My first query about this challenge is “Clock-Face,” a watch, timekeeper, what else?
However, the word “Clock-Face” reminds me of “Time.” Interesting word time. Past-Present-Future, to know which one we look at the face of a clock, calendar, or memory.
“Into Thy Hands, O Lord, I place my past, present, and future.” A little prayer I have been thinking about which brings me much security and or freedom from anxiety.
Since yesterday I turned 82 years old, my time is running out! The world to me looks pretty bleak these days; therefore, my clock-face looks beckoning! No, I am not at all trying for doom and gloom or a cynic; why not? Because my life has been one of fulfillment.
Today… let us pray… The Great, Almighty, Powerful God please give peace to all nations and bring your enemies to naught.
My SIJO poem
GROWING UP or Growing old, too many birthdays, I am told
If you live long enough you can't escape once a year it comes
Cake, ice cream, too many candles all aglow, we call it life
Make sure your Faith is not considered KAPUT for lack of a better word, the word prompt for today! Kaput
Mark 3:28-29, ….” But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness but is guilty of an everlasting sin.”
We can’t live a life of sin while hoping that we still will make it to heaven one day.
BEWARE
Of Christians who believe ONLY in words, “believe in Jesus Christ and be saved.” Redeemed, yes, but to be saved, they must act. But they continue their lives of living in sin, believing that they will be held unaccounted for — without a change — since Jesus died for our sins. They forget that He redeemed them, but they must amend their lives, not presume they are saved without giving up their sins.
PRESUMPTION is one of several sins against the Holy Ghost.
It is not ME, warning, it is the WRITTEN WORD & I QUOTE. Here we can read not only FAITH; we must amend our life.
James 2:22-24
“Seest thou, that faith did co-operate with his works; and by works faith was made perfect? … Do you see that by works a man is justified; and not by faith only?”
Or if you prefer the Protestant version see below:
King James Version (KJV 1900)22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? verse 22 – You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete. The actions are works, not just words. Beware of presumption, meaning to only presume you are saved and continue a life of living in sin.
Forgive me if I sound like I am pointing at you or judging, I am NOT! I feel inspired to write this because it happened to me, the evil one deceived me into actually believing that God was pleased with my life, although I knew in my heart, I was living in sin. Deception is a true chimera delusion.
From my email today very telling, I fear! A Word Prompt for today is VAUNT! Pray for the World!
Excellent portrayal of our lonely planet. Copied from an unknown Facebook page. Author unknown, yet quite erudite.
“Men, like nations, think they’re eternal.
What man in his 20s or 30s doesn’t believe, at least subconsciously, that he’ll live forever?
In the springtime of youth, an endless summer beckons. As you pass 70, it’s harder to hide from reality.
Nations also have seasons:
Imagine a Roman of the 2nd century contemplating an empire that stretched from Britain to the Near East, thinking: This will endure forever….
Forever was about 500 years, give or take.
France was pivotal in the 17th and 18th centuries;
now the land of Charles Martel is on its way to becoming part of the Muslim ummah.
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the sun never set on the British empire;
now Albion exists in a perpetual twilight.
Its 95-year-old sovereign is a fitting symbol for a nation in terminal decline.
In the 1980s, Japan seemed poised to buy the world. Business schools taught Japanese management techniques. Today, its birth rate is so low and its population aging so rapidly that an industry has sprung up to remove the remains of elderly Japanese who die alone.
I was born in 1942, almost at the midpoint of the 20th century – the American century. America’s prestige and influence were never greater. Thanks to the ‘Greatest Generation,’ we won a World War fought throughout most of Europe, Asia and the Pacific.
We reduced Germany to rubble and put the rising sun to bed. It set the stage for almost half a century of unprecedented prosperity.
We stopped the spread of communism in Europe and Asia, and fought international terrorism.
We rebuilt our enemies and lavished foreign aid on much of the world.
We built skyscrapers and rockets to the moon.
We conquered Polio .
We explored the mysteries of the Universe and the wonders of DNA…the blueprint of life.
But where is the glory that once was Rome?
America has moved from a relatively free economy to socialism – which has worked so well NOWHERE in the world.
We’ve gone from a republican government guided by a constitution to a regime of revolving elites.
We have less freedom with each passing year.
Like a signpost to the coming reign of terror, the cancel culture is everywhere. We’ve traded the American Revolution for the Cultural Revolution.
We can’t defend our borders, our history (including monuments to past greatness) or our streets.
