Dumping thanks......

If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.
-meister eckhart

Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love endures forever.
-psalm 136

Father Gerard was his name. I went to his home to interview him when i was working bi-vocationally as a pastor in Las Vegas of all places?!! i had come to inquire about some of his 'spiritual experiences' because as an episcopal priest, he had caused quite a stir in the henderson community. all the stuff we talked about...can't remember it all.

what i do remember was this, when we finished talking he started praying....not some super pious praying using that booming tone and 'church-speak' language. he didn't even use God's name.....he didn't even close with 'amen.' it was 'thank you for this...and thank you for that.' just a string of 'thank you's.' well, that left an impression on me.

thank you for fried eggs and coffee
thank you for the settling of a nervous stomach
thank you for laughter and for tears
thank you for a ma and pa
thank you for hugs
thank you for being honest and dumping crap so it can be dealt with
thank you for journey-ing and savor and not just 'arrival and completion'
thank you for smiles
thank you for smiling on me
thank you for everyone that pops by here...the ones i know about and the ones i don't
thank you for ukuleles
thank you for.......















photo by Premkudva creative commons

Folkish Seasons of Change

'the more things change the more they stay the same'
-lyrics of a punk song

'there is nothing new under the sun.'
-solomon (ecclesiastes)

'meet the new boss, same as the old boss.'
-the who

'unless you all turn (change) and become like little children, you will
by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.'
-Jesus

hmmmmmm. i know i've changed, but i sure do resemble that hurt teenage punk from 20+ years back at times too....change...some comes very slow...others come very fast...

an epiphany experience, a health issue that throws you into perspective, a gain...a loss

still, i know i've changed in many ways....yet (pause...dribble...pause...breathe)
some of the things that could be considered barriers, impediments, hang-ups, and the like...well, they 'ring my doorbell.' they place themselves at my doorstep like an old pair of well worn slippers. and, they speak....

'c'mon ol' buddy, it'll be like you 'never missed a beat.'

God help me...not today.

ticky tocky

'wake up ticky tocky ticky tocky ticky tocky
get up ticky tocky ticky tocky ticky tocky....'
-run dmc

'arise, shine, for your light has come and the glory of the Lord
has risen upon thee.' -Isaiah

Big Expansive Sky....
cloud coverin' driftin' all around
Red sky, purple sky...
here comes tha mornin'
citrus trees full of sparrows, mourning doves, and a mockningbird
or two....
slight steam to my breath...just enough.
comfortable.
i, for this moment, by Grace, love
'what is.'

New Flat Sessions 1, 2, and 3

I miss my 'multi-tracking' a little, but i have not had the time or energy to do much of that sort of videoing/recording...and so 'i do what i can, with what i've got, right where i'm at...'

don't be afraid to sing or play peoples...it's a gift from God...

Big Man Birthday Boy!

Big Man
Birthday Boy
my pride and joy
smiley son
precious one......

i celebrate you!!!

happy Birthday Big Man!!!

ambassadors of goodwill

hot damn, i love a good deal!

i started shopping second hand/thrift stores when i was in fifth grade! it was the cool thing to do...you know, look for denim jackets and button down shirts that you could cut the sleeves off of...i had my first punk rock, ska, and what they then called 'new wave' cassettes at the same time too...

anyway, i've never stopped...through high school, my girlfriend and i would hit them occasionally...'oh look at this suit jacket...' it would become my graduation picture attire...as a young bachelor...it continued...through my married life, they would provide a boon of children's books, the occasional high quality shirt or pair of trousers, or high class t-shirt (you know nestle quick, how to graduate from jr. high, or...the ever illusive black t-shirt with a tie printed on it?).

well, as a bachelor again, i got my 'goodwill' on today and i'm very grateful...

panasonic 20 inch t.v. 20.00
betty crocker toaster 5.00
can opener 1.00
various cheesy ceramic decorations including a very non-cheesy super cool communion cup 8.00

second evening trip to the other goodwill just a bit further north of me
wicker bookshelf thingy...nice n ratty 5.00
round 'real wood' dinner table that is just asking to be touched up with markers and mod podge 17.00

now that's my kinda shopping!

