Miss You, Dad.....

today has been one of those days but not quite.  something was different.  sometimes i'm all fired up and know just what to do but today was different...just uncertain what project to start or finish...it was more like an out of body (OBE) experience.  yes, i've had those too.  felt disconnected, dislocated, distant.  something was pulling me in all directions, distracting me.  couldn't get my act together.  didn't want to get my act together.  started a project and then got lost doing something else.  felt befuddled, bewildered, confused and had an i don't care attitude that isn't me.  the weather is not helping.  i think it's depressing me.  this brutal, relentless heat is making me feel helpless.  the more i water, the more the plants die.  i think because it's so hot that even watering is not helping as the intense heat is just plain drying out, killing the vegetation.  been thinkin of Dad.  He's been gone over 6 years now.  remember when he was making the long commute back and forth between Boston and home (Northeastern University) to get his BA.  it took awhile but he was determined to make a better life for us all.  we would have to shovel the driveway so he was able to drive the ole jalopy up to the house.  the snow was over our head.  if you ain't used to New England winters you don't know what you be missin.  we had on woolen mittens, snow caps, coats, scarves and the old boots with the metal latches up the front.  i sure am agein myself ain't i?  when we did finish, we had chill blains from the cold, and the snott was frozen to our faces.  we would quickly come into the house, lay our mittens on top of the cast iron radiator in the living room, huddle together, to get warm.  Mom would have hot cocoa waiting for us.  Dad did visit me, though, a short while back, while I was standing at the sink, doing dishes.  Have the date down but don't remember it at the moment.  Just as easily as i'm typing this, he was there, standing right by my side.  i couldn't see him but definitely could feel him.  I turned toward him.  My husband was watching me as i stood there speaking to vacant space.  (he's used to this) yet i knew Dad was right there in front of me.  i could sense him but could not see him. he took me by surprise, this visit from him, as his appearance was so quick.  i immediately picked up that he was just passing through and wanted to check in on me. I talked with him for a few minutes and thought for a moment, wondering if he had anything for me...then i felt that he gave me the answer.  i asked him, "would you like me to bring your WWII cap down?"  His answer, a surprising "yes."  So I went upstairs, found it, brushed it off and came down.  I asked him, "Dad, where would you like this?"   After a few moments, I felt certain he wanted me to place it right on top of the windowsill above the sink.  Then, each time i came down every morning, his cap would be right there, greeting me.  I turned and looked at the space he was occupying..."is this okay" I asked?"  i felt him say, "yes."  then, in a few moments he started to leave.  i could feel him go.  "Dad, thank you for coming by to check in on me".  I told him i loved him and missed him.  And then he was gone.

I've had other experiences like this.  if you'd like to know about them, email me. 

Even with life's squared finiteness, I know there are other realms because i've experienced them, many times.

I am convinced that each and every one of us is here, not by accident, but by design.   

We each are assigned our own personal timetable in which to accomplish and learn things, get over bad habits, etc. and learn positive, good things.  try to get rid of the old ways and put on the new.

And each one of us has an obligation (some haven't caught on to this yet) to try and pass what we learn on to others; whether they be a bad to the bone individual or a good one. 

some will listen, comprehend and choose to integrate these lessons into their lives.  some will not. 

but we have to keep trying in order  to make this world a better place for all.

At The Twilight's Last Gleaming

he slowly strolled through the crowd.  all around him were joyous shouts of laughter and fun.  Happy shrieks from children being hoisted up onto Dad's broad shoulders; little girls in colorful cotton dresses with bright big bows in their hair; little boys with plaid shirts and dark trousers; smiles; cotton candy; tea and soda; beer for the big guys; popsicles and popcorn; a ferris wheel; the fun house, carnival rides and booths, fancy chickens in cages and cows mooing from the livestock barn.  The day was warm and beautiful.  Not a cloud in the sky.  The sun's brightness sparkled and dazzled as it lavished its warmth on everyone.  Old Glory was hanging from every possible place.  dark blue stripes, crisp white and deep red.  you could hear the muffled sound of cloth as the soft summer breeze gently caressed her.  several men were leaning up against a building having a smoke; young couples were seen, walking hand in hand.  he was really enjoying himself, and happy to be back here, again.  he curiously scrutinized the heavy cables laying on the ground.   there was really no reason to be alarmed in any way as he could move around, over, and above them, with ease.  but they had always amused him as to what their real purpose was.  "well, i could always ask", he smiled.  he stopped by a small booth with two little boys trying very hard to knock down a row of ducks and leaned against it, watching in amusement.  He removed  his tri-cornered hat and knowingly held it in his hands, all the while studying it.  it was such a part of him.  badly stained and spotted with remnants of clotted dirt and sweat, here and there, deep, dark stains from a long ago event he continued to anguish

