Author: stevehaarman

Because He came to dwell among us a s shepherd,

Jesus will always seek us out when we wander

From Him. No matter what roads we travel down

Jesus will be right next to us, ready to gather us

Into His fold the moment we turn back to Him.

Because He came to dwell among us as a

Doorway to eternal life, Jesus will keep heaven

Open for us. This is not just an abstract idea,

But an ongoing promise of renewal for both

Body and soul. He even pours out His heavenly

Grace to sustain us on our way. Jesus will never abandon

Us. He will never abandon you. He will always be

“Emmanuel,…God is with us” Jesus, thank you for

dwelling with me now so that I can dwell with

you forever.

Presented from the psalms by Stanski

September 25, 2023, ^

Jesus will keep the doors of heaven open.

He is a man and knows all the works of man

Except for sinning. He understands that we

Will stray, but is always ready to take us

Back into the fold. He is the Good Shepherd

And he came to us as a doorway to eternal

Life. He is always ready to renew us and

Pours out his heavenly grace to sustain us.

He will never abandon us. This you must believe.

Stanski

September 24, 2023, ^

No clouds, waves or wind

Only the voices of birds and insects

The shore line was littered with stones,

Pollen, and other debris

Seagulls were floating overhead

Looking for an easy meal

And on the lookout for predators

Looking at them for an easy meal

The lake was smooth

Almost like an ice-skating rink

You could almost imagine the

Sounds of happy skaters, but we were

Only nearing the end of summer

We could not possibly imagine what

Was before us in the coming seasons

We would have our color tour as

Jack Frost, the magnificent artist, would

Paint the leaves of the deciduous trees

A palette of color, unimaginable

Beauty which will diminish our best efforts

Then winter will have its say

We can only hope that the clippers

Will be mild and endurable

For now I remember seeing a man swimming

A little less than a mile in each direction

He was a teacher, a professor, and this

Would be his last swim and he looked good

By early spring he had gone to his reward

Cancer, a quick acting form, had taken him

Our mortality supersedes the weather and I am

Curious about what happens when we are gone

And then the wondering if we succeeded in life

Also, will our accomplishments be remembered?

Most have no idea of all that has been done

Because it was done quietly, silently and by choice

Life like the seasons will go on

There will be low tides and high tides

Sometimes we think we are essential but

The grave yards are full of indispensable people

We should be aware of this fact

Life is a precious gift; it has one season

Live it well

Stanski  

September 24, 2023, ^

What if everyone had a paycheck?

What if everyone showed their care?

I’m thinking how wonderful things could be

No one could say that life isn’t fair

     Some working in the fields

     While others sit on a porch

     Farmer comes home bent

     Sitters “high” finishing a roach

     Workers have no complaint

     Get high on accomplishment

     Floaters sit and dream

     Dreaming the reality they meant

     Workers show up and are happy

     Idlers pretend they are

     There is quiet joy in the work place

     Noise and emptiness at the bar

Think of the pride the paycheck brings

And the world where everyone has care

I’m thinking how wonderful things could be

No one could complain – life isn’t fair

     We may all take a step

     In the direction of making things right

     Make things better for those along the way

     Turning the day from gloomy to bright

     We know what is real and the ideal

     The wishing that life could be smooth

     For everyone in every category

     To hope for, work for and not considered fools

What if we remember that we’re only of the world?

There will be a time to share

What if everyone had a paycheck?

What if everyone showed their care?

Stanski

September 23, 2023, ^

I started my walk at the edge of the woods.

This was usual and I seldom varied. Today

however, I did not follow the path down

to the water but went the other way to

see what changes may have taken place

since I had last been here. I was surprised

by the growth of the shrubs and evergreens

as well as the ground cover. Little animals

fairy like were running about as though they

did not like my intrusion. I thought a story

could be written about them and their domain,

but I think that has been done more than once

so, I filed that notion in the back of my mind.

Larger birds like owls and hawks were flying

haphazardly from tree to tree. There has been

a real takeover I thought, and I was not supposed

to be part of it. I continued and came to a camp

sight that was occupied by gypsies. They invited

me to join them for lunch. I accepted and as

we ate we carried on a conversation that led me

to believe that they were planning to stay for a while.

