The Constructive Crossword

Oh, how I love you dearly

You set my mind straight

The thoughts begin to untangle as you come together

You are something constructive to do

You challenge me, but not enough to frustration

I love starting out small and stretching to new found areas

in the puzzle, but also in my mind

It seems like my pencil can’t move fast enough to the connects I am making

Just like my thoughts are too rapid to be formed into words

My ideas and contemplation are not liner

The collide and cause havoc

But the enigma sets them in their places

Across and down

Think logically

Each thought and word

in it’s place

One helping the other

Crossing off the clues

in tandem with notions that lead to the next

Oh, how I love you dearly

You set my mind straight

The thoughts begin to untangle as you come together

You are something constructive to do

Oh, how I love crosswords dearly!

 

 

Jessica Whittle Photography / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND

Pictures with Captions

Pixabay/Simon

 

With today’s society pictures are everywhere

Someone always has some event captured

The whole purpose of Instagram and Snapchat are pictures

Because a picture tells you a thousand words right?

I’m here to tell you that you’re wrong

Pictures may convey surface emotion,

but not what is going on underneath

Happy Family Christmas photo!

Pixabay/White77

But what if I were to tell you that in the last Christmas card there was another sister

The family is torn apart and no one can get over it

But everyone smiles for the camera!

Pictures can be facades

They can be faked

The people in the photos can act falsely

Words can describe every single detail

but can also leave out the biggest details

Lies can spiral from the perfectly shaped words

So which is better,

getting surface level stories,

or

all the details except the biggest ones?

Neither

I believe the mind is best

It’s all how you perceive it that makes the difference

I could be looking at the exact same situation as you

but see it in a totally different light

Both of us are right

but both of us could also be wrong

The mind takes in an input

from the eyes

ears

taste

touch

smell

and makes a decision

followed by thought and emotion

The mind is the best, but it is the hardest to express

So we put our perspectives in a way that we find fits best

Words or pictures

I’d like pictures with captions.

Thanksgetting

When did Thanksgiving turn into Thanksgetting?

A day of giving thanks that is forgotten and consumed by the consumer

Family laughs are left behind as red markers circle want they want in ads

When I make Pop-over biscuits everyone else is popping off to the stores

Skip over a day of thanks to the day of need more, more, more

Saving a dollar becomes more important than saving room for a piece of pumpkin pie

People think buying gifts is more important than saying ‘Thank you’ to who the gifts are for

I like getting a good deal just as much as anyone else, but I’d rather be getting a precious memory instead

I understand Thanksgiving is hard because some families are difficult to get along with, but you are supposed to be ‘giving’ them another chance

I wonder if shopping is just an overused excuse to not have a family get-to-together?

Stuffing turns into stuffing the shopping cart

Cranberries morph in to ‘cram’ all the goodies

Yams are ‘Yeah, I’m in line’

I want a thankful Thanksgiving and not a Thanksgetting

 

Pixabay/johnhain

Dear God – Forever and Always

Dear God,

I find that my prayers to you are more like updates or daily recordings of what I need or want, and not my deeper thoughts and emotions. I desperately want a deeper relationship with you. I pray throughout my day and for the people I pass, but I am praying at you not with you. Every Sunday I pray that you use me and give me courage to act upon the situations you lead me to see. I pray that my life of serving you will cause others to re-think their lives. I pray that I will be your good and faithful servant.  I want to have a conversation with you and not asking for directions.

For the past few years of my life, I act like I’m talking to certain people in my life to understand what my thoughts are, and I guess that is my way of trying to have a conversation with you. I just can’t picture you to talk with you. But I’m afraid that if I do come up with a form of what you look like then I’ll put you in a box with limitations.

I want a yearning to be with you. I want to feel like I can’t get enough of you. I want you to be my forever and always, never letting go. But to do that, I need to let go and that is the hardest part.

I am not okay with my relationship with you right now, but I don’t know if I’m ready to take the next step. God will you hold my hand?

God, you are already my best friend, but that is not enough for me. You know everything single little thing about me, things that the closest people to me don’t even know. You are there when no one else is. Your timing is unbelievably perfect and I have seen that time and time again. Will you show me that perfect timing again, please?

