Monday, April 30, 2007

Warmed Over Coffee and Intriguing Question

3 Jamal 164 B.E. – Monday, April 30, 2007

I ran out of filters for the drip coffee make, which doesn’t mean I can’t make coffee. I have the old fashion percolator as well. It’s just that I have coffee in the refrigerator already made, left over from the last week. You’d think that I wouldn’t have coffee left over, but there is a good reason for this. I’ve been using the drip maker and it turns itself off if I don’t pour coffee from it regularly. I forget how long I can let the coffee pot set on, before it turns itself off.

“Are the realities of the mind and spirit products of our brain?" Is a poll question on writing.com. I have to do research on this question before I can answer it full. It’s one of those questions that requires a person to investigate truth for themselves. Independent investigation of truth is necessary if the soul is to progress. A person can’t just take someone else’s word for something, rather a person investigates the scriptures and other sources and comes to his or her own conclusions.

I think ‘Abdu’l-Baha answers this question or a similar question. I’ll have to look and see. The book I’ll go to is Some Answered Question and then check Paris Talks. I’ll also check the writings of Baha’u’llah. I have a program on my computer that I put the topic in and it comes up with scripture references containing the words. After I find the references than I read them and meditate on them. Any question I have, I can go to the Writings of Baha’u’llah, the Bab or ‘Abdu’l-Baha and find the answer. I’ll put the references to this question in another post, so that anyone wanting to read them can find them for themselves.

I’ll post the answers close to the end of this week or the beginning of next week. Right now I’m trying not to use the computer too much during the day, the air conditioner doesn’t seem to be working at present and it’s getting hot in Vegas. The air conditioning guy comes tomorrow or Wednesday, so I’m getting on only early of a morning or late of an evening.

Sunday, April 29, 2007

Joyous Ridvan on 9th Day of Ridvan

2 Jamal 164 B.E. – Sunday, April 29, 2007

Here are two Ridvan Poems written on two different days. Ridvan means paradise. Please click on the above title to be taken to a related website.

Joyous Ridvan

Petal by petal
paradise unfolds before my eyes
in the garden where the Tree of Life
now blooms.

Roses and nightingales proclaim
God’s promise fulfilled
in the appearance of His Glory;
word by word
I intone the tablet announcing
a new age for humanity.

Joy

The scent of roses
and the nightingales song
reverberate through the garden.

Sleepless
because of the proximity of the Beloved
the poet-seeker watches
as the Pen of God’s glory walks
the paths of paradise.

Sleepless
because of the proximity of the roses
the nightingales intone their love.

Saturday, April 28, 2007

Feast of Beauty

1 Jamal 164 B.E. – Saturday, April 28, 2007

Today is the first of Jamal, the month of Beauty. I attended the Feast of Beauty at the Baha’i Center on West Oakey. I arrived at the center a bit early. The Feast was scheduled to begin at 7:30, according to the clock in my car, I arrived at 7:08. I’m not sure how long I waited for someone to come and open the door. When I got into the center and checked the clock in the kitchen, it read 7:05 (I think the clock in my car is more than a bit fast).

The spiritual portion was exquisite. The readings were from the writings of Baha’u’llah and ‘Abdu’l-Baha. I read the Teaching Prayer for the Western States. You know the lessons we learn in life are interesting. I left my reading glasses at home lying by the computer. Normally if I’m asked to read and don’t have my reading glasses with me, I decline. However, this time I said yes. I said yes without thinking about my reading glasses, whether I had them or, for that matter, anything else. It was only after I accepting the book containing the prayer, that I remembered I didn’t have my reading glasses with me.

I asked Baha’u’llah’s assistance. Then when my turn to read came, I got up, went to the front of the sanctuary, and read the prayer. Everything went well. I’ve learned that it doesn’t matter what I don’t have, when I ask Baha’u’llah’s assistance the situation turns out alright.

The following lines came to me while I was listening to the children say prayers.

The table spread
with fruits from the Tree of Life

I’m not sure where this poem is going. The only thing I am sure of is the title. I’m going to call it Feast of Beauty. I want to include a couple of phrases I want to include in this poem; those are “sweet savors” and “pressed from the grapes of love”.

It’s amazing what I good night’s sleep will do. I wrote the preceding after I got home from Feast last night. I wasn’t tired when I got home, but got tire after I begin composing this entry. So I decided to go to bed and wait until morning to post it. When I woke up, the lines below came to me. Now all I have to do is add punctuation, decide if the poem is finished or not, and determine the layout of the poem on the page. I don’t think I’m going to center or right justify this particular poem. I’m not going to divide it into stanzas either.

the sweet savors of harmony
call humanity
to the banquet of the Lord
to sip the elixir of unity
that is pressed from the grapes of divine love

This isn’t the first time I’ve written a poem about Feast. I’ve written several poems at it. In fact, I think I have another poem called the Feast of Beauty, which need rewritten. My skills as a poet have improved in the past few years. So some of the earlier poems I wrote need a bit of tweaking.

