Dave MacFadyen's Journal

a song I hate, a movie I love
***

well my dear ones,

You know how sometimes you get a song stuck in your head?

Well I’ve had one like that the last couple of days,
which wouldn’t be so bad, except it’s a song I hate,
“Love the One You’re With”
by Hootie and the Blowfish.

I don’t actually hate the song, the music, that is;
it has an upbeat tempo, and it’s a catchy tune;
I just don’t like the lyrics,
“If you can’t be with the one you love,
love the one you’re with.”

So, basically, it’s about cheating on your loved ones,
which leads to divorce and broken homes,
and that often leads to kids practicing small cutting,
as an outward expression of inner turmoil...

In short, this song is about everything
that made me start this journal in the first place,
and that kind of sucks.

I mean, if I had a dollar for every time
someone told me,
“my boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife cheated on me,
and now I’m devastated...”
I could have retired years ago.

There’s a lot of pain in the world
and taking this song’s advice
would only add to it.

However, I have a better answer than Hootie
to the question of what to do
“If you can’t be with the one you love,”
and that would be,
“send them something to show your love.”

It could be as simple as a letter.

A friend of mine,
a recovering alcoholic turned pastor,
was once asked to give a ten second synopsis of the Bible.

His take was that the Bible is a series of love letters,
wherein God woos us, pursues us as a lover,
with the message that
God loved us in the womb, before we were even born,
and still loves us with a love we can’t even fathom,
and that that’s why we should return that love.

An interesting analysis, for sure.
And for certain, back in the good ol’ pre-internet days,
for literally thousands of years,
letters have been used as an expression of love.

So, at this time of year,
when many feel alone or neglected,
if you can’t be with the one you love,
send them a letter.

And while I have been playing that song in my head,
I have also been thinking about a movie I just saw,
a true story, which generally makes for the best films,
The Blind Side.

It’s about the life of Michael Oher,
offensive tackle for the Baltimore Ravens,
and the family who adopted him.

Here’s a couple of short reviews:

http://www.nola.com/movies/index.ssf/2009/11/sandra_bullock_the_blind_side.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/19/AR2009111901261.html

This is a great movie, really uplifting.

Leigh Anne Tuohy shows how a little bit of caring
can totally transform a life;
and that’s a message I never tire of hearing.

Have a great week! =)

grace, peace, & love to you,

dave

“God cares for each of the lost,
and for the smallest and most unloved of all,
for nothing under all Creation is unloved by the One.”

--- White Tiger (in “Who Are You?)

"Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble,
whatever things are just, whatever things are pure,
whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report,
if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy
- meditate on these things."
(Philippians 4:8 NKJV)

TLC
***

well my dear ones,

Some of you have asked for an update,
as in, “how is Mr. Bones doing?”

The answer is, great! =)

He is not just walking;
after a little bit of tender loving care (TLC) from Jane,
he is running around, and leaping up the steps now. =>

It’s amazing how a little bit of TLC
can totally revive and transform a dog
...or a person, for that matter.

As we look forward to Thanksgiving
I have been taking an inventory of all the things
for which I have to be thankful...
...it’s a pretty long list, and growing.

Are you having a bit of trouble finding stuff to be thankful for?

Take a peek at a piece of my list; perhaps it will help you out. =)

First off, I thank God that by the grace of God I draw breath.

I thank God for my wife, because she is an awesome blessing.

I thank God I have a job, since many don’t.

I thank God I have a home, since many don’t.

I thank God for my problems, since they help me grow.

I thank God for God’s TLC,
since under it I am kept safe,
as I learn the things God wants me to learn.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving and a great week! =)

grace, peace, & love to you,

dave

“God cares for each of the lost,
and for the smallest and most unloved of all,
for nothing under all Creation is unloved by the One.”

--- White Tiger (in “Who Are You?)

"Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble,
whatever things are just, whatever things are pure,
whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report,
if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy
- meditate on these things."
(Philippians 4:8 NKJV)

Mr. Bones
***

well my dear ones,

I give thanks for all the freedoms we have,
and I realize we only have them
because some young men and women gave their all,
so, my wife and I spent Veteran’s Day
at a dedication of a new POW MIA Memorial
up in Macon GA.

While there, we met a nice young woman, Jane,
who had walked there, so, after the service,
we gave her a ride home.

When we got there, we met Mr. Bones,
a pit bull, who is about the saddest looking animal
that I have ever seen in my life.

He was so starved that I could see every bone in his body;
yet let me be clear, this is no fault of Jane’s.
In fact, she is the one who saved his life.
Some guy used him as a fighting dog,
and when he finally lost a match,
the guy stopped feeding him since he was “worthless.”

Mr. Bones has white fur,
but Jane said she couldn’t tell that at first
as he was covered in too much blood.
Jane cut his chain, took him home, and nursed his wounds.

