It's not too late...

What are you up to Mister Moon,

Way up there in the star domed sky,
When you rise in the night and pass me by?
What do you see and what do you ponder,
Before you set in the morning yonder?
I see you above the trees and roofs
A smiling face for the human race
Under whose gaze we dream of a life
We hope to find in a new tomorrow,
A life that is better than we found,
In the struggle of many yesterdays.  
Today is the day that the Lord has made,
Let us rejoice and be happy in it.
Each day we survive this worldly mess,
We should realize that we are blessed.
And to live in the past or future is foolish.
We can only be truly happy right now,
If we are happy in the Lord our God.
Come my friends, It's not too late
To seek a newer and better world,
Where we all join together in peace,
To be united and happy in the Lord.

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Un otro día más...One more day!

The past is a different country where we used to live.
We can't visit there either because it is very far away.
The present and the past are separated by a great expanse.
The past seems farther away each day, and dimmer as well.
It is a bittersweet nostalgia that nothing can comfort,
Like the crying child whose balloon has escaped his grasp
And goes flying high among the treetops, lost forever.
Memories of the past we carry with us are both good and bad,
But they are distorted by time and space and happenstance.
Our journey from past to present was brisk, looking back,
And our journey into the future seems even brisker still.
We face each morning with the thought, "Aha, one day more,"
Each day ends with, "Oh, no, one day less," and with regret.
The time to rejoice is in the now, not in the rest!

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The Natural Order of Things

The correct way to live is in harmony with the natural order of Creation.
Once upon a time people lived together in harmony with the natural order.
In the next age they chose to be led in harmony by rulers whom they chose.
The rulers didn't follow the natural order but ruled by personal desires.
In the next age the people began to fear their rulers and this led to anxiety.
After a while, the people grew angry with their rulers and began to despise them.
When morality, truth, and justice are deficient in a leader the people follow.
The politicians begin to play the blame game with clever words and slogans.
The honest "yes" or "no" versus the shady "perhaps" or "maybe so" (or "not").
Little is the difference that they portray at first, or second, or third debate.
But if one were to examine all of the motives, be they good or be they ill,
What space between the two and what truth or lies are offered the gap to fill?
There IS an unchangeable Being in existence before both Heaven and Earth.
It is the Progenitor of all in the natural order of things, the uncaused Cause.
We call this Being "Almighty God" and God is Goodness, and Truth, and Justice.
What is not in harmony with God is doomed to failure and will come to an end.
Faith in God and the natural order of things is the key to the portal of life eternal.

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Like a warm hug...

If your mother has already gone on to heaven,
And she can no longer comfort you here on earth,
Lay your wreath of fond memories where she lies.
The tomb of a mother is such a holy place,
That there is no place holier to one's heart, than
The grave of the woman who labored for your birth.
When your soul is pierced by arrows of adversity,
Go there to her grave to shed your tears of sorrow,
And the spirit of your mother will comfort you.    
It will feel like a warm hug from an angel.

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Don't cling so much...

Don't cling so much to the past and torment yourself.

Don't give your ego-shadow too much importance.
The wrongs you committed are smaller than you imagine.
The spark of goodness in your soul that brings on remorse
Is brighter than you think and it leads you forward.
So don't listen to the devil of despair who holds you back.
Perhaps you have forgotten the related circumstances
That might have mitigated your guilt in some way.
Perhaps the neighbor that you have trespassed against
Has already forgiven you as you would have forgiven them.
Don't let anyone walk through your mind with dirty feet.
Oh, your sins are real, and no doubt you are a sinner,
But fed by fear and remorse they grow in your imagination.
No temptation has taken you that isn't common to man or woman.
Temper the remorse that is always against you and move on.
Repent! Ask God to forgive you and to remove the stain of guilt
From your soul and make it like new again.
Go and sin no more. Your faith will save you.

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Which is longer?

Which is longer, the river of time or the sadness of parting?
Where under Heaven do sad hearts feel the most pain?
At the doors of the emergency room where loved ones part.
Last night I dreamt that I became a happy butterfly,
Or did a butterfly happily dream that he became me?
Passing from one life to another all things are one.
Those who seek only wealth and power, surely you must know
That these are merely vanity and fantasy and just a shadow show.
Why can't God just save us in the beginning and not the end,
Welcome us when we get old, and meanwhile leave us alone,
To choose good over evil and Heaven over Hell? Meanwhile,
The Devil says we have nothing to lose then greets us in Hades.
Go make your choice, but remember, once you decide for sure
The decision is final. Once you breathe your last, beware,
There will be no turning back. You better take care!

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Go long, my friend, go long!

 In this strange "no man's land" interval of a deadly pandemic,

As I leave the shores of the old normal and set out for the new,
I realize that when I am fast asleep, there is another me,
On the other side of the world, toiling upward through the night.
The ticking clock is my tormenter as I get longer in the tooth,
And struggle to improvise, adapt, and survive for one more day.
The chaotic world of now is like being invited to a football game
And discovering that the seat assigned to me is inside the football.
To and fro I go, and I look for the wide receiver Lickety Split.
It would make perfect sense if only I were in a cartoon.
Tom and Jerry, the Roadrunner, and Bugs Bunny would agree,
And certainly Fred Flintstone, and Mister Peabody would too.
I try to solve my problems by staring at them intently,
But that doesn't seem to work without animation. Imagine that!
So what is the way out of this chaotic and horrible mess?
My Creator whispers in my ear, "A touchdown, of course!
Go for a Hail Mary pass and your faith will save you,
Remember your option of Eternal Life with me in Paradise."
Says I, "Oh Lord amen to that!" Go long my friend, go long!

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Making payments...

Upon the misty pane of my window to the world,
The scattering of troubles are like drops of rain.
The drops run down and slide around and some collide,
Then suddenly halt, one a splotch the other a blur.
Reality is hard to fathom through the foggy glass,
And I can hardly see through all those tears.
From inside out I peer with glum forbearance,
Yet I still have hope that the sun will come again,
Until that day when its account is low on funds,
And it stops making payments...

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To those who are high and mighty:

For those who fall down low from high places,

How difficult it is for them to learn the language

Of humility, poverty, and servility.

They must learn to meet the eyes that reject them,

And say "Thank you" to whatever fate offers them.

They must learn to bow their heads and genuflect,

And learn to let insults pass, and to smile like a simpleton.

Yes, Mr. and Mrs. High & Mighty,

This could even happen to you.

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My moonlight shadow and I.

The bright moon, my moonlight shadow, and I,

Up there along the silver river of the Milky Way,

My thoughts of sadness drain away among the stars,

And I think of my mother, Armella,  and our old home.

My mother and I, though separated by time and space,

Would always meet in the light of the full moon,

She, at her window, and I at mine, and there

We would chat heart to heart with no words needed.

Tonight the moon is full and she is in Heaven.

We still heart-to-heart in the light of the moon,

When we both lean out of the open window,

Bathed in the glow of the understanding moon,

And we are connected again in spirit for a while.

I yearn to cross that heavenly river to hug my Mom.

"Not yet," she says, "Not yet, but soon, be patient.

In the sweet bye and bye we'll be together again."

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