Friday, April 27, 2007

Reflections on Jalal

19 Jalal 164 B.E. – Friday, April 27, 2007

Jalal ends, Jamal begins. It’s been an interesting month. My mother is and has been in the Vegas Valley Rehabilitation Hospital recovering from a bawl resection. The April 21, was the First Day of Ridvan, April 22, was a Reflections Meeting, and this evening, April 27, the Feast of Jamal is at 7:30.

I’m still processing these occurrences of Jalal and Baha. I keep an off line journal called Writing My Spiritual Journey; I’m going to review the Baha and Jalal entries within the next week, after I began a new section for Jamal. In my offline journal I write a letter to Baha’u’llah and I write my thoughts on a scripture verse (usually one) each day. The offline journal is to bring myself to account, hence the letter to Baha’u’llah, and to assist in meditation. I seem better able to focus my thoughts if I write them down.

I’ve already began the Jamal section of Writing My Spiritual Journey by picking out the scripture verses to meditate on and write my thoughts about. In Jamal all the verses are from the writings of Baha’u’llah. In Jalal I didn’t pick out the verse before the month began, I picked them out each day and I picked various verses from different Baha’i sources not just scripture verses. However, I have decided that in my meditation I need to focus exclusively on the scriptures.

The idea is to read the scriptures morning and evening, but one is not supposed to just read one is supposed to comprehend what one is reading. Inscribing my thoughts on a scripture verse in a journal is one way to do this. Another way is to read the verse and then sit a while and contemplate the verse. I’ve got a copy of The Hidden Words of Baha’u’llah in my purse. I’ll transfer that to my bedside, read a verse from it, and write any thoughts in a pen and paper journal I keep by my bed. The pen and paper journal is to record any dreams or thoughts I have in the middle of the night. Sometimes I have dreams that I remember on awaking and sometimes I don’t. The pen and paper journal is, also, filled with “thought notes” and poem ideas; I carry it with me when I leave the house.

To get back to Reflections on Jalal; I had a thought at the Reflections Meeting on April 22, that bringing myself to account is a personal Reflections meeting between Baha’u’llah and me. The biggest things that happened in Jalal were the Reflections meeting, my Mother going to the Vegas Valley Rehab Hospital, and receiving information on choosing the date for my pilgrimage. I had to put off my pilgrimage this year, but I’m going to go next year. Going on pilgrimage is one of the things I want to do in my 6th decade. I have a list of 60 things I want to do before turning 70.

Thursday, April 26, 2007

Herb Tea and Memories of my Grandparents

18 Jalal 164 B.E. – Thursday, April 26, 2007

Today I picked up a sack full of herb teas from another freecycler. This is great because we didn’t have any in the house. We ran out of it a couple or three months ago and I just didn’t get any more. Not because I didn’t like it, but because I couldn’t make up my mind on what kind to get. The tea I sack of teas I picked up today had a large variety of teas and some gourmet hot chocolate.

Mom and I don’t go overboard when it comes to drinking this type of tea or for that matter any tea, we’re coffee drinkers. However, it’s nice to have a selection of teas in the house. This way we can have a cup of hot tea on Saturday night when we watch the Laurence Whelk (I think that’s how you spell his name) Show or the Britcoms on channel 10. It’s also nice to have something besides coffee to offer guest when they come.

In fact, I have a Coffee and Tea Service in the china closet. I don’t think we’ve used it more than a couple of times, if that, since we got it. The idea of buying the set to begin with was so that we’d have something to serve guest coffee or tea when they come to the house. When you have people, even family, over for dinner it’s nice to have something a bit decorative to serve them with. Of course, I could be a bit out of date in my thinking on this subject.

I can’t remember if my Grandmother had a Coffee and Tea Service or not. If she did, she didn’t use it very often. I know that she used her fancy dinning service every Sunday, whether she had guest or it was just the family. I learned to drink Herb Tea from my Grandmother and I learned to drink Coffee from my Grandfather. Grandma usually drank ordinary black tea either hot or cold, but there were specific times when she drank Herb Tea. It was something she drank of an evening to relax before going to bed or when she was feeling under the weather. It wasn’t something to drank on a continues basis day in and day out.

