Is this a sign of a short-term memory problem?

Kamál (Perfection), 11 Baha (Splendor), 165 B.E. – Monday, March 31, 2008 about 7:42 AM PDT

I worry about my memory sometimes. Is my short-term memory is going or am I just distracted? I have no problems remembering login names and passwords not even when I change the password. The problem this morning is coffee. My coffee cup sets on a wooden T.V. stand beside my computer desk.

Anyway, I reached for the cup and started to drink the coffee in it. However, there was no coffee; I drank the entire cup of hot 100% Columbian brew and didn't remember drinking it. Now I'm worried about my short-term memory. Not that I don't have other, probably, more important things to worry about.

I'm a writer and a coffee drinker so does not remembering I drink the coffee in my cup a sign of a problem. I don't know, I certainly hope not. I guess as long as I can remember my login names, passwords and bank pin numbers, I'm all right.

An Evening in March

Kamál (Perfection), 11 Baha (Splendor), 165 B.E. – Sunday, March 30, 2008 about 7:15 PM PDT

The days grow longer
as spring movers toward summer
and March moves into April.

This year the lamb of March bleats
waiting as sunset
announces the coming rain.

March winds are past
we wait for April's showers
and look forward to flowers
on an evening in March.

Family and Transformation

Jamál (Beauty), 10 Baha (Splendor), 165 B.E. – Saturday, March 29, 2008 about 10:07 PM PDT

I haven't written much about transformation lately. Most concerns family memories and events in my life. On the surface family doesn't appear to have much to do with transformation or a butterfly emerging from her cocoon. However, if you think about the way a family influences a person growing up or living from day to day, you realize that they have a great deal of influence on a person becoming his or her true self.

We all have memories from our childhood that we would just as soon forget. Events happened in everyone's childhood that effected the person adversely. As we grow up we realize that we can control the way those memories influence our present situation. We do not have to hold onto the past, we can put the bad memories in the hands of God and let the divine guide us through the rest of our lives. A person can learn to forgive him or herself and everyone else. Just because we forgive doesn't mean we have to forget.

I need a new pair of shoes

Istijlál (Majesty), 7 Baha (Splendor), 165 B.E. – Thursday, March 27, 2008 about 5:09 PM PDT

It's spring and I haven't gotten a new dress or a new pair of shoes. I'm not talking about second hand shoes, I'm referring to a brand new pair. It's been several years since I bought myself a brand new pair of spring shoes. I don't even know what colors are in fashion this year. Not that it would matter when it comes to buying the shoes. I don't get the colors that are in fashion this year.

I'm much to practical to buy the in fashion colors. I take after my grandmother in that respect. She always bought dark brown or black shoes. That way the shoes went with any dress she had in her closet. Grandma would buy the colors of dress that were in fashion, but not shoes. Grandma grew up in a time when shoes had to last a long time, so black shoes were the proper color to buy because they went with everything.

I remember one Easter my grandparents or my mother, bought me a pair of white "Mary Jane's" to go with a pink dress and bonnet. I wore those shoes all year, but when Easter came around again I needed a new pair. I don't know what happened to those shoe because my sister got a pair of new shoes as well. My dresses were handed down to my sister, but I don't remember the shoes being handed down.

When I do get a new pair of shoes this year, I'll get either flats or a pair of sports shoes. Probably the sports shoes since they're more comfortable.

There are times in my life

‘Idál (Justice), 6 Baha (Splendor), 165 B.E. – Wednesday, March 26, 2008 about 4:12 PM PDT

There are times in my life when I wish my grandparents were still around.

I miss them very much.

I miss my grandfather's advice and my grandmother's laughter.

I miss the security the presence always gave me.

I'm 61 years old, so my grandparents would be over 100 probably closer to 200, which means I'd probably be taking care of them. That doesn't stop me from wishing they were here sometimes. Grandpa would find the gas prices outrageous. He would wonder how people could afford to go any where.

There is one thing that I know my grandfather would like and would have. Grandpa would have a computer and internet access. How do I know? Because when he was alive he always made sure he had the latest technology. He didn't buy it when it immediately came out, but would wait a little while to get it; when my grandfather was a farmer he had the first Fordsen tractor in the the area.

On a Late March Evening

Fidál (Grace), 5 Baha (Splendor), 165 B.E. – Tuesday, March 25, 2008 about 5:57 PM PDT

On a late March evening
when the sun approaches the western horizon
I look through my prayer book
at all the prayers revealed by the Bab,
at all the prayers revealed by Baha'u'llah,
at all the prayers written by 'Abdu'l-Baha
and realize
that as my life advances toward its western horizon
and my fortune changes
like the pendulum of a Grandfather clock swing
back and forth
these prayers give me comfort and joy.