And under her loving care, he is recuperating very well.
When I saw him, even though he could barely walk,
and had to be helped up stairs,
he came over and laid down at my feet
and licked my hand,
and never stopped wagging his tail
while I petted him.

Jane told me today that he is eating like a horse,
and I was glad to hear it.

A few weeks ago, Mr. Bones was a hardened fighting dog;
but now, after being starved half to death,
and then nursed back to health by a caring hand,
he is a loving companion dog.

It never ceases to amaze me
how a little bit of love can transform things.

Have a great week! =)

grace, peace, & love to you,

dave

“God cares for each of the lost,
and for the smallest and most unloved of all,
for nothing under all Creation is unloved by the One.”

--- White Tiger (in “Who Are You?)

"Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble,
whatever things are just, whatever things are pure,
whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report,
if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy
- meditate on these things."
(Philippians 4:8 NKJV)

love at first sight
***

well my dear ones,

As I mentioned last time,
I have been studying the animals we love
in order to learn a thing or two
about a thing or two.

I’ve spoken much about cats;
now let me tell you what I’ve learned
from our other 4-legged friends, dogs.

When riding home,
when I ride my motorcycle by the firehouse,
I take particular care to ride slowly
as there are many puppies and dogs on that street;
many of them like to chase bikes
and I want to make sure none of them get hurt.

There’s one dog in particular, Lucky,
who I like to wave to as I ride by.
Lucky only has three legs;
one of his legs had to be amputated some time back,
yet he’s still one of the happiest dogs you’ll ever meet.

I always wave to the gent who walks him, too;
he’s a kind old soul,
who treats his dog with plenty of respect;
and you can just tell by the way he treats Lucky
that dog is a huge blessing in his life.

But the sweetest, mellowest, happiest dog I’ve ever met
is Reba, the dog who lives across the street.

Her owner got divorced some time back,
and he had a really tough time;
not only did he lose a wife,
but he lost his beloved dog.

His ex claims his dog took off...
*bites his tongue*

OK, I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt;
but the point is, he was left all alone.

One day, at PetSmart,
when they were having an adoption clinic,
he saw Reba, and it was love at first sight.

Now, he loves her to pieces and she reciprocates.

I think that somehow,
as much as that dog needed a home,
she knew as soon as she saw my neighbor
that he needed her even more than she needed him,
so she sidled up to him and picked him out...

...sometimes, I think animals have more compassion
than some people I know.

And I think that’s one reason God gave us pets;
some people are so darn hard to love
that we need to practice on things that are easy to love first,
then kind of work our way up to loving them. *lol*

All our animals have been rescue animals,
pets we adopted to save them and give them a home;
yet they have paid us back with more than we ever gave them;
they have taught me patience, kindness, and love.

Have a great week! =)

grace, peace, & love to you,

dave

“God cares for each of the lost,
and for the smallest and most unloved of all,
for nothing under all Creation is unloved by the One.”

--- White Tiger (in “Who Are You?)

"Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble,
whatever things are just, whatever things are pure,
whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report,
if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy
- meditate on these things."
(Philippians 4:8 NKJV)

the things we need
***

well my dear ones,

As I’m sure I’ve mentioned a few times now,
I have been studying the animals we love
in order to learn a thing or two
about a thing or two.

Water, food, and shelter
are considered life’s necessities,
the things we really need.

But we have an more basic need than those things.

Our new cat, Socks,
(who I told you about a couple of weeks ago,
back in “love & abandonment” )
has a little shelter to live in;
and, each morning,
I fill up her water bowl
and put down a bowl of food
and give her some treats.

Yet even with the food she likes,
and the treats she loves,
sitting right there in front of her,
she won’t start to feed.
Instead, she just sits there and cries.

Only after I pick her up,
and stroke her fur,
and tell her that the big kitties will take care of her now,
and tell her that I love her,
...only then will she start to eat.

She needs love even more than she needs food;
she is hungry for it, desperate for it.

And aren’t we all the same way?

Don’t we all have a desperate need to be loved?

Thankfully,
God loves each one of us
more than we can (in this lifetime)
ever possibly believe.

Have a great week! =)

grace, peace, & love to you,

dave

“God cares for each of the lost,
and for the smallest and most unloved of all,
for nothing under all Creation is unloved by the One.”

--- White Tiger (in “Who Are You?)

"Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble,
whatever things are just, whatever things are pure,
whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report,
if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy
- meditate on these things."
(Philippians 4:8 NKJV)

control
***

well my dear ones,

I’ve been thinking lately about control.

Don’t you wish you had more control
over the events in your life?

I know I do!

That’s likely one of the reasons
I gravitated toward the shooting sports.

To put an arrow into a far away target
makes you feel like you have some measure of control.

Also, when I did muzzle loader competition,
each time you fired your rifle,
you were igniting a carefully prepared charge;
you had measured the powder yourself,
carefully patched the round ball,
tamped it down the barrel gently so as not to distort it,
and aimed it skillfully,
while holding your breath for a few seconds,
all to make as small a pattern as humanely possible
on that distant bulls-eye.

