Steve Haarman

We were talking,
My son and I as we
climbed and hiked
through the mountains
in Salt Lake City
What is this path call I asked
Davenport Trail he replied
How did it get that name?
There is a long flat rock
where people sit to rest 
It is like a couch so they
called the trail after it
 
Watch for snakes he said
There’s one now but
it was just a little one
They are the worst as
their venom is powerful
It reminds me of that
line drawing I bought in
Santa Fe at a thrift store of
a guy jumping over a snake
You have to be careful
 
Funny how they name streets
Library Street by the Library
Forest Avenue, University Avenue
State Street, Main Street
Washington, Jefferson and Madison
Apple, Walnut, Maple, and Cedar
First, Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth
There is a reason for all
There is an antidote of
a women in Des Moines,
the capitol of Iowa
who was goosed on Grand,
but thought it was Pleasant
 
Out where I live they are
mostly county roads so
they are all numbered
Not in numerical order either
so you just have to know
They are mostly gravel but
some are paved
Keep watching for snakes, Dad
You have to know that, too       

Stanski  
May 28, 2020 ^
 
 

We have snowshoes
June doesn’t call for them
But then you never know
How far north you might go
 
We try to get closer
Than ever before to
Those that have gone on
To that distant shore
 
How many years older
At least fifty it seems
Back in your childhood
Now you have dreams
 
We could not sense their struggle
Always seemed like a holiday
Abstract existence in warped time
What words, if you could, would you say?
 
We could climb mountains
Or be willing to try
Just to get closer
For one more goodbye
 
Love cannot grasp it
That sense of belonging
No one let go
Yet there’s that longing
 
Magical times in young minds
Who thought it would always go on
Grandpa and grandma forever
But no it ended, they’re gone
 
The laughter and the nonsense
Oh!  To get it back
The power for a miracle
Is something that we lack
 
We wish there was a road there
All we had to do was drive
Start in reverse and travel real fast
To when they were still alive
 
No, the world turns
We’re left with a prayer and a hymn
And the truth is
We have become them
 
Stanski
May 28, 2020 ^

 
What is the date today?
 
      I don’t know
 
Don’t ask me hard questions.
 
Earlier
 
      I didn’t even know what day it was
 
 
 
Still alive
 
      And moving
 
Looking for my schedule
 
      Then I’ll know
 
If I should find it
 
 
 
In the mean time
 
      Did I have lunch?
 
I thought we had eggs
 
      But maybe that was yesterday
I think they were tasty
 
 
 
Stanski
May 27, 2020 ^
 
 

Body of Christ
Often broken:
Corruption
Manipulation
Exploitation
 
Resolutions:
Return to identity
Focus on the poor
Establish again its vocation
 
Failure brings:
Loss of spirit
Jealousy
Power games
Pettiness
 
True vision
Concern
Love
Peace
 
Remembering:
We are parts of the whole
Need for healing
Consideration for all

Stanski
May 26, 2020 ^
 

 
You play the hand
Knowing all about rules
What you will do is
Entirely up to you
 
    Some will say they
    Didn’t get the cards
    Find others who agree
    Sit around on their lards
 
You wake early, eager
To play the game
Get ready for opportunity
To claim your share of fame
 
    Watching the others react
    Can they say, “Imagine that”?
    While they tend to amalgamate
    I become the fat cat
 
Still playing, praying and working
Like wind forming a snowy drift
Remember what my cards were
Thankful for the wonderful gift
 
    The losers begin to wonder
    Is this all there’ll ever be?
    Can we possibly do better?
    They finally begin to see
 
I speak of possibilities
They put away their fear
Finally ready to listen
Success is somewhere near
 
By Steve Haarman
June 19, 2012
 

In 1936 Winston Churchill wrote a warning in an essay:
We must not be led into adopting for ourselves 
the evils of war in time of peace upon any pretext
whatever.  The word' civilization' means not only peace
by the non-regimentation of the people such as is required
in war.  Civilization means that officials and authorities,
whether uniformed or not, whether armed or not, are made to 
realize that they are servants and not masters.

Socialism or overweening State life, whether in peace or war,
is only sharing miseries and not blessings.  Every 
self-respecting citizen in every country must be on
his guard lest the rulers demand of him in time of peace
sacrifices only tolerable in a period of war for
national self-preservation. (End of essay)

Larry P Arnn, President of Hillsdale College continues:
the sacrifices that are demanded of Americans today 
may be necessary, but they must never become customary.  
The purpose of our government is to keep us alive, yes, 
but also to keep us living and working, as is our right.
Going forward, our best leaders will eschew political
gamesmanship and work to control our borders, fix our 
public health agencies, and end our dependence on China 
and other foreign countries for goods that are essential
to our national health and security.  We must prepare 
ourselves to face the next pandemic without surrendering
our way of life. Mr. Arnn's writings are presented by

Stanski 
May 25, 2020^

WHAT I LEARNED
The CDC was created in 1942 as 
the Office of National Defense 
Malaria Control Activities, and 
in 1946 was renamed the 
Communicable Disease Center.  
For many decades it focused 
its full efforts on its 
original mission:  viruses 
and communicable diseases.  
But by the 2000s, the CDC, 
like most executive agencies, 
had become largely independent 
of political control and 
lost its focus.  It had 
widened its work to include 
chronic diseases and addictions, 
nutrition, school health, 
injuries, and – a telltale 
sign of ideological corruption 
and mission creep – racial and 
ethnic approaches to community health.  
It is a logical fact that if you 
favor some people you 
must disfavor others.  

