Tag: #storytime

Good memories..

The Sun sets on another day

There was a moment when Sunset looked spectacular and I tried to snap a few pictures and we’ll see what they look like. In the end as the darkness fell across the land it was still a wonderful day.

I remember a lot. I remember when I was four years old, and my family would get together, and my aunt would come and play with me as though I were a child. Wait for a second I was a child. It’s funny how perspectives play games with your memories. In my mind, I know I was only four years old, but at the time, I felt like I understood the world. I enjoyed the fact that people were there and even more the interactions I experienced.

There is a lot of fun in the world if you take the time to find it. Whether you are young or old doesn’t matter, and instead, it is how you store those memories in your mind. For me, my younger years will always be a lot of fun, and even though I thought I was mature, I looked at the world through innocent eyes and saw people as always good.

As for my aunt I will always remember her fantastic voice and the fun times we had together playing in a small trailer. It was all a matter of perspective and my perspective was good.

So as the sun sets on another day, consider your moments well and make them seriously good. Remember that no matter where you go, there you are, and believe in yourself along the way. After all you are pretty awesome, no matter what.

Sleep sweet, love life, and enjoy your night..

The edge of anger…

The sun sets on another day…

As the sun set the clouds closed in again. Sometimes I look at the Michigan sky and feel the edge of anger for all the sunsets it steals, but I stop and smile, knowing there is far more to the world, and that high above, the sunset is spectacular.

I talk a lot about passion and about living your life to its fullest. I don’t usually talk much about anger even though anger and passion are very close bedfellows. It could easily be said that anger is a subset of what most people consider passion. After all passion is defined as “near uncontrollable emotion” and so anger can be definitely a part of passion.

Passion is very easy and yet quite difficult. At the core of who we are passion is abundant. Emotions run rampant in our minds and based on our past we control them to the levels we dictate as acceptable. Anger is one of the more destructive emotions. A small slice of anger can level buildings and we see examples of unrestrained anger in our world today. It is amusing to me to watch the news often as people create situations we’re in animate objects imbue such power that they can destroy the world but heartily overlook the edge of anger and beyond.

I have known anger that is almost limitless. As a child and a young adult I had minimal guidance and less than minimal control. Anger was easy because the world was always against me and I was always alone. Moving from place to place an average of once every nine months made making friends near impossible. A broken family and a dysfunctional set of people around me made things even more difficult. Several issues at churches broke my faith and eliminated guidance from that area. My grandparents were a light in the darkness but I saw them only during the summer and for the school years I was near alone with my sister.

I found books and movies where I could, and it was from strange places like “Star Trek” that I learned the value of honor and the passion and power to overcome anger. It makes the world a strange place when you have to evaluate everything constantly without end and be in control knowing that the anger is still there, and you are just at the edge of it.

Today it comes as second nature for me to control my anger and keep a happy demeanor all the time. This is not because anyone is telling me to do it but instead because it is the right thing to do.

How do you deal with your anger? Do you stop it before it gets to the edge? Do you embrace it and let it roll over you? Do you find ways of channeling your anger and changing it all? What finds its way into you to make anger real? What can eliminate anger in a single stroke?

No matter what your answers please remember that anger can easily control you unless you control it. Find your center if you can or get help from someone who can guide you. Make every day an opportunity to lean towards the positive and set aside the negative. Be the best you that you can be no matter what that you is.

So as the sun sets on another day, I hope you find amazingness everywhere. I hope you find a way to peace and the presence to set aside anger more easily. If you are on the edge of anger I hope you can use it and channel it into something more. Mostly I hope you find your way to be happy each and every day, no matter what.

Sleep sweet, love life, and be you…

Inner workings…

The sun sets on another day…

Sunset, well, it was sunset. IT came and went and there was sun everywhere, then nowhere, like a Ninja sunset that slides in and out, only to leave us baffled and wondering where it went. As I searched, colors spattered the clouds, and I enjoyed it anyway.