And “paper doesn’t lie” as we say;
the bullets are either in the bulls-eye...or not.
And if you put them all in there,
if you shoot the high score,
you feel like you have some measure of control.

Yet, in reality, outside of very limited instances
like the one I just outlined,
we have very little control over our lives
or over the events in them.

Things happen all the time that are out of our control;
and then all we can control is our reaction to them.

For a week now, our cat, Riley, has been missing.

He’s a great cat;
I found him abandoned under our lawnmower
when he was about 3 weeks old;
we bottle fed him,
and he is a very loving little creature.

At night,
before he crawls into the little bed my wife made him,
he usually lays on my chest for a few minutes,
and puts one paw on each side of my neck
and tucks his head under my chin and just purrs.

When I got home from BiketOberfest
(which was way cool, and where I learned many things,
and we’ll speak of them at another time),
my wife told me that Riley was gone.

We love that cat to pieces,
hence, we are not happy about that at all.

He is a wanderer, but he is usually in every night;
he’s never been gone for more than a couple of days,
and today was the seventh day he was missing.

Control of my life?
I don’t even have the power to find one lost cat.

This morning on my way to work
I put up “reward for lost cat” posters
on all the stop signs near our house.

As I said,
things happen all the time that are out of our control;
and then all we can control is our reaction to them.

My reaction in this case was to hope and to pray.

And as I was finishing writing this piece,
my wife called to tell me that
while she was working in our backyard,
Riley wandered out of the woods
and nuzzled up to her.

I don’t know where he was;
I don’t really care;
I just thank God he’s home!

So, when things get really crazy,
and events in your life seem to really be out of control,
remember that you can choose your reaction to them...

...and hoping and praying
are a couple of really good reactions.

Have a great week! =)

grace, peace, & love to you,

dave

"Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble,
whatever things are just, whatever things are pure,
whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report,
if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy
- meditate on these things."
(Philippians 4:8 NKJV)

abandonment & love
***

well my dear ones,

I was speaking recently with Catmommy
about a woman she knows who went into the hospital;
since her stay will be lengthy,
her son called animal control to remove her pets.

Thankfully, Catmommy and her friends
were able to rescue two dogs
and a bunch of kitties
and put them up for adoption.

But two of the cats are senior cats,
Doodlebug and Gracie;
they are both about ten years old,
which puts them at about the
equivalent of being seventy in people years.

I visited these two cats where they were
being housed awaiting someone to take them.
They are so sweet;
Doodlebug chirps every time you touch him;
and he and Gracie huddle and groom each other;
they've been together for ten years.
And it was really sad to think they might be separated.

These cats had belonged to the woman's daughter,
who just didn't want them anymore.

And I was like,
"How do you love something for ten years,
and them just decide to abandon it?"

But actually, people do it all the time.
My wife and I just started feeding a cat, Socks,
that we went to get spayed
only to find out it had already been spayed.

So my wife's like,
"I don't get it;
someone payed all this money to get this cat fixed;
they must have cared for it;
and then one day they just decide to abandon it
by the side of the road...I just don't get it."

Yet, actually, it's not just pets;
in our fast-paced world of today
people often abandon their friends,
or their kids,
or their spouses.

I guess the problem is that our love is so conditional:
"You meet my needs...so I love you."
"You make me happy...so I love you."
"You're beautiful...so I love you."

"Oh yeah, and when you don't meet my needs,
and you no longer make me happy,
and your beauty fades,
well, then, I guess I'll move on."

It's easy to be self-centered;
it's easy to have an unloving spirit*
(* a conditionally loving spirit is an unloving spirit).

Yet we are called to more than that.

We are called to be more and do more.

God is love.

Not just "God has love" or "God gives love"
but "God is love." **

In this lifetime,
we will never fully be able to
comprehend the full and unconditional love
that God has for each one of us.

But we can apprehend it,
we can know that to be true,
and we can use that to change the way we love
while in this lifetime.

Feelings come and go,
but real love is a choice
which you can always make
whether your feelings back it up or not.

May you choose love always,
for the more of it you give,
the more of it you will have,
since the Wellspring of it
will never run dry.

Socks used to cry a whole lot;
I thought it was because she was hungry,
but my wife correctly guessed
that she was really hungry for attention;
and when my wife pets her,
she stops crying, because she knows she is loved.

And Gracie and Doodlebug had a happy ending;
a woman from Atlanta took them both
and she loves them to pieces.

Whenever you choose to adopt a puppy,
feed a homeless cat,
hug your child when they've had a rough day,
do something nice for your significant other,
mentor someone,
or speak a word of kindness to someone,
then, you are being the hand of God
in someone's life,
and blessings will flow back into your life because of it.

