THEY SMILE

THEY SMILE

They smile because they think

I carry a basket of food for them

They are hungry and their hunger

Has made them very thin

The water they need is near

But it is muddy, murky, not clear

It is all they have; no choice

They drink the minimal to stave off thirst

Their smiles melt your heart

What they need is a fresh start

They are bound; no way out

They are children; have no clout

They are vague about God

No one has taught them; for sure

Somehow, they still feel secure

The sun glows brightly on them

They chatter in their own tongue

They too wonder how everything

Could be so wrong, but they

Dance and sing wearing

Worn hand-me-downs.

Their mothers are weary

They have done their best

Not a moment during the day

Can they lay down and rest

The little chaps hunger will

Have to wait for a while

Their sadness is covered

With their bright smile

The world will wake up soon

Dictators will all be gone

Persecution will be in the past

You can imagine their song

We must do what we can

To help in every way

Money, food, and gifts

What else can we say

Bring the story of Jesus

How He died for our sin

He will be their hero

On that you can depend.

Stanski on July 18, 2023, ^

RIDING THE CLOUDS

After the rainstorm, I

Know today will be thrilling

I put away the horses

There will be no tilling

The land is rich and

All the soil brown

The plowing will wait

There will be no frown

I haven’t been rejected

I made the clear choice

I have been gifted and it

Is time to rejoice

I lay on a blanket and

Study the sky, looking

For creatures I’d like to ride

A few come along

Slowly, I might say

The wind has died down

They are meant to stay

They don’t look ferocious

More docile I guess

Once I am mounted,

I’ll do my best

I drift off to sleep

Have a beautiful dream

Up there in the clouds

I met my queen

We had a grand party

Numerous guests

Then off we rode

For new conquests

I soon woke up and

Came to my senses

I had fields to mow and

Must mend some fences

It all ended well

The clouds all went away

The sun broke through

It was quite a day

Stanski

July 17, 2023, ^

NOT A POEM; NOT A MUSE

Please, for me and in honor of someone who fights against:

-Ankylosing Spondylitis-Lupus-MS-POTS

-Dysautonomia -Crohn’s Disease- Ménière’s Disease

-Addisons Disease-Hashimotos Disease-Graves Disease

-FND-Depressio-Anxiety-Autoimmune disease

-Sjogrens syndrome-Polycystic ovary syndrome.

-Rheumatoid arthritis.-Chronic pain-Endometriosis.

-migraines-Multiple sclerosis.-Myasthenia gravis.

-Pulmonary hypertension-Epstein Barr syndrome.

-Chronic fatigue syndrome.-Diabetes-Fibromyalgia.

-Raynaud and Scleroderma.-Neuralgia of the trigeminal

-lymphedema Disease -Epilepsy-Cancer-Hypothyroidism

-Arachnoiditis-NEAD-Vasculitis-Psoriatic Arthritis

-Alpha 1 antitrypsin deficiency

We pray to the Father for some relief for those who

Suffer from any of the above diseases. Do not be quick

To judge others for any reason. Walking in our own shoes

May be tough, but others have it much worse with no hope

For things getting better. Be compassionate toward others

And thank God for His gifts to you. We also may pray for cures.

Stanski

July 16, 2023, ^

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

POETRY AND MUSING

Poetry and musing go together

You can express yourself with words

That do not rhyme, but are poetic

And carry you to that place where you

Are lifted and want to conquer the world

To make it a better place. We think of

Beautiful things when we read some poetry

Other times the truth of our words can

Cause sadness and distress, but usually

Carry some optimism with them.

There is much we can do to live like a muse

Suggests and when we do we feel alive

And cleansed from our failures. We must

Not tarry, because we only have so much

Time and no one knows how much for sure.

Serving other people who are hurting in some

Way is one of the best things we can do.

No one needs to know all the good things we

Do. Many will observe them and then try

To do the same thing in their lives. The end

result is the same whether it comes from

our reading or our actions. We become better

humans and the world may be redefined.

Roses are red; Violets are blue. Let’s make the

World a better place, me and you.

Stanski

July 15, 2023, ^

TODAY ONLY

Remembering the words of Jesus,

‘Follow Me”, we must agree that we

Have much to do to help those on

The fringes. When we review the

Conditions in the world it is obvious that

There are opportunities everywhere.

We would be remiss if we walked away

And did nothing or find some excuse such

As we are praying on it, when it is obvious that

We intend to do nothing, but look sincere in

Not doing it. It sometimes takes sacrifice to

Fulfill the needs of those who have no way

To ask. It is time for us to wake up and walk

The extra miles necessary and then continue

Until no more help is needed. Are we up to this

Arduous assignment? We have the Holy Spirit

Working with us, be we must take the steps.

We will never regret taking them. Another

Important thing is to not complain about things

We have no control over, but accept the

Situations with honor and respect. We have this

Moment, this day and there is no time to waste.