The Long Way Around

Kamál (Perfection), 4 Baha (Splendor), 165 B.E. – Monday, March 24, 2008 about 6:12 PM PDT

Daily Writing Prompt for March 22, 2008: Write about taking the long way around

I always take the long way around because I have no sense of direction. I am probably the only person in the world that can follow MapQuest directions and get lost. It's frustrating and amusing at the same time. I don't see the amusing part though until latter.

I remember going places with my Grandfather, he never got lost. It didn't matter where we were going he always got us there without getting lost. That didn't mean not taking the long way around. Grandpa always took the rout with the best view. I remember driving through Oklahoma and Kansas. The country was always beautiful and Grandpa always took the long way around.

All though with today's gas prices, he might not have taken the long way around. I remember Grandpa gripping when gas prices increased from, I think, $0.50 or $0.75 a gallon to about $1.00. He gripped about the increase in prices, but didn't stop taking the long way around when his grandchildren were in the car.

Easter Memories

Jamál (Beauty), 3 Baha (Splendor), 165 B.E. – Sunday, March 23, 2008 about 7:49 AM PDT

Easter morning, the sun dawns bright over the eastern mountains and memories of East return. As a child, growing up in Blackwell, Oklahoma, my grandparents would take us to church for Easter services. After the services, we would go on an Easter egg hunt and each of us would get an Easter basket.

In the Easter basket were colored eggs, candy eggs and a chocolate Easter bunny. Before lunch my grandparents allowed us to eat one items from the Easter basket. I would eat my chocolate bunny with a glass of milk. It is interesting what traditions stayed with me and what traditions I let drop as I grew up.

I do not celebrate Easter, this time if year I celebrate Naw-Ruz and a New Year. However, every Easter morning I eat a chocolate Easter bunny. I do not eat the bunny with milk any more, instead I have a cup of coffee with my Easter bunny.

We bought an electric skillet today

We bought an electric skillet today. I can now cook my own hamburgers and fix chicken without putting it in the slow cooker. I am happy, at least for a little while. We bought one of those large family size skillets that you can cook a entire meal in at once. Life if wonderful and I didn't get caught in a traffic jam today.

I really like modern conveyances like electric skillets. They make life so much easier. The next thing I have to get is a working Microwave. I have a Microwave, but it doesn't work. I'm going to have to take it out to the curb next Tuesday, but it's too heavy to carry out so I'm going to have to figure out a way to roll it to the curb.

I got caught in a Traffic Jam today

Jalál (Glory), 2 Baha (Splendor), 165 B.E. – Friday, March 21, 2008 about 10:21 PM PDT

I got caught in a traffic jam today. Mom and I were returning home from going to the pet store on Charleston and Nellis. Charleston was closed down at the freeway and traffic was redirected onto the west bound lanes. I finally got onto 95 and then off on Eastern Ave.

It took us about an hour and a half to get onto and off 95. After we got off we stopped to get something to eat. I had not intention of coming home and putting something in the slow cooker. Tomorrow we're going to get an electric skillet. At least with an electric skillet I don't have to wait an hour for something to cook in the slow cooker.

We had planned to go to a poetry reading tonight, but the traffic jam took care of that. By the time we got home and ate, it was 7:00 PM ant the time the reading started. To get to where the reading is held on the third Friday, takes about 35 to 40 minutes so we stayed home tonight.

I Miss Spring in Oklahoma

Istijlál (Majesty), 19 ‘Alá (Loftiness), 164B.E. – Thursday, March 20, 2008 about 3:38 PM PDT



I miss spring in Oklahoma,

I miss the new leaves of the cottonwood trees

as they appear in early spring.



I miss the lilac bushes

the lavender blooms decorating

Easter gardens.



I miss spring in Oklahoma

the winter wheat in the fields

sedectively beckoning.



I miss the Easter pageants

telling the story of resurrection

and eternal life.

Spring in Las Vegas

Fidál (Grace), 17 ‘Alá (Loftiness), 164 B.E. – Tuesday, March 18, 2008 about 2:24 PM PDT

It's spring in Las Vegas
the monsoon season is near
rain and wind
foretell streets full of water.

This year
the streets are water covered
not because of the lack of flood control,
but because the drainage into the sewer system
is block by trash and litter.

St. Patrick's Day in Grade School

Kamál (Perfection), 16 ‘Alá (Loftiness), 164 B.E. – Monday, March 17, 2008 about 12:43 PM PDT

When I went to grade school in Blackwell, Oklahoma, we wore green on St. Patrick's Day. Everyone in the class including the teacher wore something green. Some of the girls coordinated their outfits so that they wore all green, while other girls wore a green blouse, skirt, or anklets. The boys wore green shirts.

For the students this was more then just a fashion statement celebrating St. Patrick. It was protection. Back then if you did not wear green you got pinched, so you had to wear green. It was an odd custom. I did not think much about it then. Now I consider it not only odd, but also an inappropriate response.