Have a great week! =)

grace, peace, & love to you,

dave

** "Whoever does not love does not know God,
because God is love."

1 John 4:8

(Ouch, ...that hits so hard it hurts)

Flashdance, Daytona, & Miss Bessie’s Tea Room
***

well my dear ones,

Yes, in this case, I actually mean the movie,
the 1980’s movie of the same name,
which I will use to tie
those seemingly unrelated subjects together.

For anyone who’s never seen it,
Flashdance is sort of a female version of Rocky;
18-year-old Alex Owens (played by Jessica Beals)
is a Pittsburg welder by day
and an exotic dancer by night.

But her dream,
encouraged by her Aunt Hanna,
is to become a ballet dancer.

Her boss at her welding job,
Nick Hurley (played by Michael Nouri),
has a thing for her
and pulls some strings to get her an audition
at the dance academy.

Alex is somewhat miffed by this,
and not wanting to become the excuse
for her not achieving her heart’s desire,
Nick delivers what I think is the best quote
of that entire movie,
"When you give up your dreams, you die".

I believe that to be true,
for those who lose or abandon their dreams,
lose their passion,
and while they are still technically alive,
they have a pretty joyless existence.

I think you should hold onto your dreams,
and if you are part of a couple,
you should have one or more dreams that you share,
that you are working towards.

We should always have something
to which we are looking forward,
be it one big thing
or lots of little ones.

Twice a year, I head to Daytona
to meet up with my biker buds;
each October for BiketOberfest,
and each March for Bike Week,
I head down to meet up with those guys;
it’s a great time with old friends,
and I spend months ahead of time
looking forward to and planning for it.

And just this past weekend
I got to take my wife to a place
that I had planned to take her to for a long time;
we went to a town called Barnesville
to a place called “Miss Bessie’s Tea Room.”

There are hundreds of hats on the wall
to wear while you are there;
my wife found a cool straw hat with a flower on it
and I found a really cool gangster hat. *lol*

We had our tea and I had the best
Monte Christo sandwich I’ve ever had;
the desserts were all home-made,
and while they likely all have 57 million calories apiece
I picked one and ate it anyway...yummy! =>

Now I can’t wait for my wife and I to go back there again,
and we are also looking forward to going to see
the historic section of Milledgeville.*
(*a town full of interesting old mansions
which used to be the capital of Georgia
prior to the War Between the States)

So, whatever dreams you have
hold onto them and pursue them;
for while what Nick said is true,
it’s diametric statement is also true,
"When you pursue your dreams, you live at your best".

Have a great week! =)

grace, peace, & love to you,

dave

** “For surely I know the thoughts that I think toward you,
says the LORD,
thoughts of peace and not of evil,
to give you a future and a hope.”

--- Jeremiah 29:11

“Hope? A future with hope? ...bring it on!”

--- dave

the best investment
***

well my dear ones,

If you’re looking for stock tips,
you’re in the wrong place;
that’s not the type of investing I meant.

I am currently investing for the future,
and I am doing it right now;
even as you read this, I am investing
...in you.

I am investing my time
and trying to put a piece of my life
into your life,
trying to speak a word or two to lift you up,
so that someday in the future,
you will be able to speak a word or two
to lift up someone else.

We had a woman here, Idell,
(correct spelling, now that I’ve seen her name written =>)
who is a sweet and gentle spirit,
and she is a perfect example of this type of investing.

She’s been laid off, and she’s only been gone two days,
but I miss her a whole big bunch already.

She had a ready smile and a kind word for whoever she met.
She invested some of her sweet spirit in everyone here,
and that will pay dividends for the rest of our lives,
since we will never forget her.

When I found out she was being let go,
I went to talk to her to cheer her up,
yet she wound up cheering ME up.

I told her I was sorry she lost her job,
and she said that was OK,
that she wasn’t worried at all and that
since she is aligning herself with God’s will
she is confident and trusting
that God will hook her up
and open another door,
bring her a new opportunity.

That was (perhaps) her final investment in me,
and I will make sure it pays off
as I try and live with such an outlook myself,
while recognizing that her attitude is so cool
that I pass it on to you.

If you find yourself struggling someday,
think about Idell,
and how she faced adversity,
and that may help you through your own tough times.

So, if you want to make an investment
that really matters,
I would suggest you invest in others;
it pays dividends to you and them. =)

And there was a final thought Idell gave me;
she said that sometimes,
if there’s no one else around to encourage you
you can even speak words of encouragement to yourself
(like, “God is good, God is cool, God is able;
I know I will get through this;
God has better plans for me
than I do for myself,**
and I trust it will all work out in the end”).

Thanks, Idell, that’s great advice!

Have a great week! =)

grace, peace, & love to you,

dave

** “For surely I know the thoughts that I think toward you,
says the LORD,
thoughts of peace and not of evil,
to give you a future and a hope.”

--- Jeremiah 29:11

“Hope? A future with hope? ...bring it on!”

--- dave

remembrances
***

well my dear ones,

I am working on the next encouragement,
“the best investment,”
and I’ll have that done by the end of the week.

