Latest Inspiration
KnowKNOW
Should I leave
Without saying goodbye
Know that I had moments
Of clarity and harmony
With God
Know that Joy was plentiful
Know that Loving was good
Know that Living was my reward
3/23/04
Should I leave
Without saying goodbye
Know that I had moments
Of clarity and harmony
With God
Know that Joy was plentiful
Know that Loving was good
Know that Living was my reward
3/23/04
Numbers and letters arranged in line
Brings the message from a distant time
That all is not lost
But all is not well
All that you seek
From those that you've failed
Like squares without edges
And beaches without sand
Keep following the path of the Perfect Man.
Brings the message from a distant time
That all is not lost
But all is not well
All that you seek
From those that you've failed
Like squares without edges
And beaches without sand
Keep following the path of the Perfect Man.
If ever I
find a dark
corner of you,
I shall turn it
into light;
if ever you
find a dark
corner of me,
it will be
your turn.
find a dark
corner of you,
I shall turn it
into light;
if ever you
find a dark
corner of me,
it will be
your turn.
New Jersey Beach, 1974
Jet sounds over head,
Tanning in the blazing sun,
A cool breeze, relief!
"Toko Zani" flute
Music declaring His Cause,
Rejoice a new day!
A young blonde couple.
Proclaim it: "Baha'u'llah."
A new life for them.
Sand between my toes,
Ocean crashing, turquoise waves.
Summer evening walk.
Thirty years later.
Another generation,
And still, He has come!
Jet sounds over head,
Tanning in the blazing sun,
A cool breeze, relief!
"Toko Zani" flute
Music declaring His Cause,
Rejoice a new day!
A young blonde couple.
Proclaim it: "Baha'u'llah."
A new life for them.
Sand between my toes,
Ocean crashing, turquoise waves.
Summer evening walk.
Thirty years later.
Another generation,
And still, He has come!
"4th of July"
Anticipation
On damp, grassy knolls, kids wait
White, red, so soundful!
"Almost rained out"
Clouds cast a shadow
Paisley firecracker sky
"Repression"
Freedom is a term.
But where it does not exist,
It's never like spring.
Anticipation
On damp, grassy knolls, kids wait
White, red, so soundful!
"Almost rained out"
Clouds cast a shadow
Paisley firecracker sky
"Repression"
Freedom is a term.
But where it does not exist,
It's never like spring.
It all seems so slow
Like a song
On a record
A speed too slow
She dances
Around a white Christmas tree
With drops of blood
Trickling down onto the ground
Running through the trees
Free
A branch catches grasp of my skin
And tears it open
But causes no pain
As the music keeps playing
The words don't make sense
Nothing does
My mother's face
Smiles at me
Unconditionally
And sends me into the warmth
Of the beach
The hot sand
Grains sifting through my toes
Eyes squinting from the glare
Of the sun that is so close but so far
And it's bright
So bright
...
Like a song
On a record
A speed too slow
She dances
Around a white Christmas tree
With drops of blood
Trickling down onto the ground
Running through the trees
Free
A branch catches grasp of my skin
And tears it open
But causes no pain
As the music keeps playing
The words don't make sense
Nothing does
My mother's face
Smiles at me
Unconditionally
And sends me into the warmth
Of the beach
The hot sand
Grains sifting through my toes
Eyes squinting from the glare
Of the sun that is so close but so far
And it's bright
So bright
...
The essence of happiness is Even Keel.
Happiness can be achieved by knowing that you are a child of God.
God has put you on earth for a purpose.
Your purpose is God's purpose...
Even Keel.
The joy of living is the joy of birth,
Being a child, adolescent, adulthood, maturity, and death.
The joy that God loves you, man, woman, and child;
That joy of knowing there is no other
Who would do more for you and mankind than almighty God...
Even Keel.
God gave you a rational soul,
The opportunity to grow within this world and the next...
Even Keel.
The things of this world are yours
To enjoy, to play, to love, to care, and to share;
As long as you keep God in your heart, body, and mind
At an Even Keel.
Happiness can be achieved by knowing that you are a child of God.
God has put you on earth for a purpose.
Your purpose is God's purpose...
Even Keel.
The joy of living is the joy of birth,
Being a child, adolescent, adulthood, maturity, and death.
The joy that God loves you, man, woman, and child;
That joy of knowing there is no other
Who would do more for you and mankind than almighty God...
Even Keel.
God gave you a rational soul,
The opportunity to grow within this world and the next...
Even Keel.
The things of this world are yours
To enjoy, to play, to love, to care, and to share;
As long as you keep God in your heart, body, and mind
At an Even Keel.
