tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4059413517252088092024-03-18T02:48:55.114-07:00ELLIS LAND - Kicks and Giggles From the HeartEmbracing the Sacred, Silly & Serious for the Sake of Sanity James Anthony Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02575502653574634253noreply@blogger.comBlogger236125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-405941351725208809.post-8540628766377715332023-12-28T19:57:00.000-08:002024-01-07T14:51:07.284-08:00 NO ONE WILL EVER KNOW<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiuhl4Ga0j92lDG7VAdmwfQn6yGcbqKAA2VwCyc3VBepmYiuxq7XWni4eQbD-NTtNr4AVQDh7GRMxwx5nwkoHqunW9MpoVdOsK0oogT_of3W-WnwHUBIdGL6R7P1T59w6I3Fa53mv2e7vpkJbUFmFxPFLalzUVJO-_66GvW9avqB9JbEOtuV9gRH5XzqBm/s848/Screenshot%202023-12-28%20at%2010.48.11%E2%80%AFAM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="848" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiuhl4Ga0j92lDG7VAdmwfQn6yGcbqKAA2VwCyc3VBepmYiuxq7XWni4eQbD-NTtNr4AVQDh7GRMxwx5nwkoHqunW9MpoVdOsK0oogT_of3W-WnwHUBIdGL6R7P1T59w6I3Fa53mv2e7vpkJbUFmFxPFLalzUVJO-_66GvW9avqB9JbEOtuV9gRH5XzqBm/s320/Screenshot%202023-12-28%20at%2010.48.11%E2%80%AFAM.png" width="264" /></a></div><b><br /></b><div><b>Jennifer and I lost our Hennessy Akita girl in 2021. Yet the love continues. I realized that I could never truly know the loss and pain my wife was experiencing. And so this poem came to mind, for us all. </b></div><div><br /><i>Who will know, who can go there, to that place?<br />Beyond common comprehension, above all time and space <br />Embraced by simple grace and the purest of pure perception<br />We may have smiles stolen from our face, feeling only deception <br />Who will really know of the love and the loss that was revealed here? <br />When it appears that all heartfelt appearances disappear <br />Who will be able to pause this world, so that we may know where to go?<br />Who can it be … when no one will ever know?<br /><br /></i></div><div><i>No one will know, except for the two who took part in this love<br />Experiencing precisely what this relationship is made of<br />Spending time together, walking in the park, snuggling in the dark<br />Protected by not a bite, but a ferocious and cautionary bark <br />A precious pet, a friendly pooch, a loving and guiding partner in life <br />After the goodbyes, it becomes only empty days and lonely nights <br />What is there left in the end, what can any of us show?<br />No answer found here; no one will ever know<br /><br /></i></div><div><i>Perhaps that is the way it is for everyone, walking in their own shoes <br />They are the ones who take the brunt of the good and bad news<br />That news that hits that mark in their own part of the human race <br />The news that impacts us in that most personal secret place<br />The love we have for another soul – no matter the species or kind <br />The love that no one ever, ever, ever can truly define <br />It is elusive, mysterious, intangible, neither above nor below<br />It is something no one else can ever know <br /><br /></i></div><div><i>Far from common comprehension, traversing all space and time <br />Who will know, who can go to a world beyond “yours” and “mine?”<br />Who will really know of the love and the loss that was experienced here? <br />When it appears that all heartfelt appearances disappear <br />Perhaps in a realm sublime, where there is no need for separation <br />We can transcend depression, pain, hopelessness, desperation <br />And find the one heart, joined with another dear pet partner in tow <br />And make peace with the love that only we can know </i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>James Anthony Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02575502653574634253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-405941351725208809.post-40621090882638419932023-10-01T20:52:00.009-07:002023-10-01T20:55:53.408-07:00He Was One Of Our Own<div class="separator"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt;">A man who belonged to Mentor Discover Inspire, Steve Krescanko expressed love for all the men. Years later, his giving spirit lives on. </span><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">For Steve Krescanko (January 14, 1964 - October 2, 2011)<o:p></o:p></span></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJkw5FcNBp5DyIFBPoqlR6rSavEVdYSFJv19wk6UpAccq0eCVTtHXCmt0V5dkpeKK6mKHthuWQD3f779eKPF7x0TOttApVB9UAGeq29YcFuHKG2wkF1lyhSniky_xgyKOUkM0zbTPL3rwG-40lNLhFQNpGoafs1JvN366sYRXg8wu3aJfrfY83p1CtNu8i/s435/steve%20k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="435" data-original-width="320" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJkw5FcNBp5DyIFBPoqlR6rSavEVdYSFJv19wk6UpAccq0eCVTtHXCmt0V5dkpeKK6mKHthuWQD3f779eKPF7x0TOttApVB9UAGeq29YcFuHKG2wkF1lyhSniky_xgyKOUkM0zbTPL3rwG-40lNLhFQNpGoafs1JvN366sYRXg8wu3aJfrfY83p1CtNu8i/s320/steve%20k.jpg" width="235" /></a><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i>To encompass a life – for a son, a brother, a father and a friend</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i>It would take a song eternal, and words without end </i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i>But we gather here – in the presence of the shadows and the light</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i>Honoring a man’s soul and celebrating a man’s life</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i>What can be said? What can be known?</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i>Perhaps it’s just simply … he was one of our own</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i><br /></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i>A brother … and a son</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i>That little mischievous, silly one</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i>With the angst of boyhood, with its ups and its downs </i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i>One million smiles … and one million frowns</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i>But steady was his care, from a seed that had grown</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i>For Steve’s family – he was one of their own</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i><br /></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i>A friend to many – a buddy, a pal, a mate</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i>A mentor for agents in his real estate</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i>A solid and steady support, forever giving of his time </i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i>“San Diego Blood Bank,” “Feeding America,” fundraising in kind</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i>This was a man to be reckoned with, a man to be known</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i>For Steve’s friends – he was one of their own</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i><br /></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i>As a teammate, as a man in our circle of success</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i>He was game for every mountain, ready for every test</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i>He stepped up quite often – leader, impact player and point man</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i>Doing whatever he could – to make a mark, to take a stand</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i>His comeback into honor and power was to be made at all cost</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i>His fight was our fight … his loss was our loss</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i>Sometimes raw, biting and bitter, sometimes rock on bone</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i>On a restless and turbulent sea, often tossed and thrown</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i>From him a deep, and lasting, guttural groan</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i>A spirit having loved, a spirit having flown</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i>Building a heart out of ashes, and a soul out of stone</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i>For those of our Men’s Division – Krescanko was one of our own</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i><br /></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i>And finally … for his children, the most dear to his heart</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i>There is no measure of this devotion – no end and no start</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i>Putting them up high on his shoulders, and carrying them way up above</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i>Nothing, nothing, nothing can ever take away this love</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i>His “comeback” was for the kids, he fought to earn his right</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i>To be in the company of these two – having fought the good fight </i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i>May they always feel his presence wherever they may roam</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i>For little Lauren and Andrew – he was one of their own</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i><br /></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i>Thank you daddy, thank you brother, and thank you dear friend</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i>This song eternal is for you, a love without end</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i>We wish you well on your journey, on your way back home</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i>Knowing forever in our hearts – you shall never be alone</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i>Knowing forever in this world – the light that forever will be shone</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i>Steve Krescanko – you are one with us – you are one of our own</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p></div>James Anthony Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02575502653574634253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-405941351725208809.post-38933586098929119782023-08-21T12:52:00.000-07:002023-08-21T12:52:17.737-07:00 ONLY 10 MINUTES WITH YOU <h4 style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-size: 15.333333px;"><b>I started a 31-day writing challenge, writing every day for each day of March 2023. I used the hashtag #justwrite31. Since I only had 10 minutes before the end of the day before writing this prose, m</b></span><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-size: 15.333333px;"><b>aybe I can call it #justwrite10minutes.</b> </span></h4><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF8pKzxWMC4DnjSAmij2WvAC9up-ns8PNP6fdScM9udS9gU27aVjupU1730Jmh86Csl1ZybnJEYTBrl1Ctn-O105OESfBMBfNM4r24AwJNXq4nQLYhoMXzGxzdWldaA-4UIC6lSQs9xQzo1I6f80llIf-udu7tC1djsBPJ0ADv_VqQ9wuVgJjfgpWYHg/s500/334137391_958875938892183_3421087896371610805_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="326" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF8pKzxWMC4DnjSAmij2WvAC9up-ns8PNP6fdScM9udS9gU27aVjupU1730Jmh86Csl1ZybnJEYTBrl1Ctn-O105OESfBMBfNM4r24AwJNXq4nQLYhoMXzGxzdWldaA-4UIC6lSQs9xQzo1I6f80llIf-udu7tC1djsBPJ0ADv_VqQ9wuVgJjfgpWYHg/w277-h424/334137391_958875938892183_3421087896371610805_n.jpg" width="277" /></a></div><i><br /></i><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><i><br /></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif" style="color: #0f1419; font-size: 11.5pt;"><i>If I only had 10 minutes to spend with you <br />What would I say; what would I do?<br />Would I spit out a ton of rapid thoughts and emotion<br />Or would I move towards you in effortless slow-motion <br />And look deeply in your eyes, rekindling a love <br />Would I reveal what our relationship was made of <br />Or maybe clear up any misunderstandings or spite <br />Those barriers that block the miracle that is life<br /><br />What would I say or do Mom? <br />We pretty much always got along <br />I'd want to know more about you, your inner world<br />The you that was you when you were a little girl<br /><br />What would I say or do Dad?<br />Engaging and enlivening were the times we had<br />I may find out what you know now of 911 and JFK<br />But most of all, I'd want to know if you are OK<br /><br />What would I say or do Miss Hennessy dear? <br />You were the cherry on top, that is clear<br />I would simply want to grab a chew toy and play <br />And do with you what I miss now every day<br /><br />For all the times I've said goodbye <br />I want to awaken to the connections that will never die <br />So now, I endeavor to fill my heart with loved ones in gratitude<br />As if I only had 10 minutes to spend with you ...<br /><br /></i><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>James Anthony Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02575502653574634253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-405941351725208809.post-80377949675635060402023-07-21T22:16:00.005-07:002023-07-23T16:29:10.652-07:00 Bob Roth’s Special Byyyeeeeeeee <p><br /></p><style class="WebKit-mso-list-quirks-style">
