The final day of 2010

Hard to believe that today is the final day of the year. Hopefully this will be a better year that is coming up for me which will bring me better fortune and real chance of some work.

Spark and Spices'!!!

Christmas is a time for sparks and spice. The sparks are when we sit next to the fireplace and hear the crackle of the fire coming from inside the hearth and the spices are what we smell and taste during this holiday.

Our building is getting ready for the holidays as our duct work is getting cleaned out from neglect over the years as some mice have been found. So at least in our big House, we will be closer to the tale of no mice were stirring when Saint Nick became near to us.
We sure could use some of his good old cheer these days!!!

joy and peace to be sprinkled

Joy and peace, ingredients that need to be sprinkled upon the world!!!!
Shake them up and place them into the mix of life's trouble and challenges.

To make our world a much better place indeed.

I used a salt shaker that had tiny holes in it to season some meat and little flecks of salt came out. Small to the naked eye but tasty for the taste buds. I don't use salt that much. Just as I don't use the rotary dialed phones.
But all these things liven up our lives and give it the spice that they need.

A Real Long Christmas Commute.

In about 1 and 1/2 weeks, Santa is going to have one very long commute. Getting all of the elves to finish on time will be crucial to load in all of the raggedy ann dolls, the X men and the wiis into the sleigh.
Plus, the 8 reindeer are going to need a lot of food and grooming and manicures and pedicures to take that long journey. They are going to have get some practice at their Reindeer gym and fitness center to make sure that they are in the tip-top shape.
Looks like Poor old Rudolph is going to need a little counseling so that he can go on his journey overseas. And maybe a renewal of his portrait for himself and all of the gang.

Maybe it is time for the North Pole to update the transportation for them to use. A new prototype. Traveling in some open sleigh at over 50 miles an hour. Surely, the job could be done so much faster. Imagine if it could be run on solar power and wind power. The crew experiences both of those during their journey.

For now, may it be a jolly jolly Christmas. HO HO HO!!!

Father Time meets mother Nature.

The dealer deals at the hours of our day. Father time stands still and hovers over us.
Keeping the scales tilted in a balance towards life.
Standing motionless. At times on its face and head.
Trying to stay ahead of the rat race.
Many times desperately falling behind.
And sometimes headed to wards a small triumph.
Father Time joins Mother Nature as he watches to make sure mother Nature runs her course correctly.
Children needs time outs if their romps got out of hand.

Time worn on the wrist.
Lying emotionless in the landscape. Isolated with other landmarks
Peeled backward as a yellow banana.

Time for dad to sit in his easy chair. And adjust the equilibrium of his medicine.
It is all in the timing and a rush to get out safely where time is of the essence.

Time fleeting away
collapsing like a shadow.

In a memory to be discovered again
in the heart of adoration and adoption.

Think outside the Box!!

Boxes are all around us today! We have the big box stores that have gobbled up the mom and pop shops.
And the boxes of packages that we juggle around in our arms, trying not to drop them as we head for home with them.
Some boxes like shoe boxes are predictable in what we assume that they are.

Boxes are also associated with the moves that people make from one stage of life to the next or just to bury stuff to get it out of their way. They are great to sort the stuff and make order out of apparent chaos.

I am faced with the same box dilemma. What box should I pursue for my future job. I sense the Holy Spirit suggesting to me that I may be pushing too hard in the direction of accounts receivable and maybe I should pursue a few other directions. I may be focusing too much attention on the open lid of what I want but not exploring deeper of what is within the shoe box of opportunity that may be presenting itself. That lid may even go to another box and would not fit the box that it belongs to. Or I may have to adapt the lid to the box or marry the apparent paradox.

At christmastimes in the past, I remember sitting besides the tree and distributing the presents. I looked at the red, green and silver tags and read them and gave them to my dad, mom, or my brother or niece. That was always enjoyable as I awaited in anticipation of what would be inside the boxes. Sitting around in our pajamas after we have had our breakfast, we were eager to dive into the tree. Occasionally, envelopes were nestled in the trees for magazine gift certificates or for special presents. One Christmas, a picture of the Victory Chimes was glued on a card with a note announcing the which represented the 4 day cruise in the Penobscot Bay for the following summer.
At the end of our opening of the presents, we placed the gifts neatly in piles beneath the tree so that each of us could dip in and out of them at leisure during the weekend.

