Our Tree Of Grace

 

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS

 

 

It is Christmas time again and let me first say Merry Christmas to all of my friends. I hope and pray that you have a wonderful holiday season and that you are all richly blessed. 2010 has been a difficult and painful year in many ways yet a very blessed one all the same. My family and I have been through a lot and have learned a lot. We still have a long way to go but with God's help and friends support we will reach the finish line.

We look forward to the year ahead as we say goodbye the this year and all of it's trials and blessings. In 2011 we anticipate the return of our son Nathan from over seas and the wedding of our oldest daughter Amber. All still months off but the excitement and anticipation is already building.

There are some obstacles in the weeks and months ahead and we do not know what we may have to face but we are standing firm. We know from past experience that God will take our hand and guide us through what ever the year ahead brings. We hope for the best year ever and many blessings for us and for all of you.

One thing that has been in short supply is money and with the early arrival of winter is has been even more evident. Christmas is going to be old fashioned this year to say the least. A message from Nathan, some friends and family, a good holiday meal and a few small gifts for the children are all we are hoping for.  Hearing from Nate is most important and most unsure at this point.  We are not sure where he is, so we pray for him, and all the service members over seas and for all their safe returns. 

Due to the struggles of 2010 we almost did not get a tree. My wife and I were not too troubled by this but out 13 year old daughter was. That made me feel differently and I had no idea what to do so I ask God to help.  I was not sure what to do and I waited and He came through, as He always does.  Sometimes we have to wait and sometimes things do not turn out our way but He is always faithful and always sees us through.

Deborah was the answer to the question and to the prayer this time.  (As she often is for me.)  She was making a rice bag for a friend and had gotten some money for supplies and material to make it. When she left her friends house she when and bought the supplies needed and found there was some money left. It had been agreed upon that since this rice bag was for free and not for sale so any money left over from supplies was Deb's.

On the way home Deb stopped by a Salvation Army thrift store just to see if there were by chance any artificial trees there for sale. She found one tucked away in a corner. It had a run over by a truck look to it and seemed hardly worth any money or time. Still she felt that she should get it. “It had a lot of potential.” she said. I was not sure how it would turn out but we had a tree. Our miracle tree. Our “Tree Of Grace.” I am amazed at how it all came to pass from start to finish.

It started with a poem that turned into a prayer that turned into a little girl's answer to prayer. It makes the struggles worth it all when the amazing and miraculous results come about. The tree ended up being a very nice artificial tree that was once a beautiful holiday treasure only to be injured and mistreated and ultimately discarded.  Only to be rescued by someone who saw the potential. Now it is once again what it was meant to be.  A magnificent symbol of grace. 

We worked hard undoing scrunched up and bent over branches but in the end it was a work of love and tenderness that paid off.  Just like Charlie Browns tree, ours was transformed from an ugly damaged thing to a beautiful work of our Father’s art.  Wow!!!!  Breathtaking!!!  We are all so thankful for this blessing and this symbol that has been placed in our lives when it was beyond our means.  Grace and mercy for today, hope for tomorrow.  A child's and her families Christmas tree of grace from God. I am so blessed to be a part of it all. May you be blessed as this year ends and the new one begins. May your dreams all come true and when they don't may you see the blessing even in that. Good always comes around if you wait. Happy Holidays to all.

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photos by; asa

Compassionate Christmas Tree

Look at the compassionate Christmas tree

All decked out, such a symbol of grace

Colorful lights and brilliant sparkling ornaments

Bringing joy and delight to many a face

Across many great lands of this world

A beautiful act of annual congruity

If only if could be always so

That the people of this world

Diverse though they may be

Could be drawn together

Into the boldness of unity!

United we stand divided we fall

Joined together for the common good of all

And for the one who made us for each other

Each one of us together taking our place

Doing our part for our human race

Everyone taken care of, no one left out

From the great and tall to the weak and small

No throw away people here, not one

All can be redeemed all can be fixed

No Scarlet Letter

No Mark of the Beast

Only love and peace and hope for all

From the greatest of the great

To the very last, the smallest of the small

No one is too broken

No one is beyond repair

When it is pure Love's acclaim

That the living truth does spare

So many lives shattered

So many lives filled with shame

So many wounded, hurting souls

Bearing all the guilt and all the blame

For the evils pressed upon them

They gather around the trees

Praying for hope and peace to be there

Two trees standing in the garden

One a tree of grace

One a tree of despairs

One tree's beautiful lights

Announcing a new birth of hope

One tree stark and barren in death

Hung with compassion and care pronouncing

For all to see that there is hope

To be found in the tree of despairs

Life springs anew from the bareness of death

Both trees a symbol of the One True King

The Master of unity who one day will bring

His Kingdom to the humble ones

Who wait for His glorious return

Look at the beautiful Christmas Tree

Look at the tree of despairs

Where love and compassion were hung

For us, to show how much He cares

So take the time to think deep, breathe in

All that this means and how glorious it is.