My Grandmother was a woman who believed in moderation. When we were with Grandma and Grandpa, we could have almost anything we wanted, as long as it was in moderation. Another thing I remember about my grandparents is that they always said prayers before meals. When we gathered around the dinning table, Grandpa always said grace. The prayers Grandpa said before meals were always short and to the point, it didn’t matter if it were an ordinary daily meal, a Sunday meal, or a Thanksgiving/Christmas meal, he always said short prayers.

Several of the prayers reveal by Baha’u’llah mention spiritual food, therefore any of them would be appropriate to say before a meal. Abdu’l-Baha wrote a prayer for to the nineteen-day feast, so it would probably be appropriate to say before a meal. Any prayer by the Bab, Baha’u’llah or Abdu’l-Baha that mentioned food of any kind could be said before eating.

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

I’m Tired

17 Jalal 164 B.E. – Wednesday, April 25, 2007

I’m tired, but I’m not sleepy. Today I decided to post a list of 19 times to give away on Freecycle. These are things that have set around the house for a while that we no longer use. They’re still good, but we just don’t use them. There is no sense in keeping them when somebody else can get some good out of them. One of the things I put on the list was a book about walking in faith, not sure what the name of it is now (I’d have to go out to the garage and find out). I sent for it because the title intrigued me (and now I can’t remember the name of the title); it was a free book.

Anyway after I received it, I realized that everything about walking in faith I can find in the writings of Baha’u’llah, the Bab, and ‘Abdu’l-Baha. The book did have some poems in it, but they didn’t seem to interest me either. I’m not sure why the poems didn’t interest me, they were good poems, they talked about faith, but they didn’t seem to have any relevance to my life. This usually doesn’t bother me when I read poems, normally I just enjoy the poem without worrying about whether it has any relevance in my life or not.

Anyway, back to the reason I’m tired but not sleepy. I also put a laser printer on the list that’s been sitting by the fireplace for a while. I was going to connect it to my mother’s computer, but the printer was black and white. In addition, every time I want to get a print cartridge for it, I have to run all over Vegas. It’s not that I mind driving across town looking for something, I’ll drive anywhere to pick up something off freecycle. I drive from the east side of town to the west side to attend Feast and other functions at the Baha’i Center. I think it was just the idea of driving all over the city to get a cartridge for a printer that we might use once a month if that. Besides, I’m not at all sure that printer was compatible with my mother’s machine.

The printer was heavier than I remember it being. It could be I carried it farther this time. I wanted to get all that stuff out to the garage so it wouldn’t be difficult to find when someone comes after it and I didn’t want it setting in the entrance hall, if I left it there it would just be in the way every time I went in and out of the house. I still have more items to post on freecycle, but I think I’ll wait until I have at least 18 items on the list.

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Blog House Keeping and Winter Topics

16 Jalal 164 B.E. - Tuesday, April 24, 2007

It’s been a while since I did any house keeping in this blog. I’ll delete all the 2005 entries. When I delete the entries from the blog I’ll save them to a CD. After saving the original’s I’ll rewrite the items that I think have potentional.

In my writing.com blog, I’ve almost reach 500 entries, which is the limit for that blog. I’m going to be starting a new blog there sometime in May. In addition, I’m going to theme my writing.com port. My handle on writing.com is Prosperous Snow, which is also the pen name I’ve started to use in the Las Vegas Poetry scene. Prosperous Snow is the meaning of my middle and first name. My first name means Snow and my middle name means Prosperous.

I’m going to close this entry by including a quote from ‘Abdu’l-Baha on winter and snow.

“Unless the season of winter appear, thunder roll, lightning flash, snow and rain fall, hail and frost descend and the intensity of cold execute its command, the season of the soul-refreshing spring would not come, the fragrant breeze would not waft, the moderation of temperature would not be realized, the roses and hyacinths would not grow, the surface of the earth would not become a delectable paradise, the trees would not bloom, neither would they bring forth fruits and leaves. That fierce inclemency of cold, snow, frost and tempest was the beginning of the manifestation of these roses, hyacinths, buds, blossoms and fruits.”
Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha v3, p. 655

Monday, April 23, 2007

Walking by Faith

15 Jalal 164 B.E. – Monday, April 23, 2007

We all walk an invisible road,
A road that takes us at an ever-increasing speed into the future,
Long vistas of plush grasslands or dry gray deserts spread on either side,
Knowing what surrounds us doesn’t help because fog, mountains or forest
Intervene between the future and us; we can only see clearly the past,
Now and then we come to a cross road or fork and must choose a direction,
Going either right, left or forward as the case may be.

Baha’u’llah gives us guidance on choosing the right path or keeping on the road
Yet leaves the choice itself up to the individual.

Faith is an invisible and narrow road,
Above bogs and shifting sands,
If we move too far to the right or the left and leave the road
Then we fall into the pit of self and ego:
How can we remain of faith road without guidance?