I want you to hold me tight and tell me you got me and nothing will ever happen that we can’t handle together. I want you to carry me and whisper soft guidance in my ear. I want you to tell me to stop and when to come back. I want you to be something entirely new and exciting each time we talk. I want to listen to you and able to do absolutely nothing together like I do with my friends here on this earth. I want you to make me want all of you and more.

I want to have a relationship with you were I can’t wait to be able to talk to you. I want to have you to be my first thought to my last dream. I want to have a conversation with you that is not one sided at you and not just wants, but a conversation to just pass the time. I want to talk with you just to talk with you. I want to listen to you just to listen to you. I want to be with you just to be with you.

God, I want you to be my forever and always.

 

With love from your daughter and best friend,

 

Pixabay/waldryano

May We Never Forget

May we never forget. May we never forget our past. Our history defines us, of who we are and who we are not. History keeps a pattern. It may not happen exactly the same way, but it does repeat. But what if history is forgotten? All the effects are still seen, but the causes have mysteriously flowed away from the current citizens’ minds. We believe that World War 2 was the greatest atrocity the world, as a whole, has ever faced. But in this near future, the war is forgotten. In this foreign but sister world no one remembers World War Two, it happened but no one cares, ‘it is just a bunch of stuff that happened a long time ago’.

 

May we never forget the heroes; may we never forget the corrupted.  May we never forget the destruction; may we never forget the creation. May we never forget the sacrifices; may we never forget the selfishness. May we never forget the suffering; may we never forget the celebration.  May we never forget the suffering; may we never forget the celebration. May we never forget the people who showed up for the fight, but didn’t win the war; may we never forget the people whose excuse was that they were just following orders. May we never forget the dead; may we never forget the survivors. May we never forget the world; may we never forget the people. May we never forget the mistakes; may we never forget the success. May we never forget the abominations; may we never forget we are humans. May we never forget the victories; may we never forget the defeats. May we never forget.  

Sweet Sorrow of Love

My infant Redeemer laid

His head on coarse hay

in a plate for the sheep

for my sins He paid

from that Child is my only way

My Savior, just a Babe, fell asleep

in a cave made a throne room

As Mary grew round

with the Mighty God

being composed in her womb

did she think her Child would be crowned

with thorns, but to rescue all from the Devil’s maraud?

Each kick was from the Everlasting Father

who grew up to die

and to live again

The Child to be born was time’s author

the helpless toddler’s every laugh and every cry

belonged to the Wonderful Counselor, King of all men

from the virgin birth

came forth the Prince of Peace

to free us from our wrongs

He said His kingdom was not of earth

His kingdom, His glory, His love will never cease

for us to be with Him, He longs

the Sower of the Stars

came forth in a stable,

Did ever such love and sorrow meet?

the One of powerful exemplars

was from a girl of ways simple

Did ever such love and sorrow meet?

Nature’s Inventor

would be pierced by His own work

Did ever such love and sorrow meet?

a blood stained cross belongs to my Redeemer

I think it is His best artwork

Did ever such love and sorrow meet?

Pixabay/bykst

Who

I’ve become who I want to be

I am so happy with who I am

I look at who I am as a whole and I am perfectly ok with it

But where to go from here?

I haven’t even lived a score yet

I know that I am going to change

But into what is my question

and what is going to change me?

Just thinking about who I was it the beginning of the year and now is a huge change

But I did do a lot of soul searching throughout the year

How am I going to change for God?

I feel like I am a good Christian, but I can always be better

Who am I going to be for God in college?

Who am I going to be for God in my classroom?

Who am I going to be for God in personal relationships?

Who is God going to be for me?

Will he still always be my best friend?

Will he become sometime more?

Will he shine out from me even brighter?

I like to hope that I will like who I am going to be in the future

But if I can’t

I have a guide

and his name is the Almighty Lord and Savior

In My Daddy’s Arms

In my Daddy’s arms a little 4 pounds and 14 ounce baby girl.

In my Daddy’s arms dancing to Elvis twisting that little three year old body.

In my Daddy’s arms walking down to the bus stop for the first time.

In my Daddy’s arms reading ‘Pat sat on the mat.’

In my Daddy’s arms after dinner listening to the Upper Room Devotional.

In my Daddy’s arms running to him when he gets home from work.

In my Daddy’s arms reading a comic book at night.

In my Daddy’s arms at church listening to my pastor’s sermon.

In my Daddy’s arms hugging good – night.