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</style><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0gox3noksAKFeCsX1SyAHMDzDc3Ot4f8nw0llLcRli5b7zGmmnwqCVo0mBA0D119VQ268EvvixlsgYEiEBF8ojxi7TY5jwgCqHSrdTQaNwUyIpGB1V668Cs01yRB6tPIFOmfemXF_0CnyNp9XN4CqBd5CT_Kn2_CrGHdSztvZgMyuwhC6p7LVCZAhEMzB/s1814/Bob_Roth_portrait_in_New_York_City,_2018.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1814" data-original-width="1485" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0gox3noksAKFeCsX1SyAHMDzDc3Ot4f8nw0llLcRli5b7zGmmnwqCVo0mBA0D119VQ268EvvixlsgYEiEBF8ojxi7TY5jwgCqHSrdTQaNwUyIpGB1V668Cs01yRB6tPIFOmfemXF_0CnyNp9XN4CqBd5CT_Kn2_CrGHdSztvZgMyuwhC6p7LVCZAhEMzB/w321-h392/Bob_Roth_portrait_in_New_York_City,_2018.jpg" width="321" /></a></div><p></p><p>Bob Roth and the unique way he says “bye” - it really is something to hear. </p><p>Now, how could a simple “bye” as in “goodbye” be so special? Doesn’t everyone utter this phrase every now and then? Yes, but this one is different, and the way he carries himself around this self-expression is something to behold. For good reason.</p><p>First off, some background. Bob Roth is a near-50-year teacher of Transcendental Meditation or TM. Ever since the society shutdown of 2020, he has been broadcasting a 20-minute Zoom meditation practice – for those of us who need a bit more support in our day-to-day meditation.</p><p>For over a year, for some reason (even unknown to him), Bob has been closing his sessions with an elongated and dramatic phrasing of “Byyyeeeeeeee.”</p><p>Today I heard an extra “bye” with a space in-between. Recently he created a space between the closing of the session and his utterance of the final word. </p><p>And why is that? </p><p>Turns out he was getting some negative feedback around this fun way of expressing his farewell. </p><p>And it’s in his approach to the negative feedback that has inspired this post. I am so impressed. </p><p>Normally when I get some negative feedback – especially around some of my expression – I first get defensive and then offensive, wanting to find a way of delivering a mighty and destructive comeback. Maybe I need more meditation in my life!</p><p>For Bob, who has been calming his mind and maneuvering into those transcendental states for decades, his response was a bit less combative. And so much more mature, centered, and wise. </p><p>Did he attack those detractors? Did he stifle his expression? Did he go quiet? No, none of those reactions would reflect the sort of mind transcending a common warpath. No – the chronology of Bob’s experience unfolded this way:</p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>He received feedback.</b></li><li><b>He didn’t take it personal.</b></li><li><b>He didn’t get flustered around it or emotional.</b></li><li><b>He DID NOT CHANGE WHO HE IS or how he has been inspired to move about the world, in spite of a few folks who weren’t fans of a certain behavior.</b></li><li><b>He created a workaround so that others out there could also have their needs met. </b></li><li><b>He continued to have his fun. </b></li></ol><p></p><p>His workaround was to simply let everyone know he would take a pause between the end of his audio sessions and when he completed with his signature “bye.” </p><p>For those who wanted to disconnect before he said his goodbyes, they could do so. That way they wouldn't hear what they didn’t want to hear, and he could continue his free expression, spoken freely. </p><p>Brilliant. </p><p>What an inspiration. What a state of equanimity. What a perfect endorsement for this sort of freeing meditation. And what a guy. </p><p>Leaving only one last thing to say before I take my leave…</p><p>Byyyeeeeeeee! </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></p>James Anthony Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02575502653574634253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-405941351725208809.post-71208439195652897922023-07-21T13:49:00.003-07:002023-07-23T16:29:39.213-07:00 The Thoughts That Do Not Matter <p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2V2B5yM3P-IXXNkHRAsBhi5baspqb6N0pJCAKQ_9na3djWpqb84RDIQBUr1c2K0nbYifIxm60AXhqh5bOZQ5qvrIpPEHLg9plR2aUcI7y6PaiOWuPIos3MZoCbyrwPs13ccjy4U20yG79hhWIJdCrBprS2Mm6eGcj3IE4hn2uhk31enDiS1qK9-S_CQ/s435/thoughts%20matter.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="245" data-original-width="435" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2V2B5yM3P-IXXNkHRAsBhi5baspqb6N0pJCAKQ_9na3djWpqb84RDIQBUr1c2K0nbYifIxm60AXhqh5bOZQ5qvrIpPEHLg9plR2aUcI7y6PaiOWuPIos3MZoCbyrwPs13ccjy4U20yG79hhWIJdCrBprS2Mm6eGcj3IE4hn2uhk31enDiS1qK9-S_CQ/w446-h251/thoughts%20matter.jpg" width="446" /></a></div><br /><b>Sometimes I get scared. And then I wonder why.</b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i>Thoughts come and go, no more than a side-show<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i>I mean really – anyway – what do they know?<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p><i> </i></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i>To the wind, may some get splintered and scatter <o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i>Such are the thoughts that do not matter<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p><i> </i></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i>The fears that do not ultimately matter <o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i>Reveal as anger from characters such as the Mad Hatter<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p><i> </i></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i>All that’s left is a hammer and the sound of shatter <o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i>So goes the fears that ultimately do not matter <o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p><i> </i></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i>That which matters originates deeper from within <o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i>This is the starting point, the haven from which we begin<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p><i> </i></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i>Served in a feast upon the most sacred of platter <o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i>Now we really knows what truly matters</i><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>James Anthony Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02575502653574634253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-405941351725208809.post-43051796572275388822023-07-21T13:48:00.002-07:002023-07-23T15:46:31.053-07:00A Puppy's Life<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix1dsrUp1Y-O8vAmQPuDVXyoksvIC21C8BG8kTQq2omA0JZSNcbtYbj7XU68pyQtUcLxqxwKWO9BxXcqylHJzlJzEhNTZt0p0qqTkJPseQYLhMjBgsgAOLMytRzrGQu4tELeap9kR1Fc_RHqCczS-Dhheiipt3Ydmo7URl_GV36QrYhGBcD8agJF5lPA/s600/329186746_930664435054003_5901477835149574290_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="600" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix1dsrUp1Y-O8vAmQPuDVXyoksvIC21C8BG8kTQq2omA0JZSNcbtYbj7XU68pyQtUcLxqxwKWO9BxXcqylHJzlJzEhNTZt0p0qqTkJPseQYLhMjBgsgAOLMytRzrGQu4tELeap9kR1Fc_RHqCczS-Dhheiipt3Ydmo7URl_GV36QrYhGBcD8agJF5lPA/w413-h310/329186746_930664435054003_5901477835149574290_n.jpg" width="413" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /><b>Some time doing some "puppy yoga" can really give you some perspective. </b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">Today I had the privilege of being in the presence of entities displaying an enlightened, superconscious higher mind. A rare treat, this experience was such a gift to my soul. I must have done something right in this lifetime (and perhaps previous lifetimes) to be invited in as witness of the divine.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br /><br />I have been present for the "darshan" of specific living avatars - Sai Baba in Southern India in 1990 and 1996, Mata Amritanandamayi in her California visits many a June, Shivabali Yogi in a special gathering in Laguna Beach in 1991.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br /><br />However today was a bit different, as it held the sort of freedom found in mind, heart and soul - a state of consciousness uncommon to so many sentient beings.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br /><br />This was the "Puppy Yoga" event at the Pacific Beach studio called Spirit Yoga.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br /><br />Yes, there they were, like a dream of effortless flow.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br /><br />Unattached, emotionally liberated, mentally all over the freaking place without a care, embracing a free spirt, a high level of equanimity and a joy unsurpassed.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br /><br />This is a goal of many a soul. And yet apparently, this is a common happenstance for all these scurrying, hurrying, flurrying beings of absolute bliss, living completely in the moment.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br /><br />I believe in my Transcendental Meditation practice, I am to ultimately reach a transcendental state, an elevated level above all worries, concerns, anxiety and judgements.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br /><br />Whereas I spend 20 minutes, two times a day in my TM practice - whereas I have spent three decades in the emotional healing field - whereas I have led numerous empowerment meetings within my men's circles, whereas I have taken countless courses in Compassionate Communication, energy work, intuitive sciences - whereas I have brought forth the higher mind in so much of my sacred writings ........ what the hell?<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br /><br />These puppies seem to have reached such an advanced state simply by ... being BORN A PUPPY!<br /><br />As they flew around the room, playing when glee was the need, reaching out spontaneously for a playmate, peeing when nature called, it was indeed an inspiration. These gentle and sometimes not-so-gentle guides offered me the insight:<br /><br />* Don't take yourself so seriously.<br />* Make mistakes; it's gonna be OK.<br />* Chaos can be cool.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br />* If you mess up, either clean it up, or someone else will; no biggy.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br />* Have fun.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br />* Interact - there will always be someone around to play with.<br />* Find others who also have fun and don't take themselves too seriously.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br />* A nap can also happen.<br />* It's OK to ask for help - yip if something goes wrong.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br />* Grab the moment; live in the moment; run in wild abandon, seize the day and seize the play.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br />* Freaking GO FOR IT!<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br /><br />OK - got it.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br /><br />While the highest humans may be able to reach is to "sign the waiver," I will take this puppy play, this doggy "darshan," as the gift it was meant to be.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br /><br />Watch out world. I'm inspired, uplifted, mentally and emotionally stretching and ready to live a life liberated, free ... unleashed.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></p>James Anthony Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02575502653574634253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-405941351725208809.post-21648384953348162572023-06-09T22:34:00.003-07:002023-06-09T22:34:16.254-07:00 I’ve Admired You from a Distance<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnGkamRdtgK5-9D6OBOmDLJC-Y78dCGfUQHnZW8yk0N79sxDn_D43hiZqZ8WUh1Z8ZxRofh1SDZR6y0VdfST3py-RJJdIcgfx5-tBU3Ho9s9PUu0bukiiHyC20ZX7ljStp_3a_UQDIWpNEdldHoKHUChYGSP0-zHsH96fQzSX8-evFQtDnsG8yKl-6_w/s1200/space-interstellar-0602221.jpg.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnGkamRdtgK5-9D6OBOmDLJC-Y78dCGfUQHnZW8yk0N79sxDn_D43hiZqZ8WUh1Z8ZxRofh1SDZR6y0VdfST3py-RJJdIcgfx5-tBU3Ho9s9PUu0bukiiHyC20ZX7ljStp_3a_UQDIWpNEdldHoKHUChYGSP0-zHsH96fQzSX8-evFQtDnsG8yKl-6_w/w431-h287/space-interstellar-0602221.jpg.webp" width="431" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 15pt;">One of those </span><span style="font-size: 20px;">experiences</span><span style="font-size: 15pt;"> where I said a phrase "I've admired you Mary Beth from a distance" and I do a </span><span style="font-size: 20px;">double take.