  Spiritual
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Lord! when you sell a man a book you don't sell just twelve ounces of paper and ink and glue - you sell him a whole new life. Love and friendship and humour and ships at sea by night - there's all heaven and earth in a book, a real book.
~Christopher Morley, American humourist, playwright, poet, essayist and editor.
The smallest bookstore still contains more ideas of worth than have been presented in the entire history of television.
~Andrew Ross, Scottish-born author and editor |
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It is said that the wealthiest spot on this planet is not the oilfields of Kuwait or the diamond mines of South Africa. No, the richest deposits lie your local cemetery. Buried beneath those sacred grounds are dreams that never came to pass, songs that were never sung, books that were never written, ideas that were never shared, inventions that were never designed, plans that never went beyond the drawing board of the mind, and purposes that were never fulfilled.*
To use an old cliché, these words 'stopped me in my tracks.' Buried beneath beneath those sacred grounds are things that the people took took to the grave with them, things that never came to pass, for whatever reason. These are not physical things, but matters of the heart and mind that failed to reach potential. The reasons for this may be an endless list, but the sadness is that, whatever the rationale, the resources of the heart and mind were not fully tapped.
As an introvert, I tend to be reserved. Sometimes, in a group meeting, I will hear statements I disagree with; for years, I kept silent in these situations. I am learning to express my thoughts, even in the face of adversity - for they are my ideas, for better or worse, and part of who I am. Later, in moments of contemplation, I may be critical of myself for breaking silence. I think this is part of an introverts personality, which is why it is difficult to express our ideas publicly, especially when the possibility of rejection seems imminent. But ideas unexpressed become part of the rich deposit of the local cemetery.
Walking into a major bookstore can be intimidating. The aisles of books stretch as far as the eye can see. Every nook and cranny of each bookshelf is filled; books line the top of shelves and are displayed on tables - books on every mentionable topic. The thought comes - what difference will one more book of poetry make, and who could ever find it in this ocean of books. So will my book of poetry lay dormant in the soil of a Kansas cemetery, never to be discovered, or will it take its place on a crowded bookshelf, where it may come into the possession of someone who will truly enjoy it? My book of poetry will be much more than a title with my name attached, etched on a colorful cover; it will be part of me, an expression of life from one man's perspective, ideas that came from my heart and my mind. But I must make the efforts to have it published.
When I think of my favorite songs - the ones that stick in my mind on certain days and I sing the lyrics over and over - I am reminded of how important it is to fulfill my purpose in life. What if those lyrics had never been composed and placed to music? If Mozart, Beethoven, Elton John, John Cougar Mellancamp, Michael W. Smith, Paula Abdul, Whitney Houston, Ray Charles, Alan Jackson or Martina McBride had decided not to compose songs, the world would have missed something and these talented people would not have achieved their life purposes. You may wonder why I listed a high degree of variance in musical styles - each one has a specific place. While one person may enjoy Mozart, another will love Martina McBride. This is why the bookstores and music stores are saturated with books and music on a vast array of topics and styles. Someone is looking for, and interested in, what you have to write, sing, or express.
A dear friend passed away on April 3, 2008. He was a great story-teller and lived a life foreign to many of us. For a period in his life, he was an alcoholic, hitch-hiking across the country, sometimes sleeping under expressway overpasses. In recent years, he was a loving grandfather who spent much time with his grandchildren. I enjoyed hearing his stories. For unknown reasons, he found it unimportant to write of his experiences - no matter how often his wife and I encouraged him. I am afraid he took the majority of his stories with him to a cemetery on the east side of Lawrence - buried treasures. They can't be dug up, because they were matters of the heart and mind. Fortunately, he told his grandson and me some of his stories, so hopefully, between the two of us, we may be able to salvage a few and write them for others to enjoy.
Recently, my wife gave me a book entitled A Father's Legacy. It is a journal-style book for writing my personal life story; something to leave behind for my children and grandchildren when I depart this world. The introduction to this book states: Our memories are a gift that can be bestowed upon loved ones. By sharing them, we pass a loving legacy to children, grandchildren, and generations yet to come. Now and always our memories are a wellspring of the timeless bonds that keep us close at heart.
Dreams, books, memories, ideas, inventions, songs, art, creative designs, serving our fellow human beings - these are but a small list of things that are meant to be accomplished in this life, part of a person's purpose for being here. Unlike oil and diamonds, they cannot be excavated from the soil. They are mined in the heart, soul, and mind, to be endowed to the world as gifts; buried in the soil, they are forever lost.
