Hello Friend

Ah, relationships in their many forms… how shall we greet them today…

A cat meanders through the door during a yoga class 

A dog approaches you on the couch, paws upon a lap

On a stroll outside, a hummingbird speeds by through the air

A trip to the zoo, every imaginable creature living there

Sharing a globe with the animals, in the wild and in the pens 

The depth and beauty of a boy’s and girl’s best friend

Hello friend, hello friend

How are you today, how have you been?

Oh, the grandeur of relationships … how shall we greet them today?

What words come to mind, what is there to say?

For the barista working hard to prepare that right drink for you

For the waiter and waitress placing orders for your chosen food

For the loved one in partnership, making this circle of love complete

For the man, woman and child simply passing by on the street 

As in the beginning, and then all throughout life, until the end

As we hold this sacred heart – in order to offer, share, heal or mend

Hello friend, hello friend

How are you today, how have you been?

How are you? What is new? What can we do?

With this life – to make it matter, to make it real, to make it true?

We welcome the morning, with a bow, a prayer, a knowing nod

We embrace the universe, the angels, the spirit guides, and God

As in the myriad of classic books we store upon the shelves

We see within others as we see within ourselves 

Husband, father, son, mother, daughter, wife

If you lived strictly on your terms, you may have missed out on life

Yet if you found the free, dancing energy encircling, you were indeed blessed

In-between the give and take: a mind at peace, a soul at rest 

There is nothing that can make this existence any clearer or dearer

Than learning to appreciate, love and honor the one looking back in the mirror

And so, what words come to mind, what is there to say?

Ah, the wonder of relationships … how shall we greet them today?

The pets, the patrons, the clients, coworkers, bosses and more

The random humans we bump into at the soccer field, bank or store

The ones who have held us up as perfect, the ones who made us all wrong

The inner self that has beaten us up for so long

The ones who challenged us, the ones who made everything a flow

A dear friend dog or a cat … peeking around a corner … hello 

We faithfully take a stand for a totality of life we can finally defend

As we reframe everyone as companion, searcher, Child of God and friend

How are you today, how have you been?

Hello friend, hello friend

Hello friend, hello friend

A Eulogy for My Dad Who Passed One Year Ago

 

For my dad.

Who passed away one year ago to this day.

March 15, 2021.

For my dad.

I just want to come along here and say how much I love him.

I love him still.

Of course. 

When I was growing up, it was pretty much common for us to talk about the other worlds, the other realities, the higher realms, not just the physical world but the spiritual world … as if these realms were as available as going outside of a house. Because of this, the idea that I would not still love him or have a relationship with him or be close to him is ludicrous.  

We had many, many psychic and metaphysical experiences that would become commonplace.

It was not outside the realm of reality to be able to have a psychic connection, speak without words, speak even with the physical distance. We had many experiences.

One of my favorites involved a friend of mine from high school back in 1981. In a conversation about her in our kitchen around 10 p.m., my father and I were silently attempting to connect with her, secretly wondering if she would call at this time. Now, having never called me before or after at my house, it would be impossible that Isabel would call at this late hour. What would be even more impossible would be her saying right after I answered the phone: “You have to stop thinking of me; I have to get some sleep.”

Oh, my dad.

He also loved to tell the story of Leviticus 5. He would talk of the time he was in deep prayer requesting an answer to the quandary regarding the world's cultural problems and environmental messes. He took a nap and awoke with the thought “Leviticus 5.” He knew which Bible to go to in order to see what it said. At the top of the page were the words: “Remove Unconscious Pollution.”

My dad told a lot of stories. And he knew he repeated a lot of them. I knew he knew because he shifted the way he would start one of those repeats. It went from “Did I ever tell you the time …”  to “Hey, I told you the time that …” Now even though he had told the story previously, it would not mean that he wouldn’t retell it. He loved his stories. I think they comforted him. They brought him joy.

He did enjoy certain aspects of life...