In the meantime, I am prompted to post these,
a couple of blasts from the past;
since these were two of the items
on which I received the most comments,
I figure they must have resonated with people,
so I stuck them on their own web pages:

(note: For those not yet acquainted with him, White Tiger,
like Titania, has been around since the dawn of Creation
and tries to educate dave on certain things =>)

an encouragement where Titania shows dave
the power of the Song of Creation:

http://www.angelfire.com/blues/davemyster/OneNoteOfPerfectBeauty.html

an encouragement where White Tiger shows dave
some interesting things:

http://www.angelfire.com/blues/davemyster/WhoAreYou.html

“God cares for each of the lost,
and for the smallest and most unloved of all,
for nothing under all Creation is unloved by the One.”

--- White Tiger

So, if you glean nothing else today, glean this:
you are unique, you are special, and you are loved.

Have a great week! =)

grace, peace, & love to you,

dave

“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”

--- Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 5

signs
***

well my dear ones,

Long ago, my first boss taught me that,
when dealing with other people,
it would be well to think of everyone
as having a sign around their neck that says:
“Make me feel important!”

Over the years,
I’ve come to appreciate that bit of wisdom.

Do you know who cleans up after you at work?
In my case, it’s a woman named Adele,
a really sweet lady with a heart of gold.

As soon as I got here, I sought her out
and got to know her.
I made her feel important because she IS important;
if not for her, my workspace would be a mess,
complete and utter chaos. *lol* =>

Years ago, I saw another example of this principle at work.
My uncle had a small fishing boat, moored at the local marina.
Uncle Ernie owned a power equipment shop;
he was used to hard work,
and he treated the dock workers well,
with good tips and kind words.

The guy at the slip next to him had a huge yacht;
he treated the dock workers like scum.

One night, there was a break in at the marina;
the yacht got trashed and sunk;
yet my uncle’s boat was fine.

*shrugs*

If I had to guess, I’d say it went something like this:
some local gang breaks into the marina;
the [unarmed] dockworkers are like,
“dudes, if you’re gonna mess with someone’s boat,
don’t mess with that boat; that dude’s cool to us.
how about that yacht there?...dude treats us like scum.”

So, besides being good for you, and for them,
treating others like they had that sign around their neck
has practical benefits as well.

Someone told me long ago
that the true mark of our character
is measured by how well we treat those around us
who have no power to enhance our position in life.

To that I say,
“May the kindness you show others
repay you ten-fold.”

Have a great week! =)

grace, peace, & love to you,

dave

P.S. For those who commented on “Kaisen” last week;
yes, it is generally spelled “Kaizen” in the USA,
while in England, it is generally rendered as “Kaisen.”
The most recent article I’d read was British,
hence, my use of that spelling.

So, “yay for me Brit girls!” on that one. =D

“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”

--- Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 5

Kaisen
***

well my dear ones,

Anyone who works in any kind of manufacturing job
or any related business has likely heard the buzz word,
“continuous improvement.”

Actually, the concept is Japanese,
and their word for it is “Kaisen,”

A ten-second synopsis of it is that
Kaizen is based on making little changes
on a regular basis, with an eye toward
always improving productivity,
safety and effectiveness while reducing waste.

Having worked under this mindset for years,
there is one thing I really do like about it.
In Kaizen, problems are seen as
opportunities to improve.

This side of heaven
we are never going to be “problem free,”
and that’s OK, once we realize
that problems are opportunities
for us to work on...us. =)

Problems, and how we face them,
are an opportunity for us
to work on our own character.

And our character is the only thing
we can “take with us,”
hence, the reason that
God cares more about our character
than our comfort.

That being said,
may your problems be small
and your improvement be gradual.

Have a great week! =)

grace, peace, & love to you,

dave

“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”

--- Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 5

Butterfly remembered
***

well my dear ones,

I have been thinking of how to commemorate today,
and I really cannot think of anything
other than what I said on another 9/11 gone by.

Hence, here is what I said back on 9/11 of 2007:

I was away last week in Florida
packing and moving our stuff.

In the middle of moving,
I saw a butterfly on a flower,
and I stopped to get a picture of it,
as it reminded me of a couple of things,
one of them a poem I had written for Nomi,
who used to work in the World Trade Center.

It’s hard to believe it’s been
six long years [8 now] since
Islamo-fascist terrorists
tried to kill my Nomi*,
along with all the other innocent people
they killed that fateful day
(*she’s still alive, thank God,
since she was home sick that day).

And speaking of sick,
don’t get the wrong impression that I hate these people;
I hate the sick things they did, and what they promote,
but I pray every morning for all Muslims,
and especially the Islamo-fascist ones
(note to them:
dudes, you’ve been sold a bill of goods;
yet you can still see & walk in the light of truth;
learn from your brethren Bassam Madany,
Dr. Anish Shorrosh, and Walid Shoebat,
all Muslim-born, who learned to walk
a good and righteous path).