Sunday, April 22, 2007

Warming Coffee Over in the Microwave

14 Jalal 164 B.E. – Sunday, April 22, 2007

I’m warming coffee over in the microwave. I took my mother to the emergency room on the evening of March 12, 2007 at 7:30 PM. They admitted her at 4:30 AM on March 13. For the following few days I made not coffee at home and went to see her twice a day. I finally started making coffee at home, but there was still leftover coffee in the fridge. I made enough coffee for two people to drink for about a month. Sometimes I drink it all and sometimes I didn’t Anyway I acquired more leftover coffee for little over a month. Last Friday, I decided that there was no use making any more coffee until I’d drink what was in the fridge. I now have the leftover coffee cut down and can start making fresh coffee again Tuesday or Wednesday.

I won’t drink any coffee in the morning, because I have an appointment with Blood Services (to give blood) in the morning at 9:00 am. I don’t drink coffee before those appoints. After I finish my next cup this morning, I don’t think I’m going to have any more coffee today. I try to limit my coffee to mornings and early afternoons. This has nothing to do with sleeping because coffee doesn’t affect my sleeping at night. I don’t drink coffee before those appointments because caffeine seems to raise my heart rate or at least the caffeine in soda does.

Anyway I’m attempting to drink all the leftover coffee before making a fresh pot. I have two coffee makers. One is the modern drip type and the other is the old fashion perc version. Lately, I’ve been making coffee in the drip coffee maker, but I think when I go back to making coffee again next week I’ll using the percolator. I like the coffee that both of them make, but one makes more coffee than the other does. In addition, one (the percolator) has fond memories for me.

I learned to drink coffee from my Grandpa Newland, who made coffee in a percolator. He would make his coffee of a morning and then leave what he didn’t drink in the pot warming and getting stronger as the hours passed. Whenever he poured coffee in his cup, there were always grounds in the bottom of the cup. The first cup of coffee I ever consumed came from my Grandfather’s coffeemaker. It had grounds in the bottom of the cup. It also had a lot of cream and sugar, which I no longer put in my coffee.

I have a Reflections meeting at the Baha’i center this afternoon. I’ll take a bottle of water with me to drink. If juice or tea is served there, then I’ll drink that. I don’t think I’ll have any soda. I have soda here, at home, which needs putting in the fridge. I also have juice, both orange and apple juice to drink, but I’ll probably stick with water away from home.

Saturday, April 21, 2007

Some Background on Ridvan

13 Jalal 164 B.E. - Saturday, April 21, 2007

This is the First Day of Ridvan. The celebration last twelve days and the First, Ninth, and Twelfth days are holy days. This is the time when Baha’is celebrate the Declaration of Baha’u’llah, this declaration occurred in Bagdad in 1863. At the time of the Declaration Baha’u’llah was living in a garden. He had moved to the garden after receiving news he was going to be exiled again.

Since the First Day of Ridvan, last from sunset on April 20 to sunset on April 21; this is a solar day and the celebration can be held either on the evening of the 20th or on the day of the 21st before sunset. The first day commemorates Baha’u’llah entering the garden.

Friday, April 20, 2007

Blog Block

12 Jalal 164 B.E. - Friday, April 20, 2007

I’m having a case of blog block. Translation I have no idea what I’m going to write about and post. Therefore, I’m going to do a rambling entry. The reason for this is that I’ve decided that I need to post every day to this blog. The only exceptions of course are acts of nature and other events beyond my control that prevent me from going online. In those cases, I’ll post two or more entries in one post (OK that sentence sounds a little odd, but I’m going to let it stand as is, because I’m not sure how to write it any other way now).

I’m a bit tired and I still want to go see my mother again today. I’m going to close this entry out by including a quote by ‘Abdu’l-Baha on Knowledge, Volition, and Action. I put this quote in my Writing My Spiritual Journey Journal today.

The attainment of any object is conditioned upon

knowledge, volition and action.

Unless these three conditions are forthcoming there is no execution or accomplishment. In the erection of a house it is first necessary to know the ground and design the house suitable for it; second, to obtain the means or funds necessary for the construction; third, to actually build it.”
Abdu'l-Baha, Foundations of World Unity, p. 100

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Thankful Thursday

11 Jalal 164 B.E. – Thursday, April 19, 2007

Today I am thankful for the prayers revealed by Baha’u’llah and the Bab.

Today I am grateful for the prayers written by ‘Abdu’l-Baha.

Today I am thankful for tests and difficulties that push me beyond my self-imposed limits.

