Steve Haarman

Kindness is part of the marketplace

If is often not seen as it takes place

Often it is obvious

Sometimes heralded

Mostly done quietly

Changing lives

One at a time

Affecting receiver and giver

A passion for compassion

Frees the soul and removes burden

Just a word may be necessary

Serious gifting is also called for

No judgements are made

This would shackle the effort

Reduce its importance

The emptying of oneself

In the service of others

Is the vehicle necessary to

Keep us filled up with grace

How easy to look away and

Difficult to engage personally

But, this is our challenge

We will be held accountable

Fear of this should not be a motivator

Kindness is an act of love

Seeing need and moving on it

One act makes so much difference

It is often compounded because

One good thing leads to another

We keep track of ourselves

There is no human scorecard

A happy heart is a great reward

The burden of ignoring is heavy

Which way are we going to go?

We must all decide

Especially when we are aware

To give is a precious thing

Enduring is not always easy

The Cross was not light

It lead to a great sacrifice

The greatest act of love and kindness

Should we not follow?

There is still time

We can start right away

Stanski

December 4, 2023, ^

Into the third day of December

I look forward to having it end

And enter the New Year with an

Ambitious agenda. I am in hopes

That I heal and I can get into the

Projects I love on the outside.

Being limited is not the way I

Pictured things two years ago.

The chaotic world affects my

Confidence and then I hear

People talking about the end times.

I am not ready for them as I

Have too much to do. It is gray

Today and that is how I feel.

I am praying for nicer weather

But really can’t complain, especially

When I see and read about the

Suffering around the world and

The hunger, thirst, and displacement.

It is not about to end soon, so

We deal with it to the best of our

Ability. Locally to internationally

People are hungry, ill, and hopeless.

Appeals are received daily and it

Is our duty to help in every way possible.

Stanski

December 3, 2023, ^

The sun is bright this

December morning. It is

Almost blinding as it

Reflects off the water

Of Lake Michigan. Eagles

Can be seen roaming the

Skies looking for potential

Food. Clouds above, so

Difficult to describe are

A bright gray streaking

Through white below a

Blue sky. The brightness

In a way, reveals our weakness

And our dependence on nature

To survive. The cold temperatures

Is sometimes frightening, but

We endure because we have

Heated homes with food and

Water. Without this protection

And allocation of supplies we

Would be at the mercy of our

Own wits. There are some who

Would survive while others would

Fall prey to the elements of nature.

We have much to be thankful for

Especially knowing that the real Light

Will overcome all darkness.

Stanski

December 2, 2023, ^

Your eyes are open but

You sense the feeling of

Falling. You look out and

Do not see a planet, comet,

Or asteroid and can’t help

But wonder where the

Sensation came from. Did

Anyone else have the same

Feeling. You know that

Eventually we will all realize that

We will fall and we have high

Hopes that it will be into the arms

Of Jesus or one of His aids.

We wish to be welcomed with

A ceremonious greeting and

Horn blowing and enthusiasm

Unlike anything we have known

Or could imagine. There is no desire

To look back upon where we

Came from or who is left behind

Peace has a way of disregarding

What we have no control over.

As you enter back into reality

You realize that we all have a chance to

Grab the golden ring and if we

Wish to be successful we must

Change our ways to the better

Stanski

December 1, 2023, ^

The smiling face

We will see no more.

The way of life and death.

Somehow, we feel cheated

But really, we just don’t

Understand. We were not

Meant to linger here forever.

There had to be an end.

The person leaving is entering

A happy life with the Creator

We cannot come close to

Realizing the bliss that awaits

And one cannot trade down

To make those left behind

Happy. We basically are just

Passing through and we will be

Judged on how well we made

The journey. It is not for one to

Say how good or bad others were

We do not know God’s purpose

For them was. We should focus

On living a life of goodness and

Following the precepts given to

Us by our Lord and Savior. When

We do we will go out smiling , too.

Stanski

November 30, 2023, ^

Walking through the woods

Snow eight inches deep

Trees shaking off excess

Creates image of a storm

A few creatures squeaking

Any birds are silent if

There at all. The temperature

Is causing me to shiver. I

Wonder what lies ahead.

It is only November and it

Feels like March and all

Of this should be over, but

Still, you cannot deny that

Nature has its way. It is

Cyclical and one thing has

To happen before the next

Has a chance to show off.

My legs feel heavy as I turn

Around to go back. I am

Always on the lookout for

Potential danger. Animals

Do roam in the winter looking

For food. I do not feel like

Being someone’s food for

Today. I am happy to get

Back home on this cold day.

Stanski

November 29, 2023, ^

The sun pouring through

The window is bright, almost

Blinding, and very warm

It is foretelling in a way

Warning us to enjoy it as

A cold dark winter will soon

Be upon us. The roads are

Quiet. Under the snow is

A layer of black ice so the

Going is precarious.

With no wind the tree limbs

Are dressed with snow and

One could complain but then

The beautiful days would be

Meaningless. We take the

Good with the bad and there

Is always beauty if we are

Only willing to look for it.

There is hope that the sun

Will evaporate the snow and

Give us a reprieve until the

Baby is born in Bethlehem.

Then a light falling of the

White precipitate will be

Welcome and we will be

Thankful for the many things

That have been given to us.

Stanski

November 28, 2023, ^

Winter made a bold announcement

Leaving one-half inch of snow

Does he think this is funny or is

He doing it just for show

We have a month before he is official.

About thirty days will drag

I feel sick like a silly old witch

When someone called her a hag

This snow will melt; we will see

Green grass. Slip and slide and fall

It is a wonder that the hospital

Won’t have more of its people on call

Winter is not my favorite season

People daydream while they drive

Then hit ice and begin to slide

Many times only to collide

What started as a peaceful day

With on load of problems to carry

Just turned into a disaster

A Christmas without the Merry

It is here so my advice is to face it

Be careful as you drive and slow down

Others may not like it at all, but

It is better than a hospital gown.

Stanski

November 26, 2023, ^

A beautiful day greets us as

To remind us of.  how lucky we

Are to be living in such a great

Place where nature abounds with

Gifts and mystery. Light streams

Through the woods and highlights

What color is left. The migrating

Birds have left for the winter

And folks that can have left for

Their homes in the south

Time flies. It seems like they

Were just returning. The good

Months for them passed quickly

We have much to be thankful for

And had better spend some time

In prayer, thanking God for His

Gifts to us. We may be enduring

Pain but our good fortune exceeds

It by far. We best spend our time

In thanksgiving and praying for those

Being persecuted around the world

Stanski

November 25, 2023, ^

After a great day of thanks

We continue on our journey

It is up to us to take it in the

Right direction. When we

Meet our Savior on the final

Day, we will be thankful that

We listened to His word and

Followed it, His command was

To follow me. He gave us the

Holy Spirit to rely on and to

Seek council with. We must

Have order in our lives. All of

Nature, even the devastating

Parts have order. There are

Expectations. There will be

Joyous moments and sad moments

All that is given to us is to be

Answered with thanks. It is

Sad that in a world with so much

We still have hunger and struggle.

People who don’t care will be

Called upon to explain their

Actions. It will not be comfortable

The winter season will soon be upon

Us and it would be wise to hibernate

Into the season with prayer and thanks

Stanski November 2