Oh Christmas tree spectacular and vivid

May you speak your magic to the hearts of all.

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image by; asa

Greetings To All My Poetry Friends

Greetings to all of my friends and fellow poets.  I just wanted to take a moment to write and let you all know that I have been sick and unable to do much on the computer as of late.  I hope to be in a better place soon so that I can write and post again.  I miss it, which is a good sign because for a while now I have not cared about writing or the computer or anything.  So I hope you are all well and I look forward to hooking up with you all again soon.

Also I have been wanting to share something with you.  I have a friend who makes dolls.  Her name is Jodi Gains and she has made over a thousand dolls and shipped then world wide.  As soon as I discovered her I knew that I had found the doll maker who could make my dreams come true.  She made a doll of me and my scarecrow (from when I was a boy), and Ryan and his monkey, (his boyhood toy that is in heaven with him now.)  Nathan also had a stuffed monkey when he was a boy.  The dolls remind me of Coraline who I love a lot.  She has Coraline dolls by the way!  She did  an awesome job and the dolls have been so comforting while I have been struggling with my mystery illness again.  This time I am seeing a neurologist and I hope she will shed some more light on a life long battle.

So I will write more about the ragdolls and about what happens in the weeks ahead soon.  Don’t give up on me!  I will be back.  In the mean time check out my dolls and Jodi’s sight and blog.  She is so cool and the dolls are very nicely made.  One day she will be famous and these early works will be collectors items.  I will get more dolls from her if my fortunes ever change.  I already have some new ideas.  Please check her out!  She is most definitely worth the time and the dolls are priceless.

Thanks and hope to be back up and running again soon.

love, asa

http://jodiscreepydolls.blogspot.com/2008/02/rag-dolls.html

http://www.tatteredrags.net/

image collage by; asa, ragdolls by, Jodi Gains of Tattered Rags

I Love My MS Friends

MS Praise

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Magnificent Spectacular Praise

Urgently, fervently

Lifted up on high

To honor our great King

In Heaven and on earth

People called to humbly

Love the Father and His children

Edifying and building

Saints into vessels of

Costly pure ointment

Lovingly poured out onto

Each lamb who will

Receive rich full blessings

Of love an tenderness that are

Signs of immensely special Holy

Infinite love for all the precious afflicted

Sons and Daughters of Zion.

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images; internet, i modified the top one

monsters

monsters in my closet

monsters under my bed

silly old monsters

get outta my head

and get outta my way

there is something here

I gotta say

you are not the scariest

monsters here today

so get outta my closet

come out from

under my bed

don't hurt your self

don't bump your head

now move on over

or jump in my bed

but don't get hot

just stand aside

cause your in the spot

where I like to hide

aaahhh real monsters are coming

hurry there's not much time

quick, lets hide

inside of this rhyme

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images; internet, disney and nickelodeon cartoons

I LOVE BUTTERCUPS

I LOVE BUTTERCUPS

bright yellow sun shining

on lazy days Buttercups

blowing in the

warm summer breeze

little boys running

in childish glee giggling

pick one up chin up

to see if you love butter

glowing with boyhood

in awestruck wonder

of  life, rolling and tumbling

in the soft white and

yellow peppered lawn

to the sound of

approaching thunder's

hoof beats as we lay

in the Buttercups

drifting on boyhood dreams

watching the clouds

roll quickly by

in all the shapes that

catch a young boys eye

elephants and freight trains

a cow that says moo

jellyfish and monkey brains

ewww,ewww,ewww

all we love to see and feel

most anything that we fancy......

except that itchy scratchy grass

was feeling kind of antsy,

and our fantasy's drifted

on the wings of the wind

….to the echoing sound

of a distant calling

….....boys come in....

....a storm is squalling...

and so like clouds

our wispy dreams

roll away as we

save them for another day

and head inside

to dream and play

leaving our sunny

Buttercups for Resse's

Peanut Buttercups

until the summer storm

goes on it merry way

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images; internet, collage; asa

I LOVE FATHER’S DAY! I LOVE MY KIDS!!!!!!

