Crystal Clear

Not the ocean, but a river,

Unlike any I've ever seen,

A river pure and clean,

Turquoise in colour and fresh in aroma.

The river banks filled with lush vegetation encourage birds, lizards and crickets.

The sunlight glows off the surface of the water stunning me to sit and gaze. I wish I could stay forever. 

I sink my feet into the warmth of the water. It's cool to the touch in the hot sun. It's quiet, but I don't feel alone, as the river is ever slowly moving and birdsong echoes from the low hanging trees. 

I notice the banks of the river, pebbly and earthy, soft and sandy. 

For a moment I reflect on life and feel fortunate, such beauty exists that we seldom see. 

Autumn leaves 🍁🍂

Leaves begin to die,

Turn bronze, crimson and gold,

Once on the tree then crumpled and trodden on flat to the earth. 

From tree to ashes.

From tree to dust.

The beauty and passion which their colours and shapes conjure in our minds are vivid and ever present. 

The golds of Crowned Glory and the blood reds of fresh slaughter are a reminder of our flaws and our weakness.

Though this glorious and beautiful death doesn't last, 

It's only temporal,

The everlasting Risen Life will soon be on its way,

With most Graceful Power and Eternal Strength!

The Treasure

I've always dreamt of finding treasure,

Something small, yet mesmerising,

Precious and unique,

Special and rare!

As I walk through the gardens, sometimes gazing to the ground, I wish, I wonder what if, maybe today, I hope.. I might find some kind of treasure, you never know.

You hear of those who find antiquities, coins, jewels, statues and the like. 

My head returns to the real world, away from fantasy and I look ahead of me...

and keep walking. The gardens look beautiful in the sunlight. Lush green and powerful in colour and aroma.

A fleeting thought enters my head,

A memory conjoured by the elements or an angel on my shoulder...

"Hope is the greatest treasure"

And it's right here inside my heart.

The soulless

They are those who want profit over heart,

They want talent instead of compassion and money over humility,

They do not know what it is to suffer.

They're fixated on their screens,

Blinded by the progress of ambition,

Creating impressive things, but without depth.

Superficial progression of an intellectual nature makes them hard hearted and not open to ethereal worship, they lack outer understanding.

They do not know themselves, they do not know the true depth of their character, as they have not been tested in struggle.

Their struggles are wanting more money when they already have more than enough. 

Iron can only be tested in a furnace,

Diamonds can only be tested under pressure,

Only when a crack in their superficial armour appears can they begin to know reality.

The reality of a kind and humble, and loving heart.

To gain inner strength and to gain spirit, one must be pulverised and ground under pressure and broken down, to break the belief you have in your own opinion, 

to break your strength and to break your power.

Only then can you realise your nothingness. Only then when your arrogance has been destroyed. 

Only then when we lose and keep losing and losing and are completely lost, do we appreciate and know what it is and what it means to gain, and to gain is nothing material, it is to gain wisdom and find the Grace of God.

To be impressed with yourself is arrogance, to be impressed by arrogance is demonic, to believe in your own opinion is pride, and this is not Holy. To believe in God's Truth is the beginning of humility and with experience of suffering comes real faith and this trust in the unseen gives us hope.

Of the many god's in the world, only Jesus Christ lives a truly humble life of purity and strength, and love. Only through knowing Him and acknowledging Him as God can we know ourselves and know reality, as He is reality. 

The soulless must remove their gaze away from their screens and look 

to the face of reality.

Right and wrong exist

Right and wrong exist. We are not here to just be comfortable and do what pleases us. If something is wrong we ought not do it. Things are so mixed up in society at the present, that we ask all the time, what is right and what is wrong?

We need a moral compass and to follow it. 

This is called The Holy Bible. This is not mere opinion, it's the Truth of the one and only True God, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 

When a person realises that our opinions don't matter, and that what really matters in the grand scheme of things is the truth, this is life changing.

I was baptized as an infant and have had faith ever since. I see myself as fortunate. But, because of this the demons attack me more as I am aware of the things in life that make me a threat to evil. 

I've overcome schizophrenia and depression as well as many other things that I do not want to mention,  which the evil one brings to some of our lives in order to crush us, to win over our souls. Insanity and despair are killers, they are not from God, they are not holy ways of being. I could have been defeated by this demonic attack, But I wasn't and he lost the battle.

Struggling with our conscience, with our demons is good, it shows we are fighting. Becoming low and then overcoming this shows we have overcome the trial, but also we have overcome the satanic mentality of despair. 