</span><span style="font-size: 15pt;"> Hey that sounds like a poem! Yup, this one from the vantage point of a spirit guide, higher self or angel. </span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15pt;"><br /></span></span></div><div><i><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15pt;">So far, so far away</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;">I look upon you, with grace, every day<br /></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;">A higher self, a higher mind, a higher being<br /></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;">You may not know the truth that I am seeing <br /></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;">Without the judgment of a divisive right or wrong<br /></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;">The place you stand is where you belong<br /></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;">Though at times lost, you wander alone in the dark<br /></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;">Before, eventually, you get the horse before the cart<br /></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;">Alas the gift: your very presence, your very existence<br /></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;">Just so you know – I’ve admired you from a distance<br /></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;"> <br /></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;">The list of struggles and stressors are real <br /></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;">Those who search for the sustenance of a simple meal<br /></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;">Those who have no shelter, no room, no home, no bed<br /></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;">Those who battle inner demons in their own head<br /></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;">You who falter on promises to stop the latest addiction <br /></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;">You who get bad news of the latest medical affliction <br /></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;">You who fall prey to the latest government sponsored racket <br /></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;">You who work hard for money lost in your tax bracket <br /></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;">In the end, you need not struggle with any offense or defense<br /></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;">For little did you know – I’ve admired you from a distance<br /></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;"> <br /></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;">Those who cheat another for no other reason but because they can<br /></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;">Those who meet their mirror – the karma they come to understand <br /></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;">Those who believe they have fallen, blindly, too far <br /></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;">Alas, those who have forgotten who they are<br /></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;">Every hair on your head, everything will be held to account<br /></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;">While every barrier, challenge and mountain you shall surmount<br /></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;">With each resistance met with a soul’s endless persistence <br /></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;">No, not so far, not so far away – your very existence <br /></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;">Dissolution discarded, unity embraced, within this very instance <br /></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;">I will admire you eternally – knowing there is no distance </span></i></div>James Anthony Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02575502653574634253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-405941351725208809.post-91179070731168120722023-05-19T07:15:00.000-07:002023-05-19T07:15:38.590-07:00 A BRAND NEW LIGHT THAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN<p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><b>Who knew that buying a fun Date Night deck of cards could bring such uplift?</b></span></h3><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVGSFGbYSbJ8XadEvCOxE0S9So6jGMtuqQdSXTFCNLgUx-Owqh81tO1kkSV7J8ULZSvYSvJs-sUMEvdRfuQgdN3a9-hxs9ec9VfdE0wgYMSlBFPRBqEae-7CS4bKVhtI1tbCkdfJvxIRcPv7BVbw5rF87BBIkbqp65xQdoxwrf6Eb7FtYtooyTCvey1Q/s798/Screenshot%202023-04-23%20at%209.20.15%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="646" data-original-width="798" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVGSFGbYSbJ8XadEvCOxE0S9So6jGMtuqQdSXTFCNLgUx-Owqh81tO1kkSV7J8ULZSvYSvJs-sUMEvdRfuQgdN3a9-hxs9ec9VfdE0wgYMSlBFPRBqEae-7CS4bKVhtI1tbCkdfJvxIRcPv7BVbw5rF87BBIkbqp65xQdoxwrf6Eb7FtYtooyTCvey1Q/w380-h308/Screenshot%202023-04-23%20at%209.20.15%20PM.png" width="380" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">What do you know?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Turns out it really isn't that difficult. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">I guess it never was. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">You hear a lot of times where couples find challenge in maintaining the new energy in their relationships, falling into a pattern without intrigue or innovation. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Well, that's silly. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">There can be something NEW every day! Case in point ... have you ever thought of making candles together? Bet not! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">But I do get it. Everyday life can come along and set solid the routine. Such a routine routine can steal away the idea of new adventures. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">That's why I believe couples need to keep an open and flexible mind. The idea of no new horizons must come from an old and lazy way of thinking. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">My wife and I do well in considering new trails to blaze, especially since we get in a 30-minute walk daily. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">For Valentine's Day, I bought my wife a book "Fun & Adventurous Date Night Box - Scratch Off Card Game with Exciting Date Ideas." Within it, there are 35 cards representing a creative date idea a couple can use each week.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">They even make it somewhat suspenseful by having the ideas on the cards accessible after scratching off the gray covering, like a lottery scratch-off ticket. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">So far, we've had three creative "Dates" - a scavenger hunt around the house, a Dollar Tree 5-gift extravaganza, and for tonight: making our own candles. A brilliant idea, these date suggestions help to channel the intrigue and adventure that is already alive within the relationship. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">I think couples just need a structure and a nudge. The love is already there, the fun is already there, the connection is already there. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Nothing is lost really except for possibly a bit of focus.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">And with that refocusing can come a ton of fun, some adventures never dreamed of, and the return of a light that has never gone out. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Come on folks. It's not that difficult. Turns out it never really was. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/justwrite31?__eep__=6&__cft__%5B0%5D=AZWlc3geCXcIWJAqXBaEk2aYtb7WkUnJZ6RKt1uTaBnJYu-r-5iaSOReWulDoIH8ASoVXdeggePrMTWHEhB9lYlwt7GrCaCLR8OlN8V2qtB8dJq_eU0kHq-QVqMg20LTsmo6jnY0Ihraxm9X3kGk0qSO-rlmaLPAi4sW_zdGRTKjJA&__tn__=*NK-R"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: blue; padding: 0in;">#justwrite31</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Romantic-Couples-Gift-Adventurous-Girlfriend/dp/B08YWP5QRF?fbclid=IwAR3N6ljXzRAm9p7y6JuRwQSxsC52_uzQPqJNokvZyfeEEefV8gR5wrQGnXE" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: blue; padding: 0in;">https://www.amazon.com/Romantic-Couples.../dp/B08YWP5QRF</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>James Anthony Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02575502653574634253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-405941351725208809.post-36576426030173167792023-04-23T22:00:00.000-07:002023-04-23T22:00:04.803-07:00 The Gift of Yes<p><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC0SRi4b1N6NOeg3i62oEyV6KoE4IHbcIDh_9EPJoCYuRQt1258NOzuAHQBmQtRkTPJgYWqpd7KtsGx8QtfKxvxXrMi8fH_i1uQg-d6dLIPoMfHk06-zYw-6SC2lbPiYAsnuToqU59EhiBZrnyXaAa5lQfy3dYjygogUUJi0nEVxivKCBDeCpXEwOr1A/s720/337723229_1176307693062105_7268254439745972932_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC0SRi4b1N6NOeg3i62oEyV6KoE4IHbcIDh_9EPJoCYuRQt1258NOzuAHQBmQtRkTPJgYWqpd7KtsGx8QtfKxvxXrMi8fH_i1uQg-d6dLIPoMfHk06-zYw-6SC2lbPiYAsnuToqU59EhiBZrnyXaAa5lQfy3dYjygogUUJi0nEVxivKCBDeCpXEwOr1A/w395-h296/337723229_1176307693062105_7268254439745972932_n.jpg" width="395" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Today I saw a photo within one of those Facebook memories.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Not just any photo.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">It was one of those photos that stands out, has one take pause, and then offer a message, magically captured within the camera’s lens and upon the picture frame.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">1000 words? Neigh, this would offer, somehow, so many more … at this moment in time, for this mind of mine, anyway. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Here was a daughter and a mother.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">On a train.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">The young one resting her head upon the shoulder of the mother. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Beyond the veil of a simple train ride – a long, tiring one at that – I perceived a storyline, the length measured within lifetimes. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">For some reason, I imagined that once upon a time these two souls – presently named “Dawn” and “Samantha” – gave each other the gift of a "yes." At some point, in between what we understand as a life on earth, the two spirits looked upon another and decided they would follow through on playing the role of mother and daughter. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">As if, the words would have been: “Shall we be born into form once more? Shall we be family? Shall you be mine, and I be yours?” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">As if, the answer would have been “yes.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Is such a conversation real? Is there a reality of “another side” and the return here again and again? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Who knows?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Who knows what takes place beyond this mere measly lower plane of awareness. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">What I do know, though, is that on some level we all answer the question of whether to relate with another person with a “yes” … or “no.” It can take place in the most simple way – a first date, a neighborhood game of basketball, a support group meetup, a lifetime of marriage. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">It reminds me of the </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Joni Mitchell song “Secret Place.” It goes like this:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><i>Out of all of the girls that you see<br />In bleachers and cafe windows<br />Sitting flirting with someone<br />Looking to have some fun<br />Why did you pick me?<br />For the secret place</i><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Think of all the relations that have taken place – for a season, for a lifetime, for a reason – wherein on some very real level, both of you decided to join here in experience. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">On whatever level the choice was made, for better or worse, for the sake of lessons and growth, for the grand life experience that relationships can bring … once upon a time we made an agreement. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">This is the story that this photo told me today. It’s a sweet one … full of mystery, purpose and beauty. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">We are indeed blessed. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Whenever we recognize the gift that is “yes.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></p>James Anthony Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02575502653574634253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-405941351725208809.post-62808171418816858102023-04-23T21:59:00.002-07:002023-04-23T21:59:09.430-07:00What Comes After Meditation?<p><b><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif" style="color: #0f1419; font-size: 14pt;">For this writing, I did an experiment to see what came through after my morning meditation. Hmm, only took about 25 minutes. Nice!</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1gDOZGcY7kteMj4FYmH1rru-inLMEQhTjshYik41sbECwwLZXcqf-aqsKLGgmvmt3Ljv3v8Jl9FQ8jx8AJkty7IIu-UiJzfGuV5GlwGHsyPioL4PWQK7YIpbFqhva2Lb2WPz03J08BK3EbO30RKqn5Dso5j4EiW2ZibKJNbYemIF9TM1MWPtFnJFrhA/s720/330496291_200399566001317_7331316018077003734_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1gDOZGcY7kteMj4FYmH1rru-inLMEQhTjshYik41sbECwwLZXcqf-aqsKLGgmvmt3Ljv3v8Jl9FQ8jx8AJkty7IIu-UiJzfGuV5GlwGHsyPioL4PWQK7YIpbFqhva2Lb2WPz03J08BK3EbO30RKqn5Dso5j4EiW2ZibKJNbYemIF9TM1MWPtFnJFrhA/w392-h294/330496291_200399566001317_7331316018077003734_n.jpg" width="392" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif" style="color: #0f1419; font-size: 13pt;">What comes after meditation?<br />After some sacred time in contemplation<br />After the bliss of silent whisper, a surreal song<br />The gentle reminders of an eternal calm<br />What arrives after that serene stillness sublime?<br />Perhaps a few words placed in meter and rhyme<br />But the one major theme that can not be denied<br />Is that there is an outer world, as there is one inside<br />There is a world not always made of sugar and spice <br />Upon arising from meditation, there is always this life<br /><br />Life in all of its many myriads of form<br />Some I wish to discard; some I wish to adorn<br />There are parts of life that are, yup, a complete drag<br />And then the treasures of experiences I’m so glad I’ve had <br />There are ups and downs and smiles and frowns<br />With a circus of every sort of face on the clowns <br />Yes, this can be a circus with its wacky wacked-out whacks<br />And stacks of stupidity with attacks from the back <br />Yet there is also a nature supreme beyond this mere dream<br />Bringing a beauty, a light, a love - beyond that which is seen <br /><br />So what do we with all this after sitting so still?