It is interesting how people have changes since I went to grade school fifty some years ago. Now if another student pinched you not wearing green, you would go to the teacher or the principle. Pinching someone for any reason is inappropriate and should be treated as such. However, fifty years ago we had different opinions and did not understand how something like that can affect a child. Pinching for not wearing green was just as inappropriate then and as it is now, that was a different time. It was a different century.

A Rainy Palm Sunday

Jamál (Beauty), 15 ‘Alá (Loftiness), 164 B.E. – Sunday, March 16, 2008 about 8:43 AM PST

It's a rainy Palm Sunday in Las Vegas,
The wind is blowing through the stone pine tree,
The sky is a patchwork quilt of charcoal, gray and white,
It's a wonderful day to stay home and pray.

It's a rainy Palm Sunday in Las Vegas,
The wind chill factor sends chills up your spine,
The blacktop covering the city streets glistens,
And there are puddles in the driveways of each house.

Saturday Again

It's Saturday again and I'm looking out my living room window at a partly cloudy sky. The wind is blowing through the boughs of the stone pine tree. It's a bit chilly in the house, but not so cold that the heat is coming on.

Palm Sunday is on March 16 and then on Monday St. Patrick's Day. Next Friday, March 21, is Good Friday, the first day of spring and Naw-Ruz, while next Sunday, March 23, is Easter; all good days for a poet and a writer. Each holiday has its own memories for me. Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday bring back memories of my childhood in Oklahoma and my grandparents. Naw-Ruz is a holy day and has its own special quality. This is indeed a week to look forward to and should be extremely productive.

This week I am working on a Monotetra poem

Jalál (Glory), 14 ‘Alá (Loftiness), 164 B.E. –Friday, March 14, 2008 about 10:42 PM PST

This week I'm working on a Monotetra poem. I haven't decided on a theme or subject yet. The form was posted on the Stretch Your Style page today, with a suggestion on a subject, but I'm not sure yet if I'm going to do the suggested subject or not. I'll think about it tonight and decided in the morning.

The only thing I am sure about tonight is that the poem will contain more then one stanza. It will be at least three stanzas perhaps more. The number of stanzas depend on the subject I write about. Palm Sunday is on March 16 and St. Patrick's day is coming up, both are good subjects for a poem. I haven't written a Palm Sunday poem in a while so perhaps I'll use that as a subject. I'll have to research Palm Sunday and see if there are any little know facts or small details I can focus on.

On a Thursday in March

Istijlál (Majesty), 12 ‘Alá (Loftiness), 164 B.E. – Thursday, March 13, 2008 about 5:54 PM PST

On a Thursday in March
I am thankful for the beauty
of a partly cloudy day
and for the clouds that the wind
carries across the valley.

On a Thursday in March
I am thankful for hot coffee
brewed fresh this morning
and for the leftover coffee in the fridge
I will warm up tomorrow.

On a Thursday in March
I am thankful for the answers
to my prayers
even when those answers come
in unexpected ways.

On a Thursday in March
I am thankful for the neighbors cats
that use my backyard as a playpen
they are three happy cats playing in my yard.

On a Thursday in March
I am thankful for the wind blowing
through the stone pine trees.

Inside the Cocoon

Fidál (Grace), 10 ‘Alá (Loftiness), 164 B.E. – Tuesday, March 11, 2008 about 10:36 AM PST

Stress
flows through
cells that are
transformed by it;
wings grow to carry
this new creation up
above the ground of its birth
where it flutters from flower to
flower and consumes nectar instead
of leaves; it soars free to pursue new life.

Note about the form: this is an Etheree with a syllable count of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10.

My Grandmother cleaned house at Midnight

Kamál (Perfection), 9 ‘Alá (Loftiness), 164 B.E. – Monday, March 10, 2008 about 6:12 PM PST

My Grandmother cleaned house at midnight. It didn't matter whether it was spring or autumn, when she couldn't sleep she got up and cleaned house. I don't remember her running the vacuum cleaner, but she could have. My Grandfather could sleep through any type of noise. Once Grandpa went to sleep nothing could wake him up. Grandpa would snore and grandma would clean house.

Once I get to sleep there is only one thing that will wake me up. That is a baby crying, if there is a baby crying in the house or anywhere near that I can hear it wakes me up. That is the only thing that will wake me up. So my grandmother could have vacuum in the middle of the night and never woke any one else in the house up.

I always found Grandma's habit of cleaning house in the middle of the night intriguing. A few times I would wake up and find her dusting or washing dishes. I would ask her why she was up and she would say "I couldn't sleep."

