Day 30: National Poetry Month & 30 Day Blog Challenge {DONE}

This post was all written up, nice and done. But my computer ate it. I went all day thinking it'd posted! I am not sure why but I am determined to get this post up. I missed three days out of 30; not too shabby.

Originally the intent, whether actually stated or not is sort of beside the point now, for me was to post something every day in April, and include a poem in each post. But I was also attempting to get over to read others' blogs more in April because quite a few from the AO forum were participating. I've failed, in all three counts really. I didn't post every day. Some days I posted three in a row and scheduled them. Three days I didn't post anything {hence the three days I missed}. I also didn't get a poem in every day. Originally even if I just linked to a poem, I'd have called it good. I didn't do that either. I tried.

As for the last part, reading others' blogs: That was really what I wanted to do. I think perhaps in May I will set a new challenge for myself. Twenty-six days of reading blogs. Yeah... that sounds good!

I say "26" because I *try* to stay offline on Sunday {it doesn't always happen}.

Or maybe I'm just blogged out for the summer...

Oh, and here's the last poem for April:

From Kobayashi Issa (1763-1828):

Mosquito at my ear—

does he think 

I’m deaf?

A cuckoo sings

to me, to the mountain,

to me, to the mountain.

Hey, sparrow!

out of the way,

Horse is coming.

Don't worry, spiders,

I keep house

casually.

Day 29: Wednesdays with Words {National Poetry Month & 30 Day Blog Challenge}

From Dr. John R. Rice's book The Golden Path to Successful Personal Soul Winning.

You should give soul winning priority.

The preacher should face the fact that winning souls is more important than preaching a sermon that would not win a soul. The Sunday school teacher should face the truth that to win one of her pupils is more important than teaching the lesson. The church member out visiting should face it that it is far more important to win a soul than it is to get someone to attend a service, the Sunday school class or to join the church. Of course the preaching service, the Sunday school class, the visit in the homes, all properly may be used to win souls or lead toward soul winning. But the end itself, soul winning, is more important than any of the means. You will have to give soul winning priority.

{p. 65}

-----------------------------

Ozymandias

I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;
And on the pedestal these words appear:
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

-Percy Bysshe Shelley

This world will pass away but the Word of God will remain forever. (Isaiah 40:8)

Day 28: Tuesday {National Poetry Month & 30 Day Blog Challenge}

Today, Tuesday

The sun shines, but

Under the eaves is 

Ethereal white, looking like

Snow; it is only thick frost.

Dawning, the sun begins to warm

And melt the ice, but it isn't that warm

Yet.

Day 27: Monday {National Poetry Month & 30 Day Blog Challenge}

Another poem by by Lee. This may have been shared at some point here but poems are good to repeat.

White Butterfly by Autumn Lee

I

Recall

The day I

Caught a little

Butterfly

In my

Hands.

It

Was white

And so small,

Even in my

Own small

Hands.

I

Recall

The gasp I

Gave at seeing

The creature

So close

Then.

So

Pretty,

I thought, and

Vulnerable,

Fluttering

In my

Hands.

I

Recall

Blowing on

The butterfly,

Willing it

To fly

Free.

It

Fluttered

Up, away

From me, into

The sky, soon

Just a

Speck.

Day 26: I Need Thee Every Hour {National Poetry Month & 30 Day Blog Challenge}

I Need Thee Every Hour

Words by Annie Hawks

Music by Robert Lowry

I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord;

No tender voice like Thine can peace afford.

I need Thee, O I need Thee;

Every hour I need Thee;

O bless me now, my Savior,

I come to Thee.

I need Thee every hour, stay Thou nearby;

Temptations lose their power when Thou art nigh.

I need Thee, O I need Thee;

Every hour I need Thee;

O bless me now, my Savior,

I come to Thee.

I need Thee every hour, in joy or pain;

Come quickly and abide, or life is in vain.

I need Thee, O I need Thee;

Every hour I need Thee;

O bless me now, my Savior,

I come to Thee.

I need Thee every hour; teach me Thy will;

And Thy rich promises in me fulfill.