<br />Surrender to the circus or to God’s divine will <br />Maybe we embrace whatever comes our way<br />And leave it to the archangels to clear clouds away<br />Perhaps we bring that inner stillness to all that we have here<br />Or just carry it closer, as the darkness comes near <br />Life will bring us everything, in a million different forms <br />With our inner light, we can weather any turbulent storms<br />And so what comes after meditation to this poet’s mind?<br />I imagine some inspiration born of meter and rhyme<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>James Anthony Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02575502653574634253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-405941351725208809.post-22591098853101526302023-04-23T21:58:00.000-07:002023-04-23T21:58:20.815-07:00 Walking The Daily Walk With You<h4 style="text-align: left;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><b>For my wife, our 10 year anniversary at hand, as I reflect on the walks we take every day.</b></span></h4><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_iEqaRNCqL1nP-NED7_J74q0xmt5_CwjQ-iS_gEHReHEkoKsMTfikpdzm96VWyCBqu2GiRY5laKU73ovB5O1kEFty-8r71i7OWd-SRBXE2eNf7C6JZsSLuxq9nDjouRzCaFQYADirXa4nuPg7y5d9DNIBGmOs7crNa9MJDE0Ik2rwFMaGJOdyiINXkA/s810/338414597_758131725873370_8271863599829563656_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="810" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_iEqaRNCqL1nP-NED7_J74q0xmt5_CwjQ-iS_gEHReHEkoKsMTfikpdzm96VWyCBqu2GiRY5laKU73ovB5O1kEFty-8r71i7OWd-SRBXE2eNf7C6JZsSLuxq9nDjouRzCaFQYADirXa4nuPg7y5d9DNIBGmOs7crNa9MJDE0Ik2rwFMaGJOdyiINXkA/w403-h268/338414597_758131725873370_8271863599829563656_n.jpg" width="403" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><i>Step after step, some slow, some swift, left and then right <o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><i>Down Berry Street, east on Mt. Vernon, then south on McKnight<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><i>Looking for relief from the world of mankind, looking for love <o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><i>We take our daily walk with nothing but the sky and clouds above <o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><i>Passing trees and lawns, passing neighbors who oftentimes wave <o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><i>Trying to process the junk and gunk of the working day <o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><i>Beyond the retirement home stillness, beyond friendly Ricardo’s<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><i>This is the path of least resistance; this is simply the way it goes <o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><i>Sometimes in life, there really is nothing more to say or do <o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><i>Walking the daily walk with you<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><i> </i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><i>Recalling different memories, my father’s “It’s great to be alive” <o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><i>Down Berry Street, left on Mt. Vernon, then right on Gold Lake Drive<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><i>We walk against the wind heading west, but we do our best <o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><i>An abandoned house, a barking dog or two, a grounded bird’s nest<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><i>Planning future adventures – some bring agitation, some bring smiles <o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><i>Another installment for our friendly visit for “The Nala Files” <o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><i>Past the council member’s manor, alongside school grounds and gravel <o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><i>With mixed emotions … recalling the one missing on our travels<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><i>Sometimes in life, there really is nothing more to say or do <o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><i>Walking the daily walk with you<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><i> </i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><i>Now over the years, there is a sacred stroll that we can recall<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><i>Embracing experiences from the first day, embracing it all <o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><i>Our 10-year anniversary, April 7 it will be, so much we have seen<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><i>With so many walks and talks, and so many miles in between<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><i>For better or worse, we find the laugh in the gap, we enjoy the ride<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><i>For beyond the bless or curse, the Divine joins us there in stride <o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><i>The path of least resistance; never to turn away or snub <o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><i>It was there, Point Loma, Santa Barbara Street, the Thursday Club<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><i>When you walked the aisle, in front of family and God, the ocean view<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><i>Sometimes in a lifetime, there truly is nothing more to say or do <o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><i>Walking the daily walk with you</i><o:p></o:p></span></p>James Anthony Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02575502653574634253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-405941351725208809.post-45682617463493432492023-03-23T19:03:00.004-07:002023-03-28T12:56:13.818-07:00 The Agitating Muse <p><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif" style="color: #0f1419;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Ex03Tx56BkOtyCSL2t4x0gGRQcsY23pP69oazA9IJPbL7IG9iQ8nb5XFGd4sefGJeNOSZONrynYUpeLSn451LJq6W-XgVIOkVeoIpSlScIR6CBPjfpM7f_YavZJdyvyPkWxJTnPBQVIp44IGqEqfIgmy7h2vvqApwmSM_eqM0w_AfAMJYQ-cScjuEg/s1600/334565201_158533820361119_8342276122182983876_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="894" data-original-width="1600" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Ex03Tx56BkOtyCSL2t4x0gGRQcsY23pP69oazA9IJPbL7IG9iQ8nb5XFGd4sefGJeNOSZONrynYUpeLSn451LJq6W-XgVIOkVeoIpSlScIR6CBPjfpM7f_YavZJdyvyPkWxJTnPBQVIp44IGqEqfIgmy7h2vvqApwmSM_eqM0w_AfAMJYQ-cScjuEg/w470-h263/334565201_158533820361119_8342276122182983876_n.jpg" width="470" /></a></div><br /> <div><b>During my 31-day commitment of writing and posting a daily piece, this came through ... most likely from the incessant voice of a muse that just won't quit. Thank goodness. </b><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif" style="color: #0f1419; font-size: 11pt;">Oh my goodness – your voice, your encouragement, it beckons<br />And geez, sitting my butt in my chair is a good idea, I reckon<br />But there are 1001 distractions that keep knocking at me<br />Organize the pencil drawer, eat a cupcake, climb a tree<br />Answer another email, gotta empty that inbox you know<br />Woops - here comes some more email, only 5 more now to go<br />Clean off the desk completely, maybe use microfiber on the screen<br />Must make sure before I start writing that everything is clean<br />Clean and clear, everything in its place, nothing to erase<br />So that when I am ready, I can convene sweetly face to face<br />With the guiding presence that delivers a gift that I cannot lose<br />Life is grand with the nagging inspiration of the agitating muse <br /><br />The agitating muse – OK, OK, I can hear you screaming my name<br />Whenever it is time to channel your words, it’s always the same <br />I get annoyed with every tasky task that is put upon my plate <br />I wince in pain, fidget in my chair, find creative ways to hesitate <br />I feel like my body is moving in one direction and it’s all wrong<br />I want to be faithful to the lilting voice echoing a sublime song <br />But I got all this shit to do, not even sure what it’s all for <br />My left brain and right brain are in an all-out war <br />When it gets this crazy, I feel this aggravation and agitation<br />I long for the action that comes from pure motivation <br />I gotta find a way out of this conflict or I will blow a fuse<br />If only all I had to heed was the nagging inspiration of the agitating muse <br /><br />Perhaps there is a way, a path, an opening, a road of real recovery <br />Leading to a clearing in a field we share, a place of deep discovery <br />Where chaos can reign and rule over the outside world of the blind <br />Noticed, acknowledged, accepted, but not followed by a wandering mind <br />Here - sitting calm, with a centered and still body is best, I reckon<br />Oh my goodness – your voice, your encouragement, it beckons<br />And yes it is actually beautiful, not agitating at all, when I listen clearly <br />It only wants to hold high a vision; it only wants to hold me dearly<br />And whisper its wonder through inspirational pictures and lyrical tone <br />Reminding me that at the deepest core, I am never alone <br />Let the emails pile up, let the desktop get cluttered, there is only one thing to do <br />I am here, with my partner in prose – the astonishing, generous, faithful muse </span><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif" style="color: #0f1419; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p></div>James Anthony Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02575502653574634253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-405941351725208809.post-67218746500941080742023-03-23T19:00:00.004-07:002023-03-23T19:00:22.194-07:00SOMEBODY'S BABY<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><b>(A poem inspired by a homeless woman I will most likely never see again.)</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgto7Dc4_c93ltMNNeaTI0neqNR2T4YT7FJDWXj2Krz6LTFzCMvxA7F7T4Gm3h9542H5ezmhPVUnsN22e0XD67-FpExlx_TyHwghpsB2uALtJ-bH4JxIPqZLVMKkV87R4Q0yrEfWXKDPAGA-eyEMTJExLGm1NyfO1CA5FLZMxSMA1U_RKoJyjr1jlHt-w/s600/337122915_716425660233000_1079295410052531744_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="506" data-original-width="600" height="347" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgto7Dc4_c93ltMNNeaTI0neqNR2T4YT7FJDWXj2Krz6LTFzCMvxA7F7T4Gm3h9542H5ezmhPVUnsN22e0XD67-FpExlx_TyHwghpsB2uALtJ-bH4JxIPqZLVMKkV87R4Q0yrEfWXKDPAGA-eyEMTJExLGm1NyfO1CA5FLZMxSMA1U_RKoJyjr1jlHt-w/w411-h347/337122915_716425660233000_1079295410052531744_n.jpg" width="411" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I walked our regular daily walk today<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Seeing the routine views along the way <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Trees and streets, and then skies up there <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I observe the sights - I breathe the air <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Then quickly something catches my attention <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Shaking my head, I grasp for comprehension<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">A troubled one - limping, dirty, disheveled - an alone and lost lady<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Once upon a time, that was somebody's baby<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">That was the phrase that flashed across my mind<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Too late, to now turn my head away, blind <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Where is she going, where did she come from<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Too easy to throw her aside like some runaway bum<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">No, this one, like all of us, has a history and a life <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">She has had very similar battles, struggles and fights<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Perhaps cradled, as an infant, in warm arms - maybe?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The truth is, that was indeed somebody's baby <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Who does this soul belong to, an angel she must have <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Someone who watches over her, even with the past she’s had<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Whatever happened, there was at least a father and a mother <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">For how long this lasted, we will probably never discover <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">But she is a human – once and therefor forever one of us<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Embracing her in some way, a true and faithful community must <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Someday to reside in a sacred place – calm, serene, shady <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">For this is somebody's baby … this is somebody's baby <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span> </p>James Anthony Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02575502653574634253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-405941351725208809.post-91436706775234600152023-03-23T18:56:00.006-07:002023-03-23T18:56:41.549-07:00A BEAUTY BEYOND COMPARE<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg07yW4CPJEx7Dn9gp4FerKmtGZYpC0R6U6MSDBiqSJiz_n65HkwBDL1NhGm_NgSJs_xJFmaOyzFp8fTA1g2QjaVRMEZ7oU6T-osF1bUnSu_I_BmhI5Ls4V9vfOkN8j3vXSyEsz0VlNF028sGeCJAZeQNPxMfLDOqY8vunEGLGA67irTtJb97x2nRHvlg/s562/335164735_513118084360504_2620301697332929496_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="421" data-original-width="562" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg07yW4CPJEx7Dn9gp4FerKmtGZYpC0R6U6MSDBiqSJiz_n65HkwBDL1NhGm_NgSJs_xJFmaOyzFp8fTA1g2QjaVRMEZ7oU6T-osF1bUnSu_I_BmhI5Ls4V9vfOkN8j3vXSyEsz0VlNF028sGeCJAZeQNPxMfLDOqY8vunEGLGA67irTtJb97x2nRHvlg/w485-h364/335164735_513118084360504_2620301697332929496_n.jpg" width="485" /></a></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKhW3cQQDvc4sQOp-lJihp4ye9H_eaTfsB6L9pzcmTT87JOWNH02LnCxLD02S8s9qUYXmcjjc2idzKItwtTrUYPfY9o-WL2bRj1BHLyphvmIZu4g2oZaKxfjSdtSrBlbfUvqvwpC34nIlphSli_KjQHqXn9pB0zrdKuqBMtKTfkxxnt-aF3SOEEQ_b6w/s463/336156601_678883330679969_2117596290214418598_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="403" data-original-width="463" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKhW3cQQDvc4sQOp-lJihp4ye9H_eaTfsB6L9pzcmTT87JOWNH02LnCxLD02S8s9qUYXmcjjc2idzKItwtTrUYPfY9o-WL2bRj1BHLyphvmIZu4g2oZaKxfjSdtSrBlbfUvqvwpC34nIlphSli_KjQHqXn9pB0zrdKuqBMtKTfkxxnt-aF3SOEEQ_b6w/s320/336156601_678883330679969_2117596290214418598_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Today, for a daily dose of writing prose, I keep it simple.