Our cities have become anarchist playgrounds.
We are a nation of dependents, mendicants, and misplaced charity. Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegal aliens are put up in hotels.
The president of the United States can’t even quote the beginning of the Declaration of Independence
(‘You know — The Thing’) correctly.
Ivy League graduates routinely fail history tests that 5th graders could pass a generation ago.
Crime rates soar and we blame the 2nd. Amendment and slash police budgets.
Our culture is certifiably insane.
Men who think they’re women.
People who fight racism by seeking to convince members of one race that they’re inherently evil, and others that they are perpetual victims.
A psychiatrist lecturing at Yale said she fantasizes about ‘unloading a revolver into the head of any white person.’
We slaughter the unborn in the name of freedom, while our birth rate dips lower year by year.
Our national debt is so high that we can no longer even pretend that we will repay it one day.
It’s a $28+trillion monument to our improvidence and refusal to confront reality.
Our ‘entertainment’ is sadistic, nihilistic and as enduring as a candy bar wrapper thrown in the trash.
Our music is noise that spans the spectrum from annoying to repulsive.
Patriotism is called insurrection, treason celebrated, and perversion sanctified.
A man in blue gets less respect than a man in a dress. We’re asking soldiers to fight for a nation our leaders no longer believe in.
How meekly most of us submitted to Fauci-ism (the regime of face masks, lockdowns and hand sanitizers) shows the impending death of the American spirit.
How do nations slip from greatness to obscurity?
• Fighting endless wars they can’t or won’t win • Accumulating massive debt far beyond their ability to repay •
Refusing to guard their borders, allowing the nation to be inundated by an alien horde •
Surrendering control of their cities to mob rule •
Allowing indoctrination of the young •
Moving from a republican form of government to an oligarchy •
Losing national identity •
Indulging indolence •
Abandoning faith and family – the bulwarks of social order.
In America, every one of these symptoms is pronounced, indicating an advanced stage of the disease.
Even if the cause seems hopeless, do we not have an obligation to those who sacrificed so much to give us what we had?
I’m surrounded by ghosts urging me on:
the Union soldiers who held Cemetery Ridge at Gettysburg, the battered bastards of Bastogne, those who served in the cold hell of Korea, the guys who went to the jungles of Southeast Asia and came home to be reviled and neglected.
This is the nation that took in my immigrant grandparents, whose uniform my father and most of my uncles wore in the Second World War.
I don’t want to imagine a world without America, even though it becomes increasingly likely.
During Britain’s darkest hour, when its professional army was trapped at Dunkirk and a German invasion seemed imminent, Churchill reminded his countrymen,
‘Nations that go down fighting rise again, and those that surrender tamely are finished.’
The same might be said of causes.
If we let America slip through our fingers, if we lose without a fight, what will posterity say of us?
While the prognosis is far from good,
"only God knows if America’s day in the sun is over”
Oh my! I have been reading here on WordPress who have confessed their blogs have evolved; let me add mine to the list. First, being introduced to prompts/challenges, and then poetry; now, I am having great fun writing short stories.
Shadows caught my imagination
Adding to the eerieness, the electricity ceased, while shadows caught my imagination off guard; being home alone at this time was quite unnerving!
Howling like a wounded Coyote, I heard the wind plunge against the house; the trees LEANed against the fence.
I jumped! I knew to keep calm is easier said than done.
YET!
Like a shot, the rain stopped. A few moments later, the front door opened, a voice said, “anything new.”
This search began for me the other day just out of curiosity on my part.
Our Resident Biden and why! Is he the real deal? Some say he is not!
Recently it was rumored, fake news, or whatever that he is not even Biden. Having a little free time, more than usual for me, I went on a search. Picking off various images of Biden from the Internet. Could this be true? Why are some of his earlobes attached and other earlier photos of him, his earlobes detached? After I discovered this; thinking I found something unique, BUT not at all! Others have noticed this before me. Just search your favorite search engine. (Biden's earlobes) It is said your earlobes are like fingerprints and do not change with age. Some say he had plastic surgery, then why is he still aging? I thought plastic surgery makes one look younger? Questions and more questions, I wonder!
If they wanted a double, why not pick a person who is a little more alert?
I don't know, just asking!
I couldn’t resist these two prompt words from two different bloggers here on WordPress. CREDENCE and LUMINESCENCE
Not wanting to sound preachy or assertive; if I do, I apologize; I wanted you to know, especially those who embrace Christianity or think about it.