Tonight was bittersweet. It is a memory that I will hold for some time as dozens of authors and readers got together and had a little fun. There are a lot of people who watch television and get lost in reality shows as the nights go on. The month of February was a live action reality show and powerful peace of passionate interaction between people’s imagination and beyond. If you missed it, I’m sorry.

I’m sure many of you have seen improv groups where people are put on the spot and have to come up with solutions to situations in mere moments. A group of nine people we’re given minimal information about their characters and set loose inside of a mystery that first covered the theft of a book and later a murder. This was part of a book festival that had readers on the edge of their seats while authors read. For ten to 12 minutes each day the nine people interacted, and the result was hilarity that none could have predicted.

It is with this in mind that I find myself happy that this time has come to an end and that the mystery has been solved. At the same time, I am sad that I will no longer be interacting consistently with these fantastic people. It is not often that you find a group of people that are so entrenched with each other that they can respond with passion and emotion at the drop of a hat. I found the interaction to be more than fulfilling and as the group became more and more involved it was more than just an event, it created a small family.

In an old movie called April Fools Day it was said: “We cannot predict the precise moment when friendships are formed, as in filling a vessel drop by drop, there is at last one which makes it run over. So in a series of kindnesses, there is at last one which makes the heart run over.” It is with that in mind that I hope others felt the same spirit of kinship that I did.

So as the sun sets on another day, I hope your day was spectacular and that you too have found people willing to interact and perhaps a little more. And for all the people that attended the Pages Promotions Virtual Book Festival during the month of February, thanks for being amazing every day, no matter what.

Sleep sweet, love life, and the butler didn’t do it…

Fleeting flakes…

The sun sets on another day…

I saw the edge of sunset come and go while I was buried in other items. Still, I stopped for a moment and enjoyed a splash of color here and there and smiled. A few hours later, I was walking down my driveway in the darkness playing with my flashlight and shining it to the sky. As I did, I was rewarded with a few sparkles from flakes slowly drifting to the ground. I smiled for a moment as the light shimmered and faded away. After all it is still almost winter, or second winter, or third winter, or something like that.

I hate to quote the Time Warp, but time is fleeting, and each moment passed is a moment that is never regained. My, that sounds depressing. At the same time, each moment lived it’s a moment to be cherished, and perhaps if we think about it that way, we have a lot of moments before us. The world can be fantastic if we take our time and enjoy every moment. The world can be a more fantastic place if we make our moments better and better.

As I stared up at the flakes falling from the sky, I thought about all of the individual memories that we all have, and I smiled. Sure, it was just a couple of snowflakes, but if you remember, every snowflake is unique and so are you. So are we.

Take a moment and enjoy the day and enjoy everything that’s coming. Even the snow and ice storm that’s supposed to be coming tomorrow might be pretty to look at. I hope I continue to enjoy the snowflakes and maybe skip a little of the ice but it would be just as fun if I looked at it another way.

So as the sun sets on another day, next time you see a snowflake think about how unique it is. Then look at the snowscape and consider how many snowflakes are unique. Then remember that you are just as special and deserve to be happy, no matter what.

Sleep sweet, love life, and keep making your days amazing…

The speed of it all…

The sun sets on another day…

I enjoyed sunset, but I also enjoyed the kite surfers on the waves early in the day. I found myself wandering a little this morning, and as I did, the early morning wind threw people through the air and made the moments a little more amusing. Sure, it was freezing outside, sure there was still ice on everything but somewhere inside of it all was the will of people just to enjoy themselves.

It’s funny how life comes at us fast and is better enjoyed slow. We go through our lives not paying as much attention to time as we should, and as time begins to run out, we try to wring the moments out of every second simply because we ignored the time when we had it. So many people look for tomorrow and eliminate their todays that it almost makes me feel sad. Even more, people have it figured out until they don’t. There are a few that are sure they don’t have it figured out, but they’re enjoying life better than many.