my FriEndS 'n' StUff

just some of the sort of stuff that sonny fills his ipod with....

aquaburgo-fabio koryu

oh paris! dent may


the sprout and the bean- joanna newsome


crazy blues -leon redbone


a horse named bill-jerry garcia and dave grisman

sunrise

let the sunrise
soothe the badger in me
let the mourning doves
coo over me
they're not doing anything else anyways :)
if my beastly-self comes out,
let the oil of grace and the healing waters
of Providence
forgive me and renew....
the real-est me

Want-y, Need-y, and Choose-y

'everyone should carefully observe which way his heart draws him, and then choose that way with all his strength.'
-hasidic saying

sometimes it's hard to hear/feel the heart's drawing when you're hungry, angry, lonely, or tired (h.a.l.t.- the place you want to try and avoid when being awakened to renewal and/or recovery)

the cartoon time mushing with my kids-golden
the much needed gosh darn hour plus nap i needed-restored sanity
the walk to my dad's for dinner-purgative
the pasta dinner with asparagus, ceasar salad, and breaded/baked chicken-fuel for my life

now, i still choose simplicity, i still choose to re-calibrate, i still choose to try and be live with awareness, and i still choose Love....the rest can follow...

Love...not mamby pamby

Falling in love is as ordinary and normal as our breathing. But it is also always special. It is special because it wakes us up. it thrills us and hurts us and makes us conscious of being alive. it lets us know that no matter how dull or distracted our minds may have been, our hearts are wide awake.

We can categorize love in endless ways, devise countless strategies to make it happen as we wish, yet always it remains beyond our control. We know that love is beyond our control because it keeps hurting us. We would like to experience the joy and energy of love without being vulnerable to its pain, but there is no way to do that. To love is to care, to care is to give ourselves, and giving ourselves means being willing to be hurt. -Gerald May/The Awakened Heart.

yes, yes, yes....

*i think bruce cockburn (the guy below) is a great songwriter, but my recommendations are to turn the monitor off, dim the lights and perhaps...close your eyes...



sometimes...i listen to this song over and over again...i never seem to get tired of the verses before the instrumental break...it's all good to me....

reminds me of the way washington clay-dirt smells by the puget sound...

reminds me of the way mossy pines smell in the thicket

reminds me of fallen leaves, bodies of water, and the way the wind sounds when it pushes through the tall trees...

reminds me that God made this 'stuff' and called it 'good.'

reminds me of the harshness and beauty of nature...like when you see a lightning storm or dark clouds rolling toward a valley....

reminds me of so many things...

Natural Light and New Spaces

slow afternoon...
adjustments...
natural light...
natural light...
walking slowly...
NEW FLAT BLUE

soon and very soon

i'm hoping to be online in my apt. this weekend...
i'm hoping to catch up on all the wonderful submissions for my contest
and
i'm hoping to get some more songs vidd-ed and record-ed

ahhh....i needz my recordification devices (said in a George W. Bush like voice)

sonny begins again...

'i've made my own mistakes...now you go make your own...' -pete seeger

for those interested...or curious...i will be firing up my "SoNny BeGinS aGaiN page HERE

there are just too many thoughts i'm gleaning from my step readings, inventories, scriptural musings, and other stuff not to log...

who am i to share such stuff?.....just a rag-tag hoper...it's mostly for me, but if someone else can receive a little help, filling, hope, or encouragement along the way...then....well....lovely....

Coffee and Prayer

warm in my tummy, let my tummy be warm
warm with love and kept from harm.
let the simple mixture of beans and water
remind me that simple things can edify me, help me, and invigorate me
to share what God has given me....

let the need for moderation be a reminder
to walk steadily, walk thoughtfully, and walk compassionately.
let the antiquity of the gift of coffee remind me that
you are the Ancient of Days...you've been around, You're Present, and You're very Understanding.....

warm in my tummy, let my tummy be warm
warm with love and kept from harm.

-photo by jules schorzman

Big ol' MoOn

Full moon crazy

full moon delight

full moon air

lets me swing tonight

full moon shadow

cast upon the hills

mist in the air

and i'm standin' still

wind-ee road travel

the hours they unravel

someone take a still shot

and let me babble

wee kid retrieval

wee kid's begun

wee kid's a trekker

trekking toward his Home

time does no waitin'

time's just a clacker

redeem the ploddin' timer

now and forever after....

