--new beginings--

    well, its new years(in a few short days),
i was thinking about the holiday while i was
walking today...here's what came to mind--



new years,
       ladies night, a time to celebrate finding
someone special, or for managing to hang onto them
for one more year(ladies know the good ones
get away...all too often)--
       it's a night of misty eyes, and tender kisses,
dreams realized, with the touch of the one person
you desire to hold you, at exactly the moment
you want to be held...magic...nuff said--
       but, there's another side of the story, rarely
told, about the ball dropping, and finding ones-self
alone, maybe a bit drunken, with a hair-full of
confetti, and a heart, disappointed...
       well, for those in despair this year, i say,
take a deep breath, shake that off your head, and
be patient! cause i assure you, there's that one,
special person out there, made just for you,
somewhere... perhaps right next to you, but with
someone who doesn't "get" him-or-her, quite as
deeply, or completely, as only you can--
      "one persons trash can be another persons
happy-ever-after(so to speak)", besides, if you're
going to be miserable and alone, make it classy...
smile if you're up the creek--

  so, have a happy holiday...
                                      --best wishes to all--

    by the way, i just want to thank "kristen stewart"
aka(Njang28612), for inspiring me to start this blog--

   --still waiting-- 
             
                                                "prince tippy"

(rd)

--the point--

   some of this came to me while i was
scraping my windshield this morning--


winter--
     a change of seasons, a time
to huddle together, to find comfort,
be it brief or otherwise--
    the bitter cold hasn't quite the bite
of loneliness and despair...
    like the gifts, but love the giver,
that's christmas...that's the point, if
there ever was any, in my mind anyway...
    santa's bag has lots of goodies, but
it's love in the bag, not stuff--
santa's got his own kind of cool, that
can't be topp'd, duplicated, or impersonated...

  --he's an original--
                     --merry christmas everybody--


(rd)

--wilty's keeper--

    these are the instructions i sent along with
my plant--



    i forgot to include this important item
when i left wilty in your care, usually wilty
sits around all day, looking just pitiful...
  so you might want to water him a lot,
don't fall for it, he's just pinning for the
fiords...only water him once or twice a
month with a pitcher--
     but, since he's so adorable, use
this container(included in bag), to water
him everyday, or as often as you like,
with a few well placed spritzes, and a
couple kind words...
    say hi to wilty for me, and hi-five
one of his branches...
                             --best wishes--

     (reno)

--a letter to my plant-sitter--

   i wrote this for a friend, who was kind
enough to watch my plant for me...

can't seem to find it...


(reno)

--still standing--

   there was an article in the paper the other day,
about a soldier receiving the congressional
medal of honor(i think it's about time someone
won it who's still standing from this war)--



     the paper printed some of what he said while
receiving it, he said he was angry his friends had
to die for him to be honored with a medal...
    that says a lot, i think it tells us, that when
another person gives their life for you, that's
a gift above all gifts, one you would never dream of
asking for, and when you receive it, you want like
hell to give it back, but you can't, and that's the rub--
   he said very much with few words, a trait often seen
in serviceman--
  the tip of the sword never rusts, it stays clean from constant use,
and hard times, though it be strong, we keep it in a high place,
away from harm, remembered with great pride...
(he really deserved our highest honor)--

                                                    --best wishes--

(rd)

--faith and casual conversation--

     i wrote this note to my pastor, but right now i'm
not sure i sent it--

     my faith, and television, are often at odds...this
really shows itself in my daily conversations--
   here in america, we tend to respond negatively
about a subject, if whom we are speaking to has
made a negative reference first--
    i catch myself doing this often, and as i study gods
word( filled with love and hope), this contrast is
becoming more apparent--
     when i get home, and reflect on the days
conversations, often, what i recall having said,
does not reflect my true overall feelings about
a subject--
    for example, you may admire someone at
work, but sometimes their socks don't match...
during a casual conversation with someone
at work that day, the sock problem may
be mentioned--
   should you blindly chime in to this negative tune,
even though you highly regard this person?...

   this issue is very similar to the shyness i have had,
on occasion, when my beliefs have been questioned--
it takes practice(and a thimble full of courage), to
go against the grain of all things--
   i hope, as whom-ever reads this, sits inside...i
must suggest that there are endless opportunities
just outside that door, where america awaits--
    take a few breaths, or count to five, before
answering someone setting a negative tone--
    is it really how you feel about the subject?,
grandmas always say "if you can't say anything
nice, don't say anything at all", grandma knows
best, almost every time(and with frightening
precision, i might add)...
   so, speak the positive, and save the rest for
your prayers--

 (i prayed for a new pair of socks for my friend,
instead of slandering him for it...)