over and knew all too well.  slowly he moved his fingers over it, remembering a time, very long  ago.  long fingers ran through sandy brown hair that was pulled back and tied with a piece of blue yarn.  his eyes were the color of the atlantic ocean on a cloudy day.  he wore a long dark jacket and light grey breeches. black buckled shoes and a white shirt with frills at the throat.  around his waist a worn leather belt and his ever faithful knife, securely tucked away.  even though he could not feel the sun nor the breeze, he was happy just to observe all that surrounded him with much contentment.  He was an unseen spectator.  He was back where he had grown up.  he had found that over the years, he was destined never to leave this place.  he would always be coming back, time after time.  how many years had it been?  he had lost count.  suffice it to say it was at least over two-hundred.  he never really knew exactly why and just what it was that kept  drawing him back.  how things had changed.  the place where his home had been was long gone.  the forest where he used to play was now a large subdivision.  neat houses and manicured lawns; mailboxes and backyard barbecues, SUVs and Little League.  little did it matter to these people that the ground they were standing on, surrounding their homes, had been a battlefield; oh, there was an historic sign that marked the site but few bothered to read it anymore.  and it had been a fight to the finish.  it was them or us.  we either won this war or there would be no United States of America, no liberty, no justice, just a loathsome continuation of tyranny.  there had been a terrible slaughter with many killed, on both sides.  British and American bodies littered the field from one end to the other.  he remembered all too well and was never able to rid his mind of the gruesome scenes he witnessed nor the wretched sounds he had heard.  dense and acrid smoke filling the air, the sounds of muskets and bayonets ripping flesh.  shouts of anguish and the death cries of men in mortal pain.  after the battle he had sought out the company of a local girl but she had sickened from disease and died shortly thereafter.  he could find no other.  if only his circumstances had been different he would have had a family, someone to carry on his name, but, as it turned out, this was not to be.  he put his hat back on and continued surveying the crowd, soaking in everything.  the rattling of the pins turned his head as he watched the two young boys score a hit and eagerly retrieve their prize.  they ran off, yelling happily, through the crowd, as he lost sight of them.  slowly turning back to his post he saw something that caught him  completely by surprise...a lovely young woman with her back to him, standing in line waiting for something to eat.  she had long brown hair that fell to her waist and it flowed like the waves on an ocean.  the sun was hitting her strands just right and they radiated a brilliance he had never seen.  he stood transfixed and was keenly aware that he was beginning to be caught up in something that he couldn't quite put his finger on.  he was feeling emotions that had long been stowed away.  he could have walked over to her but decided to wait.  what good would it have done, anyway?... she couldn't see him.  yet the suspense was welling up.  did he know her?  what was this feeling he was experiencing?  it seemed like an eternity but finally she made it to the window and turned around with a hot dog and glass of lemonade.  he already knew, he had already suspected, just how he would feel when he was able to see her face.    he couldn't move as he studied her features.  she appeared to be by herself  and moved with such grace it took his breath away.  he hurriedly looked through the crowd for any one approaching her but he could see no one.  he couldn't take his eyes off her.  she reminded him of some one so very long ago.  for him there was no reality like time but this moment was very, very different.  Dirk Glenning had long ago adjusted to what he was; this new essence that was his being; years ago the physical body had died and left in the ground to decay, but not the memories.  they were always with you.  the memories of what you did right, what you did wrong, leaps of faith; courage; trepidation; fear; frustration; remorse, pain; happiness; sorrow.  he had resolved, personally, within himself, that if ever he was allowed the chance to come back, that he would become a steadfast Watcher and Instructor of Men, even though he was a long-ago, lost to the ages, American;   someone who had personally witnessed and endured the suffering and pain forcefully meted out by a tyrannical English King.  he was therefore forced to make a choice...either live under authoritarian British rule and face a bleak and dismal future, eventual enslavement and death, or take a stand against it, even if it cost one his life. "My Friends, I beg you to look up the word Liberty"  "Then, please inquire as to the meaning of the word Freedom."  These are not just words but have breadth and substance to them.  However I fear that to many Americans, these days, those two words have lost their meaning.  but to those people from all over the world who have been forced to flee their countries, their homes, because of grave injustices, those two words are  deep and abiding.  they know all too well that Liberty and Freedom are non-existent in the lands from which they come.   and that they are seeking these two opportunities in another land...America.  They also know that these two come with a price tag.  "So, what happened here, he wondered?"  He thought, many of my fellow Americans do not recognize this fact nor do they even care anymore.  Maybe, in some way, my being here, in their midst, will be able to set them straight.  His face darkened as a look of sadness came over it.  He pursed his lips..."I must firmly ensure the sanctity of this hallowed ground, and somehow gain the trust of the people that are now firmly ensconced on it."  one thing you realized, being a Ghost, was that any longing, any deep feelings could still be resurrected.  