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">I marvel at the vision before me.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">A youngster - a mere 2 and 2/3 year old. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">I write this one with a heart weary of the bad news of the day.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">That can be kept at bay.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">For today, here is a grand opportunity to see beyond the dark edges brought to us by a world which has forgotten its source. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Here is my chance. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">A simple glance - upon this illumined face, the deep round eyes, holding not one hint of disguise. The pure expression, filled with the unbridled joy of brand new exploration.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Here is Abigail. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Holding her Abby Doll. Apparently inseparable, at least in images in recent memory.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Here is Abigail, My niece’s child. Sister of Allison - also new to this new world. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">May her light, may their light, guide the way. Not just for themselves, but for anyone who has the opportunity to join in this experience, a chance at a glance - in a series of photos I wish to share. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">A beauty beyond compare.<o:p></o:p></span></p>James Anthony Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02575502653574634253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-405941351725208809.post-29908668592927070352023-02-15T18:56:00.001-08:002023-02-18T18:12:49.688-08:00A Dream of Tug of War<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi70kctcOcxqDMYBtSEyv57OiM6oukMbelEG8fRfObKu7O9Eqm_ZHrhf8KcuiDen4vO4XE7YIFUMBMhfElxn2IXc6S1VOcDIe2lh2XSFMpw-QOXaW56O2v_KhtsxlYJaMZLz0EDZV9kvut0a4Z1JgZ5xRKPndD4meZ0C0RqrHfHqMisIrTRRsCTyg0UFA/s4032/hse%20tug1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="361" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi70kctcOcxqDMYBtSEyv57OiM6oukMbelEG8fRfObKu7O9Eqm_ZHrhf8KcuiDen4vO4XE7YIFUMBMhfElxn2IXc6S1VOcDIe2lh2XSFMpw-QOXaW56O2v_KhtsxlYJaMZLz0EDZV9kvut0a4Z1JgZ5xRKPndD4meZ0C0RqrHfHqMisIrTRRsCTyg0UFA/w481-h361/hse%20tug1.JPG" width="481" /></a></div><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">One of my nighttime dreams that stands as an inspiration for levels of consideration and care. </span></b> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i>Yes, last night I dreamed of a tug of war<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i>Between our dearly departed dog and me<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i>Seemed so real, nothing less, nothing more<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i>Just a visit from our dear Hennessy<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i>I questioned what she wanted with this boy<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i>I didn’t know what she would bring<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i>At last, she brought to me a toy<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i>It was a fluffy, chewy, funny type thing<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i>We lost our girl in 2021, you see<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i>It was so deeply painful to the core<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i>And now I’m left with just a dream<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 5pt;"><i>A dream of tug of war<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i>She was the one who started the game<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i>She pulled, and then shook from side to side<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i>Of course, I played along just the same<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i>No other option really but to oblige<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i>She was always the one to offer up the prop<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i>It was just her way to have me included<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i>She had to have both her mom and pop<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i>She was never one to have any fun excluded<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i>She’d invite me on walks no matter the weather <o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i>She’d stand there planted, and stare at me<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i>The whole pack had to be walking together<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 5pt;"><i>That was the way of Hennessy <o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i>So the tug of war, was it really a fight<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i>Or just a way to have some fun?<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i>Was someone supposed to feel a slight<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i>Or had play time just begun?<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i>Surely, this was now a time to connect <o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i>To find that game we could play together <o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i>Full of mutual joy and mutual respect <o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i>How I wish it could last forever <o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i><br /></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i>But one dream ends and another begins <o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i>What is one to do when a goodbye is in the cards<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i>Who cares who loses and who wins<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i>Isn’t life and all its losses already too hard <o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i>For life is never what it really seems<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i>Let us play the games and not be sore <o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i>Even though sadly, I’m left with just a dream<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i>A dream of tug of war</i><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i><br /></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i><br /></i></p>James Anthony Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02575502653574634253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-405941351725208809.post-49798900324649126582023-02-15T12:39:00.013-08:002023-02-20T11:55:31.448-08:00 The Valentine of Mine<div class="separator"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjzIkqX-a4V7HdEhhIDL9_pz-GKg-VrSwtwrgjR8WWUkF9qS1b7bYUrIt-nOZO6xTBzrXXd-ItOIYFYS__c4WfvtRXKTF9Ln--ZcHmNUMlxwPMjVbkDFpic6613fVfZxryMP9xW0gUbMvRlMXtpobMeJnj9aejIEYn_DxZJ_uUENK7_d8dyu_peYtnEw/s1011/val%20wife.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1011" data-original-width="724" height="470" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjzIkqX-a4V7HdEhhIDL9_pz-GKg-VrSwtwrgjR8WWUkF9qS1b7bYUrIt-nOZO6xTBzrXXd-ItOIYFYS__c4WfvtRXKTF9Ln--ZcHmNUMlxwPMjVbkDFpic6613fVfZxryMP9xW0gUbMvRlMXtpobMeJnj9aejIEYn_DxZJ_uUENK7_d8dyu_peYtnEw/w336-h470/val%20wife.jpg" width="336" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif" style="color: #0f1419;"><b>Written on Valentine's Day 2023 for my wife Jennifer.</b></span></div><div style="font-style: italic; text-align: left;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif" style="color: #0f1419;"><br /></span></i></div><div style="font-style: italic; text-align: left;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif" style="color: #0f1419;">The Valentine of mine </span></i></div><div style="font-style: italic; text-align: left;"><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif" style="color: #0f1419;">In the world that is sublime</span></i></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif" style="color: #0f1419;">Full of rhythm, meter, and rhyme<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif" style="color: #0f1419;">Singing bowls echo as to remind <o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif" style="color: #0f1419;">I cordially bow at this time <o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif" style="color: #0f1419;">To you, the Valentine of mine <o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif" style="color: #0f1419;"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif" style="color: #0f1419;">The Valentine so true<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif" style="color: #0f1419;">Even when we don’t know what to do <o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif" style="color: #0f1419;">Searching for ways to forever start anew<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif" style="color: #0f1419;">Searching for unlimited vistas and views<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif" style="color: #0f1419;">Searching for highest versions of me and you<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif" style="color: #0f1419;">Yes you, the Valentine so true<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif" style="color: #0f1419;"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif" style="color: #0f1419;">The Valentine on high<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif" style="color: #0f1419;">Whose spirit will explore ways to fly<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif" style="color: #0f1419;">Having experienced so many reasons to cry<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif" style="color: #0f1419;">Hearing the sweet whispers of spirit’s reply <o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif" style="color: #0f1419;">The ultimate truth of unity will never lie <o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif" style="color: #0f1419;">Her, the Valentine on high</span></i><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif" style="color: #0f1419;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif" style="color: #0f1419;"><br /></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif" style="color: #0f1419;">The Valentine of light<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif" style="color: #0f1419;">Erasing all versions of wrong and right <o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif" style="color: #0f1419;">Returning pure perception to our sight<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif" style="color: #0f1419;">Through any tumultuous times, we hold on tight <o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif" style="color: #0f1419;">I endeavor to face any foes in gallant fight <o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif" style="color: #0f1419;">For you, the Valentine of light<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif" style="color: #0f1419;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif" style="color: #0f1419;">The Valentine so kind<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif" style="color: #0f1419;">Rekindling a heart, soul and mind <o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif" style="color: #0f1419;">Polishing my rough edges to shine <o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif" style="color: #0f1419;">A gift given from the invisible, eternal divine <o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif" style="color: #0f1419;">A gift for both of us to find <o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif" style="color: #0f1419;">A gift of you, the Valentine of mine <o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif" style="color: #0f1419;">The Valentine of mine </span></i></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: left;"> </span></div></div>James Anthony Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02575502653574634253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-405941351725208809.post-28268102362256540392023-02-15T12:38:00.005-08:002023-02-27T13:07:32.669-08:00On the Floor of the San Jose International Airport<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh7RkqCksputYPRkzwU_ItjZb9DL9lglwQUgD-deh4dnl_KjtfwNQ8Z7xTpwd27yS3wScPiKbHOLojECr6iyzjiL6nGcn7REffpO4FJ3mjedeGtLn1TAyF9-sgI0OjzzgGESO5SGBrRmStttbM6deTvqNacLvX5xyADa-hkENsHHB-h0_I6oRaKnMNrg/s1027/329036240_888724195729992_3102727965555191594_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1027" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh7RkqCksputYPRkzwU_ItjZb9DL9lglwQUgD-deh4dnl_KjtfwNQ8Z7xTpwd27yS3wScPiKbHOLojECr6iyzjiL6nGcn7REffpO4FJ3mjedeGtLn1TAyF9-sgI0OjzzgGESO5SGBrRmStttbM6deTvqNacLvX5xyADa-hkENsHHB-h0_I6oRaKnMNrg/w486-h237/329036240_888724195729992_3102727965555191594_n.jpg" width="486" /></a></div><br /><p>San Jose International Airport, Southwest Airlines, Gate 12 about 100 feet beyond the Chick-fil-A, near the window, on the floor, 9:30 pm pst. </p><p>On Zoom with the wife. </p><p>Yes, we accomplished our goal. </p><p>Keeping the commitment to participate in the 30-day Core Challenge with Calvin of Alo Moves yoga. </p><p>Yeah, we were on Day 29, so how could we let a bit of inconvenience get in our way? </p><p>Maybe the real challenge is overcoming obstacles towards our goals, moreso than any physical exertion. </p><p>In either case, completed and successful! </p><p>What's next?