I need Thee, O I need Thee;

Every hour I need Thee;

O bless me now, my Savior,

I come to Thee.

I need Thee every hour, most Holy One;

O make me Thine indeed, Thou blessed Son.

I need Thee, O I need Thee;

Every hour I need Thee;

O bless me now, my Savior,

I come to Thee.

Day 25: Granola Bars {National Poetry Month & 30 Day Blog Challenge}

The original recipe is from Against the Grain* cookbook by Nancy Cain. I've modified it {of course}.

Ingredients:
2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup Trim Healthy Mama Baking Blend
1/4 cup snipped Viva Labs organic goji berries*
1 snack box of snipped raisins
1/4 cup Viva Labs organic raw cacao nibs*
1 cup shredded coconut
1 TBS unflavored NOW Foods gelatin* (optional)
1 TBS cinnamon
1/3 cup Trim Healthy Mama erythritol
1/2 cup honey
2-3 TBS unsulphured molasses
1 tsp vanilla
4 TBS butter (or coconut oil- that's what I was going to use)

Directions: (remember, I modified this)
Preheat oven to 300*F.

Grease 9x13 pan. Line with parchment paper if you have that.

Mix all dry ingredients, except erythritol, in a medium bowl. That's the first 7 ingredients. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, combine the rest of the ingredients and heat. Bring to a rolling boil, for about 2 minutes.

Pour the sugar mix over dry mix. Stir until well combined.

Spoon into pan and flatten uniformly.

Bake for about 25 minutes. When done let cool in the pan completely. If you were lucky to have parchment paper you can remove that to let them cool on a rack. Otherwise, wait to cut into bars until it's completely cooled.

Of course, I don't follow directions- probably why I'm always tweaking recipes- and I went ahead and cut these before completely cool with no problems.

They taste yummy!

*Disclaimer: I was given the Viva Labs organic raw cacao nibs and organic goji berries for free for the purpose of reviewing on Amazon. This post is just to show one way I used them. *Links are Amazon affiliate links. See Disclosure/Policies.*

A quick poem because I just can't not have one: Shakespeare's Sonnet 18 

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate.

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,

And summer's lease hath all too short a date.

Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,

And often is his gold complexion dimmed;

And every fair from fair sometime declines,

By chance, or nature's changing course, untrimmed;

But the eternal summer shall not fade,

Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st,

Nor shall death brag thou wand'rest in his shade,

When in eternal lines to Time thou grow'st.

    So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,

    So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

Day 24: Reading List on the Net {National Poetry Month & 30 Day Blog Challenge}

For today's poem I'd like to share another of Lee's poems. She wrote this just the other day and I quite like it:

The View (by Autumn Lee)

Great wide world--

I see you!

You spread away, away--

I can cover you with one hand.

At some point there's an edge--

I see you for miles.

Great wide world--

You look so small!

There's so much in every place--

I see it in one glance.

Much more beyond just here--

I am above it all.

Great wide world--

I'm standing in the sky!

From here I see how big you are--

Still only takes one hand.

You're so much vaster than I know--

But for now I see it all.

*This post contains one single solitary Amazon affiliate link. See Disclosure/Policies.*

Otherwise I'm keeping a reading list on my phone when I come across links that interest me. Here is a little video to watch: Keepers of the Flame.

Most of the links I have are for education; public school that is. I will only share some of those. But one I have bookmarked is not. It is from Christian Science Monitor (I am not in agreement with their theology/doctrine but appreciate their reporting):
Is this the most effective new antipoverty program in America? What it entails is taking an active interest, and follow-through, in those who are in poverty. It doesn't mean just giving them money or resources to buy what they need. It means helping them see how to get what they need, and in some cases even understanding what it is that they need. Watching the video documentary from 2010, Waiting for Superman*, one tactic for an alternative school to reach more students effectively is by taking an active interest in the students' family. It involves helping the parents get what they need so that they can in turn better help their kids.
*Amazon affiliate link

Less is More. That isn't the title of the post but it really sums it up. A US educator goes to Finland to get more ideas on how to do new things with her class here in the US. What she finds is that the Finnish students are succeeding when the US students are not; that might be because less is more.
Here in the US,

"we can't even stick to ONE philosophy of education long enough to see if it actually works. We are constantly trying new methods, ideas and initiatives. We keep adding more and more to our plates without removing any of the past ideas. Currently we believe "more" is the answer to all of our education problems- everything can be solved with MORE classes, longer days,...MORE assignments, MORE pressure, ...and of course MORE testing! All this is doing is creating MORE burnt out teachers, MORE stressed out students and MORE frustration."

