Month: December 2021

MY THOUGHTS AND STATEMENT

Days go by.  I sit, write about desires

and miracles while waiting patiently. 

What do I know?  Are expectations real?  

Am I bold enough?  I move on, never stopping,

always taking steps.  Where will they lead? 

I have a purpose.  I try to improve condition. 

My life is full.  I have fallen.  Know what

getting up means.  Have released my sins. 

Sought forgiveness.  Released and forgiven those

offending me.  Where is the glory? 

Dancing with clowns is disheartening.

Getting approval from idiots, who claim

to be sacred administrators of justice.

What do they know?  They have forsaken the many,

chased after false idols.  Do not know mountains or

the thrill of victory after having been beaten back,

too many times to count.  That I am alive is a miracle;

am able to function, a miracle; the desire to improve and help others,

a miracle.  Still, I wait patiently for more.  I am not sullen. 

There are prospects and time for me to act boldly. 

Find happiness, which may be temporary, but so is life. 

The hereafter will speak for itself.  For now, I will flap my wings,

angel wings, put them to human use. Vow not to hurt anyone,

stifle my pride, and celebrate loud and silent joy.  Participate at all levels. 

Look for the Master in others.  Refrain from judging, stay strong,

and sing my songs of love.  No one needs to know, but

they will see my glow and acknowledge it in their own way. 

How great is that?  Life is wonderful. 

Angelic manifestation is the only thing

I have experienced that supersedes it.

Stanski

Christmas 2021

Today is a celebration of your birth and

there is reason to celebrate if we can

for you are the key to the reality of

goodness in our lives and without you

we would be lost and abandoned. 

We need you in our lives and pray that

we can keep that thought foremost in our minds. 

Everything we do is by your grace. 

Without you, nothing will be done

of any consequence in respect to our salvation. 

We have much to learn about your prophets and

the miracles you performed through them. 

Those teaching us have much to learn and

they can only base their knowledge on

what they have learned about you from

the notes we have on your brief period

of life on this earth.  We pray that you will

deepen our faith in you by the delivery of

your words and works by men who have

studied them and who remain in awe of you

and humble in the knowledge that you are

the one and no one of us is as important as you. 

Our records look sad for the most part

in a world that we have cluttered with

our selfish needs to have more and more

at the expense of your loved ones who

must endure with less.  We need constant

reminders of why we are here and must be in prayer,

thanking you for the gift of life and asking for

forgiveness for our evil ways which caused

you to give up your life for us and our sins. 

You are the only gift that really matters to this day. 

Steve Haarman, December 25, 2021 ^.

We are in the winter season and

really don’t know what this means. 

Each season is independent but has

a connection with the other seasons. 

One cannot exist in reality without the others.

It is a concept that makes us think of each other. 

We are all independent beings, but alone

means very little as opposed to what

we are when connected to each other. 

There are transformations that take place

when we are involved with others. 

Without a certain being who influences us

we may stumble through life with failures

but with Him, we are turned toward success

and remain, thusly, connected to him forever. 

The seasons do not just start and end but

the gradual build-up and the fading away while

the next is just beginning connects them and

leads them to give us the unexpected,

the beauty, the violence, and the unpredictability

which creates the excitement of living. 

Our relationships with others fall along this same pathway. 

Certain acts affect us in ways we never knew possible

and often save us from a life of sadness. 

Jesus is the gift given to us this season and

when we listen to the stories of His life

we are lifted and encouraged to follow in His footsteps. 

We are not required to do this but many are

inspired to do so and in doing so live a life

that is fulfilling and happy even through periods of distress. 

Just as seasons change we are vulnerable to change and

do change but the underlining connection with Jesus

makes the steps we have to take bearable although

we do not seek an easy way through life.  It is with Him

that we are able to endure and often able

to help carry the cross that He bore for us. 

The seasons are far from certain in how they will be. 

Some are great and others are difficult, but

years go by and we look at them all as average. 

In life we see similarities, but by His grace, we adjust

and take the good with the bad and try to be thankful. 

We know we have much to be thankful for and in return

we have the obligation to give back,

similar to winter giving way to spring. 

It is a wonderful life when we have the right attitude.

Stanski on December 25, 2021 ^

He was a good man, kind and gentle, always considerate of others,

wanting to know how they had been and what they were up to.  

He would inquire if there was anything he could do to help out. 

He was happy when things were going well for others and

very encouraging to those who had a struggle. 

He had a genuine concern and there was nothing phony about him. 

He had his beliefs and was faithful to them,

not one to go astray for a selfish reason. 

He was a true gentleman and was always on

the lookout for others, helping them in many ways

including the most important, the spiritual way. 

You did not always know he was around because he was quiet. 

He always wanted to do more than was necessary. 

People liked the way he treated them. 

Everyone was a soul, a child of God, and

deserved his best which he gave willingly. 

He could think, analyze, laugh and I am sure cry. 

He showed up when it was his turn to volunteer with Carolyn

and always had good suggestions on how to improve things. 

We were moon brothers, both being born on July 13 as was my Grandson

There came the time when age caught up and

he could not continue with his regular schedule. 

He had a home to take care of, a wife who needed his help

and Ron had a church and was committed to it. 

His neighbors liked him and he would help them if they needed him. 