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

The sound of Wind

10 Jalal 164 B.E. – Wednesday, April 18, 2007

The sound of the wind echoes through the house. I have the patio door open so the cats can go out and sit there if they want. The wind, blowing the oleanders against the screen enclosing the patio, sounds like an animal scratching. When I first heard it I thought that maybe one of the neighbor’s cats was wanting to get on to the patio and play with my cats. The sound sort of scared me because I didn’t know what was making it.

That’s the way the unknown is, it’s frightening until we make it known. When the mystery is solved and the unknown made know, it becomes awe-inspiring. That’s the way it is with God. God is an unknowable essence. We can’t know God directly, but we can become acquainted with God through His Manifestations, His Prophets, His Mirrors. Once we learn about one of His Reflections then God becomes awe-inspiring. The more one learns about the invisible Creator the more awe invoking God becomes.

Each of God’s Prophets, Mirror, Manifestations, or Messengers appeared when humanity was in the most need of a message from God. Each revealed a religion, each revealed a sacred book, and each inspired the followers of the Latest Manifestation to strive to know and love God and assist in carrying on an ever-advancing civilization. Baha’u’llah is the Mirror of God for today.

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Spiritual Services

9 Jalal 164 B.E. - Tuesday, April 17, 2007

I’m in the process of planning a spiritual service in my home. It’s going to start in May and occur every nineteen days. I thought about having it every week, but right now that’s not a good idea. Maybe later on this year or next I can raise it to every week. The steps to planning a service like this are easy enough.

First, is to decide on when and what time. I’m leaning toward either a Monday or a Wednesday right now, although I could have it on Tuesday, Saturday, or Sunday. However, with everything going on in my life, I think Monday or Wednesday would be best.

Second, decide on the themes. I’m going to have a different theme or subject for each service. Think the best was to start would be just prayers for a while. Have a prayer from the different faith traditions ready for people to read, if they didn’t already have a favorite or one to say.

Some of the themes I’m planning on are (1) healing, (2) prayers for America, (3) prayers for the world, and (4) prayers for the departed. I’m not sure in what order I’ll have them yet. There are several beautiful prayer from the Baha’i scriptures to open the services. Baha’u’llah revealed prayers for every contingency, so one the subject and theme is decided on then finding the prayers isn’t difficult. In addition I have a copy of OCEEAN on my computer. So finding an appropriate prayer in any faith tradition is should be simple enough. I think that’s all for now, I’ll post more on this when I’ve decided on the specific day.

Monday, April 16, 2007

Early Rain and Contemplating Ridvan

8 Jalal 164 B.E. - Monday, April 16, 2007

It rained today. When I got up this morning, it was raining; a wonderful blessing. It’s been a while since I woke up to rain. Because the rain was so gentle I didn’t hear it until I opened the patio door and then I heard the pitter patter of raindrops falling. The cats heard it and felt the damp air so they didn’t want to go out on the patio. It’s not that the patio gets wet, the only time that happens is when it rains hard and the wind blows, still they felt the damp air and wouldn’t go onto the patio. The weather is clearing now, there are stray thunderstorms predicted for this afternoon.

Ridvan begins on 21 April; this year I want to take a different approach to the Ridvan poems I write for this celebration. In 1863 Baha’u’llah entered a garden in Bagdad, there he declared his mission to his followers that accompanied him. This celebration lasts twelve days from April 21 to May 2. There are three holy days (days on which work should be suspended), the First, Ninth and Twelfth day. I think I’ll do a bit more research and put something about the events that occurred during the time. Usually I write something about the celebration or the way I feel about those days, but this year I want to expand my poems on the subject.

Sunday, April 15, 2007

Two Entries Posted on the Same Day Again

7 Jalal 164 B.E. - Sunday, April 15, 2007

I went to bed with the chickens last night, figuratively anyway. That’s how my Grandma Newland referred to going to bed early. I went to bed earlier than usual and didn’t get the entry I wrote yesterday posted. I have the goal to post to this blog every day, I’m going to have to start doing it of a morning instead of waiting until the afternoon. I wrote the entry earlier, but decided to wait until after I got back from visiting my mother at the Rehab hospital. When I did get home, I fixed myself something to eat and watched a couple of programs on Channel 10 (the local PBS station) then went to bed, fully intending to get up in an hour or so after I’d rested a bit. What happen? I went to sleep and didn’t get up until 1:00 AM. As a results I didn’t get the entry posted to this blog or anything else done I’d planned.