• The trips with the family in the summer months, to the likes of Sea World, Knotts Berry Farm, Marineland and Disneyland.
• His family … though he would most likely not tell any of us directly but brag to others outside of the family. 
• The rooting on of the Rams, Red Wings, Tigers, Lions, Dodgers, Lakers, Angels. 
• The “picks” where he would enroll all the family members to guess which football teams would win each week. 
• The lottery and trips to Vegas, and his winnings there. 
• His bowling and the winning there. 
• The dining outings with his wife, my mother. 
• His meditation and the peace that came from this practice. 
• The Home Prairie Companion radio show, and all the cassette tapes he’d make of that show plus the talk shows that touched on the political and the metaphysical. 
• The talks about the synchronicities in life.  
• His work with Farmers Insurance when he got to use his intuition to work in the Fraud Department.
• His work in helping to uncover the murderer of a daughter of famous author Lois Duncan. 
• The adventure of investigating the mysteries of the untold.  

Over his life he would dig into a few of those “conspiracy theories” that weren’t really “theories” but coverups he had to uncover. I think he had to do such research just to be released from the rotten emotions that arise when you are being lied to. 

The JFK murder was his big one. I was 19 days old when JFK was assassinated in broad daylight publicly, in Dallas, Texas. That would mean for my entire life I would be taught two major lessons:

1. Do not trust the government or the media.  
2. Search for your own truth.

Now, even with his inspiring and uplifting times, there were certain aspects of life he didn’t seemed to like. He hated conflict, any kind of conflict.

He so disliked conflict that he would eat the wrong food that was mistakenly served to him at restaurants. He didn’t like taking too long in a drive-thru since he didn’t want to take up other people’s time. He couldn’t stay for the ending of those real nail-biters of sports games; too much to take! He also freaked out a bit about having a Christmas tree in his trunk on the way home from the lot, thinking some calamity might happen. Not sure what bad could befall Christmas trees in trunks. But he was concerned about it.  

With all his fears and concerns, the amazing thing was how much faith he still held. He knew the good was so much bigger than any bad. It was a faith built on experience; a faith built on spiritual connection. At one point in late 1959, he had no clue what would happen after losing his job and learning that his wife was expecting their first child. He would think “How is this going to work?” 

But he knew it would work out, and with his famous phrase “The universe is perfect,” things would fall into place for him. As they would for his family for as long as they are family. 

My dad.

This was written for my dad.

He is the most generous man I’ve ever met. He gave without needing anything back. And he gave even without the need to feel good about giving. It was just that natural for him. The most selfless person I know.

Last year, we would have no service for him. I’m sure that’s how he would have it. No big fanfare. No big presentation or focus. 

It would be enough to continue with this never-ending, always-expanding life, discovered in the higher realms, beyond the physical, of which he already knew, so well. 

It would be enough to have lived a life, living on his terms, embracing his beliefs as he did, cheering on his teams, picking his picks, watching from a distance the progress of his children, telling his stories, and leaving behind a legacy of three blessed ones, who he just wanted to be happy. 

On so many levels, I am happy.

But I wouldn’t have that happiness, nor have this drive, nor this identity as a searcher, if it weren’t … for my dad.

My dad.

I love my dad.

The House That We Called Home

The new owners of my childhood home are very sweet people. In February 2022, in honor of my parents' birthdays, my wife and I took a trip to Huntington Beach and got to walk through the newly upgraded house on Cambay Lane. I choose to write the below for the new family members so they had some history on a home that will always mean the world to me. 

Oh yes, so many memories. Honestly, too many to list.  

Really, it was a simple house, on a regular street, with friendly neighbors and an innocent childhood. At least that’s what it looked like from my point of view. 

It’s the house on Cambay – 15422 – where I grew up.

My folks – Jim and Patricia Ellis - bought the home in 1962, one of the original owners on this street. My dad used to tell the story how he wasn’t even interested in purchasing a home when he was invited by some friends to take a tour of a new housing track in Huntington Beach. Though he went along with a couple of friends just for the ride, my father would be the only one to purchase a house on this track, locking in an at-the-time whopping 30-year loan for a monthly mortgage payment half of your what you'd pay for a car today. 

By the time they moved to Huntington Beach from Redondo Beach, by way of Detroit Michigan, they would be bringing with them a daughter, Mary Lynn, who was two years old at the time. I would show up a little over a year later in November 1963. And another sister, Kathy, would make her appearance in August 1965.