</p><p><br /></p>James Anthony Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02575502653574634253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-405941351725208809.post-39516952627108610472023-01-31T16:45:00.007-08:002023-02-01T12:56:19.605-08:00She'll Be In Our Arms Regardless <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI9PNyCYtMb666sFaIh36BMkU-22p6_Riq8mb36g7jugL6ypV9kkk_mj1oQ0Q6_T2lmEAeKX0Tz-FPGkF3iZmgTN2UrirYWdACUhnwPAQA85IZ_BMGAMcg4h5zIhll1ZD-PeVDd9js-1h992R9Xjx-ifh7Kvc3_1LFdjfA4lKRQKDI86vNqOFKBtC3zw/s4032/grace%20and%20allison.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="489" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI9PNyCYtMb666sFaIh36BMkU-22p6_Riq8mb36g7jugL6ypV9kkk_mj1oQ0Q6_T2lmEAeKX0Tz-FPGkF3iZmgTN2UrirYWdACUhnwPAQA85IZ_BMGAMcg4h5zIhll1ZD-PeVDd9js-1h992R9Xjx-ifh7Kvc3_1LFdjfA4lKRQKDI86vNqOFKBtC3zw/w367-h489/grace%20and%20allison.jpg" width="367" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>In texting with my niece Grace, we were trying to get clear on the best days and times to set up a Zoom call so we could connect. She and her husband Cody moved to Indiana a couple years ago, along with their Abigail Faith. On December 6, the family welcomed Allison. There needed to be a game-plan so we could all be on the same screen at once. Grace came up with the most poetic phrase. I grabbed it. </b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">As we planned out a long-distance video call<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">We wanted to make sure we could see everyone <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">We didn’t want to miss out an anyone at all<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">But naps come to those who are routinely under one<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">Yes, dear Allison only two months, would need to come along<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">We’d have Grace, her husband Cody, and little Abigail in tow<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">Leaving anyone out would simply be so wrong<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">Family connections are forever, for those you really know<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">For these are timeless moments that we’ll always want to keep<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">Great niece Allison is innocent, pure, small, and harmless<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">She will be there, whether wide awake, fidgety, or asleep <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 6pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">Says Grace, “She will be in our arms … regardless”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">She will be in her arms regardless the time and the day <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">She will be there if she yawns, naps or cries<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">She will be there most likely with nothing much to say<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">But with a sweetness whose limit is the infinite skies <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">For babies, kids and children of God are simply made this way <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">At core, we shimmer and shine in a surrendered state, defenseless<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">Just like Allison, we’ve been blessed by the Divine this and every day <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 6pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">Grace says, “She will be in our arms … regardless”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">Now I imagine there is another type of world <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">One that does not recall the miracle of love <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">Forgetting the innocence of the little boy and girl <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">Never looking towards a high heaven above <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">It is filled with heartache, rage, guilt, and sorrow<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">Darkened by despair, deceit, and disconnection <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">Tragic is the manifestation from enmity and ego <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">Awaiting the depth of release that comes from reflection<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">Wandering around in the forest of folly, the grand delusion<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">There we are lost; it is sad, separate, and senseless<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">But underneath the layers, we can find the true solution <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 6pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">Yes … says Grace, “She will be in our arms … regardless”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">So, rest assured lonely travelers, you can discover the path<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">From the eternal ocean, all drops of water shall reside <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">Fishers of men, the line has been surely cast <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">No longer can your illumination be set aside <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">You are invited, with an everlasting invitation, to the timeless call <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">To a haven elevated, heart-filled, humble, priceless<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">No one will ever, ever, ever be missing at all <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">For Grace reflects the truth: “She will be in our arms … regardless”<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>James Anthony Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02575502653574634253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-405941351725208809.post-76153467761847261882022-12-25T17:22:00.003-08:002022-12-25T17:22:57.977-08:00 The Sweetest of Dreams <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUQVgnMkzHuc-7zvGdnX1AoAu2ZbGj5UfHACqKU4dVCUCM-TLdNBUPr_j5DQtnRvAqM4IAgqd2Yat5_t0FIckAMG7w0at0S7eHrXrPh9d-GwXYdVD9PZbu8wZqOcxk2U7_3oMwqMPa2-M0OXoT-RPHgo5aR_B-9CNLfjMpSf-Ymmox0f_CLIESKB8BwA/s554/317813748_10162024511907656_6498006041207247488_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="554" data-original-width="455" height="443" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUQVgnMkzHuc-7zvGdnX1AoAu2ZbGj5UfHACqKU4dVCUCM-TLdNBUPr_j5DQtnRvAqM4IAgqd2Yat5_t0FIckAMG7w0at0S7eHrXrPh9d-GwXYdVD9PZbu8wZqOcxk2U7_3oMwqMPa2-M0OXoT-RPHgo5aR_B-9CNLfjMpSf-Ymmox0f_CLIESKB8BwA/w364-h443/317813748_10162024511907656_6498006041207247488_n.jpg" width="364" /></a></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Yesterday I received a call from my 100-year-old aunt, Amy.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">She is the sweetest thing. </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">A <span style="font-family: inherit;"><a style="color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit;" tabindex="-1"></a></span>couple thoughts come to mind when that phone rings and I see her number. One is “Uhh, no matter what is going on - ANSWER IT!” The other is “I bet this is about one of her recent dreams.” We like to share our dreams we have about our family members, especially those who have passed on. And as she consistently reminds me, everyone from her childhood has indeed passed on. One of them includes her brother … my father. </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Yesterday after answering the phone, she went straight to the point. Yes, she had a dream. This one wasn’t about my dad, but rather it was about HER dad. </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">She reminded me that she and her father did not have a good relationship. In fact, she grew up with the thought, “Why does my father not like me?”</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Oh, she had a couple theories. One was that she wasn’t as good of a golfer as her sister. Another was that her birth marked the end of the supplemental income that her mother would bring in. Whatever the case, she had a lifetime of discord and distance with her dad.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Ever since 1973, the year my grandfather passed, since Amy was 49 years old, she said she carried this pain and resentment. She said, “I was never mean, but I’ve always been mad.”</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Well, I guess it’s lucky that time is a construct of the mind and can be molded in malleable ways ... especially in those etheric realms. For it would be 51 years later, within this Thursday morning dream that her father would return to her.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Amy and her father were both on a golf course, interestingly enough. </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">He approached and simply looked at her and said, “I am sorry for the way that I treated you.” He then gave his daughter a long and loving hug. </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Hearing of this moving dream, I asked Amy how she felt. “Relief! I don’t have to be mad at him anymore.”</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">She said it with a smile.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">And I imagine she said it with a heart healed through the everlasting eternal love that does exist between family members, soul tribes, and in this case a father and a daughter.</div></div>James Anthony Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02575502653574634253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-405941351725208809.post-37762578196537918522022-12-19T20:05:00.002-08:002022-12-19T20:05:38.755-08:00 With Apologies<div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioqH6rnocZLm1Nh_HyhWM9hs-vx_RRCRaFURFbACJTkCj9gCjcgvbzaYJSA8r4OtkRzBvQvSF4WBzjPad37AsMNun5HKrOsiP7SQLCdXS4Wfyyzn3b4gc9YFJPqi84994pr0q4JkJxV333TVL19zDfRZSBvmzzu5ybjExVaJIXgkvLAmcYyNQAR6v1IQ/s281/320545918_880967656264761_4203936704538860054_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="179" data-original-width="281" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioqH6rnocZLm1Nh_HyhWM9hs-vx_RRCRaFURFbACJTkCj9gCjcgvbzaYJSA8r4OtkRzBvQvSF4WBzjPad37AsMNun5HKrOsiP7SQLCdXS4Wfyyzn3b4gc9YFJPqi84994pr0q4JkJxV333TVL19zDfRZSBvmzzu5ybjExVaJIXgkvLAmcYyNQAR6v1IQ/w506-h322/320545918_880967656264761_4203936704538860054_n.jpg" width="506" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(24, 24, 24); color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: normal;"><i>“One of the very worst uses of time is to do something very well that need not to be done at all.” </i></span><br style="caret-color: rgb(24, 24, 24); color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: normal;" /><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(24, 24, 24); color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: normal;"><span> <span> </span></span>― </span><span class="authorOrTitle" style="color: #333333; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; white-space: normal;">Brian Tracy</span></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="authorOrTitle" style="color: #333333; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; white-space: normal;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Today I was on the phone with a dear friend. And our conversation led to her saying a phrase I don’t routinely hear in a day. “I had to repent.” Wow. The result of our conversation opened my eyes and opened my heart. </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">We were talking about her desire to create some short videos for an organization, project, and cause of which we both support. We talked about how people’s short attention span has led to the popularity of brief 10 – 30 second clips on such sites <span style="font-family: inherit;"><a style="color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit;" tabindex="-1"></a></span>as TikTok. </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">As we talked, she recalled the time where she was attracted to one short clip, which led to her watching a series of related clips. You know the ole “If you liked this one, we suggest watching this one, and this one … and this one…” You get the idea. </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Well, she recalled how a 1-minute timeout turned into one entire hour of being glued to the worldwide webspace.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Her response to this experience?</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“I had to repent.” </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I thought that was a bit of an odd statement. Repent? What the hell was she watching?