She gives 11 areas that Finland has the Less is More mentality when it comes to education. And they all make perfect sense. I'd say these are evidence-based results that should be given much thought here in the US. There is always the drive to find 'evidence-based' strategies and practices for the best teaching and learning here in the US. But I think that for the most part, those advocating for so-called evidence-based practices are primarily concerned with successful schools in the US. That presents a problem when supposedly the most successful here is still falling behind the most successful internationally. If we are going to compare, it makes sense to see what others are doing "right" so that perhaps those strategies can be applied.

Lastly, the reliance on smartphones by teens is rising. Apparently in 2012 only 1/3 of teens (surveyed) had smartphones; now 73% of teens (surveyed) have one. 92% of teens go online everyday.
Of course they have to throw in demographics as well: 85% of African-Americans have a hand-held device, while 71% of white and Hispanic do. Interestingly,"91% of white and upper-income teens" also have a desktop or laptop at home, compared to only 80% of "African-American, Hispanic, and middle- and lower-income teens." Facebook apparently is still the king of social media for teens, but Instagram, SnapChat and Twitter are used more often by middle- and upper-income teens. Girls gravitate toward the more visual apps.
Other than the social media stats, as far as was stated, the rest of the results mimic adult ownership and usage of smartphones or hand-held devices. Is this surprising? 

Day 23: Sweet Tooth {National Poetry Month & 30 Day Blog Challenge}

Looks like I missed another day. I had a feeling it was going to happen. I'm going to get the poetry portion out of the way right away.

SWEET
Short, my poem will be,
When it deals with
Eating. Because today I will be
Eating something that I hope will be
Truly tasty!

Short and sweet, no? Yeah, I crack me up.
I wrote that acrostic poem in honor of the peanut butter bars cooking right now. They smell deliciously wonderful.

And that's taken care of; on to other things. In a post not too long ago I talked about making cat food. It's raw food, not to be cooked. We got it made and have been giving it to our kitty.

She *loves* it!

I've noticed she begs more for food now though (not good) but she's also got more energy (very good). I'm hoping that those will even out soon. Also, I'm watching her coat and skin to see the improvement that is supposed to happen.

Day 21: Cat & Food {National Poetry Month & 30 Day Blog Challenge}

Years ago- somewhere around 8- Lee* wrote a little book of cat poems for school (when she was in public school). I still have those poems somewhere on a disc or computer. Unfortunately, I don't know exactly where. They were cute and well-done. Here I will share one that she did more recently that is also about a cat. Our cat, to be precise.
*Her pseudo-pseudonym is Autumn Lee. *wink*

Little Kitty With the Question Mark Tail by Autumn Lee

Little kitty with the question mark tail,

with the soft bur and the round eyes,

When there's food, always comes without fail.

Though normally she's slow as a snail,

One good whiff and off she flies.

Little kitty with the question mark tail.

A step behind you she will trail,

Calling you to stop with small cries -

When there's food, always comes without fail.

If you ignore her, she may wail,

And her hunger perhaps dramatize.

Little kitty with the question mark tail.

To your softer side she'll appeal,

And wait and wait for her prize -

When there's food, always comes without fail.

When you relent, the tidbit she'll inhale,

And thank you with purrs loud for her size.

Little kitty with the question mark tail,

When there's food, always comes without fail.

And now I'm going to talk about making cat food. I am *positive* -absolutely- that I wrote about this at some point on this blog, not somewhere else. But I cannot find it. Oh well. The way I am going to make cat food this time is very different than that time; whenever it was.