He was not boastful but was proud and thankful for his accomplishments. 

He was a jewel and the Master Jeweler needed him for a crown,

a flower that the Gardner had to gather home to make a bouquet. 

He was a lovely person who bore his cross, silently and with dignity. 

He will be missed by those who knew him, but remembered with the hope

that we will meet again in the Kingdom.  A good lamb, he will be waiting

for his missing sheep, while helping the Good Shepherd. 

We will also be waiting, but being human will not be in too much of a hurry.

By Steve Haarman

December 21, 2021 ^

A beautiful morning is here, 
just a different kind of beauty.  
Ice and snow castles are forming 
along the shore line.  Waves are 
slapping the shore which seems to 
have extended to a football field away.  
Meanwhile conditions on the mainland 
continue to be the same with natural 
disasters and manmade misery.  
Dictators are persecuting believers 
who are willing to die for their faith.  
Such strength is immense.  
Many of us have been blessed.  
We need to give back for all 
the gifts we have received.  
We have made many promises and 
have kept only a few of them.  
It is so easy to make errors and 
then be blasted for them.  
We may forgive the blasters and ourselves.  
We look for new beginnings, 
thinking of those who only have one chance.  
Our good fortune brings with it responsibilities.  
We must prepare ourselves 
to step up and be accountable.  
Our love for Jesus must be exemplified 
by our love for others, including 
the least of these, my brothers.  
Then we may be a little more 
at peace with ourselves, a little more
like the gentle summer waves 
than the frightful winter blasts.  

Steve Haarman aka Stanski
December 24, 2021 ^

I’ve heard the chatter, Lord

I’ve heard it all

The paths people say

They are going to take

Then I wait and watch

And know what chatter means

Sweet Jesus, You are my brother

Come into my heart and settle me

I do not wish to be a judge

Just want to be a better version of myself

Do what I know must be done

Be happy and thankful for the opportunity

Keep my hand in yours

For I need guidance and your love

You provide the fountain of fulfillment

I want to drink that living water

You have given me all I need

Now my turn to give honor to You

You have provided my friends

They constantly provide challenges and

Know how to walk and not just talk

What a gift from you, my closest friend

You provide abundantly

I remain in humility

So happy you are my brother

Stanski

December 24, 2021 ^

Dew on the roses

The image on the mind

What could surpass?

Difficult to say

The morning’s light

High in the trees

Eagles seemingly floating

On the evening breeze

Blossoms on fruit trees

Many things in harmony

Nature gives no relief

From all the beauty it brings

We think of sounds

Brooks and creeks

Bubbling over rocks

Birds singing greetings

Announcing the joy of life

Sunrise

Church bells ringing

A lovely walk

Choirs singing

All so lifting

Reminding us

Life is a miracle

We are so blessed

The voice of God

Falling on our ear

Our conversation with him

So private and dear

A feeling sublime

Any time of the year

Stanski

December 23, 2021 ^

Beauty given to sinful souls
No questions asked
Respect expected
Graciousness and consideration
This is real time
We are not in dreamland
We pray for the persecuted
And the impoverished 
We have free reign and luxury
We worry about petty things
We need to refocus
Amen

Steve Haarman

Eight o’clock on a late fall morning

Everything is still outside

Totally calm

Snow covers the ground

The inland sea appears motionless

Under gray-white clouds

Light is just light,

   nothing arousing

There will be gloom today

    in many lives

Have things to do and cannot linger

There will be no basking in melancholy

I make no hard plans,

    things will just flow

I feed the birds, then shower

Throw in a load of laundry

Drive to town for physical therapy

Go to the post office,

   pick up the weekly paper

Donate to shop with a cop

Come home, put clothes in the dryer

Make up the bed, drink a glass of water

Sit and write a poem,

   then work on Christmas cards

Wash a few dishes and straighten the kitchen

Fold the clothes, take an hour nap

Wake up. 

See a pileated woodpecker

   go to work on a tree

Think about nature’s mysteries

The light, brighter earlier,

   now turns to gray

Looking back, it’s been a very good day

Stanski

December 22

An eighteen-year-old addict says that an

injection of heroin is like a kiss from God and

asks what can replace that kiss if he were to sober up. 

The learned one, a counselor, has no answer, but

is moved beyond words by the comparison. 

A kiss from God is an overpowering thought. 

What will compare? 

What could bring such a rush? 

Dwelling on this could be a lifetime mission.

I reflect on what brings about euphoria to me. 

When do I feel this rush of ecstasy?

Accomplishing the impossible, helping others,

giving of myself for good causes,

sharing in the joy of others, especially children

are some of the things that lift me and

give me a high.  I think about performance,

the practice sessions, showing up and

then the applause when it is over. 

This is nice, but not a kiss. 

I ask the questions:  What else does the kid know? 

What are his life experiences? 

Has he ever had a natural high

that comes with the empting of himself? 

If he hasn’t then he doesn’t know if the kiss of God

would have been given then. 

Without knowing then

there is no possibility to compare.

The body of everyone is a temple.

It is not meant to be desecrated.

There will be no kiss.

The creator is not to be diminished by thoughts

which imply that there is a reward for bad behavior.

If not predicated on doing the extraordinary,

euphoria then is just another name for loser.

Stanislaus Kuperski aka Stanski

December 21, 2021 ^