Can't Wait To Go Back To Prison: A Prison Ministry Experience (Great Gift) (Book) - 10/25/2016 10:13:17 AM
John Michael,
You are an incredible man of GOD, a very special vessel of Nobility.
I'm so proud of you and your multitude of accomplishments on earth!
Prison Ministry... What an amazing Calling!!!
Congratulations on this very intense and comprehensive work. The LORD will honor it. :)
Though you rarely hear from me, I promise I still pray for you daily, my Brother, and I always shall.
Be safe and well in Christ,
Love & Hugs, Rhonda
Prayer Poems For My Love (Birthday or Valentines Day Gift) (Book) - 9/6/2015 2:39:57 PM
I ENJOYED READING THIS BOOK. ITS WONDERFUL TO READ OF THE LOVE THAT CHRIST HAS PLACED BETWEEN A COUPLE THAT LOVE HIM. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...JOYCE * HIS INSPIRATIONS
Reflections From The Great Depression and WWII (Veterans love this book) (Book) - 1/7/2013 5:15:55 AM
"Yet even with less, many seemed very happy back then as they enjoyed a time when life was much simpler."
How so very true, and they were definitely America's Greatest Generation; I doubt we'll see another like them anytime soon. And Best of Luck With Your New Book!
Reflections From The Great Depression and WWII (Veterans love this book) (Book) - 1/5/2013 1:54:32 AM
Congratulations on Your Book Publication John!!
and I might add too, very nice bookcover!
It caught my eye, and I am glad you are sharing
inside story & memories. I knew a lady who
never quite recovered from the depression.
She called an ambulance one day & they came
to find her sitting outside on her gorgeous
front porch of her beautiful 2-story home w/basement.
She passed away & it was discovered how bad her memories
really were. She had food in every room of the house
excluding the bathroom (which was spot on immaculate)
All the food & boxes of stuff was up to the ceiling!!
She had little pathways to squeeze into each room of the house like a
walkway maze.
She kept her central air & window units running year round.
But still the smell of rotten food was morbid & gross.
She had a route claim to the garbage bins in her town
where she would get the food thrown out from restaurants
and varied grocery stores. (RIP-1984)
May God's Mercy Help Us All
Love In Christ Always
Vickie
Mentoring To-Go (A GREAT Gift for Youth from 9-90 yrs.) (Book) - 8/15/2010 8:28:09 AM
i do not have your book, but I have passed it on the the chief of police in florman part, thought it would be something that would be of help to him. Hope all is well with you, and feeling better
FREE: Companion for ATTICA: A SURVIVORS STORY - Chapter 1 (Book) - 3/11/2010 2:51:28 AM
You have put a lot of thought and work into this writing. It seems like a very good resource for those who need it. I wonder if its available in prisons. If it isn't , it should be...M
Can't Wait To Go Back To Prison: A Prison Ministry Experience (Great Gift) (Book) - 10/6/2009 8:06:13 AM
This book sounds like it would help me learn about a ministry I have never been part of but have been feeling the tug of God on my heart for. I'm going to get a copy to read and some to pass out.
Mentoring To-Go (A GREAT Gift for Youth from 9-90 yrs.) (Book) - 2/21/2009 1:10:24 PM
Dr. Domino:
You have under-sold the claims on your "Mentoring To-Go" book. I just got my copy the other day and began almost immediately to dive into its many interesting pages.
It is more than you let on, in your Bio page.
Your book reminds of the spirit of a little book called,
"The Magic of Thinking Big," by David Schwartz.
It was a book that changed my life.
The Bible was the first of course!
In his book Schwartz related an anecdote about his young son when he asked him, "What do you want to be when you grow-up."
The little boy thought about it a minute and said, "A professor."
"A professor? What kind of professor, son?" his Dad asked.
After thinking for a minute the boy said with a smile, "A professor of happiness!"
A professor of Happiness. "How wonderful!" Schwartz goes on to relate.
Dr. Domino, Your book, "Mentoring To-Go," brought back memories of that enjoyable time of self-discovery, and youthful idealism, when I set sail for the seven seas of life. Anything was possible, and with your book, now it is again!
A Slice Of Life (Book) - 1/22/2009 12:05:19 PM
I like that title...and I want a piece...
Can't Wait To Go Back To Prison: A Prison Ministry Experience (Great Gift) (Book) - 9/13/2008 4:00:39 AM
John,
I will pray for great success for your most interesting book about prison mininstry. I've always been interested in prisons and how much the men and woman there need God in their lives. If I wasn't on a fixed income I would buy one, and being personally signed by you would be an added bonus. My husband lost his job 3 years ago, the plant closed down he'd work at for 25 years. For health reasons he hasn't been able to find work. I am on disability so thank God we do have one check coming in. God is good, He's always provided for us. My husband got saved a year ago and with both of us attending church together its been a great blessing to me. I have grown alot in my faith this past year because church is such an important part of my life. I'm a choir member and we go to different nursing homes and sing, I get a great blessing from that, Michael. Keep writing and putting God's word out there for all to see. God bless you always.
Many blessings,
~Linda
Attica: A Survivors Story (A Great Gift For Anyone Who needs Inspiration) (Book) - 9/4/2008 12:19:10 PM
'Domino', such a wonderful word of imagery and of course it's your name -well suited I'm sure you'll agree. One thing leads to another into eternity and you seem to have followed your path patiently as each piece fell into place, fulfilling your life's purpose, one precious step at a time.
A Slice of a Short Life (Short Story) - 1/9/2026 3:04:25 PM
You've shared a very touching story John. Reading it brought tears to my eyes for I fully understand what Raya had to go through. I went with my 6 year old grandsons Chemo yesterday and I listened to him scream, NO not again, please don't do it. It took everything I had in me to hold it together as I put my arm around his mom who was holding him and trying not to cry. He gets very sick after he has it and he misses a lot of school. I wrote a poem yesterday called, They do it for You. for all those living with cancer. What a terrible disease for anyone to have to go through. Bless you John.
Leaving a Legacy - Questions to Answer Before Leaving Planet Earth (Short Story) - 7/22/2025 7:50:55 PM
THANKS FOR THIS POST, MY FRIEND...AND I WILL CERTAINLY CONSIDER IT. BUT, WHAT CAN I SAY? I MEAN...WHERE IS OUR CROWN, OVER HERE OR...OVER THERE? IF NONE... REMEMBER US ON THIS SIDE...WE HAVE A SAVIOR THAT HAS PREPARED FOR US A PLACE WHERE ALL WE'VE EVER DESIRED AND COULD IMAGINE AWAITS US. WE WILL MISS NOTHING THAT WE HAVE NOT RECEIVED ON THIS SIDE, AS OUR 'REWARD' IS ON THE OTHER SIDE. FOR WHAT REALLY MATTERS IS; WHEN WE GET TO HEAVEN...IT IS THEN THAT WE WILL SING AND WE WILL SHOUT THE VICTORY! YOUR FRIEND DID NONE OF THOSE GOOD THINGS HE DID FOR RECOGNITION ON THIS SIDE...HE DID THEM FOR THE HONOR AND GLORY OF ALMIGHTY GOD AND THAT IS ALL THAT MATTERS, JOHN. DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY GOOD PEOPLE WHO HAVE SERVED GOD WELL HAVE GONE ON AND...NOBODY GAVE THEM ACCOLADES ON THIS SIDE? DO YOU THINK THEY CARE? WE TEMPORARILY... SEND UP OUR TIMBER ON THIS SIDE...TO REJOICE FOREVER WHEN WE...GET HOME!!! MY DEAR BROTHER IN CHRIST...THINK ABOUT SOMETHING; YOUR FRIEND IS NOT COMPLAINING, JOHN...HE IS NOT UPSET ABOUT IT AT ALL. HE IS BASKING IN AN ETERNAL REWARD...THE GRANDEUR LIKES OF WHICH WE CANNOT EVEN 'BEGIN' TO IMAGINE. HE HAS NOT BEEN ROBBED OF ANYTHING! WHY? BECAUSE HE COUNTED ALL THINGS AS...DUNG...BUT FOR CHRIST. I APPRECIATE WHERE YOU ARE COMING FROM AND I HOPE AND PRAY THAT YOU CAN APPRECIATE WHERE I AM COMING FROM.
THE BOTTOM LINE IS; GOD IS TOTALLY IN CHARGE. HE TOOK YOUR FRIEND WITHOUT A LEGACY AND, OF COURSE, HE KNEW IT. THEREFORE NONE OR NOTHING WILL BE LOST DUE TO CHRIST'S PERFECT WILL BEING DONE. THANKS FOR SHARING. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH…HIS+INSPIRATIONS
Leaving a Legacy - Questions to Answer Before Leaving Planet Earth (Short Story) - 7/20/2025 9:55:31 AM
It's good to see you posting an article again. And your article rings very true for me.
I am an existential atheist. My life is only the mark I made while living. And it is only what I have written and posted on the Internet that will probably be remembered.
Like you, I have looked up some of my mentors from the past, and although they were very accomplished people with national or even international recognition, there is no mention of them, except, perhaps, an obituary.
That was true of the inspiration I got from my qualitative analysis instructor in my sophomore year of college. I used him as the model character for my novel, The Last Wanderer. But, because of my disability and aging, couldn't remember his name until I finally had a caregiver retrieve the 1966 yearbook and learned what it was.
The novel was published in 2021 and is my most successful novel to date. He died this year in February and the only thing on the Internet about his extraordinary life was his obituary. But I was able to call his son and talk to his wife just two weeks ago. I missed my opportunity to ask him whether he remembered me as his best student in 1962. Wishing to have traveled with him the following summer into the wilds of Canada where he always went.
He was the original Survivor Man before the TV series made another man famous. His movies should be on YouTube, but aren't.
Ron
Mountains of Oceans (Short Story) - 11/18/2024 2:53:21 PM
In my younger years it was always mountains. But it was very lonely climbing to the top with no one to share it with me.
I've always been attracted to the coast, and have taken a few sea voyages to islands in the Caribbean with their unique offerings. Perhaps my greatest love was taking A100 mile canoe trip through the Canadian wilderness twice, 16 years apart. If anything I would want to live there.
I don't know why people are attracted to the seashore to live. The sound of the waves and the constant screeching of the gulls would drive me crazy. storms and shoreline receding make those dangerous places to live too.
Ron
Mountains of Oceans (Short Story) - 11/14/2024 5:34:47 PM
GREAT ! YOU HAVE PAINTED PICTURES WITH WORDS!
PARTII Can People Really Change? (Short Story) - 9/5/2024 7:01:30 PM
Yes, just about any foundation has biased or slanted stats both ways. However, I interviewed one of the biggest drug dealers in Miami who was supposed to be in prison for life! After becoming a Christian, he quit crossing off each day on the calendar because he was too busy reading the Word of God to all the other men. He became a pastor of a large flock of men, and from that day forward, he said he was free in spirit and no longer felt confined to the prison. He was released for good behavior and placed on probation. Today, he is re-married and is a social worker in Ft. Lauderdale, helping others to get off drugs. He could not be happier, and his success story is just one out of hundreds who have made a complete change in their lives for the better. I interviewed REAL PEOPLE with REAL STORIES about how Jesus Christ made a difference in their lives. You can read it all in my book. "Can't Wait To Go Back To Prison" is available on Amazon. Amen X 110, my friend.
PARTII Can People Really Change? (Short Story) - 9/4/2024 12:45:33 PM
The Heritage Foundation is a strictly political organization disguised as an authoritative one. A poor choice for authenticating theories.
I tend to agree. Most criminals, often starting from extreme poverty that forces them to steal all or form gangs for mere protection when they are very young. It is these gang relationships and accompanying addictions like alcohol and drugs, the thrill of power over others and so forth, that can be replaced by religious discipline.
In other words, replacing one addiction with another one. Religion is by far a better addiction than criminal behavior of any kind. But religion saps the individual from freedom of choice and progress in life. Ask any criminal who decided to go straight without using any religion. They're out there.
Ron
Can People Really Change? (Short Story) - 9/3/2024 11:45:13 AM
The vast majority (75%) of studies reviewed revealed that religious measures consistently had a beneficial, effect on delinquency, whereby higher levels of religiosity were associated with inhibiting or reducing delinquency.
Religion: The Forgotten Factor in Cutting Youth Crime and Saving At ...
Manhattan Institute
https://manhattan.institute ›
Data demonstrates that faith-based prison programs reduce recidivism by instilling spiritual responsibility and lasting moral influence on prisoners within prison culture.Apr 18, 2023
Reducing recidivism through faith-based prison programs | Issues
America First Policy Institute
https://americafirstpolicy.com › latest › research-report-r...
Does religion help or hurt society?
It improves health, learning, economic well-being, self-control, self-esteem, and empathy. It reduces the incidence of social pathologies, such as out-of-wedlock births, crime, delinquency, drug and alcohol addiction, health problems, anxieties, and prejudices.
Why Religion Matters: The Impact of Religious Practice on Social Stability
The Heritage Foundation
https://www.heritage.org › civil-society › report › why-r...
Does religion help with crime?
Approximately 89 percent of the studies (97/109) find an inverse or beneficial relationship between religion and some measure of crime or delinquency (i.e., increasing religiosity is associated with lower crime/delinquency).