This would be the home for these five Ellises. After originally setting in, my parents would live here for the rest of their lives – my mother up until 2014 at the age of 82 and my father up until 2021 at the age of 93.

In between there would be a lifetime of memories, ups and downs, joys and sorrows, personal growth, and family love.

• The wonderful Cambay block, with neighbors who knew each other’s name up and down the lane, with the children who would have fun with games on the Ellis’ front lawn, standing in as a baseball diamond, track and field arena or football field, after the parents’ call to action: “go outside and play.”  
• The same field where I would get knocked out after hitting my head on Mary jo’s knee, and where Keith would break his leg and then crawl all the way home when we didn’t believe he was really hurt. 
• The front yard where the white light pole would be claimed to be the “free” base during hide and seek games.
• The front yard that had bushes and plants and white rocks in front of the house, in a distant memory, before the clearing and arrival of the cement truck in 1973.
•  The house that saw many, oh so many, a sporting events on TV, where neighbor Dan would walk over those Sundays to catch the latest LA Rams game. 
• The rounds of “catch” in the backyard as sister Kathy honed her softball pitching skills, with more than a few times of having to ask the neighbors on either side, “Hey, can you throw our ball back?” 
• An avocado tree back there, planted by me from just an avocado pit I threw into the ground, while helpful neighbors told me it wouldn’t grow, and if it did, it wouldn’t produce any fruit. 
• The bags and bags of avocados we would have to give away, since we’d be overloaded with such a hefty harvest. 
• The avocado tree that would be taken down, per my mother’s directive, after I moved from Cambay Lane. 
• The farmers field that went for miles just beyond our backyard fence, and tractors that would plow along every now and then, preparing way for the likes of lima beans. 
• The fence we’d look over towards the northeast so we could watch on as Disneyland had its nightly fireworks show in the summer. 
• Mom doing her garden back there, before the arthritis took it away. 
• The O'Keefe and Merritt oven with the light that would be used to help mom trace our countries for our book reports … since we waited until after dark, missing out on the chance to trace it over a sunlit window.  
• And of course, Rags our dog, Fidrych our bird, one hard-to-catch Chinchilla, and then the dozens of cats Lucy, Nicky, Ragamuffin, Blackie, and the litters born in Kathy’s closet. 
• The end-of-the-year holidays that somehow were routinely accompanied by the annual colds, soothed only by rest, soup and more rest. 
• The holiday celebrations – colored ribbons around the poles separating the dining room, and the Christmas trees in the living room, where Kathy and I once announced we’d remain there so we could catch a glimpse of Santa Claus.
• The hilarious Halloween when all of us were too shy to answer the door to trick-or-treaters, providing the way for the loudest, longest and perhaps scariest laughing attack.
• The Thanksgiving dinners – starting in the dining room, and then on subsequent Thanksgivings spilling over into the living room where we’d be accompanied by the Cowboys and the Lions.  
• The living room that was somehow the sleeping quarters for everyone but me – ma on the couch, Kathy on another couch, dad in one chair, Mary Lynn in another chair and niece Emily nestled somewhere on the floor. 
• The times the family practiced the sounds of silence, unable to bridge gaps of misunderstanding and miscommunication – resulting in a hole in a door … or two. 
• And on the other side of the pendulum – two sacred weddings, one in 1987 with Mary Lynn and Michael in the back yard, and the other me and my wife Jennifer in 2012 – just me, her, a minister, my dad and my bed-ridden mother. 

So many memories. Too many to count actually. But reside they do … and reside they will. Forever. 

They will be there because we were all able to live and grow, in a wonderful neighborhood, on a picturesque street, and within a house we called our home.

15422 Cambay. May it continue to be blessed … and may it be a blessing for families, friends and memories to come. 

 

The Greatest Impact Of All

Driving one day, I thought of how much I loved some of those I have lost, and how much this world seemed so meaningless compared to the truth underneath it all. I pictured the impact that politicians and Hollywood stars have on our lives, and then juxtaposed that against the impact of true friends and family. I just had to laugh and start envisioning a piece of prose...