I am relying on two sites specifically to help me do this right: A Wiki-How and Feline Nutrition. More on the latter than the former because it is an ".org" site. According to the price break down, this costs about what it costs me to buy dry food but will be much better for our kitty and she'll eat less. Theoretically.

We will be using chicken most likely as I've no idea where to find rabbit (and am a little freaked out to even do so). I ordered the supplements from Amazon (just about my favorite 'store' lately) and they should arrive in a day or so. Also we'll be going the no-bones route as we've nothing that can handle grinding them up.

This post is being pre-written and scheduled so who knows, I may have had success with making the food for our kitty. In that case, you can be sure I'll be back soon with an update *smile*

Day 19: Sunday #2 {National Poetry Month & 30 Day Blog Challenge}

Is it cheating to schedule posts to come out when the intent {I think} is to actively write each day? I'll think on that some more. But for today, I'm not actually here. I wrote this on Thursday when I had more time- and I'm not online on Sundays anyway.

Soul winning. What do you think of when you hear that? You can answer if you'd like; to me, in the comments, or to yourself.

When I hear the word I think arrogant; overly-ambitious; prideful. Truly. That's what I think when I hear/read those two words together. I need to shift my mind to get past this though, because we are all to be soul winners.

Truly.

Soul winning is the easiest way to term it, I think. A person communicates with another that they are in need of a Savior, because they are naturally a sinner. Their soul is in peril. We are all sinners, but not all of our souls are in peril. Not any longer.

That is where soul winning comes in. Taking the time to share and talk with someone who does not know they are in need, sharing and talking with someone who does understand their need; that's a step in winning a soul to Christ.

I suppose when I had thought about the two words together before I left out God and the Holy Spirit. I thought that those who called themselves soul winners were relying on themselves and their great 'salesmanship'. While there may be some that are like that, that is not what it should be.

Soul winning requires complete trust in Christ to lead us to someone, to give us the words to say, and for Christ to touch their heart and move them to act. It's not us. We're just a vessel carrying the good stuff that another needs. The actual vocalized words, and the Bible.

I won't say I'm cleared up of my misconstrued definition of soul winning; I'm a work in progress. But I'm on my way to changing my thinking.

Here is a hymn we sing before Sunday school sometimes that I really like:

Lead Me to Some Soul Today

by Will H. Houghton

Lead me to some soul today,

O teach me, Lord, just what to say;

Friends of mine are lost in sin,

And cannot find their way.

Few there are who seem to care,

And few there are who pray;

Melt my heart, and fill my life,

Give me one soul today.

Day 18: Biscuit {National Poetry Month & 30 Day Blog Challenge}

One of my Facebook friends started a group, and added me to it, for National Poetry Month. She shares a poem/poet each day. She posted one on April 14, 2015, that I really liked. It's short. {That's not why I like it!}

BISCUIT

by Jane Kenyon

The dog has cleaned his bowl

and his reward is a biscuit,

which I put in his mouth

like a priest offering the host.

I can't bear that trusting face!

He asks for bread, expects

bread, and I in my power

might have given him a stone.

-------------

I've lately been helping a friend get around when she needs to go to the doctor's office or get a prescription filled. She has a little Beagle named Biscuit; this poem was put up the same day I drove her out and about. And she gave Biscuit a treat. 

It made me smile.

Edited: Although it made me smile it also made me thoughtful. Matthew 7:9

Day 17: The Saviour of the World {National Poetry Month & 30 Day Blog Challenge}

I have a moment and I have a post idea; better get it put down! I think when this 30 day blog challenge is done, I'm taking a summer break from blogging! Maybe. Maybe not.

Today I am thinking of Charlotte Mason's The Saviour of the World. You can find it at Charlotte Mason Poetry, thanks to Art Middlekauf. I have only read a portion of it as I was helping at one point to type it out. It was mentioned at the AO forum recently and that, I think, is what brought it mind; that and it's National Poetry Month. What better poetry than dealing with the Gospel?

