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"The results of not practicing Tough Love"

“The results of not practicing Tough Love”

Earlier in my life in a previous marriage I became a step-father to three children.  When I married their Mother, the youngest boy was age six named _ _ _ _.   _ _ _ _ was both a druggie, thief and mentally unbalanced.  I suspect the mental problems came from his Father at his own birth since his real Father died of a drug overdose

The boy for fourteen years of that marriage brought me nothing but pain and grief each day of that marriage.  When it came to choosing between me or him by now my ex-wife of more than thirty years ago, she choose him.  He destroyed her life both from a mental point of view beside a financial one. 

Today my ex lives in the same now broken down home because of this boy who today in his late forties has been in and out of prison and more than likely is living with her.  His life and her life are a great example of what “Tough Love” and its lack of on her part, is all about.  The following poem is on the first page of my first published poetry book.

 

The house was saddened.
Though occupied it appeared not.
The uncut hedge nearest the street
rose to a height of many feet.
 
The brushes around the house
had not been trimmed in close to a year.
Amidst peeling paint
and wild dandelions in the yard
was a yearning for love
which the house received
year’s past.
 
Inside the home pale and yellowed walls reflected
the internal sickness that destroyed the love
of its adult inhabitants.
 
A sickness born of a young mind
bounded by the disciplines of evil in his youth.
Torn wallpaper marked the first surrender
of this youth’s mother
to a childish whim in year’s past.
 
Pride departed
now shown in the dishes and pots
piled on the kitchen sink
with crusted leftovers
from last week.
  
The curtains were partly open
from a previous night
not for the sun of day
but a beacon to unwelcomed intruders
of night by the youth of the house.
 
The smell of evil engulfed the house.
A pungent sickly odor exhaled by the youth
of the house which brought the gaze
of forgetfulness to the point of nowhere.
 
He sat proudly overseeing his domain.
His position secure to sleep
to play to reach new highs
in his world of bright lights
and swirling thoughts.
 
He had won.
He now had his mother
his protector and provider
all to himself.
 
The man of the house
which became no one
departed with his things.
 
The youth laughed
and laughed
in sheer joy
at his victory.  
 

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Courtesy of jennfrancesca.blogspot.com

It was a long time ago that I hear this story about “Forgiveness.”
It was said that when we ask God for forgiveness
then all memory of our sin is totally removed from the memory of God.
 
What a beautiful thought
to think that the creator of everything
can wipe His Eternal Mind of all memory of our transgressions
once we seek His forgiveness.
 
Each day of my life
I am constantly amazed
in how many claim to follow the Lord.
 
Yet in their daily actions
as so-called Christians
their hearts are not truly sincere.
 
Remember this day
to be the Christian you claim to be.
When the one closest to you reviews their past in conversation
please do not take joy in reminding them of their past sins.
 
If God can forgive and forget
then you should also be able to do the same.

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"It was a simple glass bottle........"

“It was a simple glass bottle……..”

 
 
It was a simple glass bottle,
that gave me a gift of song,
that day.
 
It was a beautiful sunny day,
on the waterfront side of my home.
With a fresh cold, iced beer,
I sat on the back porch.
 
The breeze was beautiful as diamonds of light,
sparkled off the water before me.
A curious thing happened as I slowly drank that beer.
 
The outside wind played through the empty part of the bottle. 
A song, like no other, played through the glass.
It was a haunting song of eons,
from another time.
 
As I drank more liquor from the bottle,
the song changed in pitch to a sweeter song.
It came to me at that moment,
that God‘s gifts to us are never ending.
 
In prayer,
I gave thanks to God,
for His gifts to me,
that day,
and the song of the bottle.
 
 
 

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Courtesy of the special collection of the University of Washington

 
 
It had been many years since he felt that way.
It was a rerun in his memory of the past.
There was fifty years between them.
She was outright flirting with him.
 
He was uncomfortable with it.
He was sitting right there with his Bride.
She acted like his bride was not even in the room.
 