they were always with you as they were a permanent part of you.  These memories made up who you were and still were.  he made his way through the crowd so he could keep his eyes on the young woman.  she was definitely on a mission of some sort but what that mission was, he could not discern.    reaching up he slowly smoothed the ruffles on his shirt and squared his hat.  keeping sight of her was not difficult as the radiant strands of her hair sparkled and moved effortlessly as she made her way through the throng.  she headed toward some wooden tables and benches, dipping her head to avoid a striped umbrella.  sitting down, she unfolded some napkins and started to eat.  the glass of lemonade was weeping and leaving rings on the table.  she ignored them as she was definitely intent on savoring her lunch.  dark eyes darted about as if she were looking for someone.  He hoped not.  no one came toward her.   the local high school band was playing and he listened as the choo-choo of the kids locomotive as it made its clackety way down the clackety tracks.   the afternoon was wearing on and the sun was getting more intense.   people were removing their sunglasses and wiping their foreheads with anything they could find...their sleeves, a napkin, etc.  funny, though, she was neither wearing sunglasses, nor a hat and did not appear to be troubled by the heat.  as he moved closer, he came to a halt by a tall and wispy willow.  he started...he now knew where he had seen her before.   but this couldn't be... this had to be some sort of dream.  he stared in disbelief.  Alphia..... this has to be some kind of mirage, some kind of mistake.  maybe my mind has been addled by some unknown malady, he thought.  but the closer he got to her, the more he was sure of who she was.  Alphia Browne had died many, many years ago.  Alphia, the girl he had courted for a very short time.  all of a sudden, memories, feelings came flooding back.  and suddenly, she became aware of something, of someone, close by.  she stopped in midair, holding her glass of lemonade in one hand and her hotdog in the other, brown eyes looking this way and that.  then she turned her head in his direction and it appeared that she was looking straight at him.  it took her a moment before she could make out his figure.  at this point, they were both frozen in time.  he stared at her as she was staring back.  she put down her food and shaded her eyes with her hands.  then she stood up, moving slowly around the picnic table and out into the open.  a half-eaten hot dog and a glass of lemonade were left on the table as her mouth was open in disbelief.  she walked trance like, toward him.   she moved with ease through the crowd.   it was truly remarkable.  he stood, transfixed.  her beauty was unimaginable.  there was a soft sheen to her entire being.  "how is it that she can apparently see me?"  while just a foot away from him, she stopped.  never before had anyone looked at him like this.  she was staring right into his eyes and he was staring back.  she then studied his face with intense interest.  he could not believe what was happening to him.  it appeared she was perceiving him.  she glanced around, wondering if anyone would see her and puzzle as to what she was doing.  She obviously didn't care as she extended her arm out in front of her, just inches away from his face, feeling the air this way and that.  a look of futility and pain suddenly came over her face.  she quickly withdrew her arm and  for several seconds the two just stood quietly, facing each other.  she slowly inched closer.  he caught a whiff of an unforgettable and lovely  scent of roses.  she was now so close to him that she was actually invading his "space."   a tingling sensation overcame him as the two bodies...one physical the other transparent, slowly grew together.  she could feel his coldness as it surrounded her and permeated her.  Yet, she did not turn way.  suddenly, as quickly as she had moved forward toward him, he felt an enormous pressure.  she must have felt it also as she quickly closed her eyes and started to swoon.  the sky had darkened, the earth was melting away, her head was spinning and she could feel herself starting to lose consciousness.  multiple vortices were whirling overhead...soft murmers of some distant past.  she felt that her time on this earth was ebbing.  as quickly as the sensation overcame her, it passed.  she raised a trembling hand to her forehead.  small beads of perspiration had formed.  there was a thin wood post she hadn't noticed before and she quickly reached for it to steady herself.  her eyes were starting to re-focus but   everything was still a blur.  "what had just happened"? "did i imagine this"?  "i'm certain i saw someone standing right here."  still unable to move, her eyes darted  left, then right.  she was clinging tenaciously to the post, not wanting to let go and now aware of people, milling around her.  "what was this thing she had just experienced"?  this person, this man, this something was no where to be seen.  suddenly she felt hands  reaching out to her, consoling words, "are you alright?"  a faint siren could be heard in the distance.  there was soft scuffling and shuffling as she felt her body grow limp.  she closed her eyes.  the hospital room was serene and quiet.  the blinds were half drawn and it was late afternoon.  small playful, darting  figures of spindley tree branches kept popping up and down on the soft green wall.  the door to the bathroom was half open.  a lovely landscape was hanging on the wall.  she tried in vain to grasp her situation as she couldn't remember anything.  her head hurt.  she tried to giver herself several moments.  she was hooked up to some type of plastic bag and her eyes followed the long tube as it dripped, dripped, dripped.  she was too fatigued to move and had to be content with just surveying her surroundings.   the quietness was very comforting.  