Religion, Crime, and Criminal Justice - Oxford Academic
Oxford Academic - Oxford University Press
https://academic.oup.com › edited-volume › chapter
Adjust, Modify, Slow Down but Never Quit! (Short Story) - 8/27/2024 1:34:49 AM
I had both knees replaced several years ago. My hip replaced last year. And at some point I'll have my right shoulder totally replaced. Then I'm either going to join the Senior Olympics...or call the producer for the next Avengers movie, convince them they need a gray hair on their team, and then volunteer to become Silver Lightening! She with the wisdom of a lifetime and her rocket powered scooter (red w/flames naturally).
Rebecca
Can People Really Change? (Short Story) - 8/27/2024 1:27:55 AM
Kudos to you and those like you who are willing to help those others think beyond redemption! I worked for a short time in the Tennessee State Penitentiary back in the 80s and witnessed a lot of dispair. Not all prisoners were willing to change. But there were those who did. Unfortunately positive, proactive opportunities were few and far between. What's even worse, many of them couldn't escape from the shadow not only of their past but also from the shadows cast by other prisoners. It's good that there are those who are willing to be beacons through the shadows.
Rebecca
Can People Really Change? (Short Story) - 8/24/2024 9:22:14 AM
If I read this right, you changed yourself in your youth, like I changed from being a Christian to an atheist. And then, you found Christianity later.
After I was caught smoking at 7 and hauled into the police station, living in a very bad neighborhood where most of the youth went to reform school and then graduated to prison like their parents, I chose, with my few friends, to be a good kid and not get into alcohol or the other addictions that were creeping in at that time. I really never was someone who went along with the crowd. While everyone around me drank beer, I just didn't like the taste.
I was president of an ecumenical Christian fellowship in college. Received a high award for my service. Participated in civil rights and protested the war in Vietnam hurting so many people of my age for no reason at all. Many got on drugs, had PTSD and ruined their lives. I changed to becoming an atheist because I didn't like all the ritual that I felt to be unnecessary for someone to be good. The golden rule was all I needed and it wasn't Christian. It is innately in us to know good from bad. We don't need religious routine to constantly remind us.
I have found that people who changed dramatically do so either because they make the realization, like you did, that what they are doing is wrong and getting them nowhere. Or, they have help like your Christian mission in prison. Basically changing one addiction for another. Making it much easier to pray than to take another drug to make the evil go away.
Many have just gone cold turkey like my dad after smoking for 20 years, stopping smoking in the middle of a carton and a pack without any counseling or placebo to help him.
The problem with being imprisoned, especially if you are just an addict and perhaps stealing to pay for your expensive habit, is trumped up, often racist, charges and harsh sentences. And worst of all, having great difficulty getting employment after prison. I have hired two women who couldn't get a job because of their sentences. One for getting 6 years for selling marijuana to feed her kids. The other 6 years for killing the man who raped her with a warning shot that killed him. I helped them both get better paying jobs and we are still good friends.
Have you followed up on those prisoners see how they did after prison? Prayer does not pay for rent or food. Did the Christian church provide them with jobs? Did Christian employers? Perhaps your next article could be on how these changed inmates did after prison. I'd like to know. My partner's nephew who was once a multimillionaire and on cocaine, lost everything and is now being taken care of by his family and friends.
Ron
Adjust, Modify, Slow Down but Never Quit! (Short Story) - 8/22/2024 2:10:08 PM
Good advice for those once they have reached a certain age, stop doing something that they love but, unfortunately, stop doing everything when arthritis starts to creep in and take away their enthusiasm.
I recall my father saying that he regretted giving up softball, but when he looked around when he was 45 and relegated to the outfield, and discovered he was playing with 20-year-olds, he decided it was time to quit. But he continued bowling and got into golf that both he and my mom enjoyed for very long time. Finally, he reverted to a bicycle and walking.
You made me think of the time when I was about 45 and found that I could no longer swim without endangering myself. And, when I reached about 53, had to stop my long walks in the state park and get into a wheelchair. I fell many times and acquired many stitches on my forehead and around my eyes caused by my plastic glasses being smashed when I tripped over something and hit my head. My exercise machine I bought used and used for about 10 years just burned out its motor and I'm working hard to get it fixed because I will never find another one like it to buy again.
Ron
That Historial Day known as 9/11, Not To Be Forgotton? (Short Story) - 6/19/2024 11:04:52 AM
Nice image of you in the 'blue suit' with the railroad tracks on your epaulettes, John. I must admit that I too was outraged by the cowardly terrorism of the fanatic Islamists that pulled off the World Trade Building attacks. As the Irish would put it, "I served me auld time a'dya camp!" (also in a blue uniform) back in Vietnam days), but as far as war goes (NOT terrorism), I'm afraid war shall always be part of the human experience, since what is war but an exponential expression of individual anger? However, that said, the sort of cowardly acts that Islamic terrorists engaged in are reprehensible beyond description. I share your sense of outraged indignation. As you mention the 'closeness and patriotism' that our nation experienced in the immediate aftermath, it is a well-understood dynamic of human behavior that a righteous common cause against a common enemy invariably unites an otherwise sorely-divided nation. What all those young American university 'Jihadistas' likely need most is a few (Palestinian) terrorist rockets vectored in on them to experience an epiphany about all of the foregoing and 'complete their education', as it were. Aloha, -K2
That Historial Day known as 9/11, Not To Be Forgotton? (Short Story) - 6/8/2024 11:55:11 AM
The year was 2001. And the month was September. I'm grateful that you were willing to join the forces that rallied to fight an unknown source of the carnage brought to New York City.
Unfortunately, our president had unfinished business with Saddam Hussein, and used the rallying of our people to launch a war of "Shock and Awe" against him, his family and his military elite. As a result, millions of innocent Iraqis died, Al Qaeda, and then ISIS grew stronger in the Middle East. No better off as a result of flying off the handle in a patriotic fury without evidence of who did what.
I was almost hired in 1980 by Lockheed, Marietta Georgia to teach quality control, impossible zero defects (the buzzword) to workers making 50 C150 cargo planes in a contract with none other than Saddam Hussein, our ally in the Middle East at war with Iran. The enemy then and now. It never ends… the lust for money and military power. Rush to justice for the wrong reasons.
Ron
Happy Easter? (Short Story) - 4/3/2021 1:21:17 PM
Thank you for reiterating how the Christian leaders like Constantine brought Jews and pagans into the fold by commandeering their celebrations and cleaning them up. Of course, we can't help commercializing these holidays because it's the American way to profit off of a bunch of people involved work with ready cash to spend. Runs our economy.
Ron
THE FIVE EVENT CHALLENGE (Short Story) - 4/2/2020 8:32:57 AM
Thank you for posting a few of your highest points in your life that you want to share with us. A combination of good luck and hard work. As you know, I have been posting my life's memories in my book of tales right here as stories. Real stories of real life are often much better than fictional stories that authors try to think up and make interesting.
Ron
You are Very Special. Why? Because I Say You Are! (Short Story) - 10/20/2019 6:54:20 PM
Yes, indeed, John! It's all in how we choose to react. Your words hold a lot of wisdom, you smart man!
Love ya!
Jane
You are Very Special. Why? Because I Say You Are! (Short Story) - 10/20/2019 7:50:41 AM
Your article does make a lot of sense. Our perspective on life generally can make our interactions with other people go smoothly or badly. However, I've known individuals in my life, and I can name three offhand, who tended to be quite abrasive, and insulting when they encountered people, both friends and strangers. Yet somehow, those insults turned into positive connections and these individuals usually turned out to be the life of the party because of the way they broke the ice.
This morning while debating whether or not to remove a stump, it revived again in my partner, her anger about shoots from the same old tree roots coming up through our front deck. She flew off the handle and said she didn't have time to deal with all of that when I suggested she just cut off the shoots so they would stop growing eventually. Finally, she had to show me. We went out on the deck where five or six leaves were sticking up through the cracks. She reached down got a hold of them and pulled. Lo and behold, like a weed, about a 12 inch length of tree shoot pulled off and up easily. Job done. And of all that anger and worry was gone. Sometimes it's the small things that can turn into big things. Mountains out of mole hills. Still have to decide whether I'm going to remove that stump or leave it sit there and deteriorate over the next 30 years. At least she could put a pot of flowers on top she has plenty of pots of flowers.
Ron
My Testimony (Short Story) - 7/4/2018 12:01:29 PM
WHAT AN INSPIRING TESTIMONY...THANK GOD FOR THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF JESUS AND REPENTANCE THROUGH MERCY AND GRACE!!! I WILL KEEP THIS, MY FRIEND, BLESS YOU AS YOU 'PRESS ON' IN HIS 'POWERFUL CALLING' ON YOUR LIFE. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...JOYCE * HIS INSPIRATIONS
My Testimony (Short Story) - 5/25/2018 9:36:18 PM
So beautiful!!!! You have experienced some kind-hearted Christians just when you were lost. God had sent them to you because YOU needed the direction in your life. We are all guided by the shining light from above. Please stay blessed.
Sandie
A Slice of a Short Life (Short Story) - 7/19/2017 6:40:57 AM
A very moving story for Raya to shine. I'm sorry she was taken at such a young age. I understand that part for having lost my father when he was just 38.
My Testimony (Short Story) - 7/11/2017 2:20:32 PM
great beautiful story inspiring, thank you for sharing a beautiful story
To My Fellow Senior Friends (Short Story) - 7/29/2016 12:00:40 AM
It is inspiring to read an upbeat article such as yours on the topic of aging. The key is keeping oneself productive and fostering an optimistic outlook--the same things everyone should adhere to at any age.
Don't Let Life Pass By Driving Through It (Short Story) - 7/28/2016 8:49:23 PM
I really enjoyed your trip down memory lane. When I grew up in Vt, walking was a way of life and almost everyone walked to get from one place to another and thought nothing of it. We did not have buses in our town of 7,000 and the trains that went by were usually freight trains from Canada. Once in a while there would be a few dining cars in which people traveled. My parents had one car. We enjoyed trips through the mountains,valleys and to Uncle Joe's farm. Life was much simpler then! The nifty fifties were a great time to be a kid! Unfortunately I can't walk too far now. My knee's are terrible, but I still manage to get around and do most of the things I want to do. Living in the country has its perks and I am able to enjoy the bounties nature has given to us!.......M
Directions for Walking Home (Article) - 3/27/2025 4:11:54 PM
OH, JOHN...MY DEAR BROTHER-IN-CHRIST, THANK YOU IMMEASURABLY FOR THIS POST! IT IS REALLY SO INSPIRING...I COPIED IT AND FROM TIME TO TIME WILL RE-READ IT...AND ALSO SHARE IT. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
Happy Advice... (Article) - 3/27/2025 3:56:01 PM
INDEED, JOHN...WE OF OURSELVES MAY NOT BE ABLE TO 'GIVE-UP' OR MAKE THE CHANGES THAT WE NEED TO MAKE IN OUR LIVES, HOWEVER, AS YOU'VE STATED....THROUGH THE POWER OF GOD AND HIS WORD, WE CAN DO ALL THINGS. THANKS SO MUCH FOR THIS INSPIRING POST. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
Famous Last Words (Article) - 3/27/2025 3:49:23 PM
FAMOUS LAST WORDS; "FATHER, INTO THY HANDS, I COMMIT MY SPIRIT".
THANKS FOR SHARING MY FRIEND. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
Why are so many Veterans Homeless and are in Poverty? (Article) - 11/18/2024 8:06:49 PM
Thank you deeply John for your article. As a wife of a 100% total and permanent disabled veteran with brain injury, sever spine injury, hit wth agent orange, severe PTSD and stomach injury that i can tell you their discharge is a major part and many which are not fair are a huge part of the problem because that leaves them without a lifeline to support their selves or family . Congressional laws have been passed in congress to help with this but far greater work needs to be done. More educational and congressional hearings must take place...They need intervention, prayer and if we can finational support. Thank you for the love of Christ for these incredible heros who need prayer as much as possible
As Israel Fights for Survival (Article) - 6/10/2024 2:44:31 PM
The closest I've come to Israel was my visit 4 days war-torn Egypt under martial law who questioned my Thai friend who was a high level educator from Thailand for the Israeli visa that the Thai Embassy in Washington gave him even though we were not traveling to Israel. That was 1977 and I still honor and wrote a poem for Anwar Sadat for his willingness to broker a peace at that time. Only to be assassinated.
There are protests in the streets of Israel right now, because I believe that the militaristic right wing prime minister has gone too far by trying to kill every last terrors to took so many Israeli hostages in a single raid. Thousands of innocent people have been killed and the hostages are not being released. Israel is committing genocide in some of the Israeli people remember the Holocaust know it.
Ron
As Israel Fights for Survival (Article) - 6/8/2024 1:18:48 PM
Wonderful article, Doctor John: I was seven when Truman decreed Israeli to the Jewish people and, though not understanding what it meant, I do remember the happiness it brought my family. I do remember, however, when thirteen years later, at age twenty, I did join the celebration of Israel's Bar MitzvAh.
God bless Israel and God bless the United States of America.
Happy Advice... (Article) - 5/26/2024 1:02:37 PM
Amen Brother!!!! Yes. I have found that when I truly repent with pure surrender, pray and ready my bible more ( I listen to scripture while I am doing things) I get along better so much better with others! Your a true gift for the Kingdom. Thank you
Famous Last Words (Article) - 5/17/2024 2:38:42 PM
I'm not sure that you did this research or just found it and copied it from some source. If you did, I have to give credit for finding all of these last words of people who returned from a near-death experience. The word returned seems to be used rather loosely in your presentation.