Be courteous and think of others first.

Stanski

July 14, 2023, ^

WHAT WE HAVE TODAY

Today is a bright, beautiful day.

There are mild waves on the inland sea.

The wind is drifting in spurts through the woods.

Flora that we can see is beautiful.

Little animals and birds are present looking for food.

It is an amazing musical sound when you listen to it all.

That is the way in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

We are not the only beautiful location, but when

you are here you would think so.

Sometimes it is difficult to remain at peace.

There is so much evil going on in the world.

One dictator pretends he is the good doer,

But his soldiers are killing the husbands and sons of

The innocent mothers of the so-called enemy.

In other places, our brothers and sisters are being

deprived of food and water. They are enduring a state

of malnutrition. Insects are devouring crops and

water requires arduous journeys. The good news is that

many have not lost their faith in Jesus. They trust in Him.

They are faithful to Him, and pray to Him, with thanksgiving.

We were instructed to help these children of God, who

Are living in destitution. Every gift, large or small will help.

We will be called upon to answer for our deeds and

Judged accordingly. Let us pray and do good and then

Do better. Let us leave the angels in awe. Meanwhile we

Are thankful for the beauty we have been given.

Stanski

July 13, 2023, ^

A COMPARISON

FALLING WATER AND THE U.P.

I think of “Falling Water.”

I believe it is in Pennsylvania

Every detail thought of and

Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright

It is a masterpiece and an

American treasure. He has

Original designed homes

For families all over the country

It is amazing how his little

Gray cells worked, but there

is evidence that they worked

all the time, for he never let up,

And continued to work all his life.

His son invented the “Lincoln Logs.”

In Grand Rapids, Michigan, he       

Built a house in miniature to

Accommodate the stature oF

Mrs. Mays, the wife of a department STORE

Magnate. Everything was reduced in

Size to accommodate her. He is also

Known for his prairie-style homes,

Built all over the country. As interesting

As are his homes, so too are the

Waterfalls of Michigan, especially in the

Upper Peninsula. There are hundreds of

Them, each unique and beautiful. One

could relate Wright’s hand with the

Wonders of nature. There is amazement.

The waterfalls change routinely but the

Homes stay the same. People are

Curious to see both and will travel great

Distances to do so.

Stanski

July 12, 2023, ^

EVERYDAY

365 AND SOMETIMES 366 DAYS OF WONDER

How you live!

Where does it come from?

It comes from within. 

Deep from within, my friends. 

Can you feel it? 

What is it when you are restless? 

You know that things are not right and

you have the feeling of doing something.

And, so you do. 

It is you and how you live and

no one can call you wrong,

in a way that affects you because

you know the truth. 

You are not alone. 

You have many brothers and sisters and

together they can sing out, “Hallelujah”. 

Some do not like our music,

but we will keep singing. 

We collectively have things to do. 

Everything out there is not right. 

Who can work to correct what is wrong? 

It is we—as we are singing—“Hallelujah”. 

This is how you live and how we live and

it comes from inner inspiration. 

We are individuals with free will. 

We choose the path and our leaders.

We believe that spiritually speaking—

we are on the right path. 

How do we all live? 

Where does it come from? 

We live for others.

It comes from our spirituality

and our music, “Hallelujah”.   

Stanski

July 11, 2023, ^

BEING TOO BUSY

IT BEGINS WITH US

Cal Thomas maintains some hope for

The future and says the nation’s path

Could change through the “power of the

Individual” – something he said has

Been “ignored by a lot of people.”

“Yes, we are interested in the big pic-

ture of what happens in Washington,

But what we can affect starts with our

Families.”

Thomas notes that there are three

Major contributing factors common

Among nations that have collapsed:

*Massive national debt

*Uncontrolled immigration

*Loss of a shared set of moral values

   He fears that the U.S. is experiencing

At least the early stages of each element.

   When it comes to the nation’s moral-

ity, Thomas points out that people who

embrace what used to be termed “tra-

ditional values” are now “denounced,”

while those who advocate for “other

lifestyles” are “promoted.”

We must stay engaged

A Cal Thomas meditation

Presented by Steve Haarman

a.k.a. Stanski

July 10, 2023, ^

THINKING OF OTHERS

A MEDITATION July 9, 2023

Bright Sunday morning waiting 

For the mass to begin. The Holy

Spirit will watch out for me during

This time. I am working on taking

Useless stress out of my life. I pray

For improving conditions in this

World. There are anti-Christs

Everywhere watching their people

Die of starvation and disease.

It is heart-breaking. Amen. We

Pray to the savior for intervention

May His will be done. We offer

Money for food and water. We shed

Tears to relieve our broken hearts..

Help us heavenly Father. Keep us

Strong.

Stanski

July 9, 2023, ^