"The spiritual life justifies itself to those who live it; but what can we say to those who do not understand? This, at least, we can say, that it is a life whose experiences are proved real to their possessor, because they remain with him when brought closest into contact with the objective realities of … Continue reading Two Worlds Merge
"Friendship is a single soul dwelling in two bodies." -- Aristotle Our everyday lives, often full of the mundane, and punctuated by moments of joy and sorrow, can sometimes lead us to become somewhat indifferent to the relentless changes that occur as a matter of course, weakening our awareness of things extraordinary. Thankfully, throughout these … Continue reading Friendship, Love, and Truth
mlewallpapers.com As a young soldier in 1974, on the journey of a lifetime in California, one might suppose it would be unlikely for me to know how important the events of those days would be, and even less chance that I would appreciate them fully at that point in my life, and prior to the … Continue reading California Impressions Part II
Moving to California was almost like landing on a completely different planet for a young man from the East Coast. In all my prior travels up to that time, I hadn't been further north than Boston, MA and only as far south as Washington, DC. Just about every trip that had taken me anywhere beyond … Continue reading The Heart of Life
A recent conversation inspired me to return to a small book of poems by Elizabeth Barrett Browning called, "Sonnets from the Portuguese," which contains her best known and "most anthologized" sonnet number 43, in which she enumerated the ways she loved Robert Browning. Each of the sonnets in this collection have their unique appeal, and … Continue reading A Look Into the Soul of a Poet
Only God Knows by jjhiii24 You must have sensed it. I've been talking to you since The moment you pulled away. Even though you could not hear The voice in my head, Your heart has been listening-- Through our mutually open channels Of thought and feeling. I know you have been there with me; The … Continue reading Only God Knows
"In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true." -- Buddha "All great changes are preceded by chaos." -- Deepok Chopra Recent developments in my personal life, which have affected me deeply, have clearly resulted in a degree … Continue reading Reflections on Chaos
Once I had completed Morse code training, it was time to select my permanent company assignment. Generally, if you you had no preference, you would just be assigned to a random platoon in whatever company had slots available. I was informed shortly after my arrival that there were a variety of different "special assignments" available, … Continue reading Continental Army
With all of the recent emotional turmoil in my life, I felt compelled to share something I wrote for our family Christmas gathering. We have had the most awful, bitter cold weather of late, and on the news we see people enduring terrible snow storms, and struggling to get through it all. Not all the … Continue reading Hope In Winter Storms
"To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planted." - Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 Time is my enemy now. Not only does it often seem to be … Continue reading To Everything…There is a Season
John's Consciousness 