Learning to Believe in Something Higher Than Yourself

Huddled around the old wooden table, the elderly man, his wife and two sons, bowed their heads in prayer. There was a somber feeling in the small room as he gave the blessing. A little candle was stuck in wax in the middle of the table and sputtered every now and then. The hearth behind them was ripe with red coals. The heat was very comforting. Pieces of stale bread were laying on the table. An old bible was placed on a piece of paper, its frayed and worn edges clearly showing. The old man lovingly picked it up and held it for a moment, then slowly put it down. The old woman, with her worn dark shawl wrapped loosely across her shoulders, waited until his hands were folded in his lap. She carefully dipped the ladle into the soup pot and poured one ladle full into each soup bowl. No one said anything. With the wind howling like a pack of wolves outside, and the snow feeling like wasp stings against your face, the cold chill just beginning to leave their tired bodies, they were trying to remain in a positive mood but it was difficult to keep despair from encompassing them all. It had been another cold, long and arduous day scrounging for food, finding wood for the fire and just plain surviving. In this country everyone was used to hard work and being paid something for their labor. But now, just waking up in the morning and knowing that the old ways had passed away and knowing what lay ahead, was becoming unbearable. How things had changed. There would have been complete silence except for the slow slurping of hot soup being consumed by hungry mouths. They tried not to think about tomorrow. Conversation was becoming a thing of the past. A little over two years ago things had been so different. The old man had a job in town, his sons were also employed and the family had plenty to eat. But a new political revolution had swept the country and a new wave of political ferver was sweeping the land. The new opposition party was doing away with the old even though the old hadn't been all that bad. They claimed they would be bringing in a better future for everyone. It was going to be different, this time. Everyone would be affected and better off, it was said. Although there was a wariness in the air there were also hopeful feelings. Would these new ideas work? Or would this be just another political experiment tried on a group of peasants? One question that couldn't or wouldn't be answered was why they were messing around with something that was working and working pretty well. There were never any answers to this but always the people kept asking questions. As the days turned into weeks, and the weeks into months, things seemed to stay the same. But then the changes came, slowly and stealth like. It was almost as if one were viewing what was happening, in a dream state. When a bureaucrat changed something and made it harder on the people, it was always for the good of all. So, the people were told to accept it. It was frowned on to worship openly or even privately. Some of the neighbors had even experienced the military people knocking on their doors at all times of the day and night. Never before had there been any paperwork or regulations, or standing in long lines. But now, to purchase even the most basic of necessities it was mandated that one sign a piece of paper, pay with whatever they could, along with a certain percent of interest which kept going up, and then and only then would they be allowed to take that commodity home. The peoples' livestock had been rounded up, their small gardens were under the watchful eye of the new government and you couldn't get away from someone in uniform seemingly eyeballing you as you came and went. You were allowed so much food and other items and the new government had swallowed up all the jobs that the people had been doing. So what were they to do? What was the point of all of this? Again, many questions but no answers. So, the community became tighter. People were no longer looking on each neighbor as being distant, a sole individual, but as a whole. Soon they had all banded together in unison, seeking comfort, comaraderie and support. The family had finished eating. The old man reached for the book and opened to a piece of paper with faded writing. He started to read.. "Only for God wait thou in stillness, my soul; for from Him cometh my hope...; (Proverbs 62); "The hope of the righteous is gladness but the expectation of the wicked shall perish...; (Proverbs 10); "Why art thou cast down O my soul? and why moanest thou within me? Hope thou in God; for I shall yet praise Him for the salvation of His countenance...; (Psalm 42). His face lightened as he looked up at his wife and two sons. Tenderly closing the book he stared out the window, a look of contentment on his face. It lasted a short while. Shortly thereafter, the sound of chairs scraping across the floor was heard. The old man, increasingly bent over, shuffled toward the hearth and stirred the coals as his two sons watched in silence. He kept stirring and stirring, seemingly lost in thought until his one son called to him.. "Father, it is getting late and we must get some sleep". But he continued to ignore him and turned away, not wanting to hear what was said. "I know, I know", he muttered. After a few more moments, he slowly leaned the poker against the bricks, not wanting to let go of it. He didn't want to start the long trip up the stairs as he was so very tired. And he didn't want to face another tomorrow because tomorrow would be the same as today and yesterday. But he straightened himself up and finally moved toward the stairs. His two sons walked toward him and helped him as he grasped the railing. The old woman, watching with tears in her eyes, removed the bowls and the big soup pot from the table. She said not a word because it would have made no difference. They were all trapped. They had been used. They had been lied to. They had been told so many wonderful stories about how better everything would be but when the changes actually came, they were changes of remorse and sorrow. Everyone in the community felt the same. They were caught in a drama that was slowly sucking the lifeblood from them all. The only thing they had left was their faith in a just God that He would provide them with the courage to get through their ordeal. And their faith had grown stronger. Somehow, as the old man made his way up the stairs, tomorrow didn't look as bad as it did, just a few moments ago. It was time to blow out the candle and turn in. The wind was still howling; the stinging snow was still blowing furiously against the tiny cabin but all inside were safe and somehow more resolute. They had made it through this day and would make it through the next. All because of what they had learned...that it was faith in the midst of things unknown, that would always sustain them and see them through.