I know that’s about as clear as mud unless you’re already in the mud, but if you pay attention, you’ll quickly realize that it’s not all that bad to slow down the moments. Even more so it is not all that bad to take a breath and laugh for a little while.

I find myself enjoying every day and trying to make the moments longer. I have done this for a long time, but often it gets away from me. I am the one who wants the game to go longer so that I can enjoy it. I am the one who doesn’t want to stop laughing at the comedian and wonders why they have to finally go home. I am the one who wants a kiss to last for three, even if it’s inside my mind. I am the one that thinks passion is more important than just about anything.

Someone told me a long time ago that all they wanted was peace. They wanted some modicum of control of their day-to-day lives, and they wanted to be able to take a breath and just slow down. It is my opinion that it is better for us to not only be able to take that breath but to be able to do it as we are lost in an exciting moment. It seems like it’s counterproductive, but I would like to think that chaos and order should be close bedfellows all the time.

So as the sun sets on another day, I hope you find the passion and purpose to make today your best day. I hope you can slow it down or speed it up so that it suits you and makes your life far more complete. After all, there is no better day than today to be your best day. I hope you find it, no matter what.

Sleep sweet, love life, and lets get some pie….

A yellow shirt…

The sun sets on another day…

Sunset was more than spectacular as Pepper and I found a spot, and watched the birds and the sun sliding from the sky. I took an extra few minutes, and laughed as Pepper sat and watched the birds. I found a moment of peace.

Where do I start.

I was writing tonight, trying to finish a series of thoughts on a series of thoughts. In the process I picked up a book next to me, “The Collected Works of Kahlil Gibran” and opened it randomly to a page. This quote called to me, “Death is not neared to the aged than to the new-born. Neither is life.”

I sat for a moment and my mind drifted. It was a moment of solace and seriousness.

In February of 2021 I published a book called “A Slice of Fear”. In that book there was a story about death. The story was from a dream I had and the dream was so vivid that if it was not real it should have been. In the story and the dream the personification of death wore a yellow shirt and slacks and was generally mild mannered. He told me about my life and explained a lot about the different trials and tribulations I had been through. All of the things in the dream were real and all of the moments described were just as real.

There are particular situations that I have gone through that have been relatively devastating. One of those situations involved the woman who took my heart and later set it free. She made a choice in her life that removed me completely. It wasn’t because she didn’t have feelings for me but instead because she was looking for peace and she described that peace in great detail. Part of the peace was finding a center so that her children would find their peace. I respected this even though it hurt. It actually hurt a lot.

I have had two additional dreams and visited with the man with the yellow shirt. the dreams were not difficult and were nowhere near as adversarial as the first dream. Still, they aligned the series of thoughts and I of course thought that somewhere in the back of my mind I was working out issues that I had never put to rest. The largest of these issues was the man in the yellow shirt taunting me with the idea that anyone that would give to me the way I gave to them would be removed from my life. To put it simply the man in the yellow shirt was giving me some sort of penance and stating that I should not consider having some people in my life that listened and heard and put in the pure passion that I did. It was further stated in my dream that the reason I did so well with my puppies is they gave back everything I put in, but their lives were finite. I agree with this premise and only a few people have ever considered the depth of how I feel. Instead most are lost in the bias of how they think I feel, or project their insecurities on me.

I’m getting to the point, thanks if you’ve stayed with me.

On December 24th of 2022 the person who I was close to died after a battle with cancer. I had no visibility into their life beyond a few messages from time to time and no idea this had happened. I found this after doing a quick check when I saw the quote tonight looking for an obituary in a town from the past.

I sit here thinking about the depth of passion and someone who was as passionate as I and to put every ounce of their passion into me as I did to them in the short time, we were together. I sit here thinking about how few people truly understand how deep passion can go. I sit in wonder of the people who hold on to anger and miss out on the depths of what can be felt. My mind is a series of emotional whirlwinds wondering how many people are next to the people right now thinking not about sleep or really anything else except that person next to them. My thoughts have drifted to peace, and I hope that this person has found the peace they were always seeking. There is very little else to say except the man in the yellow shirt does not bring pain or suffering but instead ferries souls to where they belong. I know that in this moment this person will find their peace.