The ultimate, the highest, the greatest impact of all 
It is not found upon this planet, so very small  
The building of Atlantis was really no big deal 
With everything now underwater, even pillars of steel
Pyramids still stand, yet they bring power in from the sky
Indeed, where is the value from birth until we die?
Where do we point towards a great influence, a grand plan?
Could it even originate from what is built by woman or man?
Arenas for epic competitions hold the theater of the day
We watch on through commercials to see the grown men play  
News and entertainment are fed to us, hungry lizards that we are
Towers fill downtowns, a great wall visible from the stars    
And yet, another invincible skyscraper could surely stumble and fall
What is the ultimate, the highest, the greatest impact of all? 
 
Like the off-key found on an out-of-tune song
A loved one collapses, breaks a hip, and is too soon gone 
A loving pooch must be put to rest on the saddest, saddest day
There are no words for such heartache, there is nothing really to say 
A void remains where once grace promised it would last 
Earthquakes of loss leave buildings and bodies burned – ash to ash
So where is the worth; why do we live; what is the use?
God’s mysterious way? God’s secret will? Just another damn excuse 
But carry on, I guess we shall, I guess we must 
Looking for purpose through the trouble and rubble – dust to dust
Those making the rules, control the masses and wield all the power
As politicians rise, the populace divides, reacts, attacks, and cowers
Until the pendulum swings, and the people remember the silent call
Perhaps from the ultimate, the highest, the greatest impact of all
 
It is born of creation, as below so it is from above 
Forever to come from the source that is love
It is born of creation, as below so it is from above 
Forever to come from the source that is love
 
It is love my friend; it is love that ushers in all the meaning
Giving presence and life to every single human being 
From a foundation of rock, invisible to the naked eye
To the building of a true home … a haven in the sky
The infinite discovered as we pull on that inner thread
Dipping down into the heart, moving away from the head 
Entertained not by actors feigning passion, as in a show
But rather amused by family and friends who we truly know
No sports trophies or academy awards hold any value now
No standing ovation, no curtain call, no curtsy or bow
Just eternal sweet memories that gently float on by
Just the halo aura bright and the glimmer in the eye
In a Garden of Eden after genesis and before the fall 
Now we come to embrace the absolute, the greatest impact of all 

Born of creation, as below so it is from above 
Forever to come from the source that is love
Forever to be seen from spirit’s highest view
Where no one and nothing dies, and where everything is new
Where towers are not built on sand, but on a steadiness sublime
Where powers do not come from man, but from the sacred divine
The true celebration, the force from above 
Forever to flow from the source that is love

Final Reunion

After a poignant conversation with my wife about our dearly loved pet Hennessy, and the loss experienced there, I had this sense of longing for reunion. I imagined being able to run towards each other again and remain there. Is there such a reality where we never have to part with loved ones? 

A farewell song as we all march along

Once a waltz, a dance, a chance to move from me to we  

Now walking aimlessly in the street

So incomplete

Kneeling, a heart bleeding for thee

Looking skyward as the rain thumps down

Tears mixing with drain water on the ground

You were here, but now you’re gone

A final goodbye as I move along 

Alone

Desperate for the memory of union

Searching for … the final reunion

We laughed, we played, we knew the way

We talked about nothing, and it made sense

Jokes made at our own expense

It didn’t matter – nothing that we could say

Could ever take away

Or replace 

That which we held sacred every day

Only death, the final farewell

The veil, the curtain, hiding heaven and hell

Stripping us of our home in union

Destroying all hope in a final reunion

The final reunion

The last time we have to part

The final reunion

The backtrack to the very start

The final reunion

No more leaving, no more grieving

The final reunion

No doubt remains in our believing

You run back to me as in a dream

It’s just like it has always been

A dance, a chance

For love’s curtain call … a call for faithful stance

Like a puppy greeting the wayward traveler at the door

I rush eagerly towards the love of my life

I recall what this love and this pain are for

The loss, the longing, the union

The cost, the belonging, the reunion

The sweetest of reunions

One that is, alas, final – the last of its kind

As we reunite in heart, soul, and mind

Finally knowing what was yours and ours … is mine

As everything dissolves in the mist of space and time 

In a final rhyme 

A farewell song as we all sing along

Now a grand waltz, a dance, a chance to truly see 

Now joining in celebration in the streets

Whole and complete

Kneeling, in prayer, a heart open to thee 

A Vision of the Golden Time - It's Called Love

Note: The following is an excerpt from the book Starting Point; A Guide to Metaphysics, the Golden Time and Love. This was from my first book written in - gulp - 1989. Wow - 33 years ago, back when the "New Age Movement" was all aflutter. Interestingly enough, many of the predictions in the book are coming to fruition as the globe goes through its growing pains, and interestingly enough "love" continues to be one of the main answers to our problems. 

