Finding Calm

We all find ways to soothe the bombardment of life as it seems to run over us at times. For me, I write it all down. Some of it makes sense, some never does but writing combined with my love of nature and dogs helps me continue to go forward.

I am currently working on book 2 of Smiles from Heaven, independently published with Kindle of Amazon. It is a compilation of short stories and poetry that I hope help brings smiles to the reader. I now the stories helped me as I wrote them, sometimes laughing at my own thoughts sometimes crying at the reality of the hurt. I thought I would periodically publish one here to see what those who read my blog think. I do not profess to fully understand poetry, I am just writing my thoughts hoping to relate to others. Hope you enjoy.

Peace in Wildlife

The water from the fall mixed with her tears

Rolling down her face, joining her fears

The niche in the rock behind the fall

Made a hiding place behind a water wall

Coming here often to process and think

Analyzing her life when it would stink

The noise of the fall soothed her pain

Blocking out voices calling her name

By the fall’s edge, where the water is calm

Flowers grow wild as a soothing balm

Reminding us through difficulties in life

Peace and joy can be found in wildlife.

G. A. Neal

I sincerely hope you can find away to find that peace you need to survive this world and may you always remember some of it can be found in being kind. Kindness has a way of turning negatives into positives.

Sycamore No More

I was awakened this morning, a morning I had hoped to sleep in, but no, loud equipment kept me from being able to do that. As I looked out the window, I saw it was tree-trimming people. I was amazed at how two men were going to take down my neighbors huge sycamore tree. It was a beautiful tree and I had taken many pictures of it during the changes of the seasons. It was easily 100 feet tall and the trunk was close to 10 feet in diameter. Here are pictures of its glory this fall and again last month during the snow.

I watched for a while amazed as two men and a laptop-type device controlled a mighty crane. Little by little it took the tree down. It also saddened me how such a beautiful tree had become diseased and a danger to life around it. A sycamore is a tight and heavy wood and as the trunk sections hit the ground, you could feel the ground shake. So, yes it could cause some damage if a storm were to take her down. But it still made me sad so, I wrote a poem to it. After that, I am posting some of the pictures I took as she came down.

Sycamore No More

The beauty we saw that you once had

Has left us forever and we are sad

The base around your mighty trunk

Started to rot and the ground sunk

We heard them come, early one morn

Removing your limbs, our hearts are torn

But we knew the dangers if we let you stay

Winds could break you, your limbs could sway

Watching in sadness, as they took you from us

You said not a word, you made not a fuss

We felt the ground shake while graceful your limbs fell

No longer raised to God, no longer here to dwell

I am a firm believer that all things created by God at some level only, known only by Him, can communicate with Him. And all of His creation is beautiful. Here are a few pictures of the technology now used to take down a tree.

May we always enjoy the beauty of a tree, with the shade it provides, the colors during the different seasons, and even in its death, it provides lumber for building and kindling to keep us warm.

I close with the reminder to be kind. Even trees share and also need kindness.

SOCS, Feb 10, 2024

Linda Hill challenges us again to have fun and be creative with Stream of Consciousness.

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “heavy/light/dark.” Use “light” and/or its opposites. Bonus points if you use all three. Enjoy!

Another Day Done

I watch the sky as the day begins to fade

Daily burdens have left my mind frayed

The sun slips heavy from its warm bright light

To the dark silhouettes of another cold night

After each day, we have a reminder in the sky of the beauty of the passing day or the hope of a better tomorrow. Hoping you find peace at the end of each day and that you remember the beauty and power of kindness.

FOTD, Feb 10, & Poetry

What a great way to double dip – submitting to Cee’s FOTD and giving you another taste of my next book.

Last fall when I learned of my brother’s failing health, I went to Atlanta to visit him. While there, I took some pictures of his beautiful backyard. And yes, there were several lovely rose bushes.

We had had a small shower in the morning and the water droplets were still on the flowers. Since I won’t have photographs in my new book, Smiles from Heaven, you will get the pleasure here of a pretty picture and my attempt at poetry. I do better with stories.

Reflection

The beauty of a rose concealed within

A reflection of what has always been

It is not hopeful of what could be

But a timeless picture of what we see

A beautiful rose now concealed in joy

Is a timeless flower for us to enjoy

Below are some other pictures from my archives of roses. The dark pink with the white center one was named “Happy Star” and I thought that was appropriate.

Remember the smiles that flowers bring us and try to share a smile. Smiles are the easiest way to brighten someone’s day and a genuine way to be kind.