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY 2010

Father's day weekend 2010. Happy Father's Day to my father and to father's everywhere, may is be a blessed occasion for all. This father's day brings mixed emotions for me. I am torn between joy and sadness. Joy at how far we have come, and what we have overcome as a family, and pain over what was left behind. The moments of precious childhood are so fleeting and never more so than when you hold them in your arms and watch them grow. I still smell the top of each of their sweet little heads. It felt so good to just squeeze em and they loved it. Blond headed knights and dark haired princesses and the joy of their kingdom like Narnia in full bloom. Life in it's fullest. The stories of a thousands worlds at our fingertips, magic dripping off of the walls, (or is that peanut butter?) Noise and chaos, excitement and fascination, oohs and awes over every adventure or discovery. Those were some of the best and most painful days of our lives. We have had some great times and suffered some pretty hard stuff along the way but look at us now! All of these years growing up together became the defining glow of family essence that draw us back to our center again and again.
Now I have been a dad for over half of my life and I wouldn't want it any other way. My children are what God used to shape me into the man I am today. Their lives are the primary reason for my existence and the force that keeps me interested in living. Being a father taught me to face my pain and struggles head on no matter how hard. Anything can be overcome with unconditional love. No illness or difficulty is too much in the quest to care for the ones you love. It is miraculous how being a father can change a man in so many positive ways. The sacrifices are immense and the inadequacy felt when it comes to parenting prove that God indeed gives us what we need to care for life in such a vulnerable position. Loving children is like nothing else in the world. The gift of life is the greatest gift of all and to have children is to be fully alive in a very wonderful and dangerous way.
I wanted to be creative but the deep emotions that all of the memories and feelings brought to the surface made me scratch that idea in favor of a more serious, positive father's reflection. I want to say on father's day from the bottom of my heart to Ryan, Amber, Nathan, Ana and Katie how much I love you and care for you. You are my father's day gift every year and I want you to know that I thank you for being mine. Nothing matters more to this daddy's heart. I know we are all apart this father's day but please lets all be together at least once more before Nate leaves in September. I love you so much it hurts, and I want to take this opportunity to publicly profess my eternal love for you, my children.  So before God, my friends and family and  the whole world!
I LOVE YOU kids, each and every one of you! more than life itself. I love you and cherish you and pour out my heart for you each and every day.  There will never be enough words to adequately express how much I love you, but still I make this feeble attempt for you.   I am sorry for all of my weaknesses and shortcomings but know that I always strive to be better for you all, and with God's help I try. Thank you for putting up with me and loving me anyway. You have no idea how much your love means to me.  I feel so blessed and loved by God to have all of your in my life, you have no idea.
So to all of my friends and family everywhere let me take a moment before I go to say thanks to you all and may peace and prosperity be yours in abundance. Happy Father's day and happy fatherhood to all dads and future dads, may it be a day to remember!
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Windows Live Writer is A Great Tool

Hi all sorry for the mix up.  I have been experimenting with Windows Live Writer and I put the same post on both blogs at the same time that I networked them all together.  Windows Live Writer is the absolute most fabulous tool in the whole wide world for writing blog posts.  At least that I have found in my short time playing with these things.  You can create all of your blog posts from one location no matter how many blogs you have or post to.  I feel this tool will help me advance farther and faster with blogging and writing.  Windows Live Writer is great and I recommend it for any one who like blogging made easy.  Thanks for your time and look for my next post on books that I have listed on Amazon.  Thanks and see you soon.
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Swamp Wisdom

been stayin in the swamp
long enough to know
that people in the big time
gonna show
you a thing
or two bout livin
in this big ole world
but don't you listen
cause dey don't know
bout livin in the swamp
and the swamp does show
that she surely knows
a thing or two bout
livin and dyin herself
so listen to the swamp
as she calls your name
you'll be better off
never be the same
cause what you don't know
you don't need to know
and that big ole city
ain't got nothin to show
but a hard time for anyone
especially a country boy like me
but the swamp is old
and the swamp is wise
mystically speaking
from the earth and sky
“follow the ancient pathway”
come kick off your shoes
and kick up your heels
sit back a minute cause
there's taters to peel
rest a spell
stay a while
be in no hurry
be quiet and smile
and the swamp may whisper
secrets to your heart
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Three Dog Day

