Author: stevehaarman

WATER TRIP ON UNKNOWN WATERS

The canoe rocked a little as we

Moved away from the shore

It was making its own music

There were no concerns as we

Moved into a medium sized

Pool of water which had been

Part of stream we were traveling

Beavers had caused the back up

Of the water and when it gave

Way it mostly returned back to

Its original stream.  We floated

Along into Lake Michigan and

Followed the shoreline to the

Chicago River and continued

While humming a few Frank Sinatra

Songs and eventually connected with

The Mississippi River and went all

The way to New Orleans

When there we realized we were

Not dreaming, had no money and

Had to make a deal to pay our

Way back to Chicago.  It wasn’t all

Bad and we thought of Tom Sawyer

And Huckleberry Finn and their

Experiences not needing a river boat

To come to their rescue.  Once back

In Chicago we found a trucker who

Had a drop-off at the Casino near

Where we live.  It was an awesome

Trip and we were already planning

Our next trip, but promised to lay

It out more realistic.  On the other

Hand, nothing ventured, nothing

Gained.

Stanski

August 24, 2022, ^

I believe in being more than

A member of this church

I believe in being a

Part of my community

In setting an example,

I’m building lifelong relationships and

Insuring my love is felt,

Not just by members of my congregation

                But by all

Not because it’s good for me

But it’s just the right thing to do

          How great is that?

Won’t you join me?

Goodness has no limitations

Stansberry McKricken aka Stanski

December 26, 2016 ^

‘With a tip of the hat to Fox Enterprises”

We wake up with the waves

Beating a tune on the shores

It is gray as it has been for

Most of the month.  The sun

When it shows is bright and

Warm.  We are supposed to

Get our share of the sun in

The next few weeks. 

The water will be warm enough

To swim in.  Seeing this relieves

Us from the anxiety we were

Feeling as we are expecting

Guests and do not want them

Feeling that they were cheated

From their week on the beach

Life goes on regardless and if

The weather is great we will

Be very happy.  It has been

Over a year since we have

Seen them, but we do talk

Once or twice a week.

California is bathing in

100 degree temperatures

While we are basking in the

Seventies.  You have your choice

Pick your temperature knowing

That it is an either or situation

I will take the waves and seventies

Not everyone agrees but that is

The way of life.  The week will

Fly by and we will have to say goodbye

For a year.  All the anxiousness

Will have bee for nothing

Stanski

August 20, 2022, ^                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Another gray August morning

We are getting used to them

The sun is uplifting to our spirit

Gray is oppressive leaving us downhearted

The world is in chaos and what

We suffer is nothing compared to

What Jewish children suffered

During world war two.  From one

To eighteen they fled east after

The Nazi invasion of Poland

After, periods of hardship, homelessness

And confinement ensued.  Many

Children suffered from malnutrition

And serious illness.  No parents to

Help them.  This was their gray life

None of these children saw their

Mothers and Fathers again.  They had

Been sent to the death camps

The worry that cramps your stomach

Prevailed both ways except for the

Little ones who were not cognoscente

Had little hope for anything.  This was

Life and they knew nothing else.

Eventually, they were scattered and

Adopted, educated and went on to

Make discoveries and advance the

Human cause.  They had many gray

Days and when the sun did shine it

Was never sufficient to remove all

Of the gray.  They were brave people

And learned early on that complaining

Had little, if any, effect on it

Stanski

August 18, 2022, ^

No matter how hard one tries

It seems you are going nowhere

Today is the same as yesterday

The harder you try the less is

Accomplished.  You build character

You continue to travel every byway

And highway and hear the same

Negative replies.  You know you

Are good and could replace and

Outpace everyone standing in your

Way.  Finally, you get your chance

You become a shoe salesman

Having done this before you are

At ease as you begin.  You know

By intuition and experience

Which shoes are good or bad

For customers.  Kids had their

Heart set on a certain shoe, but

Will lend itself to pronation and

Further aggravate the condition.

The father is happy but the child isn’t

You improve the inventory control

Swapping out old merchandise for

New and having a great sale on the old

You move from department to department

Learning the rest of the operation

Your ideas are used and you improve

The operation of the store overall

You are called into the managers

Office where you are offered more

Money and assistant-buyer

A person overhearing the conversation

Is not happy as she has seniority

The quality of work does not enter

Her mind and negative networking

Begins.  You see what is happening and

Decide to resign the manager is not

Happy but understanding.  You move on

And find other work.  You like your

New job with animals.  Before you know it

You are the top man.  Life goes on.