In 2007, the late Senator 
Tom Coburn issued 
a well-documented report 
entitled, “CDC Off Center – 
A review of how an agency 
tasked with fighting and 
preventing disease has 
spent hundreds of millions 
of tax dollars for failed 
prevention efforts, 
international junkets, 
and lavish facilities, 
but cannot demonstrate 
it is controlling disease.  
In the years since, there 
have been reports documenting 
multi-million dollar CDC studies 
on topics like the 
prevention of gun violence, 
how parents should discipline 
children, and chronic health 
conditions among lesbian, gay, 
and bisexual populations.  
In 2017 alone, the CDC spent 
over $1.1 billion on chronic 
disease prevention and 
health promotion, 
$215 million on 
environmental health, 
and $285 million on 
injury prevention – 
all purposes that are 
addressed by other 
federal agencies.  
That money could have 
been used to prepare 
for communicable diseases, 
including replenishment of 
our stockpile of masks 
and ventilators.  
In other words, 
it could have been used 
to do the work the CDC 
was created to do. 

These are words of 
Larry P. Arnn, 
President of Hillsdale College 
presented to you by

Stanski on May 25, 2020 ^

 
Looking through the window
                An overcast day
Your eyes glaze over
                For just a moment
 
The sun peeks through the clouds
                Light filters down
Shadows are erased
                Gloom leaves as your eyes clear
 
A small deer walks by
                With wet shanks
Possibly from the lake
                Where a drink was taken
 
Small birds fly by
                The cardinal lights upon a small tree
Its red matches an apple
                Resting on the ledge of another window
 
Looking out the front door
                I see the propane truck driving out my driveway
I know without looking that
                My vacation fund has just dwindled
 
I sit back down and
                Look out the window
With hope that something is there to see
                That will put me back in my groove
 
 
Stanski
May 25, 2020 ^

The muse writes
Has ideas
Recognizes failures
His own and others as well as
systems that are not functioning
He offers solutions
for the sake of others and
also for his own edification
His ideas and suggestions are
not to hurt anyone, but
to improve an imperfect condition
He incorporates facts and truth
Some find these offensive because
they think he is playing against their beliefs
This is not his intention
In all of his conversations
He has found that respect is essential
and that most of each other’s ideals
are closely aligned, but at the same time
each may follow a different ideology
 
Looking at the two and contrasting them
is not an easy thing to do because within
the two are characteristics that run contrary to
the true beliefs of the two with opposing views
Good things can be recognized on each side
and bad things are also prevalent
In the political theater we have a Republic
It is a representative form and we choose
our representatives who have pledged
themselves to represent our interests
Some are reelected over and over and
somehow become very wealthy
We analyze this situation and see that
our interests have been set aside
Laws are written that we like or dislike
We can recognize corruption on a grand scale
No matter which side you choose you are
selecting imperfection and ideologies
that go against the grain of our beliefs
 
There are good actors and bad actors
I suggest that we make up new parties
One for the good actors and one for the bad
We could clearly see which one we support
This is presented as an idea
It is not intended to put down one side or the other
As mentioned there are good and bad characters
on each side of the so called aisle
We mostly come together in this country
Still we recognize our many flaws
We are far from perfect as past history shows
Our intentions should be to improve
We are almost helpless when good ideas in
the opinion of most of the constituents
are voted down by our lawmakers
We observe the unintended consequences
 
I would like a perfect system, but know it is impossible
Still we could make improvements
It is fun to brainstorm, even with oneself
Any idea is acceptable even those that sound foolish
One thought can prompt another in someone else
In the end you hope for the best
We are human and are inclined to error
Also remarkable things have come from our ingenuity
Should we all remain quiet and just watch our fate
Would proactivity be a better course
I love my fellow brothers and sisters
I want the best for them and their condition
I help them in every way that I can
Not everyone feels this way and that is their business
I do not judge for I do not wish to be judged
I pray every day for everyone
I am an advocate of Jesus, Who said, “Follow me”
 
Stanski
May 24, 2020 ^
 
 
 

Bring Me your mind for rest and renewal.

Let Me infuse My Presence into your thoughts.

As your mind stops racing, your body relaxes

and you regain awareness of Me. This awareness

is vital to your spiritual well-being;

it is your lifeline, spiritually speaking.

There are actually more than four dimensions

in this world where you live. In addition to

the three dimensions of space and the one of time,

there is the dimension of openness to My Presence.

This dimension transcends the others, giving you

glimpses of heaven while you still reside on earth.

This was part of My original design for mankind.

Adam and Eve used to walk with Me in the garden,

before their expulsion form Eden. I want you to

walk with Me in the garden of your heart,

where I have taken up permanent residence.

“Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. –Genesis 3:8

Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who in the light of your presence, O Lord. –Psalm 89:15

Enjoying peace in His Presence by Sarah Young presented by Steve Haarman