I reminded them of the zoning rules and the

ownership of the land and they told me that they

had already been advised, but planned to stay

if possible. I realized that it was my land

that they were “camping” on and having had lunch

with them, my action may be misconstrued as having

given them permission. This is going to be interesting.

I thought about it on my return and when I arrived

at my usual path I took it down to the water

where the rippling music put me at peace.

Stanski

September 22, 2023, ^

Some saw Jesus as a threat to

Their own status. They wanted to see

Him killed. Their rage blinded them

With their thinking. Jesus, being humble,

Always had wanted to elevate them.

As far as we are concerned, we see how

Many times our resentment, jealousy,

Or anger has tempted us to do

Something that we knew was wrong.

We have done this out of a desire for

Revenge or as a way to blow off steam.

In our own church we can find ourselves

Speaking against people whose experience of

God or faith doesn’t conform to our own.

We should not let our emotions carry us

To do something we will regret. When in

Certain uncomfortable situations we

Should really think before we open our

Mouths and say something we will later

Regret. We must pray to the Holy Spirit

And ask that our heart be softened and

That we learn how to forgive. Then we

Will feel free.

Stanski

September 21, 2023 ^

Nothing feels silly when its time spent with you.

It is normal to search for recognition.

When a job is done well because of you,

It should be self-satisfaction, and is, but

When you are praised publicly it is a great feeling.

The absence of others not knowing should not

Bring a feeling of rejection, but vastly increase

The value of your work. Many may feel like

Quitting, but this will bring sadness in the

Long run as you see others carrying on what

You started. We must always remember to be

Givers and not expect a return, but often we

Are given a return in a way which we do not

Associate it with our gifts. Many do not give

Because they see their own needs as more

Important, but in the long run we are better

Off emptying ourselves for others. The

Master said, “What you do for the lease of

These, thy brothers, you also do onto me.

This is important to know and serious. Some

May think of it as silly, but remember when

I am with you on these topics, I am very serious.

Stanski

September 20, 2023, ^

You promised your everything

And I promised mine. Then when

A storm came we fell to the ground

Like stalks of corn will do. Afraid

Of losing face we stayed there

Until later when we were found.

Then we had true understanding

As we meditated, each alone.

We understood that foolishness

Is for the immature and takes you

Nowhere. We vowed to reform

And take life as it comes, whether

Good or bad. We would face life

As it whirls by and stand up for

Each other and truly love one another.

When we reviewed our behavior

We realized that we were completely

Off base. We had everything we

needed to be happy but wanted more.

We found that many have nothing

And make the most of it. We decided to

Dedicate ourselves to helping others.

Joy filled our hearts and has made

All the difference.

Stanski

September 19, 2023, ^

We have been told what we must do

To be judged worthy of heaven, yet

Many wander from the path because

We find more joy in having then in

Giving of ourselves to others and

Fail to heed all the warnings that

Come to us from teachers of

Every description. Some are not

Thinking about heaven at all and

When they did, figured they would

Be able to test the Lord’s mercy with

A variety of excuses, which He, of

Course, is already aware of. It is

Foolish to gamble on His good will

When it is so easy to do right while

We live. Nothing we have that seems

So important to have will be going with us

When we die. To seek such things at the

Chance of losing everything is utter

Foolishness. We must listen to the cries

For help here if we expect the Master to

Hear our cries if we should fall from the

Path which leads to His Father’s house.

Many hear the call but fail to listen.

It is for us, the wise, to listen daily.

Stanski

September 17, 2023, ^

Thinning and trimming are musts.

Life will go on without doing so,

But the strident effort to keep up

On these details brings out the

Beauty of nature and the assurance

That nature in an orderly form is

Beautiful and breath taking.

It requires a good eye and perspective

To trim properly and then a strong back

To gather the fallen and set them aside

To decay or grind them up for mulch.

After this is accomplished, we may sit back

And observe the sunlight flowing through

The open spaces and take our breath away

With the beauty we see. In our own lives

We may thin and trim the excess we have

Accumulated but do not need. We may

Dispose of it by giving it to Goodwill or

Saint Vincent DePaul or Good Neighbor

Others will have access top the things we

No longer need or want. We find new room

To move about and organize, saving a lot of

Time in the long run. What was messy is now

Organized and neat, a pleasure to observe. It

Takes one with a thoughtful process to do this.

When finished we are happy and have no regrets

Stanski

September 16, 2023, ^