another three dog day

out in the yard to play

back porch not far away

come a rainy day

got nothin bad to say

the sun is shinin today

so let the music play

cause I'm glad to stay

here in this three dog day

where it's hard to say

the sky's are ever gray

when every single way

leads to a three dog day

so on my knees I pray

that each step of the way

each day left to play

in the game or the fray

will be a three dog day

that's all I have to say

so have a three dog day

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back porch

Hi all, hope life finds you well taken care of.  I am happy to be here.  It’s a new month and I was looking for something  positive to share.  I came across this picture of my porch before we  remodeled it  and a poem that I wrote about it.  They went together well so I shared them with a few friends and got a positive response.   I decided to share them here, I hope you are encouraged as well.  This is my retreat and a favorite spot for many a friend and family member as well.  More than once a struggling soul dear to our hearts has come and stayed with us and refreshed themselves in this haven.  It is always a joy to share this place of   escape, everyone loves it and I hope you will too.  There is nothing more positive and refreshing than to get away from the grind of life for a moment and breathe.  In these moments we can “center down” and get in touch with our source of being.  We can only live well when we live from our center, and you only find your center in quietness and rest.  In every endeavor I try starting at the center and then work my way outward to completion.  Peace, silence, and solitude of heart and mind also makes for a more enriched journey along the pathway of life.   It is in the solitude that I find what I need to face the harshness and frustration that comes with living in this modern world.  Here I not only find what I need, but I find an abundance and it gives me something positive to share with others. I  have always believed that “if you cannot leave others better than you found them, then you should leave them alone.”   Thank you for reading, I hope you are blessed with a moment of solitude and peace and enriched from it. 

********************************************************

sittin on my back porch

not doin much at all

writin down a few lines

watin for u to call

strummin on my guitar

I ain't got far to go

and thats ok with me cause

I'm feelin pretty slow,

out here in this haven

I'm just lying low and

I'm glad it ain't far to nowhere

cause nowhere's where

I've got to go, so

I'm sittin on my back porch.......

ain't doin nothin at all.....

just me and my dogs

on the back porch

waitin on a call

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Greetings To All My New Friends

Hi all, just an introductory post to get me started.  I am Alan and I wanted to take this chance to say greetings to all of my potential new friends and customers.  I hope that I can provide you with interesting items and content, but it is going to take time. I am new to all to this (just started in April) and there is a huge learning curve ahead.  So stop by from time to time and see if I am  making any progress.  If you have any suggestions or constructive criticism please feel free to drop me a line.  And you don't have to worry about my feelings, I have been married for 25 years.

 I look forward to posting about books and other interesting  things that I own or am selling. I have recently started listing a few books and I created a word press blog where I have some of my writing.  I love books and writing and have always indulged my self in both privately but now I am stepping out.  I am sharing some of my writing from the past 30 years and I am putting my personal book collection up for sale, little by little on Amazon. (and soon E-Crater too)  I also have a coin collection, a stamp collection and a sports card collection that I will eventually be selling off.  "So stay tuned."

My main purpose in doing all of this is that I am trying to change my life.  I have been in the construction industry for nearly 30 years but now arthritis and the economy are forcing me to look in other areas.  I have always heard that if you do what you love then you will truly be happy and I want to see if that is true.  I never loved construction and I was never happy with it.  I love writing and reading and sharing great books that I love with others. This truly makes me happy and that is the joy of the possibilities of this adventure.

So here I am taking the next step and refining the process.  Eventually I will get this connected to Amazon and get all set up.  For now I am doing a lot of reading to learn and writing to polish up.  I have never had any schooling other than high school.  After that I went to work like everyone else around me.  I wanted to write but my dad was old school.  Sitting around reading or jotting things down in a note book was a waste of time.  So it was up and out, get to work.

I always wrote though.  Like "John Boy" keeping it hidden from everyone for years before finally bringing it out into the light of day.  It was he who inspired me to write in the first place.  I love the Walton's.  I remember watching them as a boy and thinking "I want to be a writer."  So I looked for a top bound noted book which are best for left handed people, and that is the type he used on the show, and got started. 39 years later and I am sure glad that I did.  Life has been hard in more ways than one and writing became my survival tool as well as my favorite hobby.  (In the original movie John Boy's note books were the big "Indian Chief" note pads and I found them on line and ordered three.  I can't wait till they get here!)

So thank you for stopping by, I do appreciate it.  I sincerely hope that many of us can develop a positive relationship over the months and years ahead.  Have a wonderful day.

Alan

ps. here are my blog and books if you want to see how I am doing so far.

http://ncbeachcomber.wordpress.com/
http://www.amazon.com/shops/beachcombersbargains