*Excerpt from The Word for You Today, a daily devotional booklet. |
A few inspirational writes from around Writing.com
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This came from a bad dream when my wife was in the hospital
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I want to express my appreciation for those who responded to my last Spiritual Newsletter, including the ones who sent private emails which I consider too personal to post here. Your feedback and encouragement is welcomed and appreciated.
Larry
dmerrysilver
hello kansaspet! i m glad that u have forgiven both your dad and yourself. true, no one is born a saint; but who we are depends on the choices we make and it is great that you have chosen the path of forgiveness. Godblez u n your dad.
Thank you for your insight Merrysilver. I am thankful that forgiveness enables us to make new beginnings.
skymac
I loved this edition. It gave me a lot of insight on the relationships of children and their dad's. I read the entrie and many stories are like my own. Others just really inspired me, letting me become aware that there can truly be a different side to a coin. That even if we didn't have a father in our life, that God was the best dad we ever had. Also I see that their is hope for me and my father to build a relationship that it is never too late. When forgiveness has filled our heart, we then can open our heart, to try and see how things go. I am going to meet with my father next week, and pray that God will guide our steps. He has cancer so our time may be limited. By reading some of the poems I don't want to waste precious time, and live with regret later. Great job Larry.
Saundra, thank you for sharing your story and for reading the highlighted stories and poems. I wish you the best with your Dad. I too discovered that God could fill those empty places left by lack of a fatherly relationship.
peteranthony
This needs to be posted along with this thread - for anyone who has never read "Father Forgets" it is a most important piece of writing ...
http://www.cgcreations.org/poems/forgets.html
Peter, thanks for the link and for sharing this poem with us. Thanks for your encouragement.
D.B. 
I recently lost my mother-inlaw, and I was hoping to find some words of encouragement in this newsletter, and I certainly did.Thanks so much.
D.B. I am glad the newsletter was timely for your life and that you found encouragement in reading the newsletter and highlighted items.
GYPSYROSE- Grateful 2 WDC
Dear Larry,
Loved this POETRY NEWSLETTER and the tribute that you paid to Fathers...From the standpoint of a daughter, whose Dad was working three jobs at once when I was very young, I knew that my Dad loved all 6 of us children because his goal always was to put food on the table, and a roof over our heads so my Mom could be a stay at home MOM.. I cherished him and though it was a special treat to be able to grab a hammer and work along side him as he built our house, or sit on his lap while
he read the evening paper, I KNOW it was quality time! To this day, though he has been gone for several years, he was the picture of what a Dad should be. I loved him with all my heart!
Thank you for touching me with your personal story..MY favorite part was ..."A person only gets one shot at raising a child. There was a time when I condemned myselt for the failures of a father until I learned that I needed to forgive two people~ my Dad and Me." This hopefully will inspire others to take a good look at the relationships between their Dad and themselves. We all can only do
the best that we can...and sometimes I think Grandpas should be the Dads, because they have a better understanding of Fatherhood, than those who are just starting out...Such wisdom in your article...I HOPE those reading it will take it to heart...
The beautiful words "Gather the Rose of love, whilst there is time"...so true even four centuriesafter poet, Edmund Spenser wrote them...
God bless you , Larry, for this very inspirational Lesson you taught us in this Newsletter.
Love, Gypsyrose
Gypyrose - Thank you so much for sharing your story and for your encouragement. I am honored and humbled by your words. I too love the line from Edmund Spenser's poem and I was one of seven children.
Larry
faithjourney
Oh my, what a powerful topic. Thanks for sharing this with us. I don't have kids, but can say my parents have had a very powerful influence on me and continue to even to this day. (I even snuck my Dad in my latest children's story "Hanging Out With Zack - he's Farmer Fulmer).
I think we all have parent issues to get through - after all, nobody's perfect and life is about learning and growing from our mistakes and forgiving others of their own. My own childhood was about as good as it can get (why did I have to grow up again?), but I still had to overcome issues I had with my mother while she was suffering from depression during my teenage years. We do have a great relationship now, and I learned a TREMENDOUS amount about life, love, faith, and overcoming obstacles through that experience. But it was rocky there for a while. Praise God, we all came through stronger.
It's a process, but true strength is found not only in going through, but coming out as a stronger person - and hopefully better relationships will be another result. It's all about grace! Grace from God and grace toward one another.
Bless you for sharing this here. I know it will speak to and inspire many.
Sherri - I really appreciate your insights and your sharing a bit of your story with us. Giving and receiving not only forgiveness but grace are important ingredients in the journey of life.
The Spiritual Newsletter editors appreciate your valuable feedback
Sophurky 
Puditat
kittiara
larryp
Next week's editor: kittiara
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Spiritual: April 23, 2008 Issue [#2322]
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