So as the sun sets on another day, take stock of who you are with and those people that see past the obvious. Find those people that transcend the mundane and lift you to a new place. Seek out friends and loves that not only love you but lift you to a spectacular new height. Set aside those people that use you then ignore you or give only what they want when what they want is little. Reach out for the spectacular because you deserve even more and as you do realize that you are special and that you deserve more than anyone can give you unless they listen to and see who you are. I say it to you again, you are special. Keep holding on to your feelings and never let go of your passion, no matter what.

Sleep sweet, love life, and sleep in peace…

A light in the darkness…

The sun sets on another day…

I thought about sunset as it passed into the western sky, and I enjoyed the moments, even though I still could not see the colors, or the sun. Still, it was a good day and I knew the night would be better.

Today I met a wonderful young lady who was working the desk at a large shop. I say young because she was young at heart, not of age, and she told me a bit of her story. She had lost family and was alone now, but still she had friends and kept busy in her retirement just by working small jobs like this one.

As I listened she relayed her tales, and they would have devastated many. For her it was just another great and fantastic day, and for her the day would be full of excitement and meeting people.

To me it was positive because here was someone that could have given up, but instead she shined brightly and made a difference. She pushed herself into the light even as life was trying to take it away. It was inspiring to see this and I felt as though there could be few better worlds than one with her in it.

We all have choices. I know it is a tired phrase, but when life gives you lemons make some pie, after all pie is great. Find the best path you can, and in the process lets all be happy with what we have the best we can.

So as the sun sets on another day, I am always happy to find positive people who try to lift me up. I am too heavy though, don’t want to break backs. You know what I mean though, surround yourself with positive people, and make each day amazing, no matter what.

Sleep sweet, love life, and be a positive model for all…

Another memory…

The sun sets on another day…

I had high hopes for sunset as the day sprayed sun off and on. Unfortunately at ground level the darkness set in. I smiled though as the sunshine today had been wonderful!

As you get older, like me, you may find that the things you thought important are maybe not as important, and even though they gave you a good memory or 10, it may be time to let go of them. I am in that process now after 2 things happened previously that gave me pause.

Although unrelated, the two items had a big impact. First, my grandmother died. It was very sad but she was in her mid 90s, so she lived a fantastic life. When she died my uncle had several dumpsters brought in and all the things that had been important to this woman were surgically eliminated from the world. It made me sad to consider that

Second, I went to an estate sale sometime after that and at the sale the daughter sat at the door and told me that everything in the house was for sale that she wanted nothing from her recently deceased father. It gets you to thinking doesn’t it, on several levels.

Well that was depressing. Let’s stop it.

I have some things that other people would enjoy. Isn’t it better to share some things with others and see their happiness rather than not? Wouldn’t it be better to help other people see your vision then for everything to be lost like ashes in the Wind.

It is with that in mind that I’m looking at things and I hope you do as well. Let’s work together and streamline Our Lives into as much fun and excitement as we can have. After all we need the fun and it makes our lives much much better. I think I’m going to enjoy it a lot.

So as the sun sets on another day, people are what’s important and I hope you enjoy people and the interactions that you have with them. Make every moment amazing and don’t stop making your life better every day, no matter what.

Sleep sweet, love life, and let go to hold on…

New heights…

The sun sets on another day…

You might think I’m strange, but I enjoyed sunset last night as snow fell silently in the night to warm ground that didn’t let it last for more than a few seconds. As I slowly burned Jack pine trimmings in the burn barrel, I shined my flashlight to the sky and watched the snowflakes sparkle as the sun set somewhere high above.

You know a lot of times we take for granted how good our day is. It’s funny really that when you have a good day when the next day comes many people expect a better day and eventually the days can’t get much better. Sure, sometimes they do, but often when we slip just a little it seems like we’re having a bad day, but we are not.