However, most of the books about near-death experiences are experiences of full recovery, claimed by those who thought they were dying at the time and were absolutely sure that some god showed them what heaven was like so they can come back to earth and think about going there more.
I became an atheist in my mid 20s just after entering my paralyzed life, while growing more difficult to navigate, but easier in many ways like this voice dictation system I use to respond to your article or write my books, stories and poems faster and more accurately.
Technology and medication have also made my life less painful today than it was 25 years ago. Saving me from the pain of hernia, pneumonia and urinary tract infection, kidney stones and hemorrhoids. But, when I needed to turn naturally at night like everyone does, but couldn't, without help, getting the sleep became difficult even with caregivers giving me exercises and turning me. Lately, though, I have been sleeping longer with less pain, but more a feeling of coming death from old age and not from paralysis only after I wake up.
My near-death experience occurred on the operating table when I was awakened by my neurosurgeon after losing a lot of blood and damaging my spinal cord in mid surgery to try to find why my left arm and hand were getting weaker. I felt or saw nothing else except my neurosurgeon asking me if I was okay, and my telling him that I was. There was absolutely no light or no tunnel. I merely awoke in my hospital bed without any feeling except tightness from the bandages on my neck and the inability to move anything from my neck down.
However, during the next 20 days I didn't sleep, because while I felt like I could solve complex mathematical problems in my mind and spoke glibly with anyone who cared to listen at my bedside high from painkiller morphine. However, my long nights were the worst, because the morphine that allowed me to feel like I could solve problems and kept away any pain, made it impossible for me to sleep as I seemed to fall backwards into nothingness with very large red rings rolling over my body.
While my legs came back almost fully without any pain, my arms begin to atrophy and felt like I had both of them in barrels of biting biting ants for several days when the pain subsided and I could move them again but with very little movement and difficulty keeping them down until I sat up because I lost my tricep muscles almost entirely and only gravity kept them at my side during the day.
Finally, I was off of morphine, I lost all of that pain of recovery of feeling (similar to what I always experienced when I nearly froze my feed or fingers in wintertime and the feeling came back) that couldn't be called fiery because it was more like prickly needles. I was able to swing my feet off the bed and walk, although not normally and never run again.
I consider most revelations about near-death to be usually dreams under anesthesia, or perhaps a drug overdose or other life-threatening injury that puts the brain into an unconscious, but still active process of dreaming what the brain already has programed by repeating church phrases during an entire lifetime. Something I have not cluttered my brain with.
I believe that I will die in my sleep one night without any pain and without any dreams and without any returning with any fabulous stories about where I have been and came back from.
I have noted that a number of your atheists were very terrible people who used others in terrible ways. As they neared their death, I can see where their natural conscience would finally catch up with them and they would have a hard time facing it.
I'm finding that my vivid dreams are about sometimes quite pleasant and erotic new experiences, or challenges that lead to great wealth and freedom in the end. I really don't have any regrets for having treated people badly in the past to haunt me.
Ron
Famous Last Words (Article) - 5/17/2024 8:57:05 AM
Interesting last words and warnings.
Thanks for the post.
Comedy for the Future? (Article) - 10/30/2021 3:58:36 AM
I enjoyed reading the article. You are right. Our society has changed and not for the better. Today's world is filled with chaos, fear misstrust, and human fralities. The rich become richer, the poor are caught in the quagmire of trying to survive what ever comes their way. Quality family time has gone by the wayside. Life can be a rat race at times. I remember when Clark Gable said " damn " in the Movie , "GONE WITH THE WIND". Every one was so upset about the profanity ! Todays world would be so much better if evil and chaos would go away.
I enjoyed "My three Sons", " Father Knows Best" and good ole," Roy Rogers". Those days are forever gone and sadly the young people of todays society have missed out on the simpler values of life.
Mary grace
Comedy for the Future? (Article) - 10/25/2019 9:05:12 AM
I generally don't like comedy shows because they tend to have either canned laughter or a cued live audience not letting the TV audience laugh on our own. But I do like Saturday Night Live for its emphasis on satire so well. I don't know if you stay up to watch it or not. I tend to watch SNL on demand the next day. Over the years, there have been very many enduring funny characters like The Church Lady, that I always looked forward to seeing.
Regis just sent me a bunch of sayings by Will Rogers. His sense of wry humor is timeless.
Joke making is difficult. It takes a sense of understanding human nature that younger kids don't have. But I have noticed that comics with a long time, even with grueling schedules and a lot of night appearances including all the vices that shortens one's lives. I will name only two, Bob Hope and George Burns. But there are many others. It was really sad to see Robin Williams cut his life short. What a talent. I like to go along with Bobby McFerrin and a video that he did with Robin one time, "Don't worry… Be happy…" And, "If you want to be happy for the rest of your life, get an ugly woman to be your wife…"
Ron
My Eulogy for Mom (Article) - 5/10/2019 12:49:29 PM
She must have been a wonderful woman who left you a rich heritage. So sorry for your loss, John Michael. This is an outstanding tribute to your dear mother.
Ten Rules For Academic Success (Article) - 5/10/2019 7:45:57 AM
The "Ten Rules For Academic Success," are a daily habit for students.
Hope the students would make these rules part of their daily life. Great idea!
My Eulogy for Mom (Article) - 5/7/2019 6:43:25 PM
It sounds like she was a very great woman! Just like my own.
My Eulogy for Mom (Article) - 5/3/2019 10:28:50 AM
Super fine words for a super fine lady!
Love ya!
Jane
My Eulogy for Mom (Article) - 5/3/2019 8:55:47 AM
That was a wonderful eulogy for your mother. I can see where your kind and generous attitude comes from, all the way back to your grandfather and his insistence on taking care of others in his nursing home.
I hadn't thought of it until you wrote this, but my mother, 94, and in assisted living, may die before very long and I may be asked to write her eulogy. Although my sister is a fairly good writer and attends to her all the time, may write a eulogy without asking me. That's okay. My younger sister is a blessing because she's the only one of us five (four of us twin brothers) that is still living in the hometown. I have already written my eulogy and shared it with my brothers and sister, so they will not have to deal with that task. Only, trying to deal with my death a thousand miles away.
Your poem is so similar to our dinner table until I left for college. It's really too bad that dinner tables are not like that anymore except for strict parents who sometimes have that backfire on them. My mother and father were both very free to let us find our own way while setting a good example with their lives, and I'm so grateful for that.
Ron
My Eulogy for Mom (Article) - 5/3/2019 3:21:56 AM
A beautiful tribute to your mother.
CHRISTMAS: The ULTIMATE Gift! (Article) - 12/26/2018 8:08:49 PM
Merry Christmas, John!!! This is where the Bible says to have a "child like faith"..............and I do!!
Love ya!
Jane
CHRISTMAS: The ULTIMATE Gift! (Article) - 12/25/2018 10:43:44 AM
Such powerful truths! As we put the focus on Jesus, where it rightly belongs, today and always, we begin to see how insignificant we are, apart from Him!
Thank you for this reminder, and Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones.
Barbara J.Henry
CHRISTMAS: The ULTIMATE Gift! (Article) - 12/24/2018 1:18:42 PM
Merry Christmas, John, and blessings for the New Year!
CHRISTMAS: The ULTIMATE Gift! (Article) - 12/24/2018 9:18:36 AM
I'm sure I could think of or research others who came from poverty to riches in understanding like Mahatma Gandhi, the Dalai Lama, Confucius, and perhaps, Mother Teresa. But I would be leaving out many.
It is not a dark and dreary world. Some people create their own dark world. And for some, it is caused, like Sartre described, "Hell is other people." The world is getting better all the time without Christ's intervention. Already the 21st century is appearing to be a lot better than the 20th with a World War raging in France and many other countries in 1918 and a worldwide flu epidemic killing millions.
The Christmas we enjoy the most is mostly made up of pagan traditions that have nothing to do with Jesus Christ.
Ron
All About Angels (Article) - 9/27/2017 4:13:38 PM
I love this, John Michael, we should all be so blessed to see with childlike eyes.
Love and Dreams,
Karen
One photo- One Thousand words (Article) - 2/18/2017 9:49:10 AM
WOW, WHAT A TOUCHING STORY! THE MAN AND HIS DOG IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF HOW GOD NEVER MAKES JUST 'ONE' MOVE. WHEN HE MAKES A MOVE IT AFFECTS THOUSANDS. HE USED THE DOG(WHO BY GOD'S WILL COULD NOT SWIM) TO POUR LOVE AND HOPE NOT ONLY INTO HIS OWNER'S LIFE (FOR YEARS) BUT ALSO TO TOUCH(IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER)THE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE THAT READ THE STORY. GOD WILL USE WHATEVER 'INSTRUMENT' HE WANTS, TO DO WHATEVER HE WANTS, WHENEVER HE WANTS. GOD INSPIRED THE PHOTOGRAPHER TO POST THE PICTURES ON FACEBOOK AND THE REST IS HISTORY. I SEE GOD, FROM BEGINNING TO END, SO PROFOUNDLY AT WORK IN THIS WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL STORY. THANKS FOR SHARING THIS KEEPER. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...JOYCE * HIS INSPIRATIONS
Love your Neighbor as Yourself? (Poetry) - 1/25/2026 11:37:01 AM
It's good to see you posting again. I watched the documentary about Martin Luther King last night. He knew how to love people who hated him to the point of beating him many times, jailing him many times, and killing him with an unrighteous bullet.
Yet, he changed the entire United States by being kind, generous and not violent. He won with only the military of the people, unarmed and willing to die for a cause.
Can you honestly say that your commander and chief, the one that so many voted for, for all the false promises leading to more violence in the world, more hatred and more greed, selling Bibles, is a Christian?
It is time for those who call themselves Christians, to start voting and acting on the right side of history.
Ron
Walking Home (Poetry) - 2/24/2025 7:48:54 PM
INDEED, EACH AND EVERY DAY WE ARE GETTING CLOSER AND CLOSER AS WE, THE TRAVELING FAITHFUL...WATCH AND WAIT, AMEN. THANK YOU SO MUCH, JOHN. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
Forgiveness is Hard? (Poetry) - 2/24/2025 7:41:26 PM
THE WORD OF GOD SAYS...'I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME'...THUS, ONLY THROUGH THE STRENGTH OF ALMIGHTY GOD CAN WE FORGIVE DEEP, PAINFUL HURTS. AND THEN IT IS ONLY...'IF...WE TRULY DESIRE AND ALLOW HIS SPIRIT TO HAVE IT'S PERFECT WAY. AMEN. THANKS JOHN. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
Teen Years in Coney Island (Poetry) - 2/24/2025 7:04:28 PM
I USED TO LIVE IN THE CONEY ISLAND SECTION OF BROOKLYN...THAT WAS MY 'HOME' TRAIN STATION. IN FACT, MY THIRD CHILD WAS BORN IN CONEY ISLAND HOSPITAL. THOSE THAT LIVED IN THE AREA TOOK EVERYTHING IN STRIDE, BUT STILL...I DO THANK YOU, JOHN, FOR THIS 'MEMORY LANE' RIDE. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
IF (Poetry) - 1/25/2025 9:53:43 PM
WE MUST KEEP IN MIND THAT...WHATEVER WE DO FOR GOD, SURRENDERING OUR HEART, SOUL, MIND AND BODY....IS GREAT IN HIS SIGHT. ALSO....'IF' IS A SMALL WORD WITH A BIG MEANING. SO, 'IF' WE TRULY BELIEVE IN GOD THEN...WE KNOW...THAT NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD, AMEN. THANKS FOR SHARING. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
No Limits (Poetry) - 1/25/2025 9:41:37 PM
IF WE, BY FAITH '...DILIGENTLY...' SEEK HIM, INDEED....THERE IS NO LIMITS TO HIS REWARDS, AMEN. THANK YOU, MY FRIEND. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
A Daily Morning Prayer - Psalms 143:8 (Poetry) - 1/25/2025 9:35:31 PM
THANK YOU, JOHN...ENJOYED AND SO APPRECIATED! LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
Please Pray For Haiti (Poetry) - 1/1/2025 3:05:46 PM
MY...MY! THIS WAS SO TRUE BACK IN 2010 BUT, MY FRIEND...IT IS EVEN MORE TRUE NOW!!! THIS COUNTRY IS STILL THERE BUT BARELY STANDING. INDEED WE MUST KEEP HAITI IN PRAYER...THAT GOD WILL INTERVENE AND RID THIS COUNTRY OF THE TERRORISTIC GANGS THAT HAVE OVERTAKEN IT, IN JESUS NAME, AMEN! THANKS FOR SHARING. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
Happy Birthday Teenage Granddaughter! (Poetry) - 1/1/2025 2:46:18 PM
THEY CERTAINLY ARE A SOURCE OF JOY AND PRIDE BUT THEY GROW UP SO FAST! ONE MINUTE THEY'RE IN GRADE SCHOOL...AND THE NEXT THEY HAVE GRADUATED, GOT A JOB AND, INSTEAD OF GOING TO COLLEGE THEY'VE BEEN ACCEPTED AT(OH GOD!)...THEY'RE THINKING ABOUT SAVING TO MOVE OUT AND GET THEIR OWN PLACE!?!? EXHALING AND THANKING GOD THAT HE LOVES THEM AND THEY ARE STILL VERY MUCH IN HIS HANDS, AMEN. ENJOYED AND THANKS FOR SHARING. HAPPY NEW YEARS TO YOU AND YOURS, JOHN! LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
My First Christmas in Heaven (Poetry) - 12/22/2024 7:26:46 AM
I absolutely love it,thank you for sharing it.Merry Christmas John⭐
Love your Neighbor as Yourself? (Poetry) - 12/9/2024 4:22:05 PM
What a blessing it is to feel this way and write about it John, you have inspired me :)
Whom Can We Trust? (Poetry) - 12/8/2024 8:35:45 PM
WHAT IN THE WORLD WOULD WE DO WITHOUT GOD, WHO IS OUR...'EVER PRESENT HELP', WHOM WE CAN DEFINITELY 'TRUST IN TIMES OF TROUBLE' ?!? I AM SO GLAD THAT WE WON'T EVER KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO BE WITHOUT HIM, FOR HE IS FAITHFUL AND WILL 'NEVER' LEAVE US ALONE! THANK YOU, JOHN, I NEEDED THIS. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS + INSPIRATIONS
The Dash by Linda Ellis (Poetry) - 12/8/2024 8:27:19 PM
'UNDER THE BLOOD...UNDER THE BLOOD, MY PAST AND MY FUTURE IS UNDER THE BLOOD.' I GAVE MY LIFE TO JESUS, I GAVE MY HEART TO HIM...I GAVE MY MIND, I GAVE MY SOUL...NOW 'ALL' IS...UNDER THE BLOOD'. AND THAT'S WHAT MY 'DASH' MEANS. THANKS FOR THE SHARE, JOHN. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS + INSPIRATIONS
The Dash by Linda Ellis (Poetry) - 11/19/2024 4:11:29 AM
I really think this is so true, and you've written it with such beauty, your dash is filled with inspiration today John, I thank you for sharing this. Have a blessed day :)
The Dash by Linda Ellis (Poetry) - 11/18/2024 11:06:47 AM
I have never heard of Linda's poem before, but it is lovely to read and so important at times when someone's dash ended.