</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Knowing her, it was of course something pretty benign, maybe even silly.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">She then said the magic phrase that hit me deep in my gut and heart. She told me, “I had to say out loud, 'I am sorry Lord for wasting your time.'”</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Oh my.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">It wasn’t about just wasting time. It wasn’t just about using her OWN time unwisely. But it was about using unwisely the time that God had gifted her on that day. This woman values time in a very elevated way - as a gift from the highest. </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">She holds time spent not just for her and what she can get out of life, but what she can give to others in the most precious way.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Sure, there is time for fun in life. And yet, if we are aiming towards a higher purpose, each moment can be consciously spent. The gift that this woman gave to me this day was the awareness that my time can be held precious as well. </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Thank you God.</div></div>James Anthony Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02575502653574634253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-405941351725208809.post-81836770314090366982022-11-28T19:42:00.008-08:002022-12-02T19:46:33.956-08:00 Goodbye Beautiful<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJHaoNUR072JAW4IgbfkuSHjUTnHp74czqeivXFGSVVW_e72VS1g4ViMYrn8-SM-ASFv0kqVXhcE_dGYCEu-69qRxFciHDv_98Bn9dYqHYJ_Qhjl--inOKoi46-i2Xlev1bDsvvbBFZLKmcP1v0Uc8i4NZYq6X4Gr_8TFkLrJVyy4ALrlYgiZE39enPg/s550/10306312_10203669348555477_1172537763253325747_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="494" data-original-width="550" height="357" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJHaoNUR072JAW4IgbfkuSHjUTnHp74czqeivXFGSVVW_e72VS1g4ViMYrn8-SM-ASFv0kqVXhcE_dGYCEu-69qRxFciHDv_98Bn9dYqHYJ_Qhjl--inOKoi46-i2Xlev1bDsvvbBFZLKmcP1v0Uc8i4NZYq6X4Gr_8TFkLrJVyy4ALrlYgiZE39enPg/w398-h357/10306312_10203669348555477_1172537763253325747_n.jpg" width="398" /></a></div><b><p><b>Upon the passing of a dear friend Lisa Kalison, a celebration-of-life service brought forth her husband Attila Tota, who delivered the most exquisite and transparent delivery of love. One memory stood out to me, as did the last words of a particular story. It sounded so poetic. </b></p></b><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 14pt;"><i>She would not let you leave the house so fast<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 14pt;"><i>No, that just would not do<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><i>An emotion and an experience that was meant to last<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><i>A kiss from you to her … and her to you <o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><i>She’d appeal to you as you took your leave<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><i>In a ritual so precious, so rich, so full<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><i>A chance to give, a chance to receive <o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><i>After each kiss: “Goodbye handsome” … “Goodbye beautiful”<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><i> </i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><i>Such a custom came from a soul so pure<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><i>Not a demand, really, at all<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><i>She just wanted to make 100 percent sure<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><i>From the front door porch, she would call <br />You would of course grant her this wish<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><i>And return to her in a graceful deed <o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><i>A kiss neither of you would want to miss<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><i>Fulfilling the sentiments of a sacred need<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><i>A gesture bringing closer the energy, the life <o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><i>Mind to mind, lips to lips, eye to eye<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><i>The dance of unity, a husband and wife<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><i>A parting farewell, a beautiful goodbye<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><i> </i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><i>Now, since time has passed, and we have all lost our friend<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><i>The rituals turn to something more surreal <o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><i>Signaling neither the beginning, nor even the end <o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><i>We embrace a timeless world so real<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><i>We’ve had to deal with the parting and the pain <o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><i>Allowing grief and sadness to have its say<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><i>An experience for you, we could never really name<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><i>Providing a path for the truth, the life and the way <o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><i>Seeing the curtain come down one last time <o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><i>For souls recognizing that which remains full<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><i>Reminding us of a reality beyond the borderline<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><i>In an everlasting kiss: “Goodbye handsome” … “Goodbye beautiful”</i><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><i><br /></i></span></p>James Anthony Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02575502653574634253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-405941351725208809.post-58964029225645730112022-11-15T11:24:00.006-08:002022-11-15T11:25:20.257-08:00Sweet Mackenzie<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijifA6GgJzhCMRHgaZgTs4bI0UVA_Qheoirvbu-upR7dM_CaJAR_DU5LarVNjrU1pJzSr6DpaaOrTffvvRCYcbOgcaDZ82IhGfEN5Jugir3anc3YGZvWAbBECI_wr6HUvT1gFh05jOfxX1kk0WKLRMgL0xpXdIg1g5pJyNj1NCB8ErLgDoY8rI6aWcsQ/s314/e64b0f3758f80d22e0a86ebf2dc16037.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="314" data-original-width="236" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijifA6GgJzhCMRHgaZgTs4bI0UVA_Qheoirvbu-upR7dM_CaJAR_DU5LarVNjrU1pJzSr6DpaaOrTffvvRCYcbOgcaDZ82IhGfEN5Jugir3anc3YGZvWAbBECI_wr6HUvT1gFh05jOfxX1kk0WKLRMgL0xpXdIg1g5pJyNj1NCB8ErLgDoY8rI6aWcsQ/s1600/e64b0f3758f80d22e0a86ebf2dc16037.jpg" width="236" /></a></div><strong style="border: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 1, 86); color: #000156; font-family: Raleway, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><p><strong style="border: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 1, 86); color: #000156; font-family: Raleway, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></strong></p>(Written for actress, activist and author Mackenzie Phillips after her appearance at the Institute on Violence Abuse and Trauma Conference in September 2018)</strong><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">with elegance and grace<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">she speaks of the disgrace<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">the loss of "who I am"<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">the masks of who we've been <o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">with truth and honesty <o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">she plants the seed of purity<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">the spark that leads to flame<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">no longer carrying the shame<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">she cares not how long it took<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">she is, as always, an open book<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">since 18, working hard to free<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">“something devastatingly wrong with me”<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">nothing Ritalin, coke or drugs could cure<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">to carry on - wanting something sure<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">needing others to say she’s OK, a church without a steeple<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">finding out … hurt people hurt people<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">a missing father figure in a physical form<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">untreated narcissism, substance abuse – a perfect storm<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">they were mad at her for telling what he did<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">protecting the perpetrator, keeping it all hid<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">a victim silenced, don't say anything<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">high on arrival … becomes hopeful healing<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">the realization she is her mother's daughter, no less<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">she need not identify with the ugly and the darkness<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">she could choose who she is to be<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">finding the identity of the one … “it's me”<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">no longer desperate to be believed<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">not needing someone to be furious at … now relieved<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">forgiveness isn’t about cosigning, nor about not being pissed<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">it’s reclaiming the you that you’ve dearly missed<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">with joy, light, elegance and grace<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">she speaks of a past disgrace<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">the retrieval of "who I really am"<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">the release of what has never been <o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">the spark that ignites the highest flame<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">no one will ever be the same<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">it matters not how long it takes<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">the book and the door is open, for all our sake<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">since a child, she has worked hard to set free</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">the one heart, the one soul … sweet Mackenzie</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><br /></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><br /></span></i></p>James Anthony Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02575502653574634253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-405941351725208809.post-87344058327923375072022-11-11T17:31:00.011-08:002022-11-15T12:11:50.884-08:00Her Name Was Vernay <p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">I was inspired to write this for my first tenant I had after I inherited an initial tenant who wasn't so kind. Ever since her, I haven't been able to find anyone who matched the level of mutual respect. Keep your awesome renters, and friends, near and dear.