It is said that someone “wept when I had no shoes until I met a man with no feet”. It has been stated several times in several ways and is actually an old proverb and from Shakespeare. It is there that we sometimes have an issue. We are so concerned about how things are going that we don’t realize how good they are. Take a deep breath, hold it in, and think about all the people that can’t even do that. Oh, you can breathe now, don’t forget to breathe.

All I’m trying to say is that as we reach new heights in happiness don’t forget that you are still happy. As we find our way don’t forget that there was a path to get us there. It’s actually pretty easy stuff.

So as the sun sets on another day, today was a pretty good day. I even got to see some fun people that I hadn’t seen in a while. Tomorrow will be good too just because and for no other reason than that. I hope you can say the same and find a way every day, no matter what.

Sleep sweet, love life, and enjoy the eve…

End of a year…

The sun sets on another day…

It is the end to another year. Sunset today was spectacular high above, but the clouds sat upon us all as the rain and snow prepared to return. Still, I smiled and considered this year.

In January there were many fun prompts that were inspired by people I met. I also reviewed a considerable number of books in January with a passion to read. I set a 2022 goal for 300 books and read as of today 324. A good read for a little fun in January was Positions.

In February I was pounding books out like crazy. I got a kick out of a lot but also had a few come in that were less than perfect. I wondered about the divide in people, and was inspired by even more. I was fond of a post I wrote in February called Ashes, as it meant a lot to me, and a little more to many. I was also devastated by a terrible loss. It was there I wrote Depth of a Heart.

AS I reread March I realized I must have been attacked by a Thesaurus. I fought it for control but the number of large posts in March was high. Made me laugh for a few. I reread Positional Awareness and even though I repeat it from time to time, it is quite meaningful.

April showers bring May flowers, but for me it was more books by the week being posted and reviewed. As I looked at April I laughed at a song I was singing on the 18th. Then sound a few posts I liked a lot. Lot’s of books and short reviews posted and a cute little item called If it is going to be. I laughed and smiled a lot at this months items.

Mayday mayday, the month slid by. This month had a lot of fun reads but I liked Limits and Abilities and considered my writing for a while.

June is always a good month. Michigan is green again and a lot happens. At the end of June is the Muskegon Art Fair. I always have fun there and this year while drifting found some unique items. I wrote a cool poem in Faces.

In July I was hit by the death of an author, Kate McNeil. I also had fun with a stack of authors at Once Upon a Book. It was a series of bittersweet moments. I would like to think the summer made me smile more. A big highlight was Motor City Nightmares. Check out Measure of a Hero

August snuck up after a summer full of weddings and funerals. The very last day of the month I wrote Positive Change as I once again interacted with people and kept learning.

I appreciated September simply because things were slowing down a little. I did get to enjoy a few great shows and I love talking to readers and helping them see into their own minds. I smiled and laughed a lot during September as I visited several areas and sold books by the dozens. As I was reading I enjoyed this post.

October brought Halloween and during the month of October I started playing with other social media sites and selling A Slice of Fear and Another Slice of Fear. I also found that by accident I had completed enough content for a third anthology and began putting it together. I wrote Lines during this time and it was a revelation to me in some ways.

There was a chill upon us all as November rolled in. November is typically when we start to see some really cold weather and we did, but we also saw some really warm weather. It was an odd month but I enjoyed it. I was more than a little successful with the nanowrimo event and went to several shows including Reed City. While at Reed City I wrote this.

That brings us to December and to the end of a very interesting year. This year I have experienced death many times over and weddings aplenty. I can think of no better and more exciting time then interacting with people and enjoying the fellowship that they give. The year has ended and I hope you have enjoyed 29,000 sunsets and all the fun I have had writing it. As usual my purpose was hopefully to uplift one or two people but as the year has gone on I have interacted with so many more. Each of you is amazing and I appreciate every reader that I have.

So as the sun sets on another day keep pushing and being amazing each day, no matter what.

Sleep sweet, love life, and happy new year…