I wonder what that lovely fruit is, dates?
Ron
Our Children Today (Poetry) - 11/16/2024 6:31:09 PM
HMMMM, WELL...WE ALL HAVE OUR STORIES. AND MINE IS...I AM TODAY EXACTLY WHAT GOD KNEW I WOULD BE. FOR, EVEN FROM THE WOMB, I WAS SHAPED TO BE THE PERSON I AM TODAY. MY CHILDREN? HONESTLY, THEY GOT THE BEST AND WORST OF ME. AND I THANK GOD THAT HE LOVES THEM, JUST LIKE HE LOVES ME, THUS REGARDLESS OF IT ALL...HE WILL BRING THEM ALSO TO WHERE HE WANTS THEM TO BE. AMEN. THANKS, JOHN... FOR THIS 'THOUGHT PROVOKING' SHARING . LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS.
The Day Before Our National Election (Poetry) - 11/16/2024 6:00:53 PM
YOU ARE SO RIGHT, JOHN. THOUGH I DID VOTE VIA ABSENTEE BALLOT A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO...I VOTED AS I ALWAYS DO...KNOWING THE WILL OF GOD WOULD BE DONE, AND BEING VERY SATISFIED WITH THAT. THANKS FOR THE SHARE. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
A Tribute to Mari Ann (Poetry) - 11/16/2024 5:53:46 PM
WHAT A FINE TRIBUTE TO AN OBVIOUSLY BEAUTIFUL HUMAN BEING. INDEED, ONE NEVER KNOWS WHEN ALMIGHTY GOD WILL CALL US FROM THIS WORLD...TO HIS ETERNAL ARMS OF REST BUT, WE MUST BE READY AS THIS DEAR SISTER-IN-CHRIST WAS. THANKS FOR SHARING, MY FRIEND. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
A Tribute to Mari Ann (Poetry) - 11/16/2024 3:39:14 PM
A fine tribute to a smiling friend who brought joy to all around while here on the earth. And now she's moved to the higher energetic realm I'm sure she's looking down and saying, I'm fine, I'm okay, don't worry, you'll join me soon!
A Tribute to Mari Ann (Poetry) - 11/11/2024 8:46:46 AM
My deepest sympathy's for the loss of Mari Ann, your friend with "one thousand smiles." Thank you for sharing. Peace.... rlc
A Tribute to Mari Ann (Poetry) - 11/11/2024 4:00:43 AM
A beautiful tribute to your friend, John. Well done.
AD Reviews from Days Gone By... (Poetry) - 9/30/2024 7:36:03 AM
I remember many of those names. There are few of them left. The days of intelligent creative discourse on AD has all but vanished. Peace... rlc
AD Reviews from Days Gone By... (Poetry) - 9/29/2024 10:34:20 PM
I dropped my AD subsription because of reviews. Some reviewers did not commment on syntax or form, but instead they objected to my views on the subject matter of the content or ideas I was writing about. These negative and non constructive reviews were not what I needed as a fledgling poet.
I still follow a few contributors such as your self who I followed while I was an AD member.
AD Reviews from Days Gone By... (Poetry) - 9/29/2024 2:03:05 PM
Facebook happened and became a better place for people to share gossip and promote whatever they wrote. So many thought they would be able to become famous or at least well-known work and found that just didn't happen.
And so many other websites came into being felt they could also work better on. Some authors, especially after the pandemic, found that they could pay the membership fees. Remember, the site was originally free and appears to be free now.
At least three of those I see above still pose rather irregularly and sometimes comment. after so long, Some of them have probably just shut off this mortal coil.
One author who I lost touch with over 15 years ago has recently contacted me and showed me his new music website. He is a novelist and also posting his music comes first.
Ron
I TRIED Erasing GOD... (Poetry) - 9/27/2024 3:29:14 PM
THERE WAS A TIME WHEN I TOTALLY IGNORED HIM TOO...BUT THANK GOD, JUST LIKE YOU SAID...HE NEVER GAVE UP ON ME!!! I AM WITH YOU, MY FRIEND AND THANK YOU! LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
It's 9/11 Again! (Poetry) - 9/27/2024 3:25:01 PM
KUDOS, MY FRIEND. IF WE HAVE LEARNED NOTHING ELSE BY THIS TRAGEDY, WE HAVE LEARN TO EMBRACE THE GIFTS OF FAITH, HOPE AND LOVE...AS ONE UNITED NATION UNDER ONE GOD. AMEN AND AMEN. THANKS SO MUCH FOR SHARING. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
It's 9/11 Again! (Poetry) - 9/13/2024 2:47:35 PM
It's unthinkable that this could've happened the way it did. Especially when earlier a powerful bomb in a van by the same group of terrorists went off in the basement garage and had the buildings evacuated. Intelligence knew who they were but failed to recognize that they would be able to attack using airplanes.
I also wrote a poem about 9/11 and posted it.
https://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewPoetry.asp?id=7966&authorid=3918
Ron
It's 9/11 Again! (Poetry) - 9/12/2024 11:35:15 AM
Well expressed, John. One day the truth of this tragedy will be revealed.
We are all Architects of our own Future (Poetry) - 9/8/2024 11:34:06 AM
A very positive attitude towards change and improving our lives. What we all should be about doing in whatever way we can.
Ron
A POETS BEST FRIEND! (Poetry) - 9/6/2024 12:07:17 AM
WELL...I AM THINKING OF THE POETS OF YESTERDAY THAT WERE NOT POPULAR AT ALL BACK THEN, BUT ARE TODAY. YET, THEY BEING POETS, WERE GIVEN MESSAGES THAT ADDRESSED NUMEROUS SUBJECTS AND PURPOSES AND...THEY WROTE THEM AS THEY WERE GIVEN THEM. I SAY THAT TO SAY...OUR POETRY MAY OR MAY NOT GET READ THAT MUCH TODAY BUT, WITHOUT A DOUBT, OUR INSPIRATIONS WILL BE READ. THIS IS THE FAITH A POET MUST HAVE AS THEY WRITE FOR TODAY, AND TOMORROW...FOR ONLY OUR 'MUSE' KNOWS. THANKS FOR SHARING, JOHN. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
Creating Poetry (Poetry) - 9/5/2024 11:54:21 PM
THIS IS SO TRUE! NOTHING A POET CAN DO ABOUT IT. THEY JUST KEEP ROLLING IN...IN THEIR OWN TIME AND SPACE. WE POETS ARE NOT CREATORS BUT MERE INSTRUMENTS OF THAT WHICH HAS BEEN CREATED AND DEPOSITED, AMEN. ENJOYED, MY FRIEND. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
Thriller Retro (Poetry) - 9/5/2024 11:47:36 PM
WELL...WHEN I TRY TO REMEMBER THE EFFECTS OF THOSE MOVIES...I DON'T KNOW, THEY WEREN'T THAT SCARRY TO ME. WHY? FIRST OF ALL I DIDN'T GO TO MOVIES VERY MUCH AND WHEN I DID GET TO SEE A THRILLER...I GUESS BECAUSE I ALWAYS THOUGHT IT WASN'T REAL? BUT, WHEN I THINK ABOUT IT...NOT ONLY YOU LAUGH AT THOSE MOVIES FROM YESTERDAY BUT THE KIDS TODAY LAUGH TOO. THEY'RE INTO THE 'REAL STUFF' TODAY...AND I DO THINK THIS IS SADLY WHAT INFLUENCES A LOT OF NEGATIVE BEHAVIOR. FOR ME...IF YOU'RE GOING TO TELL A STORY THAT IS A BLOOD-CURDDLING THRILLER OR MYSTERY, THEN DO IT WITH A GOOD PURPOSE... SHEDDING LIGHT ON THE 'ONE' THAT CAN CONTROL IT AND CAN OVERCOME AND ERADICATE THE EVIL. FILL THE VIEWER WITH FAITH, TEAR DOWN THE FEAR...WITH THE LIGHT OF GOD, WHO 'ALWAYS' WINS. AND HE DOES YOU KNOW, EVEN IF IT MAY NOT SEEM LIKE IT(...FOR ALL THINGS...). THANKS, JOHN. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
We are all Architects of our own Future (Poetry) - 9/5/2024 11:17:18 PM
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT, INDEED. GOING OVER YOUR LIST OF POSSIBILITIES I ENCOUNTERED SOMETHING THAT COULD LEAD US INTO DANGEROUS TERRITORY. CONTROLLING THE WEATHER? I THINK THAT'S WAY OUT OF OUR LEAGUE...THERE IS ONLY 'ONE' THAT CAN DO THAT AND YOU KNOW WHO THAT IS. BUT THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE MASSES BEGIN TO THINK 'WE' ARE ARCHITECTS OF OUR FUTURE, AND BEGIN TO 'DABBLE' INTO REALMS THAT THEY SHOULDN'T...FORGETTING THAT ALMIGHTY GOD SEES 'EACH' FUTURE AND EACH END...EVEN BEFORE 'EACH' BEGINNING. HE ALONE THEN...IS THE ARCHITECTURE OF ALL OUR FUTURES. THERE IS ONLY ONE THING THAT JESUS IS CONCERNED ABOUT: THAT WE OVERCOME DAMNATION AND MAKE IT FROM EARTH TO HEAVEN, AMEN. ENJOYED, THANKS FOR SHARING, JOHN. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
Architects of our own Future (Poetry) - 9/5/2024 1:50:41 PM
I am 10+ years later and agree with this poem of my past. However, it can be improved. I will try, at long last. Amen X 110! JMD
Thriller Retro (Poetry) - 9/4/2024 12:35:55 PM
I never went through that phase. Always thought those movies were rather foolish and they didn't scare me. But I was upset one time when some college students were watching a movie made from Edgar Allen Poe's Telltale Heart and started laughing about what was really a serious heart attack.
The only movie I recall jumping out of my seat in was Wait until Dark. Where Audrey Hepburn was blind and two killer thieves got in her darkened house. But there were no monsters only great acting by the likes of Alan Arkin playing the diabolical killer.
When the Thriller album and video was popular, my girlfriend and her family dance troupe did a real mean Thriller review with her son playing a very convincing Michael Jackson until Michael went too far with plastic surgery and left Cedric behind.
Ron
Thriller Retro (Poetry) - 9/4/2024 6:48:12 AM
Dracula turning into a bat dangling by a string.
I used to be a werewolf but I'm alright noooooooooooooooowwwwwwwww. 🙈
Keep rewinding before the last tape comes to an end and ejected.
Creating Poetry (Poetry) - 8/13/2024 9:38:24 AM
A wonderful poem, John. True poets just can't stop poetizing.
Creating Poetry (Poetry) - 7/29/2024 9:38:53 AM
Like bursting into song, a poem just comes along. I'm glad you're able to write poetry again. And I find silly poetry some of the best.
Ron
A POETS BEST FRIEND! (Poetry) - 7/27/2024 8:01:44 AM
Yes, readers are important. But, the mere act of writing the poem, of putting together thoughts that need grounding in one way or another, well, that need is not dependent on readers. I believe deeply spoken poems are the result of a person needing to express ideas in lyrical form that might afford a new consideration of that subject by the reader... and by the poet alone.
Thank you for posting.
A POETS BEST FRIEND! (Poetry) - 7/25/2024 9:30:37 AM
You and I have that in common. I am so grateful to those who read my work because that means I'm succeeding at the whole reason I write, and that is simply to touch the reader in some way.
