The truth beckons...

The truth beckons to me like a chimera on the black pavement
In the blazing summer sun where the highway meets the horizon,
Always fading away into the distance as I advance toward it,
Like a rubber ball escaping the grasp of a running child.
The truth can be such a frightening reality to grasp, however,
That many people avoid or even deny it in order to allay their fears.
But if at least some don't deny the truth maybe it's not really true.
Without the ability to choose truth over falsehood there is no free will.
Pontius Pilate once said to the Messiah, "What is truth?"
The scriptures tell us that it is "Every word that comes from the mouth of God."
Though Faith we shall know the truth and it will free us from doubt.
Without Faith there can be no true wisdom and understanding.
Come Holy Spirit, Creator blessed, in our hearts take up Thy rest.
Give us your Grace and heavenly aid to know Thy truth, that we be saved.

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Put on a happy face...

Joy is every step I take in peace and harmony.

My heart is a shining morning sun in a blue sky.

Every flower smiles with me and the trees all wave.

How green is everything at peace, how fresh the breeze,

And and how sweet smelling is the gentle afternoon rain,

That clears the dust from the endless path and renders it

A joy from one beginning to the next without end.

The present moment is the only moment there is to be alive,

And so happiness is possible only in the present moment.

We can't be happy again yesterday because yesterday is gone.

We can't be happy tomorrow until tomorrow comes.

This is the day the Lord has made for us to be happy.

Happy is as happy does so wake up and be happy.

The best way to help yourself is to help others,

And the first step to helping others is a happy face.

Teach yourself to smile and then teach the rest.

A happy face is not the face of a grinning pumpkin,

It is not like an Internet "smiley" either.

A happy face is an unworried brow, a twinkle in the eyes,

And a hint of a smile like the Mona Lisa.

How does one put a twinkle in the eyes?

By thinking twinkle thoughts, of course,

Like peace on earth and goodwill to everyone. 

When we wear a happy face we show a happy heart.

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In the blink of an eye...

Through the mystery of poetry one can encompass

The vast universe within the scope of an epigram.

In the frenzied pace of this unfamiliar "new normal,"

We need to aim for the highest concentration of thought,

In the topology of nodes and edges, links and vertices,

The quantum connectedness beyond time and space.

In the "blink of an eye," as it were, a single phrase

Must carry the whole weight of an entire paragraph.

In quantum thought a nanosecond is the new paradigm.

We didn't even see it coming, but we sure do feel it.

Thought must now travel even faster than light.

A mere symbol must serve in place of a chapter.

Four symbols together will tell a complete story.

We must familiarize with the future, not the past

And defamiliarize with the past and then let go. 

It is no longer necessary for history to repeat.

There are too many bright futures to choose from.

Do not tax your life with forethought of grief.

Live your life expecting happiness and peace.

Go beyond the suffocating bondage of normal.

The path to gold is not at the rainbow's end.

The bits of gold are scattered along the way.

We won't need gold where we want to end up.

Life itself is part of our eventual destination.

Just follow the light of Divine Providence. 

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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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