Month: October 2021

 
I think of Jesus as the Light
That struggles to enter our hearts.
Many have opened up to it but
There is a resistance by some.
I see Him hanging on the cross.
God chose the Romans to do this.
It was His purpose for them so that
The gates of heaven would be open to us.
I think of our sins:  Anger, disobedience,
Injury to others, abandonment of duty
And wonder if these offences were worth 
The agony, the scourging at the pillar, 
The crowning with the thorns, and the 
Carrying of the cross.  We are weak.
Thankfully we have a loving Father,
Who gave us His Son.  The Son taught
Us and left us with the Holy Spirit
To be with us as we travel through
Life with the tendency to fail and fall.
Today, as I look out the window, I see
Leaves falling, birds flying and a bright
Sun often shrouded by clouds.
I think of magnificence, wonder and
Realize how we fall short of our
Potential and how much we have
To learn.  Out thankfulness should
Lean to opportunity to give of 
Ourselves to improve condition.
A small price for all that we
Have been given.

Stanski
October 31, 2021 ^

I walked the shoreline
Searching for garnets
And other precious stones
A two mile walk and 
All I found was beach glass 
Pebbles and small
Animal bones
It was an adventure
But when I talked about it
All I heard was groans
You cannot win them all
But at least I wasn’t on
A mountain when I
Took the fall

Stanski
October 31, 2021 ^

I think about the day ahead and
Feel it is important as many things
Will happen affecting me that I
Have no idea of at this time.  I
Will try to meet each event with
The proper demeanor.  There
Will be people who need me
And I must be ready to help.
I many need support and have
No idea who will be the one to
Come to my aid.  Life is like that.
It unfolds and we can just get out
Of the way or face up to it with
All of our energy.  The Father is
There for us.  We only need to ask
For His guidance and for the 
Strength to see us through.
He offers His hand.  He gave us
His son to rescue us from sin.
Knowing these things helps keep
Us positive and ready to serve.
Jesus proclaimed to follow Him.
We should be honored to do so.

Stanski
October 30, 2021 ^

CANDLES

No candles lit 
Except for the sanctuary candle
The candles for mass will be lit
They are being lit now
Better late than never

Stanski
October 30, 2021 ^

Pain is an awful thing.  
We pretend to understand
Until it happens to us and
Then no one can appreciate 
What we are going through.
There is much to do and
Projects you have to contend
With and somehow you make
It through, at least this time.
Seemingly the price you pay
Is more pain.  It remains like
The plastic bag that time 
Will not decay, but you know
It will end.  It has to.  Come on
Now, Stanski, you know it’s true.

Stanski
October 29, 2021 ^

The tower where the bells 
Will ring for this hour is empty
I hear no one climbing stairs
Suddenly the bells ring 
The stair-climbers were discreet

Stanski
October 28, 2021 ^

A new October morning
Finds us in the gray days
Of the year.  Fields of pumpkins
Waiting to become Jack-O-Lanterns 
Corn stalks groomed to form tents
Leaf burning gives us clouds
Which remind us of Indians dancing
There is enough room for spirituality
The colorful leaves, each different
As are we and are the Saints in Heaven
We wait for Halloween, Thanksgiving,
Advent and Christmas as well
It is a commercial world and much
Emphasis will be placed on what
We think are the wrong things
We are awake and know where
Our focus should be.  We have bold
Intentions, but to carry them out
We need the help of the Lord.
It is easy to be distracted from the
Things we wish to do so we double
Down in prayer and good works
When these days are past we may
Judge ourselves and look forward
To our next challenge

Stanski
October 28, 2021 ^

The FATHER’S voice is heard
His command seems daunting or 
uncomfortable to us and 
we put aside or ignore His request, 
but return to Him when we have needs 
and are willing to ask Him then, 
even as we have walked 
away from His requests.  
We are foolish people.  
Jesus taught us all we had to know 
and left the Holy Spirit with us 
to help us if we were to stumble.  
We fail easily and often refuse to 
go to the fringes where the need 
for His work is the greatest.  
Still we remain proud and even 
make noises over the little things 
that we do.  Retrospectively, 
we may regret our actions and inaction, 
even justifying them in our own mind.  
Jesus said, “Follow Me”.  
We should have no problem 
understanding His request.  
If a person of importance sought 
a favor from us we would be honored 
and thrilled, but hesitate to respond 
to the Prince of Heaven.  He always 
forgives us and offers us many chances.

Stanski 
October 27, 2021 ^

The two women walked on
Opposite sides of the road
They greeted each other at
The crosswalk; then continued
Earnestly on their paths;
Never to see each other again

Stanski
October 27, 2021 ^

I’m never really baffled but 
sometimes I will say that I am.  
Someone said I looked like Sean Connelly 
after I had grown a moustache and 
chin goatee and I am thinking, 
isn’t it the other way around, 
that Sean looks a little bit like me.  
It is perplexing and that 
might be a better word.  
I stopped at a service station and 
the lady asked about 
the Connelly possibility and 
I told her that I was the poet
A.H.McKricken and she said
I knew I knew you from someplace.  
Leave sleeping dogs lie, 
I thought as I moved on to 
the wedding hall I was looking for.  
A few made the suggestion at 
the reception which followed about 
who I looked like and I just shook my head.  
I was wearing blue jeans and 
a dark navy shirt with no tie to a wedding.  
Once there I felt overdressed, but then, 
thought I could unbutton the top of 
the shirt and walk around as if in 
a state of aloofness, but this was not my day.  
I was a guest and this is how 
Sean would have handled it.

A.H.McKricken aka Stanski
October 27, 2021 ^