Rebecca
A POETS BEST FRIEND! (Poetry) - 7/25/2024 8:00:09 AM
Well said. I'm reminded of the old saying: If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? We can write as much as we want, but in the end we need an audience and connection to others.
Dreams and Decisions (Poetry) - 7/25/2024 2:38:56 AM
Again,I love this poem,as always it is very well written,and this one is wise too, and it also gives me a little push to follow my dreams instead
of sitting on them and twiddling my thumbs.🖖
A POETS BEST FRIEND! (Poetry) - 7/25/2024 2:32:52 AM
Well well well...I absolutely love this totally awesome poem ⭐
Dreams and Decisions (Poetry) - 7/23/2024 1:52:30 PM
You are so right about not keeping our light under a lamp shade. In retirement, we should be able to do more. I just started to get out of the house in Zoom meetings. During one at noon today with about 60 spinal injured people from around the world, they wanted me to share my experience back in the dark ages when people with spinal cord injury were sent to nursing homes to be put in the same place with those with severe mental problems, all kinds of disabilities and many died quickly for lack of proper care.
I'm waiting to be discovered, hit the best seller list, and get my Nobel Prize for whatever.
In the meantime, while waiting, I'm funding several students move ahead in their graduate studies. Something that only "rich people" do, according to my brother.
Ron
Dreams and Decisions (Poetry) - 7/23/2024 1:35:50 PM
Thanks for posting John. My dream is to help comfort many afflicted, pray deeply for healing others, help mend broken souls through His healing touch Holy Spirit, help them deeply understand God loves them so profound He sent His only Son for our sins which He didn't deserve the suffering, whips, bruising and humiliation's
I dream of spiritually growing, brightly glowing and show the love, grace and mercy Christ has shown me and it is the most precious of all gifts anyone could have. We are very close to spiritual revival in this nation and that would be such a beautiful dream as fishers of men need to stir the hearts of many to feel the profound love, light, repentance, then true breakthrough in Holy Spirit fire. We must pray continually for revival that others are going to be stirred in heart, mind and soul, feel the love, grace, salvation of the King of Kings till it overflows this entire planet with His great love & good news message.
~ j
Dreams and Decisions (Poetry) - 7/23/2024 10:48:29 AM
You posted this at a good time for me. Thanks!
Rebecca
Holy Spirit Blessings (Poetry) - 7/21/2024 1:16:10 PM
FATHER...HOLY SPIRIT...JESUS, INDEED ARE ALL...ONE GOD!!!! SO, I AGREE WHOLEHEARTEDLY, MY FRIEND...WE ALL NEED THE SPIRIT OF GOD WHICH IN OLD TESTAMENT DAYS...LIVES 'SURROUND' HIS PEOPLE BUT, NOW THROUGH THE BLOOD OF JESUS...LIVES...'WITHIN' HIS PEOPLE. SO THEN...WE HAVE NO EXCUSE NOT TO LIVE FOR GOD AND TRUST HIM... COMPLETELY. I TOO PRAY THIS WONDERFUL PRAYER AND THANK YOU MY DEAR BROTHER-IN-CHRIST.
Forgiveness and Freedom! (Poetry) - 7/21/2024 1:07:08 PM
THERE IS A METHOD TO MY FORGIVING. AND THAT IS...FORGIVE WITH 'WISDOM'. IN OTHER WORDS...DON'T BE FOOLISH AND ALLOW SOMEONE WHO HAS NOT CHANGED TO REPEAT AN OFFENSE. SO THEN, YES...WE MUST FORGIVE, FOR GOD HAS FORGIVEN US SO MUCH AND, AS YOU HAVE STATED, SET US FREE! HOWEVER, GOD FORGIVES US WITH 'CONTRITE, TRUE REPENTANCE'. SO, REMEMBER...WHEN YOU ARE LED BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD TO FORGIVE...THE PERPETRATOR MAY NOT HAVE REPENTED AT ALL AND IS STILL THE SAME PERSON. I WOULD FORGIVE, BUT KEEP A 'HEALTHY DISTANCE' FROM SUCH A PERSON, KEEPING THEM IN PRAYER. DO YOUR PART AND LEAVE THEM TO GOD...TO DO HIS PART WHICH IS WHAT YOU CANNOT DO. ONLY GOD CAN CHANGE A PERSON. AMEN. THANKS FOR SHARING, JOHN...ENJOYED. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
Holy Spirit Blessings (Poetry) - 7/11/2024 5:49:42 AM
John, you have written a note worthy call to arms (if you will) to become more aware of how evil comes in all sizes and shapes and if we don't find our means of coping and keeping such negative vibrations at bay, we will succumb to repeating history, including all the way back to biblical days. Thanks for posting.
Forgiveness and Freedom! (Poetry) - 7/10/2024 12:36:17 PM
It might be another way to view acts as part of individual freedom rather than having to call them sin in the first place. And then have to forgive them. I'm not writing about heinous acts of murder, torture or worse, but those unrighteous blame placed on acts that are only human arm not harmful.
Ron
We are Different to Share our Differences (Poetry) - 6/22/2024 9:22:01 AM
From my early years, I've found that churches were very welcoming places. However, I found their rituals and beliefs to be very outdated and not very useful in our world.
After studying in great universities, both with other students from all over the world and then teaching in universities that were multicultural, including a predominantly black one, when I returned to teach management accounting students near my hometown, I found my very bland and boring except for one shining light, a Native American woman.
Coming from parents who were open, I've always been open and welcoming to almost everyone I meet except those who are obviously very mean and cruel by the way they look and act. Avoiding them is the best way to avoid confrontation.
Ron
We are Different to Share our Differences (Poetry) - 6/22/2024 7:03:40 AM
For many of us, one person's sacred belief may be thrust upon us in a desperate need to apostatize. I've always held my spiritual beliefs private just as I hold my political convictions private. In being private, just as you've done here, one can share a way to think and perhaps believe if such language is short of vitriolic pomposity. Thank you for sharing.
THE ULTIMATE KIDS MENU (Poetry) - 6/17/2024 6:31:10 PM
MY DEAR FRIEND... GLAD YOU KNOW THAT YOU ARE NOT A KID ANYMORE AND THE METABOLISM THAT USED TO BURN UP ALL THE INJESTED STARCH & SUGARS HAVE SLOWED DOWN SO YOUR BODY CAN EASILY BE ENUNDATED WITH....STARCHY SUGAR. AND THAT MEANS...DIABETES, WHICH CAN BE CONTROLLED BY DIET, BUT IN IT'S ADVANCED STAGES IS UNCURABLE AND LEADS TO ALL SORTS OF TERRIBLE PROBLEMS!!!! LOL, INDEED...I KNOW YOU ARE EATING HEALTHIER 'CUS YOU WOULDN'T STILL BE WITH US AND AFTERALL...AUTHORSDEN NEEDS YOU(SMILE)! LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
Friends? (Poetry) - 6/17/2024 6:20:41 PM
IN EVERY RELATIONSHIP THAT GOES DOWN THE DRAIN...WE CAN BE THANKFUL FOR THE LESSON LEARNED. AND THIS CERTAINLY APPLIES TO 'FAILED FRIENDSHIPS'.
THANK YOU, JOHN. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
Note: Before Departing (Poetry) - 6/17/2024 6:11:21 PM
HI JOHN...GEE IT'S GOOD TO HAVE YOU BACK AND I MEANT TO TELL YOU THAT YOUR NEW LOOK IS GREAT. THANKS FOR SHARING THIS VERY INSPIRING MESSAGE. MANY CHURCHES STILL HAVE SEVERAL EMPTY PEWS HAVING STILL NOT BOUNCED BACK SINCE THE PANDEMIC. BUT INDEED IT IS LATER THAN WE ALL THINK AND WE NEED GOD NOW MORE THAN EVER, AMEN. THANKS FOR SHARING. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
Note: Before Departing (Poetry) - 6/13/2024 11:33:54 AM
It is true that we are here for a very short time (for some, it is even more abbreviated due to various events and such). I am often taken aback when I realize how time flies, the older I get, the faster it goes by it seems. This does not "bring me down" as it used to. Every moment means the closer I am to my meeting with God, Creator, Divine Entity, All That Is, and Jesus who represents goodness. Peace, love, and blessings to you, John. 🙏
Note: Before Departing (Poetry) - 6/8/2024 8:39:20 AM
Praise God our ever living Father for your mighty light works through Him, John!!!! Yes edifications and strong bright salt and light are strong in this write and desperately needed upon this dark world. We are worker and He is the Vine Dresser! Amen!
You and your family are in my prayers~ j
Note: Before Departing (Poetry) - 6/8/2024 8:01:48 AM
You remind me of an adage I conveyed to many struggling artists in my career: Time, along with existence, doesn't end. Mortal death just begins a new existence. Sharing one's belief and faith is always encouraging to me, for far too few have the courage or the will to share their truth with others.
Friends? (Poetry) - 6/7/2024 3:01:10 PM
I'm not sure exactly how this went down. But I believe it is better than some of the political riffs that I'm seeing between friends and family. You might go boating with Roger again.
I recall during the mortgage debacle around 2008, my brother was in a divorce with his second wife for reasons I'm not fully aware of. They had their house for sale for some time. He was willing to take a small loss and sell the house, but she wasn't. In the end, the house was foreclosed and he was left holding the bag.
Ron
Friends? (Poetry) - 6/7/2024 1:43:09 AM
Ouch,that must have hurt.Greed is hard to write about but this poem does it well.To many people these days will put their possessions before their friends.I am sorry you experienced that.
Daddy Will Always Love You (Poetry) - 6/5/2024 3:10:54 PM
A great show of affection for your daughters. My twin brother's daughters have done very well. And his oldest daughter's last of three granddaughters just graduated from college with a job in design and no college debt like her 2 sisters before.
I know they are happy that you will always be there for them.
Ron
Daddy Will Always Love You (Poetry) - 6/4/2024 7:09:34 PM
All children should be so fortunate to have such a daddy.
Rebecca
Helping the Homeless (Poetry) - 5/28/2024 10:35:37 AM
I applaud your beautiful post and your gesture in giving help to the homeless. There are so many vulnerable good people who through misfortune in their lives have ended up on the street. We need to let them know that there are some good people who still care about them in this world.
A good poem for a good cause! Thank you, John!
Sandie
Helping the Homeless (Poetry) - 5/28/2024 9:31:53 AM
Thank you for appealing to the readers of the plight of the people on the street.
I have always understood the need of those who need to get back on their feet like I was fortunate to do and have contributed to good charities throughout my life as much as I could afford. All they need is a little boost and encouragement, sometimes.
It is really sad, with all the wealth we have in this country that our real estate laws and legislation meant to help get people off the street is often sidetracked by political lack of commitment. Often supported handsomely through political donations by the very people causing the inequity of income in our society that doesn't have to be.
Remembering fondly the vet in a wheelchair who volunteered to clean my wheelchair while I was waiting to catch the bus stopping at the Veterans Hospital only to change bus routes.
Ron
Comedy Moving Forward in Reverse (Poetry) - 5/28/2024 12:28:20 AM
I agree with you, though as I rarely, if ever, watch TV shows or movies other than documentaries I can't make any suggestions. I loved watching Red Skelton when I was a little girl. When Mom and Dad used to go sit out on the back step and visit with the neighbors, I would creep out of bed just to watch his show.
Rebecca
Helping the Homeless (Poetry) - 5/28/2024 12:23:38 AM
KUDOS to you and others who step up to help those in need! As a volunteer for Soldier's Angels, I support veterans, including those who are homeless, as well as deployed personnel and their families. We're all in this together!
Rebecca
Comedy Moving Forward in Reverse (Poetry) - 5/27/2024 2:52:59 PM
Most of my high school class told very crude jokes and disrespected their elders. Don't you remember? And secretly they got hold of records by Redd Foxx and especially Bo Diddley, but maybe they were too vulgar for you to observe.
While visiting me while I was studying in my doctoral program at WVU, my younger brothers started telling me many nigger jokes that they thought were funny until I told them that I didn't think that they were and that they shouldn't be passing those stupid, ignorant jokes on. That was about 1973 when they were in high school and should've known better.
I'm senior, but don't watch any of the old TV shows that I watched when I was young like Happy Days and All in the Family. I remember when they brought in the movie coding system because of the vile movies that were being produced that needed an X rating, or worse, XXX. Great movies like Midnight Cowboy, Fanny, The Pawnbroker, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf , Catch-22 and Deliverance.
Ron
Coming Back to Spread Light (Poetry) - 5/16/2024 5:18:52 PM
MY FRIEND, I DON'T KNOW HOW OFTEN I HAVE WALKED THROUGH YOUR DEN...AND FOUND YOUR PENNED WORDS TO BE SUCH A SOURCE OF STRENGTH AND ENCOURAGEMENT. I AM OVERJOYED AT YOUR RETURN AND GREATLY ANTICIPATE THE WORDS GOD WILL FILL YOU WITH. WELCOME BACK, INDEED! LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
Vacation Time at Home (Poetry) - 5/16/2024 5:14:30 PM
'THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME', JOHN....SO GLAD TO HAVE YOU BACK. MISSED YOU AND YOUR ENCOURAGING WORDS... A LOT! THANKS FOR SHARING. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
Vacation Time at Home (Poetry) - 5/15/2024 2:16:48 PM
Me Too! A stacation is often the best. I love my home too, no place else I'd rather be than at home with the one I love and my sweet Poodle dog. I love your thoughts, John Michael.
