Whoever gives nothing, has nothing. The greatest misfortune is not to be unloved, but not to love.
There is no sun without shadow, and it is essential to know the night.
Albert Camus Quotes
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Tag Archives: life
Monday Memories: Riding the Train
This poem reflects upon the journey of a young boy who has the opportunity to travel on a train back in the late 1960s. I will always remember this trip with my father. Originally written in December, 2018, the poem has been updated for both content and style.
Lying awake in bed on hot, sultry summer nights
Young boy listens to moving trains, far out of sight
Dreaming of riding passenger trains, brings thrills
Reliable North Coast Limited quickly travels at will
Riding the Northern Pacific Railway’s pride and joy
Father takes son on his first-ever train trip—oh boy!
Sitting together in the comfy coach car, so much fun
Experiencing all that connects a father with his son
Shuffling down the aisle, steward offers snack foods
Restaurant in Glendive soon satisfies hungry moods
Making its journey to Montana’s “Gateway City” today
Hustling train passes many small towns along the way
Flashing quickly by—Custer, Hathaway, and Terry
Steady North Coast Limited acts as trusted ferry
Feeling safe with train’s constant rocking motion
Son’s eyes soon close, sleeping to its locomotion
Waking up, train slowing for a scheduled stop
Town of Forsyth, pausing for quick eavesdrop
Picking up steam, locomotive continues on its way to the East
Yellowstone River runs alongside, train powers up like a beast
Finishing this exciting journey and reaching their destination
Glendive will serve as today’s ending Montana train station
Accompanying his father as he takes care of his affairs
Enjoying dinner and staying overnight without any cares
Returning back home to Billings the very next morn
Son believing train travel should be his new norm
Sitting in cozy dining car, both treated quite well
Elegantly set table makes pancakes taste swell
Moving up to the observation car, enjoying beautiful views
Autumn’s harvested farm fields, lining up straight and true
Hurtling by more towns—Rosebud and Fallon go past
It’s much too bad this captivating journey cannot last
Remembering again those images and sounds of the train
Memories of the North Coast Limited shall always remain
Louie Anderson Quotes
You have to not worry or doubt or punish yourself. All the worry, doubt, and punishment will not add one second to your life.
You get more philosophical when you get older, with the more life experiences you have.
Lonely Heart
Alone and isolated
Empty calendar pages
Absent family and friends
Life walking in Dark Ages
Hour’s darkest shadows lengthen
Day’s hope missteps and stumbles
Sudden tears, any moment
Faith now tumbles, then crumbles
Day awakens, same old drill
Memories fade, bit by bit
Miles from nowhere, so alone
Silence fills heart, not close-knit
Few good days dwarfed by bad ones
Sunny smiles becoming few
Lonely heart needs titan’s lift
Shining light makes its breakthrough
Make it a point today to reach out to someone who could use a warm hug, a trusting smile, or a kind word. Lonely hearts fill many people with emptiness; share your light.
Joseph Campbell Quotes
Life is not a problem to be solved but a mystery to be lived. Follow the path that is no path, follow your bliss.
The world is full of people who have stopped listening to themselves.
Power of Words
Words used every day
Little or much to say
Used in positive ways
Conveying life’s essays
Mindful, powerful voices
Daily, humble choices
Impacting other lives
Celebrate with high fives
Disciplined purpose speaks
Positivity seeks
Sharing tender kindness
Truthful, without blindness
Careful to help and heal
Offering a square deal
Words paying it forward
True and straightforward
Thoughtful expressions said
Weaving with tender thread
Replace evil with good
Words plain and understood
Honest lyrics in song
Carried through all day long
Life unfolds from our text
Watchful where words go next
This poem was written several days before January 6, 2021. Its intention was to praise and encourage the positive power of words. The events taking place in Washington, DC on January 6 showed the negative power of words. How will our future words speak?
Winston Churchill Quotes
I no longer listen to what people say, I just watch what they do. Behavior never lies.
A nation that forgets its past has no future.
Monday Memories: Filling the Freezer
Written in October, 2019, this story is based upon a true incident experienced by a close friend of mine. He actually did make a bow hunting trip into the mountains of southwestern Montana in search of an elk to fill up his freezer.
“The freezer will be full of meat this winter,” Pete tells his skeptical wife as he heads to the mountains for his annual elk hunting trip.
Montana’s Big Hole Valley offers some of the best elk habitat in America. Pete has been preparing for his fall elk hunting trip over the summer, and he plans to bag a large bull elk this fall to fill up the home’s deep freeze with delicious and tasty elk meat.
In scouting the mountains, Pete knows exactly where the elk will be when he returns for bow hunting season. Armed with his very effective and precise compound bow, he knows success is just one accurate shot away.
Hiking into the mountains, Pete stakes out a familiar area and waits quietly in the tall grass and brush. The anticipation builds as his body stays on high alert. The nervous tension only adds to the anxiousness of the hunt.
Suddenly, an enormous bull elk wanders through the trail, just as Pete expects. His position provides a nearly perfect angle and distance. He takes careful aim with his bow, pulling it back with careful precision.
Plummeting to the ground with a groaning thud goes Pete!
The arrow flies harmlessly into the trees. Pete’s shoulder has popped out, and the throbbing sting is excruciating. He rolls around on the ground in acute pain.
Deliberately and triumphantly walking past the stricken bow hunter, the elk looks down at him with a slightly confident look as if to say, “I guess your freezer will be empty again this winter.”
Keep Breathing
With the start of a new year with fresh beginnings, an opportunity arrives to discover the light pointing us in a new direction. May we appreciate the smallest blessings each and every day as our lives restart. One of my goals for the year is to write a note each day . . . there is something to be thankful for.
Year’s flame extinguished
Darkness fills this void
Life’s sad shortcomings
Past times to avoid
Life’s heavy anchor
Blackest thoughts surround
Pulling soul beneath
Surging waves abound
Eternal goodness
Light pointing ashore
There’s always something
To be thankful for
Life says, “Keep breathing”
Understand always
Smallest of blessings
Cuts through foggy haze
Share blessed moments
Smiles fill empty heart
Cup remains half full
Color life’s restart
Bill Russell Quotes
The magic of a great meeting is all of the work that’s done beforehand.
If Shakespeare can compare all of life to a stage, maybe it’s not odd to believe that part of the play can take place on a basketball court.
Big Sky Buckeye 