Can We Get Our Act Together in Time?

August 25, 2010: If one were to view this planet from above, it would be like peering through a looking glass. It’s teeming with an exuberant, unbelievable, colorful, vibrant, kaleidoscope of life. How did all these different life forms come into being? Was it an unseen hand that divined a prescient mathematical formula that started life’s chain of events eons ago? This unfolding of life has been ongoing for years. From the beginning, scientists have speculated that millions of years ago, microscopic life forms appeared and multiplied and through years of transformation… insects, amphibians, the towering Dinosaurs and finally, mammals (us) appeared on earth. Just like a giant steam engine, this planet keeps chugging along, continuing to sustain a plethora of life. Whether we were “seeded” here, as some scientists have suggested or, by Divine intervention, the fact is that over time, this creative process has never stopped. This balanced, harmonic ongoing process is like a one-of-a-kind precision timepiece. Picture a wizened, old white haired wizard peering protectively over this timepiece. His fragile, worn thin wire spectacles balanced precariously atop his nose, and with utmost care, bent fingers gently, deftly, positioning into place, its innermost working parts.
First, the scientists tell us that microscopic life appeared on planet earth. Could it have been brought here hiding inside the many meteorites that blasted into this planet during the early part of its creation? Climactic changes have been considered as playing an important part. Producing, altering, changing and, in many cases, destroying certain life forms, thus paving the way for new species. Even now, creation continues its slow drumbeat of evolving, adapting, reshaping, restructuring. Should we be surprised anymore at Life and her creativity, resourcefulness, resilience? Question: Why are we here? We could debate the answer(s) to this one for a long time. What achievements, what improvements, what notable accomplishments have we contributed to this planet’s health (and in so doing ensuring our own survival, the continued health of this planet and quite possibly the survival of other planets and other life forms?)
Is it just me or do we humans take more than we give back? Do we think about the long term consequences of our actions to this small planet that we call home? From countries hell-bent on orgies of destruction in all out vendettas to wipe out their neighbors, committing mass murder using nuclear weapons, biological warfare, or (fill in the blanks) to a plain lack of understanding of this planet we live on and the care it must be given, man is sliding backwards.
Thousands of years ago it was all about survival, seeking shelter, food, fighting off hunger and disease. Sadly, for many this is still the case. So just how far have we come? Just how far have we advanced? Are we really a civilized society (collectively?) Could we pause for a moment and take a step back and reflect on where we came from to where we are now? Can we think on some things without name calling or finger pointing? From a biblical point of view man was created by God. But what if this weren’t really the truth at all? What if we were, as some scientists have suggested, “seeded” here by those meteorites that hit the earth eons ago? Meteorites containing small clusters of microbes and bacteria, capable of surviving, growing and adapting into more complex life forms?
Here’s something else to consider. Perhaps we were “created” by another race of “beings”. Maybe they knew, in advance, just how we would eventually turn out and didn’t like what they saw. Maybe we were an experiment and they goofed. They used a little “more” of this instead of a little “less” of that. We turned out just a little too toxic for them. A little too headstrong, a little too violent and they decided they didn’t want us “infecting” their world and thus created this planet for us to inhabit. Or, maybe they ripped around the universe in a frenzy trying to find a planet to dump us all onto and Voila! they bumped into Planet Earth. And just maybe, “they are watching us right now” as we continue our headlong rush back into the stone age where it may be about survival all over again…seeking shelter, food and fighting off hunger and disease. Is this where we are ultimately headed? Is it possible that we could be coming full circle? I’m not an eco-freak or anything like that but I am becoming more and more of the opinion that we are taking more from this planet then we are giving back. We’ve lost respect for and take for granted the things we wake up to each and every day. And it is becoming more and more apparent that mankind is sorely lacking in its ability to settle anything peacefully. This world has produced some wise and noble beings, who guided mankind for a short period of time, teaching us to set aside our differences, teaching us to learn to live peacefully side by side, regardless whether we be Christian, Jew, Muslim or other. But, sadly, this message became lost over a period of time and ended up being swept into a corner with the rest of the dust. These “wise men” were few and far between. And time and again we have seen that the world seems more interested in promoting the troublemakers and limiting or permanently ending the role of peacemakers. I believe, at this point in time, we are in very grave peril. And I believe we are fast approaching an epochal time in world history.