Vacation Time at Home (Poetry) - 5/10/2024 1:33:00 PM
Wow! My partner would love that pool! She taught herself to swim when she was over 50 and loves to do laps at the gym.
My home is adequate for me to roam around in, in my wheelchair. I have a tiny backyard where she grows all kinds of exotic plants and fruit that we eat. For the last two summers, a local calico cat has had two litters of kittens that find my backyard a fun place to learn how to hunt birds trying to come to our bird feeder and birdbath and squirrels partaking in the same. It's a mean wild world out there in suburban Texas.
Ron
Vacation Time at Home (Poetry) - 5/10/2024 6:11:12 AM
John, I fully understand your feelings as I, too, love where I live and have no desire to go to or live anyplace else.
Vacation Time at Home (Poetry) - 5/10/2024 4:23:16 AM
Your place looks lovely, and I feel the way you do. I love my home and I don't feel the need to travel all the time. I have too many friends with travel bug, they literally live off a suitcase all year round. I rather stay put, thanks for sharing.
Religious or Realist? (Poetry) - 5/9/2024 11:00:32 PM
I really love your wise words.
My Get Up and Go, Got Up and Went! (Poetry) - 1/14/2024 2:07:06 PM
Yeah, I know the feeling. I think it's time for all us oldsters to track our Get Up and Go down. Or go down and bring it back up. Or follow it up and down until we find it.
My Grandpa, My Guardian Angel (Poetry) - 12/10/2023 6:56:54 PM
What a beautiful memory of your Grandpa. He must be rememb
ered by many who were patients at the same time as he was.
Love, Connie
JESUS (acrostic) (Poetry) - 12/10/2023 6:52:15 PM
Each line is a proclamation of truth. Jesus shines through it all.
Love, Connie
Romantic BIBLE (Part IV) (Poetry) - 8/19/2022 5:48:59 PM
THERE'S ANOTHER ASPECT, THAT IS...ANOTHER WAY OF LOOKING AT THE ROMANTIC BOOK OF THE SONG OF SOLOMON. MY FRIEND, I WOULD ASK THAT YOU PLEASE DO ME A FAVOR. I NOT LONG AGO POSTED A POETICAL WORK ENTITLED...'ALL THE TIME'. WOULD YOU PLEASE READ IT IN ITS ENTIRETY(INTRODUCTION INCLUDED)AND POST A COMMENT? I KNOW YOU DON'T SEEM TO VISIT THE DEN OFTEN THESE DAYS, SO... I AWAIT YOUR RESPONSE WITH GREAT ANTICIPATION. THANKS FOR SHARING. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
Religious or Realist? (Poetry) - 8/19/2022 5:36:37 PM
I THINK THE WORD WE'RE LOOKING FOR HERE IS BORN-AGAIN/CONVERTED...REALIST. BECAUSE ONE CAN BE A CARNAL/WORLDLY REALIST WHICH IS FAR FROM FOLLOWING GOD. SO THEN, BEING A 'CONVERTED' REALIST IS HAVING A RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS CHRIST THAT IS MORE THAN...CHURCH EVERY SUNDAY, BUT IS A RELATIONSHIP THAT'S CHURCH...EVERY DAY. NOT TO SAY THAT THOSE WHO GO TO CHURCH EVERY SUNDAY ARE HIPPOCRITES BUT A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD IS ...EVERYDAY, NOT JUST ON SUNDAY. THAT SAID, I AM A CONVERTED REALIST...PRESSING-ON, IN THE NAME OF JESUS! THANKS FOR SHARING. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
Living the Senior Life (Poetry) - 5/13/2022 1:32:56 PM
HOPEFULLY, THIS IS A TIME IN OUR LIVES WHEN WE CAN 'SEE CLEARLY'. AND WE THANK GOD FOR THE 'WISDOM' THAT COMES WITH LIVING THE SENIOR LIFE... TO DO THINGS RIGHT PHYSICALLY AND SPIRITUALLY. NOW WE WALK WITH ASSURANCE KNOWING, WITHOUT A DOUBT, 'WHO' WALKS WITH US AND INDEED...THE REWARD THAT AWAITS US. SENIOR LIFE...IS A GOOD LIFE. ENJOYED, THANKS JOHN. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS.
Sea of Poetry (Poetry) - 5/13/2022 1:23:36 PM
SO TRUE. WHO KNOWS WHEN A LINE OR PHRASE WILL CATCH US...INSPIRING A WHOLE NEW POEM? ALL AROUND THE WORLD THERE FLOWS THIS WONDERFUL AND ENDLESS...SEA OF POETRY. ISN'T GOD AMAZING???!! ENJOYED. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
Grateful Thanksgiving (Poetry) - 4/20/2022 8:55:23 AM
Wise words and sentiments, John. They ring true for me for sure, having lost a sibling on Christmas Day of 2021. Thank you, John. Be well. Be safe. Be blessed. Amen.
Regis 🙏🍁
Forever Friends (Poetry) - 3/23/2022 5:12:51 PM
THERE ARE SO MANY DIFFERENT LEVELS OF FRIENDSHIP. BUT I REMEMBER MY MOTHER ALWAYS TOLD ME THAT WE ARE TRULY BLESSED BEYOND MEASURE IF WE FIND 'ONE' TRUE FRIEND ON THIS EARTH. SHE WAS RIGHT. THANK YOU FOR SHARING, MY FRIEND. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
Who Am I, Really? (Poetry) - 3/23/2022 5:07:28 PM
A GREAT SHARING! WE LIVE FROM DAY TO DAY AND ALL WE CAN SAY IS THAT WE TRY TO DO WHATEVER IT IS THAT GOD HAS CALLED US TO DO. IF WE ARE FOLLOWING JESUS, HE LEADS US IN THE WAY WE SHOULD GO. WE ARE NON PERFECT BUT WE...TRY. AND AFTER THAT? WE CAN BASK IN THE KNOWLEDGE THAT WE ARE CHILDREN OF THE KING, PURCHASED WITH A GREAT PRICE, AMEN. THANKS FOR SHARING, JOHN AND CONTINUOUS BLESSINGS IN YOUR MINISTRY, INDEED. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
Grateful Thanksgiving (Poetry) - 12/29/2021 4:33:17 AM
I wish I could spend Thanksgivings and Christmases with my family.
Rebecca
Grateful Thanksgiving (Poetry) - 12/10/2021 5:47:51 PM
Beautiful sentiments of truth. A gem..
Grateful Thanksgiving (Poetry) - 12/5/2021 1:53:17 PM
Amen, my dear friend and brother in Christ!
A beautiful write from a beautiful soul;
Your light so shines before men!
Keep it burning, John Michael!
You are looking well, Brother. Stay safe and healthy.
Thank you for staying in touch - my prayers will always follow you.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours and all those you lovingly serve!
Love & Hugs,
Rv. Rhonda
Grateful Thanksgiving (Poetry) - 11/25/2021 2:41:44 PM
HAPPY THANKSGIVING, JOHN!!! AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS SO INSPIRNG SHARING...THAT IS SO TRUE! LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
Grateful Thanksgiving (Poetry) - 11/25/2021 2:26:28 PM
I love that last line, tell them you love them every day, it is so important that we do, Thankyou for the kind reminder dear John, Happy Thanks giving to you and your loved ones. :_
Grateful Thanksgiving (Poetry) - 11/22/2021 10:25:13 AM
Absolutely true…
Here in the UK we don’t have an official Thanksgiving…
But this year we have said we are going to have
our own Thanksgiving meal, and remember all we have
to be grateful for, all our friends and family,
and all the people who have
contributed positively to our lives but who have now passed on…
It’s a beautiful celebration…
I hope you enjoy yours, and thank you for the timely reminder…
Happy Thanksgiving…
Diana…🍃
Grateful Thanksgiving (Poetry) - 11/22/2021 7:56:06 AM
From the picture, it is obvious that you and your family had some great thanksgivings together. It has been many, many years since I shared a Thanksgiving table with anyone except my partner and while she made turkey for me, didn't eat it.
My twin brother recently attended our high school reunion in Wisconsin where I can no longer go. He said that everyone asked about me. Both of us were surprised to learn that over half of our class is gone. You're right about not knowing who will go next. We don't get to choose.
Ron
Taking Care of Loved ones (Poetry) - 10/22/2021 11:27:28 AM
Sharing and caring for a loved one is an important part of living and life. We all go through times of turmoil. Luckily many can still go forward and prosper.. I hope her recovery is a good one! Mary grace
My Grandpa, My Guardian Angel (Poetry) - 10/22/2021 11:22:30 AM
A wonderful, loving tribute to your grandpa, John. My grandfather ,Samuel , died when I was 15. He was a giant of a man who slowly surcumbed to the raveges of senility, now called Alzheimers. I fondly remember him as I miss him. My first son was named after him and I have written stories about his childhood that he shared with me. Mary Grace
In Loving Memory of Mom (Poetry) - 10/20/2021 5:19:18 PM
Such a Heart touching tribute to a wonderful Mother…
You were so blessed to have her in your life for so long..
If she read your words now she would know she had
Succeeded in her role as a loving and special Mom…
Best wishes,
Diana..🌺
My Grandpa, My Guardian Angel (Poetry) - 10/14/2021 8:05:03 AM
WHAT A BLESSING, JOHN! YOUR GRANDFATHER NOT ONLY TOUCHED YOUR LIFE IN A PROFOUND WAY, BUT GOD USED HIM TO TOUCH OTHERS ALSO. SUCH A FINE TRIBUTE, INDEED. ENJOYED VERY MUCH, THANKS FOR SHARING. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...+HIS INSPIDRATIONS
WALK a MILE in THEIR SHOES (Poetry) - 9/13/2021 1:33:00 PM
excellent advise, and a very good poem,
thank you for sharing.
Steve
Short Plan For Success (Poetry) - 8/16/2021 10:11:51 AM
I LIKE YOUR FIRST LINE. THE WORD OF GOD TELLS US TO, '...SEEK YE 'FIRST' THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND THEN ALL THINGS WILL BE ADDED UNTO US...' I CALL THIS THE PERFECT PLAN, THANKS. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
Quiet Moments in Time (Poetry) - 8/16/2021 10:08:44 AM
AMEN, INDEED! JUST TAKING THE TIME TO HAVE A LITTLE TALK WITH JESUS, MAKES EVERYTHING ALRIGHT. A GREAT MESSAGE, MY FRIEND, THANK YOU! LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
A Very Happy Anniversary Poem (Poetry) - 8/16/2021 9:56:17 AM
DON'T KNOW HOW I MISSED THIS ONE, BUT I SURE DID. THE PURE BLESSINGS AND JOY OF 'FAMILY' EXUDES. GLAD YOU POSTED IT AS YOUR LEAD POETRY WORK. I LIKE EVERYTHING ABOUT IT AND ALSO...THE GREAT PHOTO. SO ENJOYED, INDEED. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
“Live, Love and Laugh” Was Her Way (Poetry) - 6/14/2021 11:25:11 AM
Very poignant. And it has an important message. What was that old song? "Enjoy yourself. It's later than you think."
Humble Yourself (Poetry) - 6/9/2021 2:55:10 PM
I AM REMINDED THAT 'PRIDE' GOES BEFORE A FALL. THANK YOU, JOHN. SO MANY BOW DOWN TO HUMANS BUT GOD TAKES A BACK SEAT...THANK GOD FOR HIS WORD THAT TELLS US TO HUMBLE OURSELVES UNTO...GOD! ENJOYED, THANK YOU SO MUCH. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
God Made Us Different (Poetry) - 6/9/2021 2:50:23 PM
NO MATTER HOW DIFFERENT WE ARE ON THE OUTSIDE...WE ARE ALL THE SAME ON THE INSIDE...WHERE JESUS WANTS TO RESIDE. AND IT REALLY IS ALL ABOUT 'LOVE'! FOR THE WORD ASKS US; HOW CAN WE SAY WE LOVE GOD WHOM WE'VE NEVER SEEN BUT HATE OUR BROTHER WHOM WE SEE EVERY DAY? GOD MADE US DIFFERENT FOR A REASON...SO THEN; IS OUR LOVE FOR GOD AND THE DESIRE TO STAY IN HIS WILL AND PLEASE HIM...GREATER THAN HATE FOR OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS THAT ARE 'DIFFERENT? THE WORD CLEARLY STATES THAT HATE AND LOVE CANNOT DWELL IN THE SAME FOUNTAIN/BODY(JAMES 3:10-11). THIS SPIRIT OF INJUSTICE IS SO RAMPART IN OUR NATION TODAY...THE 'HATE CRIMES' ARE ON THE RISE AND FORGOTTEN IS THE FACT THAT GOD MADE 'ALL' FROM ONE BLOOD(ACTS 17:26). IT'S REALLY A TIME FOR PRAYER! THIS SHARING IS SO POIGNANT AND TIMELY. THANK YOU, MY FRIEND. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
The Love and Grace of Christ (Poetry) - 6/9/2021 2:29:41 PM
AND WE NEED TO OFFER UP THIS SINCERE, SIMPLE PRAYER...EACH AND EVERY DAY OF OUR LIVES, IN JESUS NAME...AMEN! THANK YOU SO MUCH, FRIEND. BY THE WAY...I PRAY YOU AND OTHERS ARE BEING MIGHTILY BLESSED THRU YOUR TEACHING TENURE IN AFRICA. TO YOU AND YOURS...LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
Many OR's (Poetry) - 5/14/2021 4:08:50 AM
It's a wonderful reflection when someone we know shows us heartfelt respect. Well crafted 🦊
DREAMING FOR ALL SEASONS (Poetry) - 5/10/2021 4:29:49 PM
John, you made all of the seasons, even old man winter, attractive; it is hard to tell which season is your favorite, but I believe it is summer because you want to make it last! Which ever season is your favorite, you have done an excellent job of describing all of them.
