I did a good thing. I stepped outside briefly, and three mosquitoes landed on me. I did the noble thing and helped them back into the Karmic circle of life so that they can be reborn as a higher life form on their journey to Nirvana.
Yeah, I squashed them.
I made it through today without hitting anyone stupid with a chair. Not even one person! I think it's obvious that my people skills are improving.
My therapist will be so pleased when he gets back from his breakdown.
There are always ways you can tell a relationship is over: They move, they get a protective order, they spray you with bacon and drop you in a wilderness filled with wolves, etc.
These are all subtle signs that the ardor has become an odor.
A new entry in my People Are Crazy file:
I'm discussing a societal problem with a friend. He finally says, "You're impossible to talk to. You just keep bringing up facts. No one cares about facts."
Seriously, what am I supposed to do with statements like that?
Hm, I may have taken that metaphor too far, but you know what I mean!
“If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” — John 8:36.
As our nation prepares to commemorate July 4th, the day when we celebrate our independence from Great Britain and honor the sacrifices of those who fought and died and lost everything in the battle for freedom, it’s an excellent time to declare our personal independence.
Personal independence? Yes, personal. God wants us—you and me as we are right now in this moment—to be free. He wants us to be free of sin and sorrow. He wants us to be free of prejudice and hate. He wants us to be free of trauma and guilt. He wants us to be free of greed and envy. He wants us to be free!
It’s hard to be free in this world. The media overwhelmingly portrays values that are destructive to our mental and spiritual health. We imitate what we see even though it erodes our morals and faith. Instead of choosing peace and love, we are choosing strife and drama.
The picture of today’s world seems to be grim, but Jesus Christ shows us a better way, a way to be truly free. It is both simple and hard: “And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” – Mark 12:31-32. These are the commandments of true freedom for our lives, our family, our friends, and our nation.
This Independence Day, choose the freedom of God’s mercy and grace and celebrate His love for all His children. Then we will be free indeed.
Uncommon Wisdom:
Sometimes no matter how much we hope and pray for something, we don't get it. If we have bought into "magical thinking," then we can't recover because our world is broken. But if we realize the rain falls on both the just and the unjust, then we can survive our defeat and go on.
Move on.
Keep moving on.
All things are harder than we expect.
Unless they're easier.
Or exactly as we expected.
Don't read this post. It has no real meaning.
Stop reading, I tell you!
Stop!
Why are you still reading this?
Preaching to Myself—and to You: There are always going to be people who are mean to you, who don't respect you, who try to put you in your place. But listen, you are not what they say. The universe doesn't care about their words. Their self-righteous mouthing is nothing but background noise, lost in the static between the stars.
Remember my personal motto: "You can put me in my place, but I won't stay there."
Pick yourself up, take a long drink of defiance, nourish yourself with the Words of the One who loves you best, and face your life with joyous determination.
You are worthy.
You are worthy.
You are worthy.
Shout “Amen!”
Little Johnny listens to his grandmother as she complains about the high cost of living.
“When I was young,” she says, “you could go to the store with just a dollar and come home with enough food to feed your family for a week!”
“Well, Grandma,” Little Johnny says, "that's called inflation. We learned about it in school.”
“Inflation nothing!” Grandma snaps. “It’s all these dang security cameras they’ve got today!”
I should be doing a couple of more things—I have been productive the last couple of days—but I want to play World of Warcraft or watch more of Death in Paradise or read a book. I hope my productivity isn't waning. Or perhaps I'm too far away from my morning coffee.
I've been having to bring my plants in at night because they don't like cold weather. It's a pain in the pot.
You know, there's a lot to be said for silk plants. They don't shed, and when you get tired of them, you can throw them away and not feel like you're killing anything. In that way, they're a lot like politicians.
Ordinary Wisdom: It may be impossible for us to love everyone—we're not God—and it may be impossible to like everyone—we're not Oprah—but surely we can at least be kind to each other. Kindness to everyone would go a long way to making this world a decent place to live in. Except for that black truck that ran the stoplight and nearly hit me; it would be hard to be kind to the driver who was probably drinking as he sent naughty messages on his cellphone and ate a double cheeseburger with fries, but I would try.
Friend or Foe 
Murder by the Acre 
Murder by Dewey Decimal 
Floozy Comes Back
Bone Sliver 
Nova Wave 
Rogue Pawn 
Sword & Scabbard 
The Dragon's Lady 
WEATHERED 
Blackbirds First Flight
Blackbirds Second Flight
Blackbirds Third Flight
Prosateurs: Tales & Truth 
Here it is—Saturday, January 2, 2021—and I've not taken the time to write what I wanted to say to everyone on January 1. I intended to, but things got busy, and I had to complete a few things all of a sudden, and now it's the second day of the year which you've faced bravely and gracefully without reading what I wanted to tell you.
Yes, last year was rough on many of us. We got sick. We watched loved ones suffer. We endured losing precious people. We carry wounds of deep sorrow. But still...
We made our grim way through an election that lingers on like sewer gas. Our financial world remains strained. And many lost their jobs through no fault of their own. But still...
Our faith in humanity has been shaken. We fought in ongoing mask debates. We battled in voting wars. We distanced too much or got too close. We watched the experts attack each other. But still...
We've been torn, bent, spindled, and mutilated. But still...
We're here.
Still.
Despite all that has been thrown at us, we remain.
We still go to our jobs if we're lucky enough to have them.
We still go to our churches to acknowledge that we are small creatures in a vast universe and aid is always appreciated.
We still go to school or send our children to school or help them in our dining rooms as we remember how much we hated new or old math.
We still donate to food pantries and meal kitchens. We still give to charities, always remembering that there—but for the grace of God—we go.
We still care, still help when able, and still love as best as we can.
Look, if I had time, I would have told you that that is what hope looks like. We're loaded with the stuff. We're filled with determination. We're still the ape reaching for the angel.
That's what I would have said, and then I would ended with my favorite lines from the poem Ulysses by Alfred, Lord Tennyson:
"Tho' much is taken, much abides; and tho'
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield."
That's what I would have said if I had been able to find the time to write it properly. I think you would have enjoyed it.
And maybe you did.
Happy New Year, my friends. God bless and keep you safe.
(Illustration copyright Depositphotos.com)
Enjoy new dark and twisted stories and poems from Stephen B. Bagley, Wendy Blanton, Gail Henderson, Ken Lewis, Jean Schara, and Heath Stallcup, including:
☀ A writer challenges her murderous muse.
☀ Dragons and riders stage a daring rescue.
☀ Gangsters face off over the world's fate.z
☀ Warriors duel to their deaths in the sky.
☀ A father battles ghosts to save his daughter.
☀ The sidhe never forget nor forgive.
☀ It's Malone's Way, or the fur will fly.
☀ A shaman invades Tulsa on a killing hunt.
And much more!
Buy on Amazon!
Buy on Barnes & Noble!
Buy on BooksAMillion!
Buy on Lulu!
Buy on Powell's Books!
Yule Tidings, the latest anthology from the writing group Prosateurs, is on sale now. The holiday-themed anthology celebrates Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s with works of fiction and nonfiction.Floozy and Other Stories Floozy Comes Back