6 Jalal 164 B.E. – Saturday, April 14, 2007

Gusty Winds

The forecast is for gusty winds today, with the chance of rain and thunderstorms for tomorrow. I’ve got a busy day planned for tomorrow. In the morning I’m going to see Mom at the Rehab center, in the afternoon I have a Ruhi Tutor meeting at the Baha’i center, and in the evening I’m assisting in tutoring Ruhi Book 1. Therefore, I guess I’ll leave my winter coat in the car, the wind-chill factors been really bad here lately or maybe I just notice it more. Anyway, I’m not going to get caught away from home without the coat, at least until I’m sure the weather is really going to get warm.

There are certain things I always make sure I have before I leave the house. I always carry a Baha’i prayer book with me. In fact, I say a prayer of protection before I leave my garage of a morning or afternoon or evening depending on when and if I take the car out. I also have my pen and paper journal with me, this way if I have any ideas for writing or blog entries when I’m out I can write them down.

Friday, April 13, 2007

Chocolate Cake, Microwaved Coffee and my Gratitude Journal

5 Jalal 164 B.E. – Friday, April 13, 2007

When I picked up food today, I received a chocolate cake. I had some coffee left over from this morning. Instead of dumping the coffee down the drain or putting it in the refrigerator with the other left over coffee, I heated it up in the microwave. Then I cut a piece of the chocolate bunt cake and eat it while I drink the coffee.

The interesting thing about heating coffee up in the microwave is that it gets so hot. I like hot coffee, but with a microwave you have to be careful, you don’t burn your tongue when you take the first sip of the coffee. I let the coffee cool a little while I ate a couple of bites of the cake. Well I have one thing for today’s entry in my gratitude journal.

I started a Gratitude Journal in 2006 in the month of Jalal. My gratitude journal is one year old. I’m celebrating its birthday by making an entry every day in Jalal. I’ve even given this journal a name, when I put something in the journal I address it as Dear Glory. Normally I make an entry into the journal once a week, on Thankful Thursday when I list ten things I’m thankful for during the week. I still make that entry, now I’m making daily entries as well. I don’t know if I’m going to keep the daily entries up when Jalal ends, I’ll have to consider the prose and cons. The non-thankful Thursday entries can be a minimum of three things I’m grateful for.

After the salutation in the journal I complete one of the following sentences.
Today I am thankful for …
Today I am grateful for …

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Windy Thursday

4 Jalal 164 B.E. – Thursday, April 12, 2007

I went to see Mom this morning. When I went into the Rehabilitation Hospital she is at the wind was slight and the wind chill factor unnoticeable. When I left the wind had picked up to constant and heavy, the wind chill factor was cold bordering on icy. The wind blew all day, the stone pine limbs and the olive boughs were moving all day. In my backyard, the oleanders are in bloom. When I looked out my back windows the limbs of the oleanders appeared to be dancing.

I am allergic to both olive trees and oleanders. So naturally, my sinuses are acting up. A little more than acting up, they are stuff and it is difficult to breathe. In addition, to the wind it rained a bit. It rained just enough to get my car windows spotty. Despite all this, it is nice to have the wind blowing, to see the limbs of the trees moving at a constant rate and to have a little rain. A little more rain would be nice, so that we could have some of those May flowers that the poem talks about.

March winds
bring April showers
that bring May flowers.

O Lord,
thank you for the wind and the clouds
that cools the desert and brings April showers.

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Today’s Weather Forecast and an Update on my Mother

3 Jalal 164 B.E. - Wednesday, April 11, 2007

I just received the weather forecast for today. I’m subscribed to Channel 3’s weather and crime information news. The weather news gives me the weather forecast for the day, so I don’t have to watch the morning news. The crime news bulletin tells me about any crime going down in my neighborhood and the surrounding area. Today’s forecast calls for wind gust up to 40 mph. Those are strong winds. We’ve had a lot of wind lately. I’m thinking a lot more than in March (which is supposed to be the windy month). There hasn’t been a lot of rain though.

The temperatures here haven’t gotten into the triple digits yet, which is good. The longer temperature stays down the longer the air won’t come on. I turned the central air on either Sunday or Monday, but it hasn’t came on yet. The air conditioning company won’t be here until May 1 to do one of the yearly checks to see that air conditioning is working properly.

They moved my mother from the hospital yesterday to a Rehab center. She hasn’t been out of bed, for more than a thirty minutes or so, since her operation on March 19. They will get her back on her feet and walking before sending her home. She wants to come home right now, but she needs to wait a while. I don’t know how long she is going to be in the Rehab center, I probably won’t know until the end of this week.

The first day of Ridvan is Saturday, April 21. I’m planning to write a poem, about Baha’u’llah’s Declaration. I haven’t decided the approach I’m going to take yet. I written several poems about it, some have taken the whole twelve days to write, because I wrote a section each day. However, this year I don’t think I’m going to take that approach. In fact, I think I’ll take an entirely different approach this year. In past year’s I’ve written about the subject from a personal point of view, but this year I’m going to do more Research and use a different voice in the poem than in past years.