My post today is about a LUMINESCENCE Flower, a Forever Flower. What is this a Forever Flower, you may ask? Speaking now of Jesus arouses another question; belief or CREDENCE of why Catholics honor His Mother? She is the Forever Flower and misunderstood by many. It grieves my heart that so many who consider they are Christians yet, miss the inspiration of her privileged grace.
They seem to mistaken her place as a glory possessed by her, not given by God, Himself. Meaning, she who forever, always in His mind, at the perfect time, He created His Masterpiece. His plan! God, who is all-knowing, KNEW.
Allow me, please to explain.
“And there are three who give testimony in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost. And these three are one.” 1John 5;7 The Word is Jesus, who, as prophesized, would become A Man with, along with His Divine nature, would have a human nature. Therefore, He needed a human Mother. Consider a woman who would carry God; had to be perfect because God is perfect. Thinking; of the Ark — “So the priests and the Levites were sanctified, to carry the ark of the Lord the God of Israel.” 1 Paralipoenon 1 Chronicles 15-14
To dishonor, His Mother is to dishonor Jesus along with His Will, His plan.
As Jesus came to us through Mary, we imitate Him and find Jesus through Mary’s Forever Flower of grace growing in souls who understand this mystery.
“Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid; for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.” Luke 1;48
I have discovered a new site I believe I will enjoy and so will you; Click here
Thanksgiving is almost here, who isn’t THANKFUL? I am and this is
Why!
Having reached that part of our journey, the road that takes us to look back instead of forward, I honestly have much to be thankful. Naturally, I traveled up hills, sliding down and falling too! Most of the twists and turns I chose were correct, yet the few where I lost my compass, my direction is what I hope to forget. I am thankful for TRADITIONAL Catholic Confession.
I am thankful I followed my vocation of marriage and raising children, now rewarded with grandchildren and great-grandchildren. God does reward on earth as well as in Heaven. Be thankful!
When the nuns explained why we should pray daily for the person we would eventually marry. I began to pray that day. I am thankful for 50 plus years of marriage to a man who treated me like a queen. It was nice to be treated like a queen, mainly since we were raising six children; I was so tired at times. No time to write poetry, which is why I try to do it now. Thankful for the time left to me.
Now a widow yet thankful that God has given me His Faith He established on earth. A Faith, my husband, came to join, knowing now we will be together again when my time is finished.
Just in case you haven’t tried this challenge, join here!
Put on your thinking cap and create; using the paint chips above, it’s fun!
***********
A slow-moving black widow spider, Seen in my coffee can — that day! I will never forget; I even spilled my lemonade. Yet today is a new day, A sunny-side-up day. A gentle zephyr like wind seen Moving clouds as they form Starships in the sky!
Not your day, just wait! Tomorrow’s future remade. Life so exciting!
And so the challenge today is to write a poem using at least 5 of the following words and phrases: the road less traveled, Plymouth Rock, tissue, taxi, chalkboard, brown-paper package, and yellow brick road.
Paint Chip Poetry
A little story! Found! Treasures in Thrift stores. It all begins when purchased; they become yours. One of the best an old chalkboard with etched words
A recipe — Mix well a woman; one man. Toss in a brown-paper package, not a pan! Let’s all hope they never crack as Plymouth Rock.
If done correctly, brand new life should appear. Months flew by; Birthdays approached with added tears. Babies —now teens; tissue ruined parents cried.
Their little one’s decisions seemed too rattled. Some taxied along on the road less traveled. While remainders choice was the yellow brick road.
As years passed happily, they came to agree. Shared food sitting under an old apple tree Story ends on a happy note. Find! Now found!
Over on my sidebar there is a quote that inspired me today. Together with a prompt word SWITCH not to mention Mindlovemiserysmenagerie below.
“Right is right even if no one is doing it; wrong is wrong even if everyone is doing it.”
Saint Augustine
First time for me with the explanation below through the inspiration of Mindlovemiserysmenagerie Poetry known as Vers Beacoup.
The Vers Beaucoup, a poem created by Curt Mongold, is French for “many rhymes.” Each stanza consists of four lines with a rhyming word scheme of: a-a-a- a-b-b- b-c-c- c-d-d
My creative verse below rhyming scheme as above with three stanza of three groups
If you get the ITCH to SWITCH, that’s RICH Don’t DITCH! WOW, do it NOW by golly Take that VOW! Plan AHEAD, use your HEAD Before your DEAD! WRITE what’s RIGHT!