Maybe it was how she got right into his face.
She looked at him like he was something really special.
She touched his knee under the table
as she kneeled before them on the side of the table
to take their dinner order.
 
Just when he accepted that his youth was long gone
she had to come along and remind him
what it felt like to be desired.
She was unfair in doing what she did.
 
Leaving behind the passions of youth
is not an easy thing for a man to do.
The move from passion to wisdom
is painful for any man.  
 
Perhaps ladies there is a lesson here.
Men of Passion never die in their hearts.
The burning heat of creation is part of their DNA.
Never treat your man like he is no longer alive.
 
Within every silver-headed man
still lies the young boy
remembering
wanting
desiring.
 
Laugh not at Passion.
It is as old as the centuries.
Forever faithful.
Forever remembering.
What it was like
to have been loved. 
 
Commentary on Poem:  Shortly after I posted this poem and shared it with one of my friends, their comment was, “John, some folks would just about do anything for a big tip, especially a twenty year old.”  His comment was filled with great laughter.  Frankly I joined the laughter with many big “Ha-Ha’s” on my part.  There is much truth in the saying,  “There is no fool, like an old fool.” Lol 
 

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“………..pointing to a star”

 
 
The night sky was a deep black with blazing stars
over the Master and His disciples
this particular night along the sea of Galilee.
It was a time of quiet contemplation of the beauty of God’s work.
 
Within the group of His disciples
one disciple had a troubling question.
With reverence he approached the Master with his question.
“Does God’s Love for us have bounds when remembering our sins in His Eternal Memory?”
asked the disciple quietly as to not disturb the other men in the group.
 
The Master lifted His Head toward the night sky
and pointed His finger to a bright star saying,
“As you look upon the stars in the night sky
many have long changed in form
and are no more. 
 
The distance is so great in the travel of that light
that we still see those suns prior to their changing of form. 
So it is in the breath of God’s Love for us
it is also beyond the width
depth and height of such distances from us.
 
Since His Love for us is unconditional
so is His memory of our sins.
In asking His forgiveness of our sins
their memory no longer exists in eternity.”
So spoke that night
the Master of My Life. 

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“One of Seven Poems of “The Master‘s Series of Poetry.”

On this day
the Master revealed
His greatest gift to mankind.
 
This gift was rendered on a mountain of stone
reflected on a setting sun
to a multitude of many
in one of the many lessons
given to multitudes in those years. 
 
The question
that came toward the end of that day
was, “ Master, what is the greatest gift
that God gives to all of us?”  asked the young
man in the multitude of that day.
 
The Master replied,
“The greatest gift that my Father gives to all
is the secret of Forgiveness.
 
In rendering forgiveness to ones self
and also forgiveness of others
does a sinner reveal
the keys to heaven
and the eternal Love of our Father.
 
Forgiveness assures the eternal love of the Father
and being in the arms of His Love forever.”
So said the Master of my life
on this day.

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Courtesy of aboveandbeyonddautism.blogspot.com

The Master‘s hands were strong and hard
from years of work as a carpenter
just like his father.
 
The creation of His hands had a gentle quality
such as the toy camel and shepherd
He was crafting this night.
 
His sister had begged Him to make a toy for her child.
With love and humor He worked several nights.
In the back of the villa the room was small and cramped
making the carving difficult as the oil lamp light flickered.
 
Entering the doorway with a quiet sweep of the door blanket
came His sister’s oldest son.
Many questions burned in the mind
of this young man on this night.
 
Quietly he approached the Master
so as to not disturb His carving.
The young man whispered,
“Master do you have time to speak with me?”
 
Gently and with love the Master set the little wooden carving
aside and reached for the boy’s shoulder saying,
“What is troubling you this night
son of my sister?”
 
The boy replied,
“I am afraid about death
and where I will go when I die
since no one alive
has ever been to the place that dead people go
and returned
how am I to know what to expect?”
 