This work of Charlotte Mason is six volumes {as is her Home Education Series; interesting, no?} and is essentially a poetry paraphrase of the Gospels. I think, although I've not read much of it, she keeps the accounts together rather than separating them as they are in the different accounts. Such as when writing about the teaching by parables, she references "St. Matthew xiii. 10-17, St. Mark iv. 10-12, St. Luke viii. 9, 10." I rather like that.

Here is a small portion of her poetic work:

The "sower" explained. 1. The Wayside 

St. Matthew xiii. 18.
St. Mark iv. 15.
St. Luke viii. 12. 

THE Son of man goes forth to sow:
The Word of God, the seed;
He scatters free with liberal hand, --
No sourest barren patch of land
But gets a generous meed. 

- volume 3, p. 52

It's really beautifully done. I have a difficult time reading poetry {sometimes} but none whatsoever when reading Charlotte Mason's The Saviour of the World. Hmmm, I'm thinking I may try to put the pdf formatted Volume 1 on my Kindle and read it. 

Day 16: Thankful Thursday {National Poetry Month & 30 Day Blog Challenge}

Oh. My. Word... I am struggling to come up with something every. single. day. for a post. Poetry isn't that difficult because it can be a link to a poem, by a living or deceased poet; it could be my own poem. But I'm still struggling.

Yesterday we -that's Fox and I; Lee had class- left the house at a hair before 11am. There were plans for the day: Get school done for both of us, get chores done for both of us, relax some and then head to evening church. It didn't work out that way! We got home at 4:10pm. In the car for most of it, and then waiting for over an hour at a doctor's office, with nothing but food magazines!

We talked about politics -my friend and I, as I was driving her to her doctor's appointment and to pick up a prescription- and then education, and some music. She treated my son and I to Starbucks. While we waited for her scrip to be filled, she twisted our arms kindly offered to buy us a 'snack' at Wendy's.

When we got home, I had time to get a shower and start dinner before we had to head to church for Soul Winning Training, followed by Prayer Meeting. Some time between the shower and dinner I *started* this post. And here it is the next day.

I missed Wednesdays with Words but it's Thankful Thursday, so it's all good. Just a few things to be thankful for (there are so many more!):

Salvation! God's grace and mercy.
Opportunities for both the kids to earn money and good skills.
Being able to give $5 to someone who didn't quite have enough. (This one I felt a little odd about; the gentleman in between us tried to take the money, as if he didn't feel she should have had it. If I had more, I'd have given him some, had he the need.)
My car alerts me when my tires are low.
My mom is just an email or phone call away.
The friend I drove around yesterday is recovering quite nicely from her knee replacement surgery.

Grace Greater Than Our Sin

1. Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,
   Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt!
   Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured,
   There where the blood of the Lamb was spilled.
   • Refrain:
     Grace, grace, God’s grace,
     Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
     Grace, grace, God’s grace,
     Grace that is greater than all our sin!
2. Sin and despair, like the sea waves cold,
   Threaten the soul with infinite loss;
   Grace that is greater, yes, grace untold,
   Points to the refuge, the mighty cross.
3. Dark is the stain that we cannot hide;
   What can we do to wash it away?
   Look! There is flowing a crimson tide,
   Brighter than snow you may be today.
4. Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace,
   Freely bestowed on all who believe!
   You that are longing to see His face,
   Will you this moment His grace receive?

Day 14: Life in General {National Poetry Month & 30 Day Blog Challenge}

Source

I just had to include that image. Airplane! Being in or around Cleveland has its advantages; one being the Cleveland Air Show. You can learn more about the races at Cleveland Air Show, under the Historical Timeline. Or visit Bill Meixner's site as well. We actually have been privileged to hear Bill speak on this and he is quite knowledgable about the history. My husband has 'worked with' Bill at a few of his speaking engagements. 

This post I'm going to mention the "Read a Poem" at CCPL's site but I'll forgo making my own poem today. The poem is called "Air Show: F-16S Above Cleveland*" by Mary Quade. She writes as a passerby in a car, not an active audience at the airshow. She catches it all quite well, I thought. 

*If the link directs you to a different day, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on 14April...