Thank you for sharing, and continued success.
Barbara
Forget about Negative Memories Today! (Poetry) - 4/21/2021 1:01:30 AM
Like the heart keeps beating, loudly (sometimes), it taps out the reminder we have the energy to survive, it reminds us we have the strength to at least take another breath, to at least do that much. With enough heartbeats and enough breaths, we make it through. Beautiful, thank you.
The Procrastination Philosophy (Poetry) - 2/8/2021 2:55:31 PM
INDEED, THIS IS SO TRUE NOW. ESPECIALLY WITH...YOU KNOW WHAT...HAVING A PRESENCE IN ALL OUR LIVES AND KEEPING MOST HOME. WE'VE SLOWED THE PACE DOWN QUITE A BIT AND PROCRASTINATION HAS SLIPPED IN...BUT LOOKS LIKE THERE'S A LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL, LORD WE PRAY! THANKS YOU FOR SHARING. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
Cheers to this life! (Poetry) - 2/8/2021 2:50:45 PM
ENJOYED...THANKS FOR SHARING, JOHN! LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
Cursive- No More! (Poetry) - 1/24/2021 12:58:13 PM
Great write John,
You've probably seen this before. But us baby boomers should put the millennials, in a room with analog clocks, rotary phones, 8 tracks, with instructions on how to use these in cursive! We'll take back the world in no time, dear fried!
A Gift From Heaven (Poetry) - 12/27/2020 2:17:59 PM
I ENJOYED THIS JOHN. IT REALLY IS ALL ABOUT FAITH, ISN'T IT? THE GREATEST GIFT EVERYONE HAS EVER RECEIVED, OF COURSE...WAS JESUS CHRIST, OUR LORD AND REDEEMER WHO WAS BORN TO SAVE THE WORLD. AND I FEEL THAT IN ADDITION... THE GREATEST GIFTS ANYONE CAN EVER RECEIVE ARE THE ONES THAT CAN'T BE BOUGHT, FOR THEY ARE PRICELESS! GIFTS LIKE...THE PEACE OF GOD THAT SURPASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING, ESPECIALLY IN THE MIDST OF TROUBLES. AND I'M TALKING ABOUT THE KIND OF TROUBLES THAT MONEY CAN'T FIX; PHYSICAL, MENTAL, EMOTIONAL, SPIRITUAL. THESE ARE ALL 'GIFTS' FROM HEAVEN AND WE GET THEM ALL YEAR LONG. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU AND YOURS JOHN AND HAPPY NEW YEARS...ALL YOUR LIFE! THANKS FOR SHARING. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
“Live, Love and Laugh” Was Her Way (Poetry) - 12/21/2020 12:19:19 PM
I had a lump in my throat throughout this poem. Wow.
Her words were, and are, an insight into her heart, and
I have no doubt that she got that insight she lived by
from the Lord Himself.
Such beautiful, healing, encouraging poetic verses these are
my brother. Deeply Moving poem.
Merry Christ mas,
from your friend David
The Virus Crisis Mystery (Poetry) - 12/9/2020 2:33:07 PM
Another deeply thoughtful poem that speaks out loud what so many are thinking these days, and your final stanza is the diamond that SPARKLES so brilliantly. May many contemplate your fine words, brother.
D.C. in Christ
Many OR's (Poetry) - 11/23/2020 6:20:37 PM
What an incredible expression of gratitude. You must be so proud of him and where he's at under your tutelage. Thank you for sharing his words.
Let's Escape For A While (Poetry) - 11/14/2020 6:17:54 PM
GREAT ADVICE...THAT ALL CAN BENEFIT FROM. MANY ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO WHEN VACATION SPOTS WILL OPEN UP AGAIN...PROBABLY LATE NEXT YEAR. BUT RIGHT NOW THE 2ND WAVE OF CORONA IS SHOWING ITSELF GRANDLY...AND WE CAN ONLY PRAY! THANKS FOR SHARING, MY FRIEND. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
Pastor Noel, Prayer Warrior (Poetry) - 11/14/2020 6:10:20 PM
BEAUTIFUL TRIBUTE TO AN OBVIOUSLY BEAUTIFUL MAN! HIS LEGACY IS SURELY LIVING ON IN ALL THE LIVES HE TOUCHED. THANKS FOR THE SHARE. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
Many OR's (Poetry) - 10/25/2020 7:15:28 PM
An awesome compliment.
GOT TO LOVE, MS. JOYCE BELL (Poetry) - 10/1/2020 11:13:06 AM
Joyce Bell is indeed lovely and caring. So are you too John. Authors den is full of some very nice people. I’m so happy to know you all.
Taking Care of Loved ones (Poetry) - 9/5/2020 12:17:11 PM
Hello John, what an encouraging poem! I know your wife is thankful to have you as a mate and "care giver" during her convalescence.
I pray that she is already on the mend!
Barbara J. Henry
Christ Dwells (Poetry) - 8/21/2020 12:14:08 PM
AMEN AND AMEN! INDEED...THIS RECIPE IS SO SIMPLE MANY WILL NOT BE ABLE TO ACCEPT IT, JOHN. THEY JUST CAN'T IMAGINE THAT COMING TO CHRIST IS AS EASY AS SAYING...YES LORD, AND MEANING IT! SO, INDEED, WE WON'T EVER BE PERFECT ON THIS SIDE OF HEAVEN, BUT GOD'S SPIRIT BEGINS IT'S WORK OF 'CHANGE' IN US AS SOON AS WE RECOGNIZE THAT WE NEED 'HIM' AND SAY...YES. THANKS FOR THIS SO INSPIRING WORK, SO ENJOYED. ANOTHER KEEPER. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
Christ Answers (Poetry) - 8/21/2020 12:07:12 PM
EXCELLENT AND SO ENJOYED. THIS IS DEFINITELY A KEEPER, THANK YOU, MY FRIEND! LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
Life with Technology! (Poetry) - 8/21/2020 12:02:31 PM
I AGREE, THERE'S TOO MUCH OF IT! BUT AT THE SAME TIME JOHN...I AM NOW USING ONE OF THE GREATEST TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS OF THE CENTURY...THE COMPUTER. SO WHAT CAN I SAY? I THINK ANYTHING IS GOOD WHEN USED WITH GOOD JUDGEMENT...AND WE DON'T OVER DO IT. I MEAN...THEIR MAKING ROBOTS TO TAKE OVER PEOPLES JOBS. THEIR 'CLONING' INSTEAD OF PRODUCING LIFE...GOD'S WAY. I MEAN SINCE WHEN HAS MAN BECOME THE CREATOR OF HEAVEN AND EARTH?!? SOMETIMES WE JUST GO TOO FAR AND THAT'S THE BOTTOM LINE FOR ME. LOVE THE PHOTO...YOU'RE DOING IT RIGHT. I'VE NEVER DONE IT AND I CAN TELL YOU FOR SURE...I WILL NEVER DO IT, BUT FOR THOSE WHO ENJOY IT...KAYAKING IS ONE WAY TO GO WHEN KEEPING IT NATURAL. THANKS FOR THE SHARE. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
Taking Care of Loved ones (Poetry) - 7/25/2020 4:33:45 PM
JOHN, YOU ARE CALLED BY GOD IN SO MANY WAYS, AND YOU STEP UP TO THE PLATE EVERY TIME. MY DEAR BROTHER IN CHRIST, MAY YOU BE CONTINUALLY STRENGTHENED BY THE LORD AS YOU DO HIS WILL! AND I KNOW YOU WILL BE BECAUSE JESUS WOULDN'T CALL IF YOU COULDN'T DO THE TASK. ISAIAH 6:8; '...WHOM SHALL I SEND AND WHO WILL GO FOR US? THEN SAID I, HERE I AM LORD, SEND ME...' THANK YOU FOR SHARING, INDEED. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
Many OR's (Poetry) - 7/25/2020 4:23:00 PM
YOU ARE ALSO A GREAT AUTHOR'S DEN NEIGHB-OR! GOD BLESS YOU JOHN AS YOU PRESS-ON AND DO THE LORD'S WORK! THANKS FOR SHARING. LOVE, BLESSING AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATION
Many OR's (Poetry) - 7/25/2020 11:04:43 AM
Okay, that's very clever. It must make you feel good to have all those titles because you are helping people. Keep it up!
Many OR's (Poetry) - 7/23/2020 11:42:10 PM
I would hold this kid back. He hasn't enough confidence to face kindergarten.
Many OR's (Poetry) - 7/21/2020 7:43:50 AM
That shows how influential you are. Well done you!
Many OR's (Poetry) - 7/19/2020 2:17:32 PM
It sounds like your much admired for your kindness and astute wisdom.
I love the way you turned it into poetry great work dear poet friend, be blessed, xo
Many OR's (Poetry) - 7/19/2020 9:56:07 AM
Now that was creative! And I thought that OR meant "older relationship?" Guess I have a one track mind. ;-)
Ron
Many OR's (Poetry) - 7/18/2020 11:42:24 AM
I always appreciate you John, my Christian brother! Your Dr. D. you are so many "Or's" is fantastic, Or (smile) Peace!
Many OR's (Poetry) - 7/17/2020 12:39:41 PM
Awww!!! It's always a good feeling to be praised and admired, especially by a student!
Sandie
Many OR's (Poetry) - 7/17/2020 12:13:50 PM
What a wonderful tribute! He sounds like a truly special young man.
Rebecca
Many OR's (Poetry) - 7/17/2020 11:27:32 AM
Those "OR's" can wear a lot of different hats. Enjoyed.
Taking Care of Loved ones (Poetry) - 7/11/2020 2:10:07 PM
You sound like a caretaker, and not all men have this gift dear poet.
I think both wives were truly blessed to have had you in their life, Praying for a healthy recovery for your wife and a prosperous life for both of you. Thank you for sharing this tender poem of loyalty and passion. xo
Life with Technology! (Poetry) - 7/7/2020 12:29:16 PM
We can't blame technology for evil in the world. It existed before computers. Evil was created at the same time as man. Man has to learn to control it.
Taking Care of Loved ones (Poetry) - 7/5/2020 8:49:23 AM
It is always better to give than to receive. The poem shows your commitment to your wife, both past and present, "in sickness and in health, till death do us part." If only every man felt that way about his significant other.
I will always need nursing. When my partner of 28 years needs nursing, I will have to hire someone to help both of us, hopefully not separately, but together.
Ron
Taking Care of Loved ones (Poetry) - 7/2/2020 10:00:45 AM
Taking care of others is a great achievement. Keep it up with your good nature.
Taking Care of Loved ones (Poetry) - 6/30/2020 8:47:01 AM
By taking care of others, we take care of ourselves.
Taking Care of Loved ones (Poetry) - 6/29/2020 7:41:38 PM
Sounds to me like all within your orbit are very fortunate indeed to have such a good friend and husband. Well done.
Rebecca
Life with Technology! (Poetry) - 6/29/2020 9:52:59 AM
We've always had technology. If you have watched Naked and Afraid like I have, you might begin to see what life was like when we had meager technology. Watching people try to start fires by rubbing wood together is a good example of what it was like to live nearly without technology.
When technology enabled civilizations to rise, they were often very bloodthirsty and violent, enslaving those with lesser technology and even engaging in genocide if they couldn't enslave people they didn't like. Most of those civilizations became very corrupt through deifying people in power and failed, usually because they killed the goose that laid their golden egg--people, not technology.
The modern technology of cell phones and the Internet has created Marshall McLuhan's idea of a "global village." As a result, the pandemic, like the Internet, not paying any attention to sovereign borders, is sharing human stories more and more and showing us that we all have the same desires for freedom and equality. Thanks to modern technology, it is finally come to pass.
Think I'm wrong, people were upset with the Beatles for various stupid reasons. But there usually brought the Soviet Union down. And John Lennon's Imagine, is coming to pass whether like it or not.
Ron
Life with Technology! (Poetry) - 6/29/2020 9:32:59 AM
I tend to agree with anyone telling me how to live, but I do believe the primary reason they do is largely due to our society clinging to "adolescent" behavior. After all, adolescents walk a razor-sharp line that separates want from need, selfishness from consideration. So, having had my stint in the corp, I can appreciate certain disciplines that often have to be mandated... again, adolescents are hard to train, at all ages. Interesting write, John.
Life with Technology! (Poetry) - 6/28/2020 2:36:07 PM
I agree why don't they leave us alone with our canoes and kites and nature walks, we know best what we need, and its not politics, nor religion, its a healthy life, Praying that it is so, soon, have a great day, xo
Life with Technology! (Poetry) - 6/28/2020 9:13:38 AM
I've always thought that we'd be better off if the automobile had never been invented. If we all had to get around on horse and buggy, the world would sure slow down, but what do I know, Technology is ok when it's used for good.
