although the green of the Crocus is peaking-out of the dirt. IT'S MOST DEFINITELY GOING TO BE COMING TO S.D soon. Hang-In There, Mary. 🙋🏻♀️🙏🏻
John Leake
You mentioned your sense of "great and dreadful uncertainty hovering on the horizon." I'm not perceiving it on the horizon. We always live in uncertainty. I think we have been matured to see more of the evil that has probably always gone on, often more behind the scenes, though, and more often, in other parts of the world. There is good and bad in our newfound ability to pull back the curtain. I am grateful for not having had to experienced the depth of this evil in my country before now, and I hurt for the people in the world who probably live it every day. God gave each of us the gift of "Free Will" when we were formed in our mother's womb. As we passed young childhood, we became responsible for our freely-made choices. God wants us to Choose, ourselves, to love him and others. Harari says we don't need Free Will any longer. You can tell that he knows what Free Will means, though, so that doesn't bode well for him.
Agree completely concerning evil. I used to hate that word. It seemed drenched in religiosity and a kind of judgmental certainty that also bothered me. Now it feels entirely appropriate. I had no idea there were so many bad people in the world. So yes, in a way I'm glad to have had my eyes opened a bit more as to the nature of reality. I don't have any belief in God that I can hold onto. I just hope the universe has some mechanism whereby good and evil can be discerned , and thereby have some meaning. Otherwise, all is lost.
That's the thing, Al. You can hold onto your *hope that there's a God. That hope will sustain you.
We may or may not see the discernment of good and evil, ourselves, in our lifetime, but with all the beauty and wonderment in this world, it can only have been created by good.
Thank you for this beautiful piece.
When I turned on our big screen TV for the first time in two years, it wasn’t working. The Mrs. said “let’s just get rid of it.” Wait. Can we DO that? Is it legal? When I carted it to the recycling center, there was another one already there to keep it company.
The crocuses are up!
Cheers! Dumping the TV was one of the best things I ever did.
Good for you, Mr. Flynn. Score one for the alive, the awake, the aware.
and, Thank You!, John Leake and Dr. McCullough.
I like the Robert Frost, “A Prayer in Spring”. This is off-topic. It reminds me how, some time ago a friend said to another Colchester friend, what did you do today? Answer: 'I took my mum on a tour of Colchester roundabouts.' Reason: we have a lot of roundabouts and at this time of year they are abundant with daffodils.