But otherwise today I'll post about what's been up with us. Fox got a job. A real, cash-a-paycheck-job. He's going to be working quite a bit to start which is going to be a shock to his system I think. But it'll be good for him. He also hopes to continue working his mow job every so often but I'm not really sure how that will work out. He may need to pass the job to another teen. And I have in mind an individual already.

Lee is also working, at one place at night, and soon a second during the day. Welcome to the real world, Missy! Her college classes are almost done for the term {or is it semester?? can never remember which is which}. She registered to take Japanese in the Fall and is looking to take another class if it is scheduled on the same day. That will save her travel time and afford more availability for working. 

School for them... well, Fox has been doing wonderfully. I am some concerned with how he will keep up now, because I do not want to do the same mistake as I did with Lee. Not that she has fared poorly, but she did miss out. In case it wasn't clear somewhere already, we cut way back on her school when she started working and so she got quite behind. 

Fox doesn't generally take as long when it comes to reading and he still comprehends fairly well, so I think he will do okay. Besides, he's determined to show that it can be {could have been} done. He's stubborn like that {sometimes}. 

For me, I am half way through a second class of this term {ack, there it is again!}. It's a struggle and a stretch, this class. But it is good. I really have appreciated this one more than any of my others. 

I will admit, I'm halfway to my Masters and I want to quit. I want to just be done. I don't have the mental capacity any longer to cram as many classes in a term as possible and do well. Or perhaps I just think I don't. Either way, if I don't think I can do it, I am liable to not do it. At the pace I am, I will graduate December of this year. 

This summer will be a very busy one for all of us, I think. At the end of May I will be going to LER Spring Awakening. In June, the kids and I will got to CMI. Then in July I am going to be attending the first AO get together in 10 years**. That one  is the one I am looking forward to the most. The kids are excited for CMI as they will finally get to meet their AO forum buddies. As a family we will be going camping and also visiting family in the PNW. Hubby will no doubt have a few work trainings and conferences to travel to, and some shop trips to make in various places. 

And so for now, that's how our life is going. 

**You might have to be a member to view the thread.

Day 13: Teachers {National Poetry Month & 30 Day Blog Challenge}

Day #13...wow. And I've only missed one day of posting! I'm going to link to yesterday's poem and prompt from the CCPL because I rather like the poem. Notice I share those I like.

"Cleveland, to What Shall I Lichen Thee?"

The prompt was better than today's as well, I think:

Write a poem about a book, a reading, a library or librarian and about a first in your life.

It is in honor National Library Week.

The Teachers

The first time that I learned to roller skate

It was with the help of a teacher that was great.

He took the time to lift me up when I fell,

And if he thought me silly, I couldn't tell.

When I did the things he suggested

The skating demon had been bested!

I raced around the rink, laughing 

And it was all because of him, and his helping.

Mr. Dannis was a regular teacher

Who took the time to make a skater.

He was a teacher who listened to kids

When they had stories to tell, or fibs.

Other than that, another was Mrs. Hill, 

My first grade teacher, who had the will

To work with me on my math

So that I wouldn't fail but pass.

Most recently Dr. Phenix, of Liberty University,

Who always deals with his students positively.

He has helped me think about things thoroughly

So that I can accomplish my goals superbly.

Mr. Clarke, my Earth Science teacher, was the best

One yet. In 10th grade he gave a gift I did not request.

It was a set of books by a famous author, C. S. Lewis.

This set is a favorite; even of my own kids, it is.

Each of these are firsts, of some sort or another,

That happened because of a special teacher

Who took the time to help another.

That's one reason I am going to be a teacher.

Day 12: Sunday {National Poetry Month & 30 Day Blog Challenge}

Being a Sunday, I almost thought I wouldn't post. But being Sunday we sing hymns, which got me thinking about poetry. I don't know if hymns are technically poetry but I don't care. I'm putting one here today for the post.

Amazing Grace
by John Newton


Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.

’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me,
His Word my hope secures;
He will my Shield and Portion be,
As long as life endures.

Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who called me here below,
Will be forever mine.

When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we’d first begun.