Don’t FRIGHT; we UNITE for the FIGHT Be a KNIGHT! READ now let’s LEAD — WEED out evil! Pull the PLUG rid that THUG So very SMUG! GAIN hope to DRAIN!
It’sDEEP don’t fall ASLEEP, WEEP for The SHEEP! An ARRAY of truth we PRAY TODAY. To set us FREE we can all AGREE With GLEE! Soon to sing the LATE Deep STATE!
… about a child, dogs, a walk, dreams, and Haibun/Haiku poetry.
I PROMISE to make use of the Paint Chip Challenge.
“Yes, mom, I PROMISE to take the dogs on a long walk today.”
And so we started; while walking through the rolling hills of our property with my two dogs, Rusty and Sparkle. We discovered this cave that wasn’t there yesterday; it had a metal door, reminded me of our refrigerator, looked like brushed aluminum; I naturally yelled aloud, “OPEN SESAME.”
Screech — clatter — CLANG! Oh! The sound of the metal scraping against the rocky ground. Peering into the brightly lit cave with walls covered in Lapis lazuli stones and that sweet smell of honey, I thought I died and went to Heaven.
Instead, I suddenly sat up in bed, smelling mom, making honey cakes in the kitchen.
What could be better Colorful dreams — honey cakes Gemstones and spooky!
Vatican II, a council, ALTERED the ALTAR within the Church building.
I’LL be a fallen away laity when walking down their AISLE, rather live on an ISLE alone with my rosary in hand.
Take out your paintbrush, oops I mean keyboard time to create from, you guessed it, PAINT CHIPS.
From Best to Worst, as the world goes.
If I had a wishbone, wishing for a world filled with the wisdom of the beginning as an heirloom tomato antique in nature!
Enough! Picking politicians from the deep end! Their empty laugh, a voice covered with a greenishpatina, always depicting a green with envy gaze.
They go up and down in an organized swim, a lap swim, no wonder they are all wet. Back and forth as fireflies!
As empty ways fade Replaced by blooms of flowers Truth! Sweeten the air!
Read a challenge today; although I feel “despondent” the prompt word, my first notion was to pass. Feeling sort of blue, because it is someone’s birthday, Aug.13th! A few hours later I read on dVerse a challenge and thought hmmm! I closed my eyes, with my fingers as my voice I spoke hidden words.
August 13th
Today, so long ago my husband was born, eighty-one years!
I didn’t know him at that time, I wasn’t even here, there or anywhere.
His life came and went, gone now, but lives somewhere else I know.
Someday I will follow him, as I did when he came to be. I followed him then, and I will follow him again in eternity.
Again we are challenged with Paint Chips as pictured here
When it comes to The Faith, I want the whole enchilada because Jesus founded One Church, and one of those things is not like the other. A brick building with the word Church does not mean it is THEE Church. Christ’s teaching is not as a lipstick fluctuating with vast changes of shades and colors. As you learned back in the day, the marks of the Church are One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic. The Church is not like a Sand Dollar crawling on the bottom; instead, it is a coral reef, anchored, and anchored in Truth. Truth is our nectar in life; the sweet taste of Truth is quite peachy for lack of a better word and the only word left in this challenge of words, known as Paint Chips.
Seek to find This Truth Quote “The Truth will set you free” Words never to fail
The prompt today is the word “Character.” I love prompts because they always make me dust off my brain. I only wish I had the time to participate in them all, but I do have a life outside this “box” of electronics. Today I plan to clean out my shed, I better put on my mask to protect me from the dust. LOL!
Today the world is living with so many different characters and trying to get along is a challenge itself. — A confusion wrought by change, black is now white, right is now wrong, but what was wrong is now the new normal.
There is a conspiracy to rid the world of God. Anyone who denies this is either part of it or one with their head in the sand. How do I know this, LOOK AROUND?
In my 80 years of life, I have met many characters most with integrity, others eccentric, or cranks. Lucky me, I get along with all of them, some better than others. They all have something to give.
The world is so filled today with chaos; who are we, or mainly who am I to say who is correct or mistaken to believe in a conspiracy. I have reached to point in my life, to pray for truth, let the world go by, and hope that when it stops for me to get off, I will be ready to face God when He asks me like He will ask all of us. HOW DID YOU KEEP THE FAITH?
I Believe, BECAUSE - 