Daylight Savings Time

Jamál (Beauty), 8 ‘Alá (Loftiness), 164 B.E. – Saturday, March 8, 2008 about 9:08 PM PST

It's that time of year again. We set the clocks forward an hour at 2:00 AM. Everyone loses an hour of sleep this Sunday. I don't know what difference an hour is going to make. It's suppose to save energy, but I doubt that my power bill will be lower because of it.

I have to set all my clocks forward one hour. All right, not all of them. The clock on my computer will do it automatically. The clock in my car never fell back last fall. It's just too difficult to set the clock in the car. I'm going to have to have a new cable on the battery anyway, so when I get the money for that then I'll set the clock. I have only two clocks in the house to set, so I guess this is a good time to move them.

The alarm clock is in the living room now, setting on my dining room table. I'm going to move it to my bedroom; not the dining room table, but the alarm clock. I'm eventually going to move the dining room table back into the dining room. Right now, a hospital bed is in my dining room. I'm going to call about March 20 to get the hospital bed removed. Then I can put my dining room table back in the dining room.

Tomorrow I'm dong it again

‘Idál (Justice), 4 ‘Alá (Loftiness), 164 B.E. – Wednesday, March 5, 2008 about 4:00 PM PST

Well I'm doing it again, I'm participating in the Follow the Leader Journal contest on writing.com. I'm using my writin.com blog Snow Melt to write my leading entry and the responses to the other leading entries.

I'm not sure what the subject or theme of my leading entry is yet. I'm scheduled for March 10, so I suspect something will come up between now and then. Maybe I'll try something completely different this time. I have some books on journaling with a exercises I've wanted to try for a while. I'll check out those and see what I come up with. In the mean time the other leading entries should be very interesting.

I think I'll take an entirrly different approach to the contest this time around. Before I've simply read and responded to the entries without giving a lot of thought to them. I think this time before I write an response, I'll pray and meditate about what I'm going to write.

Butterflies and Transformation

Fidál (Grace), 3 ‘Alá (Loftiness), 164 B.E. – Tuesday, March 4, 2008 about 1:12 PM PST

These are my thoughts today.

Butterflies and moths are the symbol of the soul. These beautiful creatures transform in their pupa cases becoming completely different from the larva; the larva crawls on the ground and feeds on plants, while butterflies and moths fly and feed on nectar. The larva are not as beautiful as the adult butterflies or moths.

The human soul while partnered with the physical body is bound to earth. At death, when the soul and body separate the soul is free to soar in the firmament of God's love. When a soul is with the body, it has a chance to develop spiritual attributes. These attributes go with the soul when the body dies.

Inside the larva case, the butterfly or moth acquires wings and its body shape changes. Through tests and difficulties faced while with the body, the soul acquires spiritual attributes. Once the human soul separates from the body it has only the spiritual attributes developed while on the material plain. It is on the material plain that we must grow our wings to ascend through all the worlds of God.

Family Memories Spring Edition

Kamál (Perfection), 2 ‘Alá (Loftiness), 164 B.E. – Monday, March 3, 2008 about 3:02 PM PST

Like photos in an old album
yesterday returns
as hardwood tress transform
winter death masks
into spring's verdant greens.

March winds carry with them
the memories of Oklahoma at planting time
grandpa digging up the ground,
grandpa putting chicken manure
onto grandma's flower beds
so that in a week or two
she could plant flowers that blossomed
red, gold, and violet.

An ancient cottonwood tree
growing new leaves proclaimed
the joy of a new season,
while the birds built nests
and hens sit on eggs
waiting for them to hatch.

A Time for Reflection

Jamál (Beauty), 1 ‘Alá (Loftiness), 164 B.E. – Sunday, March 2, 2008 about 7:34 AM PST

Today the nineteen-day Fast begins. The fast consist in abstaining from food and drink between sunup and sundown. Baha'i in good health, over a specific age and under a specific age don't eat or drink between dawn and sunset.

The act of abstaining from food and drink is symbolic of detachment from everything except God. ‘Alá is a time of meditation, prayer and reflection. The old year is coming to an end and a New Year begins on March 21. The nineteen days between March 2 and March 20 are for recharging spiritual batteries.

In ‘Alá I set my goals for the coming year. The time I look at the past year to see what is and is not working in my life. The year 164 B.E. was stressful for me. So I will look at the reasons for this and see what I have to change on a personal and spiritual level to make the coming year of 164 B.E. less stressful and more productive.

March Winds

Jalal (Glory), 5 Ayyam-i-Ha, 164 B.E. - Saturday, March 1, 2008 about 1:52 PM PST

March winds

bring April showers

that bring May flowers

Day light savings time begins on Sunday, March 9, when we spring forward. Palm Sunday is on March 16. St. Patrick's Day is Monday, March 17. Good Friday is on Friday, March 21. Naw-Ruz is on Friday, March 21. Easter Sunday is on Sunday, March 23. This year March is an inspiring month for poets so I ought to get a lot of interesting poems written.