I will always be in my Daddy’s arms.

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Just a small poem I wrote back in 6th grade. The quality I admire most about my father is his faith. His faith as a Christian, but also as a father, husband, employee, and a veteran. My father spends hours on Sunday school lessons, research for the best product the church needs at that time, and his time put forth as an Elder at our church. My father tries to always bring God into the situation and share his faith. My father has always helped us with our homework and never once missed a night to say good-night to me and my sister. He makes sure that his daughters have all the tools to be the best they can be. As a husband, I see the sweet small things his does and makes me smile. My parents always make time for their marriage, and not just having married being a word that they are. My father works very hard at his job and as shown me many life lessons through how he reactions to situations. My father’s pride in his country and his views help me shape my views and values, even if they differ. I love you Daddy, happy birthday!

To All the People

To all the people who hurt me

The people who kicked me when I was down

The people who’s sly remarks I pretend not to hear

The people who think they are superior

The people who are themselves

The people who don’t include me

The people who think only of themselves

The people who insult me when I feel good about myself

The people who hurt me

You changed my life

I wouldn’t be who I am without you

To all the people who help me

The people who gave me a hand

The people who compliment me

The people who stand for equality

The people who are themselves

The people that reach out

The people who look beyond themselves

The people who say something nice when I am in distress

The people who help me

You changed my life

I wouldn’t be who I am without you

The people who hurt and help

affect my life

maybe without even realizing it

I thank God for both of you

I like the person who am I

and that is because of you

I had to go through the hardships to add over-comer to my personality check-list

I had to understand sorrow to understand empathy

I had to know death to know life

I had to struggle to shine

I had to know who I wasn’t to know who I am

I had to be a Victim to become a Survivor and eventually a Thriver

I had to cry to heal

I had to fail to have the gratification of success

I had to be hurt to be helpful

I’ve learned so much

I’ve loved so much

I’ve hurt so much

I’ve healed so much

I’ve become so much

When I think of the people who made me who I am

I don’t just think of the positives, but also the negatives

because sometimes they teach me more

Thanks to all the people who have broken me

Thank you for shattering me

I have the best potter in the world to re-make me

Thanks to all the people who have put me through the fire

Thank you for burning me

I became refined like silver

I have been tested and I rose to occasion

I won’t ever be able to get over it

I won’t ever be able to let it go

It will affect me every single day of my lovely life

But I’m able to move on

I am a forever Thriver

To all the people

no matter if you hurt or helped

or even did a little of both

Thank you.

Pixabay/geralt

Limited Word Stories . . . Again

To see some of my responses to Two Sentence Stories: Doubting Courage and Am I the Only One?

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See my original: Six Word Story.

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The best of me is you.

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Forest: I can see for miles.

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I’ll live my own legend, tomorrow.

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Forget me not.

What was that?

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My world is having an earthquake.

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Walking halls: the clock stuck thirteen.

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I bleed tears and cry blood.

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Hulk smashed. Banner cried. I enjoyed.

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Blue bruises, red blood => I royal.

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Why would I tell the truth?

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For God so loved the world  . . .

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The president died; the people mourned.

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You just hit the jackpot, Tiger.

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Know enough to know, I’m broken.

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Therefore do not lose heart, eternal-life.

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Day without you, not good day.

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Don’t worry about tomorrow, God provides.

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Now onto two sentence short stories. And let it begin.

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Courage and Doubt capture my heart and taunt me. Stick me in a cage and poke and probe my inner thoughts.

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Don’t just move with the crowd. Move the crowd.

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I control the world . . . without using mind control. Now that’s an accomplishment.

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Today was the last day to see the sunrise. And I missed it.

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The glass fell off the table across the room. He caught it.

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I couldn’t see her; it was like she was invisible. Then I realized I was right.

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Is there a rock wall in New York city? No, you silly that’s Thing!

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Reversal of times: Nero lite Christians to make human torches. Now, Human Torch is a superhero.

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I’m Thor of Asgard, Son of Odin, Prince of Thunder . . . and your weatherman today. If no villains appear today, it will be shiny.

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50 word stories:

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The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but it’s still on the list. You don’t know the meaning of sorrow and pain. I want to be the one who gives you that knowledge, but it’ll break you. But maybe you’ll be better broken? Should I try?

Wait.

~ This was from the perceptive of a character in my novel Varietal.