Love and compassion. That's what we must talk about.

 

The trend, the push, the striving must point toward loving our fellow friends of the planet. The real goal is to reach a point at which you can see the Divine intermingling throughout everything, wherein you must act in accordance with your newfound knowledge. The idea says: You will act out of a kind heart … not because you have to, but because that will be the only action possible. It will be the only action that coincides with logic, emotion, belief and truth.

 

Underneath all the novelties and oddities of what some call a "New Age" is a beating, blossoming heart, an awakening to the deepest reality inside of us: love and compassion. This, my friend, is what's really important here.

 

First of all, we'll need to know about this "compassion." It's been defined before: empathy for others; doing onto others; displaying a social consciousness; showing concern and hope for the welfare of all – people, animals, our air, our planet, our universe.

 

I tend to put compassion in heroic terms, but I can see it another way too. Compassion: not slamming the door on anyone, even the pushy salesman; helping up the fallen soccer player; treating the patron with fairness and honesty, not deception; acting on the understanding that everyone and everything counts in this world. In short, compassion can be defined as "actively expressed love."

 

Yes; and then there's love. Oh my, here is my favorite subject. 

Love is this light inside of you, a light incomparable, that shines in the eyes and the heart. It is a light that is always there, but one that is often veiled by our fear, worry, guilt and hate. If discovered inside, it can break the barriers between you and others. It can tear down the walls; it can release the old you to give birth to a new you. Love is that power that brings people together in empathy and sympathy, a power that fuses hearts together.

 

But many times the lessons of love can be a pain. This is because we have to first learn what love isn't. The ride definitely can get rough, as we discover the dark, hidden aspects of ourselves that would prevent that love from shining: the egos, the fears, the pride, the jealousies, the controls. Through all the troubles and the heartaches and the power struggles, we may even forget that a true, higher love exists.

But ultimately we always come back to it. We have to. It's what we were born to do. The higher love is like the Sun hidden by clouds. If allowed to break through the haze, love can shine a light that will raise you up, higher ever higher. Like the Sun, it will influence everything it shines upon. Your thoughts will be lighter; your emotions will reach a peak level; your physical senses will intensify; your concern and compassion will propel to new heights. Basically, with love you are released to think positively, feel ecstatic and grow spiritually. Everything and everyone around you will be blessed by your newfound energy.

 

Many times, we leave it up to another person to act as the catalyst to spark the light inside of us. At this highest point of ecstasy – that which is called "falling in love" – we experience the release and the realization of a Divinity Within. Here, love isn't an emotion or a decision or a thought; it is a realization and an expansion.

 

You have unconditional compassion and care for your significant other. You want the best for each other. It's not that you feel "needy" for another person, just sadness when separation limits the chances to share. In love, you experience an expansion within the heart. The heart is opened, and a Divine Energy is allowed to flow free.

 

At these glorious times, you feel on top of the world, like all of creation is in perfect alignment. The world is brighter. You see a typo in the newspaper and think: "Oh well, I'm sure the editor was tired." You open a flat 7 Up, and you tell it: "You know, you'll do better next time." When engulfed in love, there is no traffic, no ornery red lights, no nagging commercials.

You get a new heart when in love. All the old troubles are gone. Your hair doesn't bug you anymore; your brothers don't bug you. All the slights and fights are of the past, forgiven. For that "in love" time, all the trespasses against your old heart are erased.

 

Only love is there. But it has always been there. Waiting for you to discover it. People complain that this "falling in love" isn't real because it doesn't endure. People say this form of love – this euphoric, ecstatic, consuming love – doesn't last for long, maybe three months and then the honeymoon is over. They wonder what went wrong, why the love ended. But this impermanent quality to romance and love is more of an indication of human limitation than a testament to the power of God and love. Relationships and attractions are temporary. Objects of love can come and go, but the capacity to love stays with you forever.