The Headache of Spam

Is anybody else done with the lucrative industry of Spam? They hit us by email, text and phone and I for one am done. To anyone who reads this and is a pusher of spam, shame on you.

I am retired but work part-time at my church answering the phone. For three weeks now, we have been bombarded with the same company with the same message and I think the same woman. Example:

“Hello. This is ___ Church. This is Anita, how may I help you?”

“Yes, I need to speak to your owner.”

“What? Ma’am this is a church.”

“Yes, I need to speak to your owner.”

“Ma’am, we have no owner. This is a church.”

“Okay, I will just wait for the confirming email.”

“What??” And she hangs up.

The next time she called, we were in a meeting so the answering machine got it. The answering machine even flagged it as spam.

The next time she called and asked to speak with the owner I told her that God was our owner and he was not available by phone. She said she would email him. Good luck with that.

So this weekend I sat down and came up with the silly poem as I know many of us deal with spam, have blockers against them so here I vent my frustration. Thank you for listening.

SPAM

My slamming the phone did me no good

An aggravation that many have understood

They hit us by email, text, and by phone

A vicious intrusion that makes us all moan.

So many are fake, not real companies at all

Their purposeful result pushes us to the wall

Their greed to make money regardless of cost

It matters not to them how many souls get lost

The enemy we refer to is the enemy of Spam

Not to be confused by the can of fake ham

It’s the onslaught of deception to get you confused

Where you spend your money to make them amused

There must be a way to make them STOP – GO AWAY

They prey on those who think they are a good way

For now, just be aware of their lucrative scams

Before they drown us all in the trickery of spam

It is obvious to me that these people do not know the meaning of kindness or else they would not be in this industry. Nevertheless, we are encouraged to be better than them and to always be kind.

Happy New year

We sit with our feet up, determined to rest

The holidays are over, they were the best

The peace of the fireplace relaxes our mind

For one day, please, no tasks and no grind

Daisy agrees as the pillow supports her chin

For tomorrow the holiday cleanup will begin

So we wish you the best of the New Year to start

May happiness and kindness always fill your cart

Happy New Year!!

WRITEPHOTO, Racoon

KL Caley has given us a fun photo to write about which brings back many memories of the racoons we fed in when living in the country of Florida as a child.

Dinner Time

‘Scuse me there dear friend, can you spare us a bite

My mate is quite tired while tending the tyke

And water is needed, for washing that bite

Proper washing is a must before taking a bite

Check out the directions to WRITE PHOTO and join in on the fun! If you know anything about racoons, they wash everything before they eat it of water is available.

Remember the beauty of wildlife and be kind with it. They are trying as hard as we are to survive in this crazy world.

Photo Challenge #472

What Once Was

Sun’s rays are bright breaking through the trees

Where could I hide, I am down on my knees

The lights from the house are all going dark

The beauty that once was now just stark

Memories of a life that was once filled with joy

Now filled with meanness for that is the new toy

Will it ever return to what once was

Only if we forget the mindset of because

Sometimes we forget how hard life can be for others and instead of judging, we should be listening with a careful ear of kindness. For even if the story is too far fetched to believe, there is still a shred of truth in there somewhere.

Really Big Berry

The Berry

Ode to the berry who stands so tall

Others in the box don’t measure up at all

His width so wide with such a big head

His color so rich, so very bright red

We had to slice it, its juice so very sweet

Laid across the cake, a super tasty treat

Covering with cream, adding to the dream

Heading to my mouth, I wanted to scream

GA Neal

As we take in the deliciousness of summer fruits and other tasty treats, remember the smiles they give us and share those smiles with others. Smiles are a fabulous way to be kind.

Not a Poet, but Thanks

I have to shout out many congratulations to all the participants of Volume 2 of The Short of It, Reflection and Revelations. I finally got my copy.

If you have not gotten your copy, and you enjoy poetry, this is a good compilation of work and a must-read. While there is some of my work in this book, I do not consider myself a poet. I am a storyteller. Being a poet is a gift of being able to use minimal words and create a beautiful story. I need more words, but thank you Susi for allowing me to be part of your talented writers.

Several of the writers of this series, I follow here on Word Press and some I enjoyed being a part of in Volume 1. May we all continue to share our hearts to help others smile, heal and continue on in this life.

And as a reminder, always be kind. Kindness opens so many doors of healing and hope to others, that we all benefit from it.