In my humble opinion I believe we may be faced with an “event.” Not necessarily something bad, some End of the World event that some predict may occur in 2012, but an event of another kind. An “Out of This World” event in which someone or some group, will drop out of the sky and pay us a visit. I do believe it has finally come down to this as we have shown that we are incapable of collectively working together toward the one goal required from all of us - and that is to make this world a better place for all mankind.

The Specters Speak

Gaunt and haggard trees, a dismal landscape...I thought, "This is all a big mistake." Burnt-up skies, and here and there, I thought I spied a hidden lair.

When I started out across this land, I felt my heart throb in my hand. I sensed at once the deep price paid, and the depth of sacrifice made. The incomprehensible sense of loss. The hurtful, unimaginable cost.

Slowly, my eyes were drawn down, toward the ground.   Dark colors were welling up, under my boot. The deepest of reds, issuing up from the depths and up from the roots.

As I slowly looked around, I strained my ears and wondered what it was I heard..."Were those voices"? 

Out of the white droplets of mist ghostly images formed, just a short distance away.  There were faces of different colors...mahogany, yellow, brown and white, but they weren't here to fuss or fight. They were here to set things right.

It was so very hard to see. They were forming together quite quickly.  They called themselves "The Brothers All".

A gnarly hand thrust through the mist, an invite tucked inside its fist. He stared at me until I took it  and, with much trepidation, opened it up.

It read, "You have been invited to our Sacred Hall". I had no choice in the matter at all.

I was quickly grasped by a hand and whisked away.

When I arrived, I found myself inside an immense, cavernous room. Almost at once, we heard the  eerie sounds of long lost souls echoing through this chamber of woe.  Their voices slowly ebbed away into nothingness.  We watched a single snowflake noiselessly making its last graceful descent to the ground.  And there it lay.  Until it melted quite away.

The specters formed a circle and spoke:  "The time has come, for all Mankind, to retreat from its insatiable mission of conquest, as the hour is upon them. 

The final edition of God's Creation Masterpiece is at Mankind's doorstep. Our Last Will and Testament lacks only His signature. If Mankind does not turn back now, seeking His laws and forgiveness for all the wrongs we've committed, we will have run out of time.

The thin fabric that separates this earthly realm from God's reality will soon part and be swept away for all time.  This hour is fast approaching.  Those of us on earth will face the ultimate of all spiritual realities. The magnitude of this will be revealed to all and the time to make things right will have come and gone.  

The Day of Judgment is upon us.  We still have time to turn things around. God is caring and compassionate.  He continues to allow us opportunities to fix things but time is running out.

The hour hand on the universal time piece is fast approaching midnight.  

WE ARE ALL ONE no matter our faith.

For the Lord God Has Made Us All.  

The Perpetual Running Wheel

We're like mice on a running wheel. We keep running and running, and as long as we keep running, the wheel never stops. Therefore, we never slow down long enough to give anything much thought. When you view the world and look at it from the perspective of it being "home" to billions of different races of people and other life forms, you really have to ask, .."how could all of this have come about?" "How did this possibly happen?" The more we investigate and explore, the more we send complex telescopes and probes into the unknown, searching for answers, wouldn't it be truly amazing if we could just step back, and take the time to view the lovely tapestry hanging on the museum wall? A miracle planet called Earth - our home? A planet that happens to be at just the right mathematical angle, spinning at just the right mathematical speed, at just the right distance from a star, thereby providing mankind just the right amount of sunlight to warm us, grow our crops. And what a myriad of life this planet has and continues to sustain. When it first started out, "a G-d thought" (I liken it to a baby encased in a womb) it was undergoing all the information, growth and transformation needed in order to reach the point where it was ready to give birth. Picture G-d, if you will, let's say He has all the knowing lines of wisdom etched across His face, with the long and flowing gray beard. We "see" Him as he hovers above "baby earth," grasping a giant ribboned scroll in His hand. There is such delight written all over His face. We know something fantastic, a wonderment of such magnificent proportions is about to take place, is about to play out across the Cosmos....He's getting ready for some "thing", as He starts to slowly unravel the scroll. The light contained within momentarily blinds us. Maybe we we were not meant to see? The light show is brilliant, dazzling, like a hundred million diamonds under a spotlight. At first glance we are so blinded we cannot see. But as our eyes are allowed to slowly focus, we can finally view a map, a Physicist's dream come true. G-d has allowed us a peek into His Universe, His Creation, His roadmap. This map, with untold myriads of lines and equations, crisscrossing from one end to the other, staggering numbers and hieroglyphs, fill a scroll that has no end. An angelic choir trumpets in the background as G-d surveys His newest creation. Tears fill His eyes. He is like a father holding His first newborn...and, like a new father, He has so many plans, so many hopes and dreams for this small creation. Just in the instance it takes one to breathe in, everything is Right with the Cosmos, everything is Perfection with the Cosmos, everything is at Peace with the Cosmos. Let us keep this picture in our thoughts, in our hearts, and in our minds. For there is still time to reverse the course we are on.