Perhaps there is nothing that touches our hearts and souls so universally as music. For a brief span of my life, I was a sixth grade English teacher. I used to give my students a topic for their journal entry every day, and they usually moaned and complained about their assignment. I had to prod them just to get them to write the minimum 100 words on the topic. One day, I wrote the question, "What does music mean to you?". This day was completely unlike any other day. My students were so excited and enthusiastic about their answers, that they were bursting at the seams as they waited to share their entries with the rest of the class. Each student who read their entry poured out their soul as they told how music inspired them.
It's amazing how music affects each of us. Being a musician myself, I don't know how I could live without it. It is truly food for our souls, and a gateway to deep, subtle worlds within.
It's amazing how music affects each of us. Being a musician myself, I don't know how I could live without it. It is truly food for our souls, and a gateway to deep, subtle worlds within.
Wave after wave passed by my surf board as I stared into the endless ocean, waiting for that right one to come. I couldn't really call myself a surfer, but I was one who was enthusiastically learning to surf. I didn't care if I sucked, it was so great just to be out there. I would paddle desperately after a wave, only to find out that it wasn't the right one. I would see a perfect break 30 feet away, feeling that longing, wishing I had been in the right place. But I never got discouraged. The rhythm of the ocean, the deep blue expanse before me, the sound of the crashing waves - these were worth it just by themselves.
Without even being consciously aware of it, I finally paddled into the right wave. As I felt the surf board gather momentum, I jumped to my feet and I was up. Instinctively my body shifted its weight and curved the board into the contours of the wave, following it as it broke. Normally I would be up for a few seconds and either fall or watch the wave close out, but this time it just kept going. Without a thought in my mind I watched myself carve across the wave and follow it further and further still. Finally it petered out close to shore and I stepped off the board. I stood there in a moment of excitement and bliss. I had never caught a wave like that. It was so smooth, so natural that words fail to describe it. It's funny that when I was up I wasn't excited or happy or anything, really. I was just there, completely in the moment. Completely in flow.
In relation to the surfers out there, my little ride would have been most unimpressive. But still those moments stay with me, calling me out to the Pacific as I sit here in Texas, wondering if I will ever again live in a place where I can again try to surf.
Without even being consciously aware of it, I finally paddled into the right wave. As I felt the surf board gather momentum, I jumped to my feet and I was up. Instinctively my body shifted its weight and curved the board into the contours of the wave, following it as it broke. Normally I would be up for a few seconds and either fall or watch the wave close out, but this time it just kept going. Without a thought in my mind I watched myself carve across the wave and follow it further and further still. Finally it petered out close to shore and I stepped off the board. I stood there in a moment of excitement and bliss. I had never caught a wave like that. It was so smooth, so natural that words fail to describe it. It's funny that when I was up I wasn't excited or happy or anything, really. I was just there, completely in the moment. Completely in flow.
In relation to the surfers out there, my little ride would have been most unimpressive. But still those moments stay with me, calling me out to the Pacific as I sit here in Texas, wondering if I will ever again live in a place where I can again try to surf.
Sometimes life presents us with moments of peace and clarity that stay with us eternally. One of those moments for me was a time I was on a backpacking trip in New Mexico. I was at Philmont Scout Ranch on a 10 day trek. We were on a short hike that day and stopped at a place know as "the window". It's on top of a ridge that overlooks the mountains and dry plains below, and it's framed by rock formations to appear as if you're looking through a window to the world below. It's a beautiful sight.
The part that really sticks out in my memory, however, is a moment when I'm sitting on the rock watching the swallows fly overhead. Something about the grace of those swallows silhouetted against the endless blue sky sank deep into me. It was a moment of such peace and contentment that it still stirs me to this day. Those swallows flying in perfect harmony, without any cares or concerns. Those brief few moments of clarify before we picked up our packs and moved on.
If you looked at it outwardly, it would seem inconsequential - we just stopped for a quick break and enjoyed the view. Something happened inside of me though. I became aware of that state of lucidity, of calm accepting clarity. It was really beautiful.
The part that really sticks out in my memory, however, is a moment when I'm sitting on the rock watching the swallows fly overhead. Something about the grace of those swallows silhouetted against the endless blue sky sank deep into me. It was a moment of such peace and contentment that it still stirs me to this day. Those swallows flying in perfect harmony, without any cares or concerns. Those brief few moments of clarify before we picked up our packs and moved on.
If you looked at it outwardly, it would seem inconsequential - we just stopped for a quick break and enjoyed the view. Something happened inside of me though. I became aware of that state of lucidity, of calm accepting clarity. It was really beautiful.