With patience and the deepest of kindness
toward the concerns of the young man
the Master spoke,
“Telling humanity of the world beyond death
would be like explaining
the sight of sunrise or sunset to a person
who had always been blind.”
 
He further explained,
“Beyond our lifetime is a world inconceivable
to the senses of man
beyond every gift rendered in this world around us. 
It is a world of being
in the midst of eternal love
and never fearing again.
 
It is knowing light beyond any light
we now know of in this world.
It is never being alone again
but cherished in the arms of a mother.
 
So will it be in the arms of our God
forever in eternal love
peace and happiness.”
So He spoke to me
the Master of my life.  
 

					

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Courtesy of mcguirehimself.com

Courtesy of mcguirehimself.com

Chains of sorrow upon my neck
reaching for the ones I knew
unable to touch.
 
A slight breath of air
words spoken
but not heard.
 
My world is full of “If I could’s”
no clock to turn back on my regrets.
I offer only a prayer to my unseen God
to let this end.
 
I say to you
there is no time left
but the time of this moment.
 
Time to forgive
time to say, “I love you.”
Time to give of yourself
for all that you could have done
with this precious thing called Life.
 
In so doing
perhaps you not also be
on this ghostly path
that may never end for me.

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Courtesy of freerepublic.com
 
Commentary on March 15th, 2014:  I am reposting what seems to be a popular poem that I wrote regarding our President.  Yesterday, while undergoing a medial procedure, my doctor and I shared our despise for President Obama.  Truthfully, I always choke up when I have to use the word “President” before Obama’s name.  If anyone in our history was not worthy of the title, Obama is the one.
 
My doctor is of course, an educated man but sadly lives in denial regarding the powers of Obama.  His take is that President Obama will never be impeached but is now “boxed in” and will not be able to bring any further harm to our country.
 
I tend to realize that this is the attitude of the majority of educated individuals that I come upon in my daily life.  There seems to be a trend where there is a lot of shouting and crying over the lying regime that Obama has put into place in our country but nothing is being accomplished by the Republican party, a party that has truly lost its way in leadership for our country. 
 
To my way of thinking reality will only set in when the majority of the white middle class of this country are herded into Federal “Care Camps” under Obama as they await the new gas chambers built by his administration.  When that day comes I will be dearly holding my American Flag and fighting to the death in an attempt to save my country from the tyranny of Obama. 
 
 
 
Somewhere along my journey
I stepped into a time machine.
I do not remember exactly when it happened.
I stepped forward in a strange land where a language
was spoken that did not sound like any tongue I knew.
 
The beings looked like me.
The planet seemed the same
but it was not.
 
There was a new god
in this land
in this dimension.
His name was Obama.
 
I looked closer at the eyes
of those about me.
Their was a strange blankness
in their eyes
an emptiness of spirit
I could not explain. 
 
I eagerly sought a sight of a flag pole
to see what land I might be in.
My eyes sought the Red, White and Blue.
 
Instead I looked with fright upon a flag
all to familiar from a past election.
God did not save us.

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I have been where you are
a hell of loneliness and despair.
Had I created this place in my past
as you are now
where I was once?
 
I ask myself what pains cross your mind
as this day of many comes to you?
Do you hunger?
Are you without sleep?
 
The night only brings fear for your life.
Are you without anyone who cares
where you are this day?
Are you missed?
 
I too have been where you are.
From ashes of the mind did thou raise me
from a pit of worldly hell.
 
It was not my talents of mind
nor spirit that lead me from this dark world.
It was my prayers.
 
You never failed to hear me
when I cried out to you.
When I tried to end this life
you spoke gently to me
asking me to be patient
and wait one more day.
 
One day lead to another.
Finally the sun began to shine again
in your blessings and your love for me.
 
Thank you Lord
for giving hope to the hopeless
as you gave to me.
 
Thank you Lord
for loving me when I was without love.
Yea Lord without your grace
would I now be lost.  
 
 

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