Life with Technology! (Poetry) - 6/27/2020 9:19:09 PM
I agree, up to a point. After all, I am sooooo anti-Microsoft! But then I think of the good technology does for medicine and for those who are physically handicapped, such as our servicemen and women losing limbs in war. It's really too bad we can't pick and choose our technology, isn't it?
Rebecca
The BEST INVESTMENT in the WORLD! (Poetry) - 6/25/2020 7:59:35 AM
I BELIEVE THIS, MY FRIEND, WITH ALL MY HEART, SOUL AND MIND. JESUS IS THE BEST INVESTMENT IN THE ENTIRE WORLD...ONE 'ALWAYS' PROFITS FROM IT. A FINE INSPIRATIONAL WORK, ENJOYED VERY MUCH! LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
GOT TO LOVE, MS. JOYCE BELL (Poetry) - 6/25/2020 7:56:03 AM
JOHN...THANK YOU IMMENSELY. I READ YOUR WORK(OLD AND NEW) BECAUSE YOU ARE SUCH AN INSPIRATION. SO WHETHER YOU'VE WRITTEN SOMETHING NOW OR YEARS AGO YOUR WORDS ARE COMFORTING AND ENCOURAGING AND I CAN RELATE TO YOUR FAITH IN GOD, ALWAYS. IT IS SO NICE THAT YOU ENJOY MY WORK ALSO, WHICH SUBSTANTIATES THAT THE HEAVENLY 'SOURCE' OF OUR WRITINGS ARE THE SAME AND IRON SHARPENS IRON, INDEED. AN ABUNDANCE OF LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH TO YOU AND YOUR LOVELY WIFE AND FAMILY. THANK YOU, AGAIN FOR THIS WONDERFUL SHARING...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
The BEST INVESTMENT in the WORLD! (Poetry) - 6/22/2020 7:35:07 AM
Excellent poem Michael, Jesus is always the reason for the season Jesus can do anything but Fail there!
GOT TO LOVE, MS. JOYCE BELL (Poetry) - 6/20/2020 11:15:11 AM
I agree with you wholeheartedly. Joyce is a real gem of a poet and has written other works as well.
Ron
GOT TO LOVE, MS. JOYCE BELL (Poetry) - 6/19/2020 9:33:19 PM
Very lovely tribute to what appears to be a lovely lady.
Mark
Don't Forget To Throw Away The Trash! (Poetry) - 6/8/2020 6:21:01 AM
GREAT ADVICE, INDEED. AND WHEN I THINK ABOUT IT, I HAVE FOUND THAT THE 'TRASH' FROM MY OWN LIVING IS THE BIGGEST AND MOST DIFFICULT PILE TO GET RID OF OF. WELL DONE AND ENJOYED. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS +INSPIRATIONS
The Doors of Life (Poetry) - 6/8/2020 6:15:40 AM
ANOTHER SHORT, BUT DYNAMICALLY SIGNIFICANT SHARING. I THINK THE 'SIMPLICITY' OF OPENING A DOOR AND ACCEPTING JESUS CHRIST AS THE LORD OF OUR LIVES IS WHAT PEOPLE ARE UNABLE TO UNDERSTAND. 'HE' IS NOT COMPLICATED, WE ARE. ENJOYED, MY FRIEND...THANK YOU! LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
Lord, Wash Our Sins Away. (Poetry) - 6/8/2020 6:11:43 AM
SIMPLE, SWEETLY IMPLORING FOR THE MERCY AND GRACE OF ALMIGHTY GOD! BEAUTIFUL, THANK YOU! LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
Look Around Where You Are! (Poetry) - 6/8/2020 6:07:18 AM
EXCELLENT, THANK YOU JOHN! INDEED, 'TREASURES' TAKE ON A NEW MEANING IF WE JUST TAKE THE TIME TO...LOOK AROUND! LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
Stop Making Sense! (Poetry) - 5/16/2020 11:25:39 AM
THIS SOUNDS JUST LIKE ARMY LIFE, AT LEAST THAT'S WHAT I UNDERSTAND IT'S LIKE ANYHOW; STOP MAKING SENSE...JUST FOLLOW ORDERS! ENJOYED, MY FRIEND. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS.
My Hero is My Wife (Poetry) - 5/16/2020 10:53:39 AM
WOW...YOU'VE GOT A 'FRONT-LINE HERO' ALL YOUR OWN! HOW MEDICAL PERSONNEL ARE APPRECIATED, ESPECIALLY AT THIS TIME IN OUR EARTH'S HISTORY. GIVE HER A HUG AND KISS FOR ME, JOHN. THANKS FOR THE SHARE. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
MISSING MOM on MOTHER'S DAY (Poetry) - 5/16/2020 10:49:57 AM
INDEED, NOBODY CAN TAKE HER PLACE! LOVED THE PICTURE, JOHN. THANK YOU FOR SHARING. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS.
MISSING MOM on MOTHER'S DAY (Poetry) - 5/3/2020 10:55:26 AM
As I read, you could be writing about my mother, recently passed. But, being far away from her for so many years, I don't think I will feel the same on Mother's Day as you do. I will always remember my mother as the youngest mother and the most beautiful around. Her cooking always envied by the neighborhood kids.
Ron
MISSING MOM on MOTHER'S DAY (Poetry) - 5/2/2020 11:44:14 PM
A beautiful tribute to your dear mother. Thank you for sharing!
Sandie
MISSING MOM on MOTHER'S DAY (Poetry) - 5/2/2020 9:48:32 AM
Thanks for sharing this gem Moms are so special and touch our lives in so many good ways, I lost my mom in Dec, 2002 at age of 94. Her memories remain and the life lessons continue and are passed on.
MISSING MOM on MOTHER'S DAY (Poetry) - 5/2/2020 6:13:32 AM
You were indeed blessed to have such a mom. But be patient! You'll see her again one day. But, selfishly, I hope not for a while yet.
A beautiful tribute.
Rebecca
Stop Making Sense! (Poetry) - 4/30/2020 8:57:09 AM
As time went on, my managers got worse. The last one would hold a staff meeting once a week and then dictate to us what the president of the University wanted done. He squelched any discussion as though he didn't want anyone finding him out. Even sat in my office one day and declared, "I'm just a dumb Polack." Trying to explain why he was forcing me to do something illogical.
30 days before my announced retirement to human resources, he locked me out of my office… Fired me after 30 years of service. I heard recently that they came with the police and locked him out of his office the same way. Par for the course these days. Glad I'm retired
Ron
Stop Making Sense! (Poetry) - 4/30/2020 7:12:47 AM
There are "Creative Managers" whose style of managing & supervising are so "Off Beat" to the point that they make their "Directives" so misguided that either nothing gets accomplished, "Everything" is in "Total Disarray" and they have "No Total Concept Of A Situation".
My Hero is My Wife (Poetry) - 4/29/2020 4:48:34 PM
She's a hero indeed! God bless her, and you! Well written.
My Hero is My Wife (Poetry) - 4/29/2020 10:39:10 AM
She is one of the super-heroes and she looks every bit the part. God bless her and all those like her.
My Hero is My Wife (Poetry) - 4/29/2020 9:21:45 AM
You are so lucky to have her, just like I am to have my whirlwind partner of many facets. I wish I could give her the kind of massage she needs for her aching muscles. She never hesitates to relieve the strain I get in my shoulders working with the mouse all day long. She has magic massage capability.
I know she approved of your lavishing on her your praise. Even being willing to have your loving photograph posted here. My partner is a bit shy that way.
Ron
My Hero is My Wife (Poetry) - 4/28/2020 4:09:47 PM
Thanks for posting such a positive message. You are lucky to have such a wonderful wife--and she is lucky to have you.
My Hero is My Wife (Poetry) - 4/28/2020 11:38:02 AM
My wife works at our local hospital as a custodian. Those people don't get mentioned, but she's also on the front line providing need services, and she's my hero too.
My Hero is My Wife (Poetry) - 4/28/2020 11:07:20 AM
What a beautiful testimonial to your devotion! Every woman should be so lucky to have someone so lovingly appreciative in their life.
Rebecca
The Virus Crisis Mystery (Poetry) - 4/25/2020 4:37:22 PM
BECAUSE WE KNOW 'EVIL' IS N-E-V-E-R IN CHARGE...WE KNOW THAT GOD 'ALLOWED' THIS PANDEMIC. THE REASON...? SOME THINGS WE WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND UNTIL WE SEE HIM FACE TO FACE. SO, UNTIL THEN, WE ACKNOWLEDGE OUR LOVE AND FAITH IN OUR GOD...KNOWING HE WILL SAFELY LEAD US ON. THANK YOU JOHN. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
EASTER - A Time for Jesus (Poetry) - 4/25/2020 4:29:26 PM
'ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR OUR GOOD...' NO MATTER WHAT'S GOING ON, ISN'T IT MARVELOUS HOW GOD JUST WORKS THINGS OUT ENABLING US TO FOCUS ON HIM...LIKE WE SHOULD? ENJOYED, MY FRIEND. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
DISTANCE EXISTENCE WITH LOVE IN YOUR HEART (Poetry) - 4/25/2020 4:25:37 PM
ENJOYED VERY MUCH. FOLLOWING PROTOCOL AND DOING IT WITH LOVE...AND DISTANCE! ALL IS WELL, INDEED. THANKS FOR SHARING. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH HIS+INSPIRATIONS.
DREAMING FOR ALL SEASONS (Poetry) - 4/25/2020 4:22:18 PM
THE IMAGERY HERE IS FANTASTIC JOHN...! THANK GOD FOR GIVING US BEAUTIFUL THINGS, FOR BEAUTIFUL DREAMS...FOR ALL SEASONS. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
DREAMING FOR ALL SEASONS (Poetry) - 4/23/2020 9:53:07 AM
Your dreams are reminisces of a well-traveled life. I enjoyed and commiserated with each one from my own memories. For example, that time either at Labor Day or after, when my parents invited me and my girlfriend to go to Minocqua to watch the last waterski show of the season. It was cool in the bleachers so I was glad to have my jacket on. But the water was probably still warm and the performers were great. One of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences that poems like yours bring back to life.
Ron
DREAMING FOR ALL SEASONS (Poetry) - 4/23/2020 4:35:56 AM
May you always dream big dear poet friend, and as you dream may God leave His Holy seal on you, Love and prayers xo
DREAMING FOR ALL SEASONS (Poetry) - 4/19/2020 3:08:05 PM
Every season is special in its own way. It's up to us to do the dreaming.
DREAMING FOR ALL SEASONS (Poetry) - 4/19/2020 1:28:51 PM
This is refreshing, John Michael! Yes, we definitely can find some fun thing to do in every season.
Sandie
DREAMING FOR ALL SEASONS (Poetry) - 4/19/2020 1:16:54 PM
Thank you for taking me along in this dream. Yes, there are many ways to escape, and dreaming is probably the most underrated. It can take us anywhere to anytime. All we have to do is open ourselves to it.
Rebecca
DISTANCE EXISTENCE WITH LOVE IN YOUR HEART (Poetry) - 4/18/2020 9:52:12 PM
I think we are staying far too long at home everyday even our cats begin to wonder why. I swear I can hear them talk to each other, asking each other how do they stay social distancing with us for we are crashing into their serene world, making them lose their sleep.
Sandie
DISTANCE EXISTENCE WITH LOVE IN YOUR HEART (Poetry) - 4/17/2020 2:13:49 PM
An apt and timely write for these unsettling times, John. Love, peace, and blessings to you,
Regis 🍁🍂🍁🍂🍁
DISTANCE EXISTENCE WITH LOVE IN YOUR HEART (Poetry) - 4/17/2020 12:06:56 PM
I just hope we don't open things up to quickly, and we experience a 2nd or 3rd wave of this virus like what happened in the pandemic of 1918-1919, when the 2nd and 3rd wave proved to be more deadly than the 1st. Until we're past this, Air hugs will work.
DISTANCE EXISTENCE WITH LOVE IN YOUR HEART (Poetry) - 4/17/2020 6:05:06 AM
So true, my far away on the eastern coast friend.... Things here, on the far western coast, at least for my wonderful wife and myself are about the same... except we are dogie people and, seemingly you are a pussy person... Uh, I mean the furry four legged kind. So, it appears that eating the red grape kind of food is keeping you well... So be it... Let it remain so.
Mark
EASTER - A Time for Jesus (Poetry) - 4/14/2020 10:32:48 AM
So I guess the rest of us will just have to practice social distancing and disinfecting so that we don't get it like all the non-Christians out there, unprotected by Jesus.
Ron
EASTER - A Time for Jesus (Poetry) - 4/13/2020 6:26:46 AM
Beautiful poem....Prayers do get answered....I always have time for Jesus.
EASTER - A Time for Jesus (Poetry) - 4/11/2020 1:24:09 PM
Yesss!!! I am an Optimist because Jesus is walking with me holding my hands. I have NEVER EVER been a pessimist! I am self-sufficient in my retirement because Jesus has been walking with me through my life! I am self-confident because of my faith. I am self-sufficient because of my faith in God and Jesus! I am NOT preaching everyone, but ONLY STATING how it is for me to have faith in my life. I am NOT LOST like some people who have no faith. I don't struggle because the Lord is with me and watching over me! Blind faith? NO!!!! It's about being OPTIMISTIC!!!
Sandie
EASTER - A Time for Jesus (Poetry) - 4/11/2020 3:05:56 AM
Jesus has got us covered alright, he's the only one who can safe this world and make it right, wonderful write dear John, Happy Easter, stay safe, love x o
