Thankful Thursday January 31, 2008

Istijlal (Majesty), 13 Sultan (Sovereignty), 164 B.E. - Thursday, January 31, 2008 about 9:25 AM PST

Thankful Thursday

Today is thankful Thursday
this week's day of gratitude and thankfulness
my gratitude journal called Glory
waits patiently
for today's entry.

What am I thankful for this week?
Can I find ten items from the past seven days
to be thankful for?

There is the beauty of the morning
the sun is bright and cheerful,
the sky is cloudless and blue,
there is a slight breeze blowing through the stone pine trees,
and the air is slightly chilly,
with the promise of approaching spring.

There are the new arrivals in Las Vegas
my brother, his wife and one son
have moved back to town,
they are looking for a place to live
and looking forward to going to work on
Monday morning.

There is the coffee waiting for me
to make it and drink it;
I have enough coffee to last the rest of the week.

There is the promise of a New Year
still fresh with hope;
an abundant year to proclaim
the joy of life
and the Glory of God.

A Few technical difficulties on Wednesday

I'm having a few technical difficulties today. My scanner can't seem to find it's imaging software so I'm going to have run a diagnostic or something. See if I can figure out the problem. In the mean time I've posted all the picture I have on the hard drive of on CDs. I hope it's not too difficult or expensive to solve.

Here in Las Vegas there is a slight wind and it's a bit chilly or I think it's chilly. It rained a few days ago. There is snow on Mount Charleston so the ski lodge is open and the snowbirds are happy. I'm not sure when the lodge opens or closes. I haven't visited the lodge itself. I've been to Mount Charleston just never visited the ski lodge. I'll have to do that some time, I have new tires but to visit the lodge this time of year I need chains.

A Busy Tuesday in Las Vegas

'Idal (Justice), 12 Sultan (Sovereignty), 164 B.E. - Tuesday, January 29, 2008 about 5:27 PM PST

Today was a full and busy day. This morning I didn't get out of the house until about 10:30 or 11:oo AM because I decided to clean my Yahoo e-mail out. That took quite a while, then we went to get some groceries and we went to get Discount Tires for tires.

When I went into garage this morning, I thought the tire on the front passenger side looked low, but my tires always look low inside the garage so I didn't think much about it. After picking the groceries up, putting them in the car, Mom and Mom's walker, I looked at the tire again. It was low all right.

I went to the Discount Tire garage on Maryland PKW, I intended to get only two tires, but the deal was so good I bought four. It's just as well, the tires which were on the car before weren't the same size tires, which effect the gas mileage. This is the first time I've bought four new tires for a car in years.

I remember my grandfather buying tires and he always bought four at a time. He'd buy four new tires and then have the best of the old tires put on his spare. Of course, he had a full size spare in his trunk, which I have as well. I'm one of those people who needs a full size spare because I usually can't get the tire fixed right away.

I don't have to worry about getting a tire fixed if I have a problem now. Since I got the tires at Discount Tires, they have a road hazard guarantee and the fix the tire free. We're not going anywhere for a while though. I have new tires, but I need more gas in the car to get anywhere. I'll park the car in the garage until February 1.

It's amazing how much better the car drives with the new tires. I don't hear as many weird noises as I did before. It feels better when I drive it and when I turn corners. I got a good deal on the tires, of course I always get a good deal at Discount Tires; that's why I go there for tires.

This Last Monday in January 2008

Kamal (Perfection), 10 Sultan (Sovereignty), 164 B.E. - Monday, January 28, 2008 about 7:17 AM PST

It's the last Monday in January 2008. The sky looks like a patchwork quilt. I don't know whether it's going to rain again today because I didn't look at the news this morning. I'll check the weather when I retrieve my intermind.net mail later today.

It rained Sunday and Mount Charleston received a good layer of snow this last weekend. The skiers are happy. I haven't been to the mountain in several years. The last time I went up there was on a late summer day. Even then I didn't go all the way up the Mount because we went to ride horses. I haven't been horseback riding in a long time.

There's things I haven't done in a long time and things I've never done. I haven't been to a poetry reading yet this year. I've never been to First Friday. I doubt that I go to First Friday in February, but perhaps March. It's a little cold at night for me to go to the Arts District in January and February.