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Writing My Spiritual Journey

2 Jalal 164 B.E. – Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Writing my spiritual journal is my off line journal. I created this journal originally to bring myself to account. Baha’u’llah tells us to bring ourselves to account each day. I thought that if I wrote it down it would help me change, I’m still thinking about that and determining if it is true. The off line journal has evolved since I began is a year or so ago. Now I am using it as a meditation journal in addition to bring myself to account. Beginning yesterday, I put a scripture verse from one of the Baha’I scriptures in the journal and write about my thoughts on the quote or the quote’s theme. In addition, I address a letter in it to Baha’u’llah.

Sometimes the letter has to do with what I did or didn’t do. Sometimes I just write about the events of the day. In today’s entry I gave thanks to Baha’u’llah for all the blessing showered upon my family. The only thing I know the day before making an entry in Writing my Spiritual Journey is the quote I’m going to write about. Anything else is chosen on the day I am supposed to write about it, so it really depends on when I write it what I write about.

I think I’ll close this entry now. I am hungry and don’t want to go see mom without eating something. The hospital is supposed to move her out of the Surgical ICU when a bed is available on another floor. So perhaps she will be moved by the time I get there.

Monday, April 09, 2007

Spring 2007

1 Jalal 164 B.E. – Monday, April 09, 2007

Spring is here and the birds are singing. There are many birds outside our house. Some nest in the stone pine tree and some are from the neighbors’ yards and trees. We even have a few pigeons flying in from somewhere. The peg ions come to eat the olives off the ground. I don’t have the olive tree sprayed any more, so it produces olives every year and they fall to the ground. All winter we’ve had birds eating olives. Not that I mind, the cats and I enjoy watching the birds pick the olives up off the ground.

We have mourning doves and sparrows nesting in the stone pine tree and the elm tree. There are other birds as well. It doesn’t get so cold in Las Vegas that the birds leave for the winter. I don’t think mourning doves migrate anyway. Early every morning and evening there is a mourning dove calling, it is the most haunting sound I’ve ever heard. It is beautiful, one of the most hauntingly beautiful sounds.

Now that spring is here, I like to go on the back patio and say morning prayers. The sound of a mourning dove calling as I say my prayers adds something to my mourning meditation. For some reason, mourning doves have always had spiritual connotations. Maybe it’s the fact that they sound like they are weeping for the departed, but they always seem to make mourning prayers and meditation a bit special.

It’s in spring that I notice the birds more than any other time of the year. That could be because they are building nest, laying eggs and getting ready to raise a family. It’s in spring that I notice the call of the mourning dove more than any other time of the year. It’s in spring that I enjoy most setting on the patio with my prayer book reading the prayers revealed by Baha’u’llah. There is something special about spring, there is something spiritual about spring.

Naw-Ruz is past and Ridvan will begin next week, these are the spring Holy Days I celebrate. Ridvan begins on April 21 and last twelve days. The first, ninth and twelfth day are Holy Days. Ridvan is the Declaration of Baha’u’llah. I’m looking forward to the celebration and seeing what poems I write about the event.

Friday, April 06, 2007

Contemplating Good Friday Memories

17 Baha 164 B.E. – Friday, April 06, 2007

I have scattered memories of Good Friday, Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday scattered through my mind. I can remember specific events about the days, but which days and where did the event occur. It’s not that my memory is going, it’s just that those events occurred a long time ago and they appear like photos in my memory.

I remember Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday services crowded into pews of two different Southern Baptist Churches in Blackwell, Oklahoma; sometimes we went to the First Southern Baptist Church in Blackwell, the church my parents attended. Sometimes we attend services at the Southern Baptist Mission in the Smelter Heights; my grandparents went to this church.

I remember communion services, holding someone’s hand while we stood singing hymns, and palm leaves shaped into a cross. When these memories occurred, I’m not sure. I was quite small. I remember my father carrying me into a church. I remember going to church with my grandparents on specific days.

What else do I remember? Childhood memories are interesting. We remember, but we don’t remember everything. We remember snap shots of the events. The snap shots I remember are unlike the photos of those times I have in albums. The memories are in color, while some of the photos in the albums are black and white.

I remember my Grandpa; he always went to church on Easter Sunday and Christmas. He always took us to church (the Mission) when we stayed at my grandparent’s house over night. I also remember going to the church up town (the First Southern Baptist Church). I remember my father going to church on some of those Sundays, when he didn’t have to work. I remember my mother going to church with us.