I was thinking how to commemorate this day,
and I was remembering the butterfly I’d seen,
and so remembering the second thing of which it reminded me,
something the Faerie Queen** once said to me,
“There’s more beauty in a butterfly’s wing
than in all the things your science can create.”

(**note: Titania, Queen of the Faeries,
has been hooked up with God,
Who she calls “The One,”
ever since the Song of Creation,
when God sang, and all the universe leapt into existence;
created just after the angels,
she is dave’s muse,
and, from time to time,
she tells him a thing or two about a thing or two =>)

Rightly so;
and therefore I’ll commemorate today
with a picture of that butterfly
(can be seen here: http://www.angelfire.com/blues/davemyster/butterflypics.html)

and a poem
(for I’ll let the poem I wrote for Nomi
now commemorate all the innocent who fell that day):

**********************

The Last Butterfly

Thousands of butterflies...gone in the twinkling of an eye,
But I saw one small one left, wondering why...

“Why me, what did I do to deserve this fate?,” she cried.
Then suddenly, at this plea, another stood by her side,

Titania, the lovely Faerie Queen,
Rarely now by any mortals seen.

“Why me?,” whispered Nomi, the last butterfly.
I listened closely, to catch the reply.

“Dear little one,” the Faerie Queen sighed,
“I wish I could lend you the Faerie Queen’s eye’s.”

“Grace astounding,
Love unbounding,

“Those gone from this place,
Deep heaven now grace.

“By Creator called home,
Surrounding the throne,

“Sweet music they make in the Maker’s employ,
Rest hard earned, they now know deepest joy.

“But you, dear one, shouldn’t much fret,
It’s wasn’t your time to take that path yet.

“Grace astounding,
Love unbounding,

“There is much love you have still to give,
So at the Maker’s behest, yet you live.

“Remember, Love is the key,
That sets hearts free.

“And freely you’ve been given endless love,
Flowing into your heart from heaven above,

“So now to all those who paths you cross,
Give of this love, & you’ll never be at a loss,

“For of this love, the more you let,
From on high, the more you’ll get.”

Then the faerie queen embraced the butterfly,
And I heard a whisper, and perhaps a sigh,

“Hush now,” said the Faerie Queen,
“You are worth more than you can dream.”

**************************

And that goes for you all;
in the eyes of God,
you are all worth more than you can dream.

Have a great week! =)

grace, peace, & love to you,

dave

“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”

--- Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 5

sanctuary
***

well my dear ones,

A few nights ago,
I went out to take in the food
we put out for our backyard animals;
and I thought I saw a new cat in one of the bowls,
yet when I got closer, I saw it was really a baby raccoon.

And I actually thought that was kind of cool,
since, as she did with our yard in Florida,
my wife has sort of tried to recreate the Garden of Eden *lol*

Yes, our yard is a garden, and in it
all manner of creatures find food, water, and a place to rest.

And I think that’s a good thing,
since all God’s creatures need a place of sanctuary
...including us.

We all need a place to rest and to think,
a place to work on our perspective.

So, if you haven’t found one yet,
may you find sanctuary, and a measure of peace.

Have a great week! =)

grace, peace, & love to you,

dave

“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”

--- Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 5

ghost rider
***

well my dear ones,

No, I’m not talking about the comic book,
nor the movie that was based upon it. *lol*

This past weekend, I took a long ride up to Tennessee,
to the Smokey Mountains, to do some whitewater rafting.

There were nine of us on motorcycles,
and since none of us wanted to do the six-lane highway
through the city of Atlanta thing,
we chose a back country route,
Route 83, a twisty old two-lane road
that’s a really nice ride...
...but has precious little room to pass anyone.

Shortly after we started,
a tractor trailer full of cars
pulled out in front of us,
and we were stuck behind this guy for miles.

At first, I got really ticked,
and I’m sure my buds did, too;
yet it was then that I remembered the ghost rider...

Years ago, when I was biking across country
with my friend, Mike, we stopped somewhere
in the California desert (Needles, I think =>),
and bought a couple of motorcycle magazines,
and one of them had the story of the ghost rider.

This guy had been biking down a twisty mountain road,
when out of nowhere, another bike appeared next to him,
and gunned the throttle like he wanted to race.
The phantom rider took off like a shot,
and the man raced after him.

The ghost rider rode like the devil himself,
on the edges of the curves,
inches from going off into the chasms below;
the man could barely keep up,
and was unable to overtake the phantom.

As they neared the bottom of the mountain,
the man heard a rumbling sound
and looked in his mirror
just as the road behind him collapsed
and fell into the canyon below.

When he looked ahead,
the ghost rider looked back
and gave him a small wave
...then disappeared,
as if he’d never been.

As the man rode into the town
at the foot of the mountain
to call in the road’s collapse,
it dawned on him that
were it not for his race against the ghost rider,
he’d have either fallen with the crumbling road,
or ridden into the chasm after it collapsed;
but either way, were it not for the ghost rider,
he’d surely have been killed.