Day 11: Missed A Day {National Poetry Month & 30 Day Blog Challenge}

Yep, that title says it all. Well, mostly. I thought about getting post #10 up all day long. And apparently got no further!

I won't recommend Day #11 from the CCLP's poetry because it's crass, in my opinion. But I do like the prompt: Try a limerick today.

Write a limerick on any subject, using the form’s aabba rhyme scheme and traditional meter. 

And from Day #10:
Stretch your ability with words.
It is said that there is no word that rhymes with silver, orange, or husband. Write a poem about one of those three words that uses rhyme or slant rhyme OR write a poem about all three words that is not rhyming.

Which should I choose? I like a limerick I think. Such as There was an Old Man with a Beard, by Edward Lear. Looks easy enough.

Poetry

I try and I try, but no matter, 

All this poetry gets badder and badder. 

Some lines might appear, 

But I erase them from fear. 

I don’t know which makes me sadder! 

Day 9: Think Back {National Poery Month & 30 Day Blog Challenge}

Up to this point I haven't really been trying that hard with the poetry portion. Reading it or writing it. I think I'm not taking my own challenge very seriously!

Today's poem is by Cleveland native Kevin Prufer, titled "What I Gave the 20th Century." It's good; I like it. I think this one and "Driving While Black",  by Mwatabu Okantah, have been my favorites thus far.

The prompt is specifically:

How was your 20th century? Write a poem titled “My 20th Century,” using at least three quatrains (four-line stanzas). Or, if you are up for the challenge, in the form of a sonnet. You may use rhyme, slant rhyme, or no rhyme.

I was going to attempt to do the quatrain challenge for this one. Thankfully they linked to a page to help those of us who are poetry challenged. As can be seen, I didn't go with the quatrain after all. Does it have a name for the way I did it? I don't know.
I don't care for the title choice; I like Prufer's so I'll vary mine from that.

What I Have Been Given

What was I given when into this world I arrived?

A mother to hold me, when I laughed or when I cried.

A grandmother, who writes to me even now when her eyes are tired.

After that I had two sisters, who tough on me they may have been,

But cared for me when they needed to, even now; my sisters, Melissa and Lynn.

And then a boy who loved me before I was even eighteen; he’s stuck with me through thick and thin.

I have been given my little ones, who’ve grown to be almost as tall as me.

One will always be my ‘little’ girl but the tallest in our small family now is Jeffery.

Then the friends who’ve come and gone, because what the future holds we cannot foresee.

Many opportunities have passed my way; the choices I made, were they for the best?

Every circumstance I am glad to have had, every person I am glad to have met.

Would I do things differently? there are none that I regret.

Time for the memories with people I have cared about, and those I have not

For the purpose to mold me, to shape me into the person I have been wrought.

At times I have taken it for granted but the older I get I know it is for more than naught. 

In the end I think what I have been given is mostly time.

No matter what, I know that in the end it will be fine.

The choices, they are not completely mine.

Day 8: Wednesdays with Words {National Poetry Month & 30 Day Blog Challenge}

This is from Charles Spurgeon's Morning and Evening devotion I receive in an email from BibleGateway. This particular one was from 04.01.2015

"It is time to seek the Lord."
Hosea 10:12

This month of April is said to derive its name from the Latin verb aperio, which signifies to open, because all the buds and blossoms are now opening, and we have arrived at the gates of the flowery year. Reader, if you are yet unsaved, may your heart, in accord with the universal awakening of nature, be opened to receive the Lord. Every blossoming flower warns you that it is time to seek the Lord; be not out of tune with nature, but let your heart bud and bloom with holy desires. Do you tell me that the warm blood of youth leaps in your veins? then, I entreat you, give your vigour to the Lord. It was my unspeakable happiness to be called in early youth, and I could fain praise the Lord every day for it. Salvation is priceless, let it come when it may, but oh! an early salvation has a double value in it. Young men and maidens, since you may perish ere you reach your prime, "It is time to seek the Lord." Ye who feel the first signs of decay, quicken your pace: that hollow cough, that hectic flush, are warnings which you must not trifle with; with you it is indeed time to seek the Lord. Did I observe a little grey mingled with your once luxurious tresses? Years are stealing on apace, and death is drawing nearer by hasty marches, let each return of spring arouse you to set your house in order. Dear reader, if you are now advanced in life, let me entreat and implore you to delay no longer. There is a day of grace for you now--be thankful for that, but it is a limited season and grows shorter every time that clock ticks. Here in this silent chamber, on this first night of another month, I speak to you as best I can by paper and ink, and from my inmost soul, as God's servant, I lay before you this warning, "It is time to seek the Lord." Slight not that work, it may be your last call from destruction, the final syllable from the lip of grace.

