A Pilgrims Prayer (One More Time Around The Sun)

Well it is, once again, that time of year when I drag out this old prose and start making the dressing.

A Pilgrims Prayer

Okay, I didn’t really know any of the original Pilgrims but I did see a few John Wayne movies. John knew a pilgrim when he saw one. He seemed to know a lot of pilgrims.

But allow me to propose that we are all pilgrims, each one of us on a journey of sorts; we are all looking for something. Be it a quest for self-confirmation, for truth, a cure, enrichment, comfort, a friend, a lover, a job, a meal or a place to lay our weary head at the end of another day.

Life is a journey, or at least it should be. I’d hate to think any of us were just flailing through the experience killing time on this giant floating gumball.

We all have one destination though we may travel many roads in getting there.

Hopefully we will choose well.

When we do take a wrong turn [and we will from time to time] I pray that we have enough sense and humility to stop and ask for directions; the sense to know good from evil and who to trust and I pray we have the courage to admit we took a wrong turn and learn from it.

So here’s wishing all of you pilgrims a Happy Thanksgiving and may we all, whatever road we’re on, take the time to look ahead, pause and bow our head in thanks.

My personal prayer:
Thank you Father, The Creator of all things, for this day and all it holds. Thank you for the days past and Father forgive me for my wrong turns. Thank you for the day to come and guide me to make better choices. Thank you for all the persons in my life and the ones who read this prayer. And Thank You Father for the beacon that lights my way.
In Jesus name. Amen.

Beach or Mountains?

Beach or mountains? Which do you prefer? Why?

My question was initially, why do I have to choose?

I enjoy the elements of both environments.

The beach is the earth’s womb; it heals and soothes and renews my soul.

The mountains are full of many wonders and challenges and they get me closer to the stars.

If I have to choose, well…

Can I choose a place where the mountains are so close they almost kiss the beach?

Of course I can—that makes for a beautiful vacation.

Regretfully though, there is no place such as that in my home country and I don’t frequently stray too far from US soil.

So if I must choose beach or mountains for my home…

I choose the forest.

Greed

This page is from the story of August Wolf which is also found in the short story compilation Greed.

You know what? I just love the cover of August Wolf.

My fondness is not because I designed it; I also designed the different covers of Greed. I just never really loved any of the Greed covers. 🤷🏼‍♀️

And another little tell-all this fine Tuesday…. drum roll please…

The main character in August Wolf, Jason Carroll, was named after my parents. After all I couldn’t reveal the orderly’s true identity. Putting one of us in danger was enough.

What does A Face in the Falls, August Wolf and The Sharecropper’s Son have in common?

These stories reveal the perplexities, the strengths and the weakness of people that are true to life and like life these stories expose the innate greed present in mankind.

“There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West. Some courage and some wisdom, blended in measure. If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”

― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit

Autumn Equinox 2024

Summer Adieu

It’s out of the flip-flops, and back in the Reeboks and long pants dug out of the dust

So long to the tank tops, bikinis and cut offs and lawn chairs left lying to rust

Adieu to the sand dune, the pelican and plain loon

My loves, we’ll see you `fore long

Leaves drop as trees swoon, long past the crop moon

With the scent of a sweet autumn song

Let’s all take a big swill to ward off the night chill

Winter’s a season away

Crank up the camp fire; avoid the ole quagmire

With children perched high on the hay.

Poem from Getting Me Back

More about the Autumn Equinox at Farmers Almanac 

Little Rascals (Tuesday’s Tell-All)

Mine’s on the right. Who’d have guessed.

I love this photo for so many reasons. I wonder what those little boys are thinking? What one said that created such an expression in the others.

My 5th grandson started playing baseball this year. He, like my other grandsons, is a rascal on the field and off.

The photo made me think of my other grandsons (their ages range from 10 months to 22 years) and some of the things they discuss/discussed.

I imagine right about now I have a grin like the little guy in the picture as I remember how I busied myself, pretending to be unaware while they talked.

Their conversations ranged from bugs to books and dinosaurs and bikes. Rocks and clouds and robots. …

When the older boys discussions evolved to automobiles and girls I busied myself out of hearing range.

And just for clarification, I don’t consider it eavesdropping if I’m in your presence.

This Heat – Lawd! (Tuesday’s Tell All)

We humans get impulsive and short tempered when we get hot, literally and figuratively.

Science says when the body overheats, it needs to spend energy to cool itself down, that response can come from the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain that helps people self-regulate.

That explains why people are more impulsive and less likely to think before acting.

I’m not sure if that’s what happened to Savannah Dawn and her mom, but something made them snap.

Amazon Paperback.Ebook/Audiobook

“Mama had worked up such a sweat the glue melted leaving her eyelashes dangling at an odd angle to her lids. She tried to dislodge them but after a few failed puffs, she snatched them from her face without blinking. They landed like two dead caterpillars at my feet. I quietly picked them up and stowed them in my pocket.”

Excerpt From
Savannah Dawn (Unconsecrated Visions)
Janna Hill
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