                                                     --amen--

(rd)

--running on empty--

   i was thinking about my mom this morning, over
breakfast, and this came to mind...


    when we are boys, men are full of hope and
trust, love comes easy, and moms mean everything,
it seems were so full of good feelings, it spills out
at every turn--
    but there's bumps and deep holes in life's many
roads... so, the tank gets low, from leaks, spills,
and awkward moments, at a point, it runs dry,
and the true meaning of "all used up" is realized(lean
on feelings, and bloated with experience)--
   moms not always around to fill the tank, with a hug,
or a kind word...when she's gone, who fills the tank?,
and if no-one does, what use is an empty vessel no
body wants to fill, but won't throw away?
      i try to see the best in whatever i'm looking at,
and that's how i get by, but it's not the same...

                                              --prince tippy--


(rd)

--loss--

    rough day today, long walk, soar feet...
(this came to mind along the way)--


loss,
   a condition of knowing, not having, and
enduring both, in some way--
   as we adjust to this situation, over time, the
strain is less, as the burden becomes lighter,
from gained strength, rather than a lightened
load...
   let's hope one day we might lay down this
weight, and come to a peace with how things
are, they might have been, and the way we
think things should be...
      --(pain fades, but love remains)--

                                  --best wishes to all--

(rd)

--my point of purchase friend--

  this is something i wrote for a barista, who made me feel
like the world was an good place to be...at least when
she was close by--
   she, and a few other "ladies of the coffee bean", are the
greatest(and i think they know it too)--

         --much love girls...much love...  :o) --



          --my point of purchase friend--

   i hope this card helps convey my appreciation for
what you do, each day, that helps me get going in
the morning--
     it's rare to meet a person who personifies the word
"good", without making an effort, or to have someone
warm you from the inside-out, with a look that says, "i
hope you're doing ok this morning"...
   what's even more miraculous, is that the whole process
of making my day, takes less than one minute--

                 ---i really appreciate it---

                                             best wishes...:o)


   (mf)

--why we serve--

                                                                                                                                         this is the card i sent(with the note to
the museum), after my visit--


 --why we serve--

    as you walk around in here, the weapons and other
instruments of war are interesting to look at, but, along-side
all that stuff, are the warriors, the main reason to come here...

    it's about them, it's about who they are, and why they serve,                    
so, why do they do it? who are they? what happens to them?...         
    first of all, people don't join the military so they can learn         
how to kill people, they join because they're thinking they can          
help somebody, and a person like that, is a beautiful person...
right?
    well, they take this beautiful person, and send them
somewhere truly horrible, and they tell them to "do the right
thing", which is why a lot of them come back a little mixed
up--
    but, it doesn't have to last, and that's partly up to you, if
you know a person who has served, maybe a relative, or a
friend, show your appreciation for their efforts to keep you safe--
    be understanding...maybe sometime you might be having breakfast
with someone like that, and when you ask them if they want some
more pancakes, they don't answer right away...it could be they're back
here, in one of these rooms, in a firefight, or some other tough situation,
that war provides--
    after the moment passes, you can take their hand, or just touch
them, to tell them you love them, or that you care, that you know
where they might have just been--
    if you do that, they might not come back here quite so much, or
when they do, it won't be for as long...at the very least, on memorial
day, you should go to the parade(if you can)--
    if you do, when the veterans go by, take off your hat, and cover
your heart, or salute(if you want to), because they deserve it, and it really
means a lot to them...
                                          --best wishes, and god bless--
                                                      (bill hawley)

(rd)

--thank-you card for veterans museum--

   this is a note i sent(with a card i made), to say thank-you, to the good folks at the museum, after my visit--


hello,
    i recently visited the museum, and i just wanted
to say, my experience there was excellent in every respect,
it brought back memories of my grandfather, who was
in the second world war--

   he was a great man, and served his country well, while
i was viewing one of the exhibits, a group of young people
came along, and someone was telling them about the war,
and weapons in that room...at that moment, i thought it would
be great if my grandfather could say a few words to them--

  he passed away some time ago, but i learned a lot from him
when i was young, by watching what he did, and how he did it...