Letter from a Young Man Just Before the American Revolutionary War....

"It's been another long and arduous day," he wearily thought, as he sat at his desk, with head in hands, staring out the kitchen window. The young man, with tattered cream colored shirt and stockings to match, and grey blue breeches, rubbed his legs together, trying to keep warm. The heavy glass panes were covered in frost and the cold winter air emanated off the panes, swirling around him. He blew on his mittened hands and watched his breath crystalize into a white vapor. Just a short distance away a wooden split rail fence criss crossed back and forth, marking the long winding road into town. The road was lined with majestic tall oaks. But now it was getting late in the day. The sun was barely to be seen, just a brilliant white starry light here and there, moving slowly among the branches of the furry pines and peeking out, every so often. Snowflakes were making their way through the air, settling softly on the many oak leaves that covered the grass. Soon it would be time to light the lamps. His soft brown hair askew, he had hastily pulled it back with a dirty piece of linen. As he lowered his head to continue writing, a small lock of it dangled in front of his eyes. Patiently he pushed it back and, shivering, took to writing once more. "My Dear and Most Consummate Friends, as you well know my beloved wife and companion of many years, hath passed away. It was not without warning, as she hath lain ill for many days. Our youngest, Todd, hath not taken kindly to this circumstance. I hath found him on more than one occasion, not wanting me to comfort him. Instead, he hath pushed me aside. My other two, Emily and Dottie, are coping as best they know how and, I am certain, in their own way. I hope this will not linger much longer, as I am growing very weary. But I believe that the good Lord hath His own timetable and, therefore, I must be stout not only for my children but for other reasons, as all of us painfully know all too well. May God help me with my own grief and that of my children. As to our meeting the other eve, it meant much to me to be with friends, all of whom it seems are in very calamitous situations, and anguish, and broken-hearted as to what they see befalling their country. It appears that God Almighty hath turned on us and wrested what little we did have, from us. Sometimes I am faint of heart. Sometimes I hath even doubted as to how this situation we find ourselves in, can be remedied. I am ashamed to say that I hath even argued with and lashed out at Him and then in a drunken stupor, fallen to my bed in such a frightful stage, unable even to comfort or be comforted, all the while trying to keep my sobbing quiet so that my children do not hear my mournful dirges. Yet when morn awakes me, I am somehow different....I somehow feel stronger, more resolute, more direct in my being and in my heart. But, Lord I ask You, how much more? How much more shall Thee place upon us? Were it not for you--my companions, there would be much more despairing. So much so I could not last but one more day. Did we bring this upheaval upon ourselves? Did we do something to God to awaken the Almighty's anger against His Creation? My head is throbbing with many a question, yet no answer comes. I believe they will, in time. At our last meeting we at least laid out some topics for discourse and the recourses before us and agreed to certain things. We shook hands and there was a bit of uplifting of spirit there among us. I felt we did indeed make progress. We hath certainly met on many an occasion, and some close to a ruinous situation what with the British spies and their troops nearby! But last eve I felt a true spirit of kinship with thee Brethren, that we had truly become a "Band of Brothers." Brothers All united in spirit and with one belief....to see that This Tyrant King and his feudal lords no longer are able to do as they wish, when they wish. To assail us at every occasion! To steal our livestock, raze our fields, despoil our women, kidnap our young men, enslave them and sail them off to England to be put on trial, kill and tax us into oblivion. Enough. The chains of bondage hath never felt so binding. They are strangling us. We must not let this go on any longer. We CANNOT let this go on. I know that there are others who are meeting, just as we, in hidden locations, reflecting on what they are seeing happening all around them. I know because I hath met with them and they all feel the same. Yet one question they raise which I believe must be pondered very deeply......What price liberty? What price freedom? What price are we willing to pay to dislodge this despot and his minions and remove this tyrant's yoke from around our necks? When I look at my children and see fear in their eyes and their hollow looks, as our food supply is wearing very thin, I think of my deceased wife, and her very last words to me.....'you must not give up, you will find a way, all you need do is bow down on your knees and to Him you must pray. After deep reflection, I believe we hath our solution. The answers we seek do not always come when we want them too. But if we continue to be forthright, stout of heart and earnestly seek Him, then they WILL come, and none too soon".

