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October 10, 2010: I had to remind myself of all my bounty. I was
taking a shower and reflected it was not that long ago I lived fifteen years in a house without a shower so I should appreciate
this house more. And not take it for granted. It is so easy to slip and forget all
we need to thank God for. That was just one small example. And there are many more. We are able to pay our
bills on time. We could feed the birds and watch a steady parade of them come to our feeders.
We have hot water when we want it. Much of the world do not have basics that we have like plumbing. I have to remind myself again and again to thank God for all his gifts including my wife. Good medical
care, health insurance. And the list goes on.
a new entry from February 2010:
February 17, 2010
‘Your
window to the world might be your own front door. Your shiniest day might come in the middle of the night.’
Two lines from the Blackhawk song “That’s Just About Right”. I identify with those two lines.
I am not sure I will ever do any thing earthshaking. Nor will I ever be the President or some CEO
of a corporation. I realize maybe what I do in my own backyard might be important. Notoriety
or fame is overrated. I remember reading in Bob Dylan’s autobiography how he wanted fame early on and then got
it and wished he didn’t have it. He wanted his children to have a normal existence and they could not.
Some weirdo was always showing up on his doorsteps. Anonymity is really a gift. And the famous
lose it. Dylan bemoaned its loss. And realized fame was not what it was cut out to be. I
will continue to do what the Lord has called me to do. Whether or not others recognize it. The words I write if
they impact at least one person they served their purpose. I will continue to reach out and love the people around me.
The words from this song remind me to continue writing for it still matters to me no matter how many people
read it. So I continue for I know I have to.
from May 2009:
Why Love Is Everything May 16, 2009
Author: siggy Love is everything.
Strip away everything from you–all your material wealth, your health. That is all that remains–love.
And some people are so stingy with it. You can not run out of love. It comes from the Source–a bottomless
pit known as the Almighty. He never runs out of love to give. If you continually tap the source, you will never
run out of love. There is not an finite amount. Never give up a chance to love another. This world is full of people
who are starving for love, people who never had an ear to listen. Never walk away when you could have given something
valuable to another. That is all any person remembers–how much they were loved by you.
It really does not matter
how much money you made, or how many things you accumulated. People always respond to genuineness–honesty and
kindness. That is all they remember from you. You can never have too many friends or ever turn down a chance to make another
friend. That
is all that remains when everything is stripped from you–love. That is all people respond to and remember.
Love. So be careless. Scatter your love like Johnny Appleseed did his seeds all over the country.
here's one from April 2009: April 16, 2009 I was looking out my back door
window and just thinking. A large section of our front yard no longer has grass and for a short time my wife was considering
laying down sod. I really do not care. I always felt American’s obsession with having a large neatly manicured
lawn was and is an exercise in futility. I want a garden not a lawn. In fact, a landscaper is going to help us
with developing that.
The back yard is another story: most of it is wild. Toads appear at our doorstep every
year–all sizes from tiny to humongous. They are attracted to the bugs that come to the porch light.
There is a small creek in the back–most of the time just a trickle. You never know when a box turtle
will appear. We also saw wonderfully orange colored salamanders at least twice. Rabbits play in the undergrowth.
I do not want to cultivate this area. I love not knowing what I will see next, what unusual bird
or whatever comes my way. I love the wild. It gives me a sense of the mysterious, the unknown,
a feeling I love. That is why I won’t cultivate the back of our property. Last year
after living here for over four years, to my delight and amazement I discovered a large patch of wild raspberries on the far
corner of my property. And I love raspberries. I even picked enough berries for two pies.
I do not know exactly what lives there but I am always expectant when I peer out my kitchen window wondering
what will come along next. It is out of my control. That is the way I want it. This is one plot of land
that will grow wild. I rejoice in it.
one of my 'blurbs': Sometimes I Leave My Newspapers (and Magazines) Unread March 30, 2009 Sometimes I leave my newspapers (and magazines) unread and eventually pitch them. I
have no illusions. If I miss one story or one article, my life goes on. I never forgot what Thoreau said in “Walden“:
why read the same thing rehashed over and over? (my words) There is a glut of information out there. One thing has never changed: the saturation point. There
is so much information you can absorb at one time. As King Solomon says in the bible: you can be weary of too
much study. These words were written several thousand years
ago. Nothing has changed in that regard. There is so much you can study, read. You still have to live your
life. Sure you can learn from newspapers, books and magazines but if you do not integrate that knowledge into your life
it is all for naught. Thus, I have no reservations about
not getting to any written material. There is so much you can read and so much you can absorb at one time and you certainly
have to live your life. I have absolutely no guilt about leaving any newspapers, (etc.) unread.
 another entry, from March 2009: Do You Walk To A Tune Of A Different Drummer? March
7, 2009
I really can’t answer that. Only
you. Do you listen to the tiny voice only you can hear? This can be very difficult in a society that values conformity.
There are so many pressures you face–inward and outside. Your conscience can be a dictator (or free you).
There are no easy answers. To love another means to be able to reach out to others and forget yourself. First,
though you have to like and love yourself. Respect starts with you. If you do not respect yourself how can you
possibly respect others? Listening to a tune of a different drummer (words coined by Thoreau) means having the courage
to follow the path only you truly can follow. There are no lack of people to tell you how to lead your life and somehow
you need to respect the lives of those closest to you. That is truly a balancing act. Maybe now you can answer
that question a little better: Do you walk to a tune of a different drummer? Only you know to what degree that
might be true.
one from February 2009:
We Are Wired To Love You Can Change the World February
14th, 2009
Life is very precious.
Every day. Yes, we can squander some time. And that is okay. But if you live as if your life does not matter,
it is a life of despair. You have to feel what you do matters and you can change the world. It does not revolve
around you. Nevertheless you have to feel you make a difference in someones life otherwise it is a squandered life.
All we have to do is look around at the lives God put next to you. There are always needs out there and hurting people.
You have to figure out how you can reach out to these people your lives are intertwined with. You just have to open
your eyes and listen. The people are always there. We were meant to love. We are wired that way.
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