   so, if he could, i think this is what he would have said about
the service...

   i wrote it down on this card, and if you could read it to just
one group of young people, i would be very grateful--

(rd)



          

--the veterans museum--

   i went to see the veterans museum in my town
a while back, here's something that came to mind
when i was there--


  is it the terrible things one man can do to another,
that makes him a man?
  or is it the things he can do easily,
but doesn't(out of kindness), that makes him great?--

 i believe it's the latter, but that's me...


(rd)



           

--the birth of our nation--

   i wrote this on the fourth of july, 2010


   --the birth of our nation--

  from fertile lands,
with endless possibilities, and an idea,
forged from strife, and hardship,
they were joined, and a miracle happened...
            --freedom--

                             --god bless america--

(mf)

--vantage point--

    i wrote this for a card, to a friend, after her husband
passed, whom i also knew well--


vantage point--

   when we see the best in all things, each one shines--
this is the way to see the world...
   and when we see it this way, all our good sides lighten
the shadows on our fair natures--
  the good, and the better, on the same face...

(mf)


     
   i said a toast for him later that evening as well,
here goes...

--to all my friends who couldn't be here, both on the
earth, and in it...much love--

--women are like wild flowers--

  i wrote this for all the special women in my life thus far,
whether they know it or not, they are never far from me,
in my head, and in my heart--


--women are like wild flowers--

   women are like wild flowers, because the beautiful part, what
you can see, isn't what makes it special--
   it's the roots, the heart of the flower, the place where all that
beauty comes from, that's important--
   see, not every women is a lady...it's not who she is, or how
much money she has, it's how she is, and how she carries herself,
that does--
 a person like that, shows us all, that if you value yourself, other
people will too...she's inspiring--
    anyhow, young men are in a real hurry to do everything...
 so, when a young man sees this beautiful wild flower on the side
of the road, he's more than likely going to just pick it, and run home--
    but before too long he's going to notice it's changed, and he'll put
in some water, or something, to try and fix it... not long after that, he'll see
it's gone, he's messed it up--
     but, a wise man, that happens upon that same flower, will be amazed,
he knows what the world is like, and he can't believe something so
beautiful could exist out there all by itself, and he'll worry someone
might come along and harm it--
    this man realizes, it's the root that makes it what it is...so, he'll
get just the right pot, and find just the right soil, and the perfect tool,
to ease it out of the earth--
      so, when he's all set, at the last moment, he'll hesitate, he's a brave
man, but he's scared to death he might harm this flower--
   in the end, he's just got to have it, and so he takes it home, so they can
always be together...

     it's worth noting, that these wild flowers have a peculiar habit, of
planting themselves on the roads that lead to the houses of men they like--
    but the truth is, there's been scarce few men, that have ever gotten
the flower home without messing it up...

   --a lady's heart is a special prize, only one person in the whole world can claim,
and that's why true love, is a kind of miracle, when it happens...

                                                      --best wishes, and god bless--

(rd)

--love happens when you're not looking--

    i wrote this for a valentine's day open poetry reading,
 at one of my favorite coffee shops(on valentine's day)--

--love happens when you're not looking--

love,
    it's nature's practical joke, the cosmos's wet-willy, or
perhaps an unwanted set of rabbit ears in your yearbook photo...
very personal, and very unexpected--
    this kind of magic is made with the heart, waved as a wand,
given to another, without expectations, or fear of rejection--
    it matters not, whom we love, so much as how we love them,
the deepest lovers cherish the whole person, for better, or for worse--

   today is the day we tip our hats, to those lucky few,
who have found each other...

              -- a happy valentine's day to all  :o) --

(rd)

--my dream-girl wears chuckies--

    something i wrote for a personal ad,
that got tampered with, somehow(i had to re-post it)--


she's tender, but mostly to me--
she's slender, but she doesn't see--
she's generous, so much, it makes me smile--
she's beautiful, and i love her style--
she's a lady, and she loves me--

(rd)

a beginning...

   first post, nothing comes to mind,
but i'm sure something will...at some point,
stay tuned folks--

(rd)