After the Morning Rain

Jamal (Beauty), 9 Sultan (Sovereignty), 164 B.E. - Sunday, January 27, 2008 about 3:58 PM PST

After the morning rain
when puddles of rainwater
decorate driveways and avenues
the city is clean,
like the soul after a prayer is said.

The clouds blanket the sky protectively
like the prayer covers the spirit
of the believer.

It's Saturday again

Jalal (Glory), 8 Sultan (Sovereignty), 164 B.E. - Saturday, January 26, 2008 about 3:14 PM PST

Well, it's Saturday again,

January 2008 is almost at an end.

I have encountered both successes and failures in the past week and in January. The failure teach lessons, which later successes are based on. I'm still thanking about the lessons I've learned this week and month. One f the most important is to look for the answers to prayers. Never presume that a prayer isn't answered simply because you don't get the answer you want I think I've encountered the before, but I seem to forget the lesson periodically and have to be taught it again.

Now to the success and thing's I've never did before. I had a peanut butter cookie mix I needed to make this past week, but my oven isn't working. I mixed the dough and fixed it in the Microwave. I fixed it as a cake rather then cookies and it turned out well. I enjoyed fixing the mix and figuring out how to get it to work in the Microwave, especially since I didn't have a proper cookie sheet for that oven. I think fixing the cookies the way I did was an interesting success.

Leaving: It's Never Easy to Leave

Istiqlal (Independence), 7 Sultan (Sovereignty), 164 B.E. - Friday, January 25, 2008 about 12:54 PM PST

Daily Writing Practice Prompt for January 24, 2008 - Write about leaving

It's never easy to leave
someone always cries
at good-byes.

It's never easy to leave
it takes courage
to walk out the door
without looking back
at the tears.

It's never easy to leave
to start a new life far away
from you home town,
but after a while
your home town changes
to the place you now live.

It's never easy to leave
even when the only things you are leaving
are memories.

It's never easy to leave
to pack a suite case and take
the next bus to Las Vegas,
or the next plane to New York,
or the next train to Paris,
or the next ship to Alaska.

It's never easy to leave,
but change is a way of life
and leaving the past behind
always gives a fresh start.

A Thankful Thursday in January

Istijlal (Majesty), 6 Sultan (Sovereignty), 164 B.E. - Thursday, January 24, 2008 about 4:34 PM PST

Today I am thankful for the early morning rain, which came just before dawn this morning. When I looked out my kitchen window the cement bricks covering the ground were wet. It didn't rain much, but just enough to clear the air and make the morning smell fresh. It's been cloudy off and on all week, but this is the first time I've noticed the ground being wet.

Wealth Beyond Measure

'Idal (Justice), 5 Sultan (Sovereignty), 164 B.E. - Wednesday, January 23, 2008 about 4:45 PM PST

This is a picture of my Grandma Darbe, my father's mother, take around Christmas, but I don't remember what year. I was very fortunate to know both of my grandmothers while they were alive. The only grandfather I remember is Grandpa Newland, my mother's father.

I have a wealth of memories about the three grandparents I knew and remember. I miss them and the joy of having them in my life. One thing none of my grandparents were obsessed with is money. They didn't have a lot of it and what they did have the used wisely. The most important thing I remember about my grandparents is their complete trust in God. They never doubted that God existed and that the divine Creator cared about them and humanity.

I'm going to put some of my pictures of my grandparents in my writing.com portfolio and use them in Snow Melt my writing.com blog in the near future. I'm not sure what I'm going to write yet, but I think of something when I sit down to make the entry.

I have to get out more

Fidal (Grace), 4 Sultan 164 B.E. - Tuesday, January 22, 2008 about 4:45 PM PST

I have to get out more, especially on Tuesday nights. There is a poetry reading tonight at the reJavanate. I haven't been to a poetry reading this year. I went to a couple in 2007, but it's almost the last week in January 2008 and I haven't been to a poetry reading yet.