Stanski

August 17, 2022,^

FROM WINTER DREAMS TO SPRING COVID

The other day about seven in

The morning I was dreaming

That snow was all over the

Evergreens and the leaves and

Branches of the deciduous trees

My screens were covered with

Snow the way the wind blows it

I was just making peace with the

Situation when I woke up and

Saw the early morning sun

Being ready for snow I was a

Little disappointed, but when

I really woke up I was a happy

Camper.  A night to day difference

A story from a fellow traveler a

While back exclaimed about a

Spring when they were confined

It was the most beautiful that anyone

Could remember.  The birds singing,

The sun out, and the trees bursting

Into bloom.  The people were let out

For only an hour a day.  When traveling

By train a lot of bribery took place

It was customary so people weren’t

Taken back.  He slept on the ground

While everything was checked at the

Border.  He was near the Niger River,

Had the stars above. The faint susurration

Of the river and the murmur of voices

From the nearby village.  Patience and

Respect were needed.  It cost him

Five pounds in bribes.  He had been in

Mali three times and mad a point of

Stating the importance of custom,

Language and protocol. Travel is like

The weather as you never know for sure

Stanski

August 17, 2022, ^

A FARM IN JUD, ND

There is an abandoned house

Along a dirt road in Jud, North Dakota

I’ve walked by it a few times

It’s off the road a piece and

When it’s not overgrown you

Can see where the narrow drive was

Along the old fence line

Tall trees including a few cottonwoods

Stand proudly around the old place

They were probably planted when the house was new

Rather small by our present day standards, but

Once was considered stately and envied by

More than one of the gentry and fellow churchgoers

Now the roof has caved a bit and some of

The glass is broken.  Eventually

The earth will reclaim it

Life goes on

I was never curious enough to have a look see, but

I often wondered who the homesteaders were

What were they like?  Where were they from?

Did they have children?  How many?

How did things go? 

How was it taking the bad with the good?

What did their parents think?

Oh the questions to ask and

Then only imagine the answers

Did they have to leave?

We’ll never know, but

My contemplation lifts my spirits and

I thank God for these people

They are my heroes

By Steve Haarman

July 10, 2012

^

The street was not busy

It was more of a country road

We were happy and walking

The side of the road was rough

So we walked down the center

Of the road and moved over

Most of the time trying not

To inconvenience the drivers

Of vehicles who not the less

Tooted their horns and gave

Us the Pope’s blessing.  We

Ignored everything and kept

On walking and talking and

Telling each other our fears

And sins.  We laughed so

Hard we cried and kept on

Walking.  A produce truck

Stopped and gave us some

Fruit and veggies.  We thanked

Them, ate the food and headed

Back.  We had a lot of dreams

To share and felt that life

Had a lot to offer us.  We

Couldn’t write anything in stone

But made some vague

Agreements that we would

Try to accomplish.  It was

Getting late so we packed

It in and headed home

The visuals looked different

Going the other way, so

We were filled twice. On

The outskirts of town we

Were picked up by friends

They took us home and

We called it a day

Stanski

August 12, 2022, ^

It is August, but

A hint of winter is

In the air.  Much too

Early; it gives you

Something to think

About.  We have

Learned to take it

As it comes

Across the street

There is a field of grass

Along with a circular

Pond of water about

Ten feet across.  In

The middle of the pond

Stands a man with his

Arms outstretched much

Like you would expect

Of a scarecrow

He had a full beard

And medium length

Curly hair.  He is wearing

A black cassock which

Just covers his knees

There are birds flying

Around but not making

Much noise. Further back

In the field is an old church

It looks abandoned, but

There is smoke coming out

Of the chimney.  There are

No cars, trucks, or buses

I think about it and conclude

To my satisfaction that

The man lives in the church

And does what he can to

Keep people from intruding

He is his own minister

And sings songs from the

Requiem and stays until

He feels redemption

His songs are soul cleansing

I feel exhilarated.  Everything

Is coming together for me

Let it snow; let it snow; let it snow

Stanski

August 12, 2022, ^                                                          

The “Red Alert” is feverish

News from Israel is daunting

What is left of Ukraine?

Little children hardly able to walk

Hunger and thirst left to prevail

No hope for tomorrow’s food

Afghanistan was seized by the Taliban

Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan

The Biden Family handcuffed by China

Nancy suddenly picks winning stocks

Better than Warren Buffett

FBI’s raid on the Trump residence

Illegals flooding our southern border

Stay in Mexico restrictions lifted

Bus illegals into Washington DC

Spend trillions to keep inflation down

Hire more IRS agents

The FBI no longer our safeguard

Flooding in Tennessee

Starvation in Haiti and Africa

River beds dry and cracking

Human trafficking causing death

Contaminated Fentanyl striking

Down thousands

Misinformation an instrument of control

Election cheating brought to notice

Followed by denials and lies

My hand is hot and my

Phone is smoking

Does anyone want resolution?

There are no trains to safety

Leaders involved in land grabs

Journalism has dissolved into

Myside versus your side

Laughter is the last thing we hear

Stanski

August 11, 2022, ^