Who knows?
Perhaps that tractor trailer was our ghost rider,
our guardian angel,
sent to slow our speed and to prevent us
from being in the wrong place at the wrong time,
sent to prevent us from some disaster.

I pray that your own ghost riders,
your own guardians angels,
will be there when you need them.

Have a great week! =)

grace, peace, & love to you,

dave

“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”

--- Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 5

perspective
***

well my dear ones,

As I’ve noted in the past,
the attitude we choose to adopt
can be a huge improvement in our lives.

And having a righteous attitude,
one that can get us though the hard times,
is something that is shaped by our perspective;
and that can be broadened out of our generally narrow view.

...OK, that sounds pretty nebulous,
hence, allow me to show a concrete example.

Not long ago, my wife’s friend, Jenny,
asked if I would help her husband, Terry,
by going with him to inspect a motorcycle
that he was thinking about buying.

He was looking for something that ran well,
yet needed some work...a fixer-upper.

When we got to the seller’s place,
the guy was not back yet,
but his wife allowed us to look the bike over
while we waited on him.

To be kind, this thing was not as advertized.
Even taking into account that the current owner
(who was not really bike savvy at all)
likely got taken by the previous one,
I told Terry the seller’s asking price was way too much,
and, in my opinion, even $500 would be a real gift.

So, when the guy arrived, Terry told him he decided
to pass on the bike.

The owner sort of wigged out,
and said he’d take $500 for it.

As I said, even that was a gift...major league.

Well, Terry gave him the money,
and we loaded the bike onto his trailer
for the drive home.

Once we got there, Jenny, who was not
keen on the whole bike idea in the first place,
saw the condition of it
and asked me what he’d paid for it.

I explained that although the thing
really needed tons of work,
that she should look at this purchase
as no purchase at all,
but rather as a gift to a family that was hurting
(the seller had a wife and four kids,
and flat out told us he was hurting for money).

Once she knew that,
Jenny’s comment was,
“Oh, then maybe you should have given him
the full asking price.”

Most wives would have been ticked off,
but Jenny operates from a broad perspective
that is tempered by much wisdom,
hence, she empathized with this family
who was down on their luck;
so, rather than being ticked that
the money should have gone
to the redecorating she longed for,
she choose instead to have an attitude
of happiness toward her husband
for being charitable to others.

May you increase in wisdom,
may your perspective be broad,
may your attitude be cool,
and may you maintain a child-like heart
no matter what age you attain.

Have a great week! =)

grace, peace, & love to you,

dave

“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”

--- Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 5

Wishin’ & Wantin’
***

well my dear ones,

I read an interesting article by a man named Kevin Fletcher
called “Wishin’ & Wantin’,” which was about
his great desire for a 4WD Jeep,
even though he has a perfectly good 2WD pickup.

He also went on about how he’d spent his entire adult life
trying to “make Kevin happy,”
by living out his philosophy of,
“If I want it, and I can get it, why not?”

(note: I spent much time in my past
doing exactly the same!)

The problem he ran into was his discovery
that whatever it was that he just had have to have,
just couldn’t live without,
never really brought fulfillment,
never really satisfied him,
hence, he would move on to the next “gotta have it.”

Thousands of years ago,
the Hebrew prophet Isaiah said,
“Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen to me, and eat what is good,
and your soul will delight
in the richest of fare.”

That’s cool, although I really like how Kevin,
a self-professed redneck,
translated this into Bubba-speak:
“Why you wastin’ your money on all that crap?
You’re workin’ your butt off for nothin’
Look here, fill up on what’s right
and it’ll tickle your innards.”

Likely the dumbest statement I’ve ever heard is,
“He who dies with the most toys wins.”

Wins what? I’ve seen plenty of hearses,
but I’ve yet to see one toting a U-Haul.

The only thing we’ll take with us from this world
is our character.

And if we’ll just work on that,
by doing the things God wants us to do,
and then be satisfied with what God provides,
we’ll store up treasure in heaven.

Have a great week! =)

grace, peace, & love to you,

dave

“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”

--- Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 5

Jubilee
***

well my dear ones,

I spent a lot of time this weekend working
on a kayak I’ve named “Jubilee,”
since when I work on a boat, it helps me to focus.

Our little cat, Charcoal, had a stroke last week,
so we took her to the vet;
and when I visited her on Friday night, she was at death’s door;
she just lay there, front paws all stiff, unable to even sit up.

Since there was nothing else I could do,
I prayed for her all weekend
as I worked on the Jubilee.

This morning, my wife called to tell me
that the vet told her our kitty was fine
and was ready to come home.

When I went and picked her up at lunchtime
even the vets were wigged out that she had survived,
as they expected her to pass on over the weekend.

I, however, wasn’t surprised at all;
I prayed for my poor little kitty to not suffer,
either to die peacefully in her sleep,
or, much preferred, to be miraculously healed,
to be hale and whole
and back in her place on the front porch
(she’s always right outside the door
whenever we go out, waiting to be petted,
or to get a few treats; and it just seemed so wrong
for her to not be there the last few days).