</span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy9jHUrfnUhalOEfBSjUoYO7HTYSobBjebpfvbYgPGA-4q4KF9g_KgPFhRxiG_9HphO0qBo-7zX22ttmGqPMFJAz7qPRtErHbhn2xdFvzhtdEDzZLp9srlSKttmxWPd7bCJf2ncyghkqDCC3JKUbvV2hj5wz4tNSCI9aG2bNn-kM3ioMe_0OmaPq64nw/s628/14264102_10154050551011775_3486165291327190155_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="628" data-original-width="628" height="371" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy9jHUrfnUhalOEfBSjUoYO7HTYSobBjebpfvbYgPGA-4q4KF9g_KgPFhRxiG_9HphO0qBo-7zX22ttmGqPMFJAz7qPRtErHbhn2xdFvzhtdEDzZLp9srlSKttmxWPd7bCJf2ncyghkqDCC3JKUbvV2hj5wz4tNSCI9aG2bNn-kM3ioMe_0OmaPq64nw/w371-h371/14264102_10154050551011775_3486165291327190155_n.jpg" width="371" /></a></b></div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><i>Her name was Vernay<br />I can recall to this day<br />No words here I could say<br />No matter, no matter – come what may <br />In a world not always so kind<br />Where a favorite word is “mine”<br />Where the blind lead the blind<br />And where trust is so hard to find<br />It was with her, it could begin<br />No leverage, no games, no spin<br />It can all be … simply … effortlessly … win-win<br />From the very start until the farewell end<br />I can recall to this day<br />Her name was Vernay<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Now the first renters of mine<br />They would play games of the mind<br />And later swiftly leave me behind <br />Trying their best to place me into a bind <br />“Hey – you’re supposed to offer us cable”<br />But that was never on the table<br />They came up with various sorts of fables <br />Pushing me to do whatever I was able<br />They opposed this new landlord without a care <br />Huh - I just wanted to move forward … honest and fair <br />An adjacent home, with separate entrances we could share<br />Yet they mainly only offered a trickster’s dare <br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Then came my first chance to choose my own<br />A sweet woman who would be living alone<br />I’d make sure to cut the grass that so high had grown<br />We clicked as if our personalities had already been known <br />For each other, we both did whatever we could do <br />Her mother visited, and it was like my relative too<br />She offered to take in my trash bins – the green, gray and blue<br />Needs were never bothersome, opportunities were always new<br />This woman was not just a tenant, or a source of some cash<br />Nor some supplemental income I could come across fast <br />But rather a pleasant cohort willing to take off the mask <br />In a friendship, with mutual respect, that would surely last <br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>I see her on social media – we’re still so kind to one another<br />On some level it’s like we were sister and brother<br />Never trying to trick, manipulate or outdo each other<br />A sort of connection that could always offer cover<br />In a world where selfish needs lead the isolated along <br />In a society where few community members belong <br />In a life where relationships are less right than wrong<br />On a globe where the humble are not considered the strong <br />In a world filled with numero unos trying to get their way<br />Guarding their empires, keeping everyone else at bay <br />Scared, hidden, bitter, divided, betrayed <br />I can recall another sort of relationship still alive today <br />Within the glory of the life, the truth and the way <br />Even in spirit, even in distant memories, we will stay<br />I can recall to this day<br />Her name is Vernay<br />Her name is Vernay</i></p><p style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>James Anthony Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02575502653574634253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-405941351725208809.post-25553369877985971612022-10-31T12:02:00.010-07:002022-11-20T21:38:10.051-08:00 Delicious Enlightenment <p><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk6Bb3WE0ZyRuItrpG8Zb_n7mFAGiHJg_BqkZVtOnvsVx6V5Lf1QnGvYnTEylWOG0Vm5_grn9ld3RjCAbVAgtH9OirAgK0C2a2zy5v535kosvyZkKAwOMxmZTIqTIP8edYaIWfXKLDQ7B6vwdXkeW9oKKxluhx3uN8BP-O7DSxHgOMFadxKQ7Jhg5inw/s600/JL_ChocolateCaramelCone_3pk_3D.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="552" data-original-width="600" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk6Bb3WE0ZyRuItrpG8Zb_n7mFAGiHJg_BqkZVtOnvsVx6V5Lf1QnGvYnTEylWOG0Vm5_grn9ld3RjCAbVAgtH9OirAgK0C2a2zy5v535kosvyZkKAwOMxmZTIqTIP8edYaIWfXKLDQ7B6vwdXkeW9oKKxluhx3uN8BP-O7DSxHgOMFadxKQ7Jhg5inw/s320/JL_ChocolateCaramelCone_3pk_3D.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><b><i>You never know where magic is going to come from in this wonderful world. Sometimes it could even come at a trip to the store for a treat. </i></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">Come one, come all, and hear the story about a boy and his ice cream. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">This is not just any sort of ice cream. This is the Jolly Llama brand of diary-free, gluten-free, coconut cream, caramel chocolate chip cones. You know the type with the chocolate chunk at the bottom of the pyramid cone? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">This delightful delight was first encountered by this boy – OK, it was me – about two years ago when my wife introduced it to me. I was transfixed by the flavor and higher purpose. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">And OK, maybe I’m not a boy, but the giddiness and joy I feel when I treat myself to such a treat, is timeless and boundless. How delicious could enlightenment get?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">You think I exaggerate? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">Just ask my wife when these are OUT of stock at the local store, and when we discover that they are indeed IN stock. It can go from extreme disappointment to utter glee. And let me tell you, it’s not routinely the case that the glee comes. These days, the stores are rarely stocking these llamas. Oh sure, the vanilla ones or the pink or light brown or orange ones may be in the freezer section, but rarely do we get the taste of enlightenment, chocolate flavored. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">We happen to know the manager of a small deli in Mission Valley who would put in special orders for us, and it was normally hit and miss. “They are out of stock for two weeks. Come back next Saturday.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">Because of my intense desire for enlightenment, my mind stays focused on the goal. It’s almost like a meditation; my mind gets so laser-beam. The result is we have found one store in the La Mesa area (NO, I will not tell you which one) that regularly carries this ice cream. We have gone a bit out of our way on occasion to travel to this store. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">It was on the last visit where the true magic happened. And I believe there is a great lesson in it for me … and for others if they are interested.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">While my wife started in on other shopping, I approached the store entrance and bolted back to the freezer section where I knew they held the ice cream. I was filming the occasion to share with a friend interested in eating healthier desserts. I was in a great mood for various reasons, one to do with the treat but also because of other good stuff going on in my life. As I rushed up to the section of the freezer, I built up the suspense for my friend saying, “Here it comes….” Just as I came to the row where the Jolly Llamas reside, I saw clearly: they are out of stock! An empty shelf! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">I kept the video rolling, and just finished it off with “dammit!” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><b>See <a href="https://youtu.be/PZf_w6i3X5c" target="_blank">HERE</a> </b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">Dismayed but not destroyed, I kept my good mood intact. Sometimes in the past when I got upset about “missing out,” I went to a low place with thoughts such as:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>“Oh no, I’m too late.”</li><li>“I knew it!” </li><li>“I waited too long and now I’ve made a big mistake.”</li><li>“What a bummer!” </li></ul><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">Well, it may be because I was in such a good mood (and that it was merely a dessert) that the past distressing thoughts didn’t arrive too powerfully in my mind. I stayed upbeat and continued on my way to find Jennifer in the store. As I let her in on the bad news, just then, a young lady worker Ashlin turned the corner. For some reason, in a happy place, I chose to interact and have some lighthearted banter with her. In an overly dramatic fashion, I let her in on the lack of Jolly Llamas in the freezer. To which, she replied, “Let me see what I can do.”</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">What? Could it be? Could there be a second chance at delicious enlightenment? </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">It only took her a couple minutes to return from another part of the store and reveal a box of dozens of chocolate Jolly Llamas. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">Wow. My first response was of gratitude and happiness. (That’s on video too.) </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuAp0X-xVovj6H2qJztN_ZIrXj6yjrtNR2Te6khf30lKKlXzusAviHRyVd2tNMQ-bxvjPTfC0Akwy47QfZl5ZQ-y8mLYoRjLOOTA6ffXadHx0iLSiofgTU_p1k86xXVN6ZOUZr2j64D9Hks4JuHseOJ_8Rd09jnWfb6WupppkbZjGBhEx2AIZguHFLCA/s995/Screen%20Shot%202022-10-31%20at%2012.30.41%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="715" data-original-width="995" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuAp0X-xVovj6H2qJztN_ZIrXj6yjrtNR2Te6khf30lKKlXzusAviHRyVd2tNMQ-bxvjPTfC0Akwy47QfZl5ZQ-y8mLYoRjLOOTA6ffXadHx0iLSiofgTU_p1k86xXVN6ZOUZr2j64D9Hks4JuHseOJ_8Rd09jnWfb6WupppkbZjGBhEx2AIZguHFLCA/w380-h273/Screen%20Shot%202022-10-31%20at%2012.30.41%20PM.png" width="380" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">Next I considered this very real reality: If I would have spiraled into some negative subconscious spin from the past about being “too late,” I would not have been open to seeing this young lady approach with another opportunity. If I would have been defeated, I would not have had the wherewithal to see the victory staring at me in the face. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">Perhaps that’s how it happens many times in our benevolent universe. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">The issue arises along with a solution. And it’s up to us to stay in the right mind to be able to notice it, and then act on it. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">These ice creams proved to be enlightening indeed. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgogn5H_GmFLlwkKfKGaN29cpvbWXVdyG2ycMgm-Cas0wFpO9alVUHmsOY_61jXozZQUKxrFSEWlcr8TBJiQPqr8MJ5Bjm1DrcLV6D7MxBshheHqVG8yi7jl-IjIj1_YkcEFXEEA2G8oXM5v7vLRLKdPc8icSHKoD9D-c0KZD_KoAzwIiR80PglESK8CQ/s3360/jolly%20Ll.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3360" data-original-width="2403" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgogn5H_GmFLlwkKfKGaN29cpvbWXVdyG2ycMgm-Cas0wFpO9alVUHmsOY_61jXozZQUKxrFSEWlcr8TBJiQPqr8MJ5Bjm1DrcLV6D7MxBshheHqVG8yi7jl-IjIj1_YkcEFXEEA2G8oXM5v7vLRLKdPc8icSHKoD9D-c0KZD_KoAzwIiR80PglESK8CQ/s320/jolly%20Ll.jpg" width="229" /></a></div><br /><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>James Anthony Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02575502653574634253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-405941351725208809.post-89252622998893175572022-10-23T22:04:00.006-07:002022-10-23T22:15:47.368-07:00I Said Chloe’s Name<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4IzhKX57rwik-g5oQglUf092YTbZY6kg40dCMOq8XoG4u5uq4BK708d7LINtGx_Yj7N7D4MfBM6B8oz2UekthuuytcYvBSrZcxnEtaiQDJtr1NQ3cciPmb8DNu7UcE_rkvTWaqTC_Bl5GzqXe9gZFnkmArGi2PQ1ZhpJR6Jel5J33EGiNb78t5pwSew/s579/Screen%20Shot%202022-10-23%20at%2010.02.14%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="489" data-original-width="579" height="331" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4IzhKX57rwik-g5oQglUf092YTbZY6kg40dCMOq8XoG4u5uq4BK708d7LINtGx_Yj7N7D4MfBM6B8oz2UekthuuytcYvBSrZcxnEtaiQDJtr1NQ3cciPmb8DNu7UcE_rkvTWaqTC_Bl5GzqXe9gZFnkmArGi2PQ1ZhpJR6Jel5J33EGiNb78t5pwSew/w392-h331/Screen%20Shot%202022-10-23%20at%2010.02.14%20PM.png" width="392" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><b style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><i>A dear friend has a lovely pooch named Chloe who has had some health challenges. Once I saw a Facebook post in which someone said a prayer for her, I was inspired by the phrase she used at a sacred space: "I said Chloe's name." Such a poetic line; such a poetic world. </i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">It’s who we are, it’s how we live <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">I heard the news, I wanted to give<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">The social media post said your dear dog was ill<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">A prayer for all that is peaceful and still<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">As we join forces with the illumination of God’s will<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Into your cup, from divine abundance, we will fill<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">I went to the altar today, before the candle flame <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Into the space, I said Chloe’s name<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">I said her name so that all could wish the best<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">For her health, for her vibrancy, for her rest<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">I said Chloe’s name, and it gave life to the word <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">The blessings of bounty, we can be assured<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">By a mere utterance, she was placed into the mind of God<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">That little rascal with dark curls, that wonderful dog<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Healing any conditions, the aches, the owies and the pains<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Glady, and with exuberance, I said Chloe’s name<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">And so here we stand, as concerns shift to care<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Of the path of heart and healing, we are aware<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Perfect health in all its forms - spirt, body and mind<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">For those who remember the power of simply being kind<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">And giving to those in need when it’s time to say a prayer<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Standing strong in faith, as concerns shift to care<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Surely yet humbly … happy that up to this alter I came <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">So that I could speak into the space … I said Chloe’s name<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">I said Chloe’s name<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>James Anthony Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02575502653574634253noreply@blogger.com0