 

The trick to life is to associate your love with something other than an attraction, a novelty, another body. We must identify our love with that which never fades away. We must fall in love with the deeper parts of a partner. We must fall in love with life, nature, the Force behind it all.

 

When you can find the forever love within, you must be vigilant and diligent in keeping it alive. When you can find it in you, you'll see it in others too. And this awareness will automatically restrict you from bringing any harm to others. You won't have to think about the decision to give or take, hurt or help. The only action consistent with your inner being will be to assist and uplift others. When the inner light is finally turned on, it can be projected out for everyone else to see. Love can be nurtured, and then beamed like a light unto the people of the world.

 

You see, love comes from that pure, uplifting energy of God that lives within us all ... and before we can share this, we must find it ... we must be it. 

The time is coming when we will all be able to discover that love within. This blossoming will bring the bright future so many of us talk about. It will bring a new age or what I like to call the "Golden Time."

 

At its heart is a bonding that will bring together people of different backgrounds and faiths, all under one umbrella. Just as we feel an unquestioned desire to love all in our genetic family, we will feel the same sort of wish to love all people of the Earth, our planet's family. We will go beyond all the distractions and decisions that are presently being slammed into our face and that are presently rushing up from an inner wound. 

 

The Golden Time will see each family member opening up to an enlivened heart and a Higher Mind, both showing a connection to our fellow humans, our home planet and the Divine mingling throughout it all. A burgeoning compassion will usher in the changes for a future in which the real power transfers from governments and mankind to the all of our true inner nature and the Divine Creator itself.

 

That's how one man sees the Golden Time, a New Age, anyway. 

An excerpt from the 1989 book Starting Point; A Guide to Metaphysics, the Golden Time and Love, found HERE. 

 

The Imminent Dawn

I woke up one morning with a topic in mind, and once I realized it might need some explanation, I figured I should write a poem about it.  For, the light is coming ... the light is here.

How could it arise – how could it be?

When we are so enslaved in the land of the free

When left is right and right is wrong 

How could it ever come – the long-awaited dawn

The night is here, there is everything to fear

No longer holding holy that which is near and dear 

Fights fill the angry streets and social screens 

Echoing down the path: silent, invisible screams

Brother against sister – no commentary is safe 

Centrifugal force enlists all community hate  

Separation in desperation shapes our nation’s fate

Gone is the free marketplace and collegiate safe space

Just a rolling dark thunder, that rolls on and on and on

And perhaps just a promise someday of a forgotten dawn

 

We lost ourselves in the bitterness of past slights

And the slow-motion evaporation of sacred civil rights 

Like steam from sewers, the media broadcasts “the truth”

Opportunists break into Targets for the latest and greatest loot

In charge of law and order – could it be the great deceiver?

Violence is forgiven if it soothes the politician's fever

Police take cover from enemies, both foreign and domestic 

Policies promote the pathological and the pathetic 

Mandates create havoc, decimating fortunes and lives

All in the name of “democracy,” allowing the tyrants to thrive 

The darkness has come; it whispers in ear the sweetest lie

With promises all will be well … if we surely, simply, comply

Yet, inkling of doubt spreads among those no longer playing along 

The first indication … of the imminent dawn

 

For deeper frequencies shall unite, in the fight for what is right

Below the surface will emerge the most effervescent light

A foundation – reflected in a strong constitution and unifying force

Recalibrating the navigation that has taken us all off course 

We will all be responsible for the truce – both inner and outer 

The false shall bend to the voice of truth – now so much louder 

No longer “up is down” for such nonsense is for circus clown

No longer “bad is good“ for goodness shall certainly be found

No longer “war is peace” for the peaceful shall truly be restored

No longer “power through force” as humility will lay down the sword

We shall no longer suffer and struggle through cognitive dissonance

We shall align instead with one power, born of one resonance

And so it shall be for the faithful, as it has been in eternity … on and on 

As we welcome … gloriously … the imminent dawn

The imminent dawn