I'll pick out four or five of my new poems to read. Print out hard copies of them and go to a poetry reading next week. I'm not sure what I'll read yet because I have several new poems. Perhaps I should check out the Las Vegas Poets events calendar and see what is going on in February. I need to get out to a poetry reading, because I need feed back on some of my new poems.

A Three Day Weekend

Kamal (Perfection), 3 Sultan (Sovereignty), 164 B.E. - Monday, January 21, 2008 about 3:23 PM PST

A three day holiday and the banks are closed. I remember growing up and the only time we had a three day holiday occurred when the 4th of July or Christmas fell on a Monday. Grandpa worked at a Zinc smelter so he got the 4th of July and Christmas off. Those are the holidays I remember because those are the days all the family were together.

I always liked having spring holidays fall on Monday because we always went to either Lake Blackwell or Lake Carl Blackwell. The entire extended family would go. We took three or four cars loaded with food and people. Winter holidays we stayed home and grandma made pies. My grandmother liked to cook, she always made pies for any holiday whether it was a spring, summer, autumn or winter holiday.

My Grandfather Said Grace

Kamal (Perfection), 3 Sultan (Sovereignty), 164 B.E. - Sunday, January 20, 2008 about 7:10 PM PST

My Grandfather said grace
on Sunday, when all the grandchildren
were gathered around the dinning room table.

My Grandfather said grace
at the noonday meal when everyone
was present.

My Grandfather said grace,
he didn't recite scripture verse
memorized in his youth.

My Grandfather said grace
the prayer he said at our Sunday lunch
came directly from his heart.

My Grandfather said grace
and asked that we all be blessed
at some time during the coming week.

My Grandfather said grace
on Sundays when the good dishes
were used for the family meal.

My Grandfather said grace
and then we would eat the food
that my Grandmother prepared.

I did it I Baked a Cake in a Microwave

Jalal (Glory), 1 Sultan (Sovereignty), 164 B.E. - Saturday, January 19, 2008 about 10:15 AM PST

I finally did it, I baked a cake in a Microwave. It took ten minutes to bake the cake. I used a packaged cake mix, rather then baking it from scratch. The cake was a little dry, but I think that was because of the mix and not baking it in a Microwave. Other then being dry, the cake tasted all right.

I have another cake mix and a pumpkin bread kit in the cupboard. I also have peanut butter cookie mix in the fridge. I'm not sure what I'll try next, maybe the cookies and maybe the pumpkin bread kit. I like using a Microwave because it doesn't take long and I can get back to something else quickly.

I'm not sure what my grandmother would say about using a Microwave to bake a cake. She made her cakes from scratch most of the time, but sometimes she would buy a prepackaged cake mix. She would probably approve, she always liked to try the latest technology.

My Grandparents in My Dreams

Istiqlal (Independence), 19 Sharaf (Honor), 164 B.E. - Friday, January 18, 2008 about 2:35 PM PST

For three night
my Grandparents have been in my dreams
we are in the house where they lived
in Blackwell, Oklahoma.

There are cousins I remember
and some I never meant
we are all there,
both sides of my family
gathered in Grandma's kitchen
talking and remembering
the good times
and the bad.

For three nights now
my Grandparents have been in my dreams
and I wonder
what are they trying to tell me.

Today I Am Thankful for

Istijlal (Majesty), 18 Sharaf (Honor), 164 B.E. - Thursday, January 17, 2008 about 3:47 PM PST

1. The day getting longer and warmer
2. The early morning chill that wakes me from my dreams
3. Coffee warmed over in a Microwave
4. The prayers revealed by Baha'u'llah
5. The pink winter sunrise
6. Writing.com where I can get my creative writing reviewed
7. Hot tea that warms these chilly winter days
8. A hot bath on a chilly afternoon
9. Hot soup made from French Onion soup mix, egg plants, green peppers and yellow peppers
10. That you can cook anything in a Microwave

The Poet Reading

Istiqlal (Majesty), 18 Sharaf (Honor), 164 B.E. - Wednesday, January 16, 2008 about 8:42 PM PST



This is a photo of me at a poetry reading several years ago. I enjoy going to poetry reading. I haven't been to one in several months. The poem I'm reading is one I wrote and submitted to a 9/11 anthology. The reading was to raise money for children who lost one or both parents in the Twin Towers.