I’m sixty years old. I searched and found the Baha’i Faith. I am in the process of writing the memories from my childhood, of putting them into poems and short personal essays. I am in the process of preserving the past. I am looking forward to the future, but preserving the past. I am writing my spiritual journey. The memories of my childhood have a great deal to do with my spiritual journey. It’s interesting how a person changes many things in their lives as they mature.

I found that the Baha’i Faith answered many of the questions I’ve had since childhood. I search the writing of The Bab, Baha’u’llah and ‘Abdu’l-Baha for the answers to my questions. The answers are there, I just have to find them. If a person doesn’t give up and looks, then they find the answers to their most important questions. The most important questions in my life are spiritual questions. I suspect it’s been that way since childhood. I think I’ll end this entry now.

My mother is still in the hospital and I’m going up to see her after while. Right now I need to see about laundry and fixing me something to eat. I think I’ll have chicken salad. I’ve got chicken, lettuce and blue cheese dressing. I think some either some apple juice or grape juice to drink. No coffee, not that I don’t drink it; just that I’ve finished all I made this morning and am not going to make any more.

Thursday, April 05, 2007

The Sound Track of My Life

16 Baha 164 B.E. - Thursday, April 05, 2007

If I were putting together a sound track of my life there are nineteen songs that inspire and excite me. These songs come from several different sources, but they each compel me to write. These songs, in no particular order are

01. The Battle Hymn of the Republic
02. Amazing Grace
03. Rocky Mountain High
04. Me and Bobbie McGee
05. Calypso
06. The West Texas Town of El Paso
07. This Land is Your Land
08. America the Beautiful
09. Danny Boy
10. The Eighteen Twelve Overture
11. We Three Kings
12. On Top of Old Smokey
13. Any and all of the Hidden Words of Baha’u’llah set to music
14. This Little Light of Mine
15. How Great Thou Art
16. The Long Healing Prayer set to music
17. Dashing through the Snow
18. Winter Wonderland
19. Frosty the Snowman

That is a very diverse and eclectic group of songs. Some of them are from my childhood, some from my teen and adult years. They inspire me and have inspired me from the time I first encountered them. I’m not sure I could pick out which one is my favorite, because at different times they are all my favorites. These are the main songs, there are other songs too numerous to list here.

Music inspires the soul, inspires the writer and poet. Music is a universal language; the one language humanity has in common. We can chant songs, poems and prayers without music or accompanied by music. We can listen to music without the words to the song. However, the music is played and listened to they inspire; they speak to the individual spirit. They encourage, they unite, and they feed the muse. Music and songs can inspire use to go beyond ourselves and help our fellow creatures, they can incite us to march to war or goad us to hate.

The way humanity uses music is up to the individual and those who write the words and chords. So sing along with the music, listen to the beat and the words, then chose your own sound track from the music that inspires you. When I listen to a song, I wonder why it inspires me. I wonder how it inspires others.

Sunday, April 01, 2007

What Makes Me Happy?

12 Baha 164 B.E. – Sunday, April 1, 2007

Someone asked me this question the other day. At the time my answer was The Tablet of Ahmad, I said I thought that I had almost learned it by heart. Since then I’ve thought about the question and here is my answer.

Several things make me happy. Baha’u’llah makes me happy. Reading the scripture He revealed makes me happy. My mother makes me happy. Listening to her talk makes me happy. Having her around makes me happy. Writing makes me happy. I like writing short stories, poems and essays. Coffee makes me happy. I enjoy drinking good coffee. My mother makes good coffee. I like regular coffee without cream. I also like specialty coffees such as Café Mocha and unusual blends such as Kona Coffee. Going to Feast makes me happy. I enjoy listening to the readings from the Baha’i scriptures and talking to everyone attending. These are only a few of the things that make me happy. Maybe that would be a good theme for a list poem.

My Mom’s been in the hospital for the past three or four weeks. She is still in SICU, she went into that unit after her operation on March 19, which was also her birthday. Sometimes she is doing better and other times she is the same. I miss her, I go to see her twice a day, but I still miss her. I miss her making coffee she makes good coffee. I miss her talking about what poem she is working on and the other things she talks about when she is here.

I’m making my own coffee these mornings. When Mom’s home that is one of the things, she enjoys doing. I am glad to know that I haven’t forgotten how to make good coffee, but maybe that’s one of those activities like riding a bike. Once you learn how to do it, you never forget. There isn’t a lot of difference between riding a bike and making coffee. Both of them take balance; it’s just that it’s a different type of balance with each one. In making coffee you have to balance the coffee grounds with the amount of water, while riding a bike is more of physical or bodily balance. Living takes balance; you have to balance the material with the spiritual. Happiness takes balance. Everything we do in life takes balance.