I’ve prayed about a lot of things,
but I’ve only seen three miracles in my lifetime [so far];
in one, my friend lived,
in the other, my uncle died
(but I think the way he died in grace and power
surpassed the way my friend was restored),
and in the last one,
our little kitty has been restored for a season.

I rejoice in that, as I do in many other things;
I count my blessings everyday,
and they are far more than I deserve.

I know times seem bad right now;
many people I know have lost their jobs
or are in fear of losing them;
we are in the midst of a worldwide economic downturn.

Nevertheless, I have decided to see this
as the year of Jubilee (hence, the name for that kayak).

And my prayer for all of you now
is that you will have better days ahead of you,
that you will dream new things,
and find new opportunities,
and that God will renew in you
a passion and zest for...
for the things about which you are meant to be passionate,
which are different for each of us;
we all have our various gifts and talents;
...may you use yours well.

Have a great week! =)

grace, peace, & love to you,

dave

“There are hundreds of languages in the world,
but a smile speaks them all”
- ANONYMOUS

“The best way you can cheer yourself up
is to cheer someone else up”
- MARK TWAIN

“How you think about a problem is more important
than the problem itself. So always think positively.”
- NORMAN VINCENT PEALE

"Love is the beauty of the soul."
- ST. AUGUSTINE

she danced
***

well my dear ones,

Lately I have been thinking about and remembering
a woman from some years ago,
from back when we lived in Florida.

There was a homeless woman there,
who used to travel (by foot) all over town.

(I can’t recall if I’ve ever spoken about her before,
but even if I have, it’s time to do so again,
for this morning, I had some new insights about her)

One day, a friend whose husband had died
gave me a bunch of his shooting stuff,
some of which I could use and kept,
and some of which I could not
so I brought to a sporting goods store
that gave me a bunch of money for it.

I was going to give the money back to her,
when I saw the homeless woman in the parking lot,
and I kind of felt led to give it to her
(which, when I told my friend about it later,
is exactly where she wanted the money to go).

When I handed her the money,
she smiled and thanked me,
but she didn’t seem at all surprised;
it was like she had been expecting it,
it was as if she had been told by some One
that something she needed was about to arrive.

And then...she danced.

She waved her arms,
and pirouetted around,
and looked up into the sky
as she danced under the canopy
of some trees that ringed the lot.

It wasn’t like she was just dancing
to the quiet reverberations of the Song of Creation
(which I doubt not she heard better than I),
it was more like God was singing a song directly to her,
something meant for her alone to hear,
although I was allowed to see the specialness of it
(and I knew not why at the time,
but this morning it came to me
that it was so I could write about it to you now =>).

It was a dance of joy and thankfulness,
for although she had not much of material value,
I think she was rich in things beyond our ken.

A short time later,
I heard that she had passed on from this world.

And where is she now?
Asleep with kings and counselors?

No, I think not,
for God is the God of the living.

She lives now more fully than when I saw her,
and dances in the Great Dance of Deep Heaven.
Clothed with an ethereal beauty I can only imagine,
this lovely creature brings a smile to the Creator’s eye.

Have a great week! =)

grace, peace, & love to you,

dave

“There are hundreds of languages in the world,
but a smile speaks them all”
- ANONYMOUS

“The best way you can cheer yourself up
is to cheer someone else up”
- MARK TWAIN

“How you think about a problem is more important
than the problem itself. So always think positively.”
- NORMAN VINCENT PEALE

"Love is the beauty of the soul."
- ST. AUGUSTINE

some notes on finding love
***

well my dear ones,

I was thinking lately of the difficulty many have
with finding someone to share their life,
to share their hopes, dreams, aspirations, and even disappointments.

We just got back from a long vacation with our son, Tim.
I’ve been worried about him for some time now,
as he is divorced with four kids;
and I was worried that he would never meet the right someone,
especially with the [seeming] odds stacked against him.

But as soon as I met the new love of his life, Melissa,
I knew I didn’t need to worry about him any longer.

She is awesome with his kids,
and excels at helping him keep his life in balance.

Also, Kelly, her best friend from the time she was five,
was a cat.
(and now I have added Kelly to my prayer list
for a place in deep heaven,
for her 19 years of faithful companionship)

And her current best friend, Jasper, is also a cat.

Hence, in my book, Melissa is awesome,
and I count Tim fortunate to have found her. =D

Yet I truly still believe
that God has someone out there for everyone.

Recall my friend Dave,
who lost one grandmother and one grandfather
only to have the two widowed ones fall in love and marry...
...at age 78!

So if you haven’t found “the one” yet,
don’t try to force love onto your own timetable;
just leave yourself open to possibilities,
as love comes in God’s own good time.

Have a great week! =)

grace, peace, & love to you,

dave

“Appreciation can make a day - even change a life.
Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary.”

-- Margaret Cousins

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