I'm working on a poem title The Poet Reading. This is the inspiration for the poem. My problem right now is deciding whether to use a poetry form or just start writing and see where that leads. Since I'm having a bit of a problem writing the poem, I think I'll use a form. Using a form helps me focus on the theme, subject and the words.

A hectic two days

Fidal (Grace), 16 Sharaf (Honor), 164 B.E. - Tuesday, January 15, 2008 about 4:24 PM PST

It's been a hectic two days. I'm tired and I still have several reviews to do on writing.com.

I had a dream last night about Blackwell, Oklahoma. In the dream my mother and I were in Blackwell to attend my grandmother's funeral. We were in the house that belonged to grandma and grandpa. We were going through their things, keeping what we wanted and letting my cousins pick what they wanted. Everything else was going to be sold.

In the dream I was sixty-one, my mother was eighty-six and my cousins were whatever their age would be now. Mom and I were getting ready to come back to Las Vegas and let my cousins take care of selling the house and everything else. I suppose it'll take me a couple of days to figure out what the dream meant.

Spiritual Sunday: Making Time for God

Jamal (Beauty), 14 Sharaf (Honor), 164 B.E. - Sunday, January 13, 2008 about 4:09 PM PST

The year 2007 was very stressful for me. Beginning March 12 there were a lot of tests and difficulties in my life. After thinking back over 2007 as well as the year before, I came to several conclusions. One of the main conclusions I came to was that I needed to make time for God in my life. It's not that I wasn't saying the prayers revealed by Baha'u'llah and the Bab or reading the sacred scriptures. My problems was that I would read the scripture verses or the prayers and then go into what ever work I planned to do. I wasn't setting silently afterwards and meditating on them.

The sacred scriptures, whether they are prayers or scripture verses, have their greatest effect on the individual who meditates on them. I believe that the scriptures have their greatest effect on the person who meditates on them. Meditation on the verses of God is different from studying the sacred verses. In meditation one sits silently and thinks about the verses. A person may even repeat the verse over in his or her mind while meditating on it.

When I meditate on a scripture verse, I focus on the verse and the way it makes me feel. I read or repeat the verse over several time in my mind. While I'm meditating on a scripture verse the only thing I have is the book the verse is in and my glasses. I read the verse and then I sit silently for about five minutes or longer. After I finish meditation the I may or may not make a journal entry.

In 2008 I'm going to take the time meditate on the verses and prayers rather then just read them and get on with the day. This is how I'm going to make time for God. I think if I do that things will go better this year.

I'm a Blue Case Now

Jalal (Glory), 13 Sharaf (Honor), 164 B.E. - Saturday, January 12, 2008 about 12:56 PM PST

I'm a blue case on writing.com now. This means I'm a moderator; since this promotion occurred yesterday I'm still finding out my responsibilities. My handle on writing.com is Prosperous Snow and I've been a member for about five years.

As a writing.com member I have a portfolio for my creative writing, which is Prosperous Snow's Port. I also have an on site blog called Snow Melt. There are several layers of membership on writing.com. The category of my membership for the past two or threes years is the upgraded level, but I'm considering the premium level because I need more space in my portfolio.

My writing has improved since becoming a member of writing.com because of the reviews I receive from other members and the reviews I give to others. I would invite anyone who likes to write or read to become a member. Join at the free level of membership and see how you like it. That's how I got started, then I realized I liked it so much that I paid for an upgraded membership. The upgraded and premium levels of membership aren't expensive and you get more room in your portfolio.

Please, drop in on my port or my blog. Click on the folders and read some of my creative writings. I always enjoy hearing what other people think of my creative efforts.

Poetry Friday: Vote for My Poem

Today I'm doing a little bit of shameless self promotion. I entered the Write Stuff poetry contest. The voting begins today (January 11) at 5:00 PM Central Standard Time and ends on January 15 at 5:00 PM CST. Here is the link to my poem The Experience of Winter. On the blog Poet 999's Thoughts about Writing and Other Stuff there is a link below the poem to vote. Please vote for my poem.

Next Friday I'll post a poem in this blog, but this is the entry for this week's Poetry Friday.