I get down like that...

Oh you know, needed a night out on the town...

-a stop at a restaurant only to be told 'no live music' tonight

-a stop at the East West Exchange to get their tai chi/yoga calendar

-one beer while drawing silly cartoons and listening to semi-annoying classic rock at the bar and grille (joe cocker was righteous though!!!)

-and a leisurely walk and search through my favorite hippy bookstore...spent a good hour and a half in there....maybe more...saw some cooking books and poetry books i'd like to get...a few...keep my poetry either 'lovely and simple' or 'earthy and simple' and keep my cooking the same ;)

enjoyed reading some wordsworth, robert bly, and other stuff....

here is a quote from "practicing peace" a discount Quaker book i got...

In addition to its many religious forms, healing also includes many arts and sciences. There is the art of listening, the art of smiling, the art of empathy, of knowing just what people need, and not rushing in to offer help that is not suitable. THen there is through the laying on of hands, through music and dance, painting and color, through communion with and understanding of the world of nature and through friendship. -Jim Pym

i get down like that....you know hard core partying...;)

photo by eden keller

the ministry of foolishness

'the foolishness of God is wiser than the wisdom of men...'
-paul


get in the car to go sign tax papers...then to the bank for a money order for rent...blegh!!! something happened on the way to the bank though....it started with the clown 'swinging a sign' on the sidewalk...

i began to wave...emphatically...goofily...happily...'hi, i'm so glad you're out on the sidewalk today!

i'm almost positive that this is what it looked like...

then there were the teenage girls waving car wash signs on the sidewalk as well...wave, wave, wave, big goofy ass smile on my face...'i am soooo glad you're having a car wash today! gah! i can barely contain my joy!'

i'm almost positive that this is what it looked like....

then the laughter came....mmmmm hmmmmm.

the ministry of foolishness....it worked for me :)

i just broke through to gentleness

'be kind and tenderhearted...forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you...' -paul

'the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control....against such there is no law...'
-paul again

'be gentle with your beautiful self.'

'easy does it'
-12 step mantra

'came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.'
-step 2 of the 12

'he leads me beside quiet waters...he restores my soul.' -david

write it out, hug it out, walk it out, talk it out, draw it out, breathe it out, stretch it out, love it out, cry it out, search it out, confess it out, shout it out, sing it out, play it out, shut up and let it come out....i thought i just broke through to gentleness, but i think gentleness may have broke in upon me? no matter....my heart's open...

The Full Plate Listener

dang busy lately....
i don't do 'busy' so well...
not many songs coming to mind.
i'll keep washing in the.....
not much time for doodling, noodling, and
re-creating....

ahhh the war of art
the resistance to playfulness
the obligatory shat

shat i say.

wobbly knee-d
and hot chested
El Shaddai is a 'many breasted'
Nurturer

God knows how to rest
God knows how to camp
God knows how to impart
God knows how to conjoin
and God knows how to enliven

i'm not sure what i know...so help me
thank you....

you can have your fatty feast...just give me my beans and rice...

ROADy

i'm crossing the street at work and there he is....i'm the resident folky...he's the resident roadrunner. i slow down as i cross. he stays put, but is kinda 'puffing' out his chest....

he moves just a little, i go my way. i'm making some rounds at another facility on the other side of the campus and as i come out of a building, guess who's there...'Roady.'

i clack with my cheeks to imitate the clacking sound they sometimes make with their bills, he comes a wee bit closer to give me the once over.....i clack again, but he turns and goes on his way...

i love roadrunners...

quick and kooky
beautiful and quirky
vocal and very quiet
speedy when need be
intelligent
resourceful

i like to feed them worms when i'm fishing....

l love roadrunners....

Wisher

i wish i was....

more grateful

more kind

more loving

more relaxed

singing in your living room, for your family, for your christening, your bar mitzvah, your backyard party, your graduation, your picnic luncheon, ;)

400+ subscribers to the ol' you tube channel....that's about 320 some odd subscribers since last spring...fun....so thankful for the encouragement....

big hugs y'all...