The Time Is Here, The Time Is Now

The long-awaited, final temple miraculously appeared before the people. Majestic bronze columns stretched skyward and disappeared into the clouds. Magnificent semi-precious and precious stones...Jasper, sapphire, emerald, beryl, chalcedony, amethyst, tourmaline, sardonyx, and diamonds made up its walls. The tall temple doors were made of Sacred Oak from the Garden of long past. Its edifice was of the purest, choicest gold. Cherubim kept watch on either side of the marble entrance along with two tall stoic angelic beings. Each clothed in a tightly woven shimmery gold garment covering them from head to foot. In one hand they held a sword inscribed with many names. In the other, a staff with numerous eyes constantly turning this way and that. No person was permitted to look upon these beings, for if they did it was instant death. Watching from on high one could see that the masses of people below were so vast they spread out from one corner of the earth to the other. How many people this earth could hold! It was amazing to gaze upon this vast throng! The people looked like gum drops, they were made up of so many colors. Not a sound was heard from all the nations who were gathered together because they knew the reason they were here. "Humanities' time had finally come". The clock had finally struck "one." The Christians' long-awaited End of Days, the Jewish Final Redemption and their long, long, End of Exile was over. The New Era had begun--The Messianic Era. G-d was opening up His Judgment Book and each and every person's Life History was being reviewed. All wrongs, and all rights would be disclosed and settled. As we waited to be called forward, a soft lovely white mist issued forth from the temple doors and wound its way up and out and into the open air. It continued upward until it hovered just above the masses of people. Its fragrance was indescribable. Think of a garden filled with the most beautiful flowers on earth. The fragrance so overwhelming you never want to leave. The people breathed it all in, TOTAL EARTH -- North/South/East/West--ALL PEOPLES breathed as one. Drops of the finest dew covered the pines; stars glittered so brightly in the night sky they looked like twinkling diamonds; white doves covered every tree branch and looked like they were flocked with snow; the glow from campfires dotted the landscape like tiny little fireflies had perched for the night; a vast pure winding River of Life with every imaginable species of fish flowed ever so gently through the landscape quenching everyone's thirst and hunger; the sweetest morsels of bread were baked over hearths. And all the while the people waited patiently. There was no pushing, no shoving. There was no angry pointing of fingers as to why this person was ahead of that person. There was only joy at what lay ahead. No trepidation. At last the L-rd was here. At last everything was in place and settled. For the L-rd was finally seated on His earthly Throne. His Divine Presence (Shekhinah) had returned. The time for war, pestilence, famine, anger, revenge, depravity, greed, corruption, avarice, thievery, and all the other evils was over. "IT" had run its course. Now the Messianic Era was at hand. G-d's era of peace and harmony, the lion lying down with the lamb, mankind living alongside one another as brethren. For we finally knew what G-d had been trying to tell us all these thousands of years...that we are all one. That we are ALL brothers. We may look differently, we may act differently, we may come from different countries and speak different languages. But it's what's inside that makes us the same. Inside resides the soul. The soul is where our life events are recorded. What we do right what we do wrong; when we reach out to someone or decide to pull back; when we put someone else's needs ahead of ours. G-d has given each of us a yardstick (it's called FREE WILL) and it's up to us to measure up. How do we do this? So we can do or not do. I also think alot has to do with how we're brought up. What were our parent's values? Did they believe they were responsible for their actions? And if they did something wrong did they make it right? Did they give to charity? Were they compassionate toward those in need? And did they pass these values down to their children? For this very reason is that good works will pave the way for an Almighty G-d to return to this earth to make it His home. He does not want to dwell in some high and lofty place, peering through spyglasses watching the "goings on" down here. He desires this earthly realm to be his dwelling place. Here, among us, His creation. In order for this to be accomplished we must do our good works, our "Mitzvots" works of charity, kindness, good will, visiting a neighbor in the hospital, picking up groceries for a sick person, taking care of an elderly parent, you get the idea. Putting aside our "comfort" zone and embracing our "uncomfortable" zone. These efforts are to cleanse the earth of a insatiable scourge who has long entrenched itself and whom a rightful G-d has now called to accountability. For this is the era of Moshiach, The Messianic Era. It just takes one small step to get the ball rolling. Then, it will become a tidal wave. So all we need to do is just take that one small step to Bring it On!