The best part of the gifts or talents in life is to display them.. We are each given talents and it is best to use them to fully bless others. The gift that I was given was the gift of encouragement. I enjoy helping others and making others feel welcome. I got the same feeling as I used to put the tree together from the box and match up the colored branch boughs to the trunk of the tree. It takes a long bare pole and dresses it up with elegant boughs wrapped with balls, silver and gold garland and pointy stars and homemade ornaments created over the years.

Flashing back to the first unofficial calendar christmas, the three magi traveled a far distance and brought with them their three gifts of frankincense, gold and myrrh. These gifts cost each of these wise men a great price, but the beauty is that they chose one each and did so out of symbolism and from the heart. Gold represented the kingship of the Lord and the myrrh represented the preservation of the Lord and the franincense represented scent of priests. Wrapping the three gifts together expresses how we need to elevate the importance of our preservation of our relationships and to make them attractive to people from afar. That is why I love the holiday of Christmas so much. It appeals to the child within us and also the adult longing to connect with others.


The one box that I am really looking forward to opening is the new one which will have the job that is best suited for me. I feel as if I am waving the cursor over the wrapped box on the internet to see what prize I won, only to be told that this time I am not a winner. It can lead to disappointment and angst and a period of not wanting to go further in the search.
But I do know that others are out there who need my help, and I am enjoying being their guide for whatever time they need. I would not have been there if I was not given an opportunity to stop flying in the direction I was going. Now I just await to see which direction that I am going next.
It is going to be different without my dad during the second christmas without his presence. But I am thankful to have had a good dream of being around in his presence.

I am definitely looking forward to being with my niece, Abby and my brother and mom as we four are there to celebrate Christmas dinner and to watch the freshly fallen snow on the coast of Maine. And to listen to the Christmas music and to see the decorations that adorn the houses . And be with the tangible and intangible bonds of memory.

Tributaries and Tributes

Good evening, World. I had my own tributaries forming within my soul and my eyes. I watched the movie, The Last Song, on a father's dying and the daughter and son being with their dad in his final months. It touched a nerve since I miss my dad and I have had a hard time mourning his loss. The feelings come and go at moments. It is hard for me to cultivate and express that love in how I daily live out my life.

I do try at it but it is hard as I try to rationalize with what ifs. What if only xy and z happened and not ab and c.
But in a way, life is like that of a tributary. I remember studying them in elementary school days. I looked up in wikipedia and it is a stream or river which flows to a main stem or parent river. The tributary does not flow directly into a stream, ocean or lake. It leads water out to an ocean.
The events in our lives are much like that. They guide and lead us and make us into better people.

As I was reflecting on what a fellow blogger wrote, I came up with the idea of how tributaries are good reflections on our life's journeys. I have been through many a storm as I have written at Triumph. It is through that flow of the waters that it keeps us on course to live a full life of victory. To hold nothing back. Not to blame or wish for something better.

Surrounding these tributaries are lush greens that grow out of them. Lord as I think through the essence of this, let me be lush and full of love for all I am around. Let the greenness become ever evident. Let me be bold in how I live my life out.
Lord, you were that way, too. You were known as the shoot of Jesse and that shoot has grown very tall for the whole world to see

I extend a cheer to anyone in the world who has flowing tear ducts, wishing for a better and more wholesome world. But sometimes there need to be those desert places for the tributaries to form some day.

OOPs Change

I must admit that I am a little scared about change. I am going to be going on another temporary agency to try to obtain temporary or full-time work. That is going to involve a big change in my routine of job clubs and other meetings. I am going to have to be at an office in the near future and not have as much free reign.

I also need to take some personal criticism. A friend of mine who is trying to get me work said that I need to clean up some. I don't always have as high a regard to my appearance. I don't know exactly why. I do desire closeness but it is also hard for me. And my appearance does not always help due to my handicap.

I also need to follow through and not just promise and fail to deliver. That came to light in a conversation with my mom.

And Lord, you want me to make changes too that I am not too willing to do. But it is for the good of our relationship with each other and also with my relationships with my fellow communities that I participate in.