Seek the Lord

All that are weary,

All that are lost,

Seek the Lord.

All that are hungering,

All that are thirsty,

Seek the Lord.

All that hope for something more,

That know this is not the end,

Seek the Lord.

Day 7: Reading List on the Net {National Poetry Month & 30 Day Blog Challenge}

I've been saving up apparently. I put the links here and come back to tell about them. Sometimes that's when I actually read whatever it is all the way through. Admittedly, I also didn't have a post in mind for the 30 day challenge, or a poem for that matter. I haven't even looked at the CCPL's prompt. This could get tough.

Medieval method destroys modern day 'superbug' MSRA. Interesting! Thinking out of the box doesn't mean coming up with something completely new but trying something different, even if that means going back hundreds of years!

William Blake, poetry. Why not, it's National Poetry Month after all. And it fulfills the poem-a-day challenge I set for myself, even if it's not right here on my blog. Nancy's blog is lovely; you won't mind the visit.

The mind needs nourishment as does the body. This is about children but really, is it so different with adults?

"[Children] experience all the things they hear and read of; these enter into them and are their life; and thus it is that ideas feed the mind in the most literal sense of the word 'feed.'" ~quoted from vol. 6, p. 40

More about nourishing the mind. Brandy always writes so well.

Just as mommy prepares the child a generous diet regardless of her ability to prepare it herself, so the generous teacher reads aloud from wonderful, beautiful books. We do not assume that just because the child can only make pancakes, therefore she can only appreciate pancakes. Rather, we assume that she can read the pancake books on her own, but that we honor her soul by feeding her generously, even if in the early years it is a feast of the ears rather than the eyes and it is consumed with Mom rather than in solitude.

Good reading skills promotes math success. This seems obvious to me.

Brandy gives a good 'list' of commonplace necessities. I'd added a few to my Amazon wishlist.

Imaginative Conservative on the false promises of progress in the US.

In their bewilderment, Americans have now all but lost the ability to formulate what they most need: an imaginative reconstruction of their history and a sober assessment of their prospects. The idea of freedom and the ideal of progress have combined to reassure Americans that, unlike other peoples, they are, and forever will be, the masters of their fate. Such a pleasing illusion has exhausted its usefulness and become an impediment to thought and action.

Manifesto for Liberal Education. I'm not going to quote a lot of this but he's got some really good points. Here are the points on which I agree right off.

Thesis One: Lectures are not a legitimate part of liberal education, at least not as a primary part.
Thesis Four: Students should not specialize (or at least not soon), and professors should teach not what they know but what they don’t know.
Thesis Seven: Liberal education is irremediably bound to reading.
Thesis Eight: The reading that defines liberal education is that of great books.
Thesis Nine: My final thesis says: Education should never ever be academic. (As in there has to be a human connection.) 

Fair Tales Need a Shakeup
This one I got a chuckle from. We've been sporadically watching "Once Upon A Time" and boy have those fairy tales been shaken up! But the originals are for the imagination, for thinking. Fairy tales don't need a twist of any sort. They work just fine. I mean, after all see how much thinking it got Pinborough doing?

They need a shake up for sure, and not just a feminist one. What are those stories really telling us, other than women cause each other problems that men need to sort out?

Good question- it's telling us that that is exactly what we don't want to happen. They should help us to see what is good and what is not. And then you can write your own 'happily ever after' fairy tale. Don't mess with the old ones. Really.