I expect greater trials to come in my life, I'll be as ready as possible, by attending church more regularly, praying more fervently and giving more readily. It's the only way to survive and to live I believe. 

We all feel down sometimes, it's how or if we get up again and continue in life with the joyous attitude that the most humble God is with us!

Only by humility do we burn and vapourise the dark powers, that's why I always remind myself daily to be humble and say the prayer of Jesus... "Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me a sinner". 

I'm not one to judge others and I'm very understanding, I love my friends and my family. I will never give up my beliefs to please another person. I'm just as much a sinner as anyone else, in fact I'm worse as I should know better, but that's how life goes, as I have already explained. 

I've never been as open before about myself I don't think, and I think it's a time that I feel I need to be and everyone needs to be, to know who you really are and what you really need, not what you want to be and not what you'd like to have.

Our true nature

In the beginning there was a garden, and only in this earthly realm is the ability to be calm and to be soothed.

only in this realm is true beauty,

only in true beauty does peace exist.

Though to the young and unaware mind we can be easily tempted and seduced here in nature.

With experience we can overcome the deceit and lies, and this is when we can truly pray,

This is when we can meditate on His Word,

This is when we are at peace with ourselves and with God.

The only escape from disturbance and filth is nature,

The only truth and the only purity is in nature,

The only sanctuary on this Earth is nature.

Ego is gone, it's just us with our Creator.

We've got nothing to prove,

No one to impress,

No need to pretend.

No arguments, no conflicts, just nurturing nature while it nurtures us.

It's quiet and calm, and the red Roses are in bloom, the Olive leaves shimmer and herbs' new shoots grow.

This is also when our true growth happens, when the greatest signs and the greatest wonders happen, in the tranquility of nature with just us and God.

In the beginning there was a garden and in the end there will be a garden once again. 

Though in the end the garden will be sweeter, more fruitful and a place where we can truly rest. 

My Mother

My mother is the glue.

My mother is the glue that binds us together, that unites us, that brings the existence of a family into reality.

My mother is humility and patience that keeps our feet tight to the ground, so that our heads don't swell and our egos remain in check. 

My mother is strength and experience, who we come to for advice and nothing is a surprise, as her eyes have seen so much.

My mother is bold yet gentle, tough yet kind, she loves us all equally no matter what we say or do. She brought us up to be like her, to have the strength to carry on and on, she brought us up to stand firm and be resilient, with a kind and loving heart, but to not be a push over, to not be weak, to persevere and to never give up.

My mother in essence is diminutive in stature, now frail from old age, but always with faith and hope she challenges the flesh with strength of spirit, always with calm and always with prayer.

I long for her to see things in life that her heart yearns, so that peace will enter her mind. My daughter, her homeland restored, fallings and uprisings in the name of truth and justice. Things that matter.

My mother gives me love and always has.

My mother will always be with me, but not only this, she is the earth in which I have flowered. 

Principles

To be strong and to be kind

remain as you are,

Strong and kind.

To be honest and to be truthful

remain as you are,

Honest and truthful.

To keep your honour and dignity

remain as you are,

Honourable and dignified.

Do not let people, money or thoughts change you.

They try to tempt you, whisper in your ear and smile seductively, come hither they say, listen, do this and don't tell anyone, they won't know.

I say stand firm and let your heart rule, not your mind.

There's always a right choice, there's always a way, there's always the path of goodness.

Never degrade yourself for power, 

Keep your humility and continue with courage.

Speak the truth and defy power with your principles.

The fragility of life

Near death in a hospital bed,

Beeps and buzzing, machines and computers, 

Technology keeping my death at bay?

Or does life continue if and when I pray?

Worries and fears, anxiety and tears.

Emotions last forever do they not?

Do we get a second chance or is this my one and only shot?

Comatosed and paralysed, it couldn't get worse. Is there meaning? Or is it a curse?

Then my mother and brother visited me, they never ceased to pray.

To the one only God, Jesus Christ, who relentlessly hears what we say. 

The Virgin Mary visited me herself and my Guardian Angel is forever by my side, they cannot be seen, but never leave me and never hide. 

They see me full in the face, with gentle eyes and loving kindness, prayer truly is miraculous, and healing love is forever continuous.

Suffering happens to make me humble, and to guide me to eternity, with encouragement and effort I awaken!

Still paralysed, but I'm alive! My eyes are open, still dull and weak, but the demons have fled and satan never came near to my bed!

The power and the glory are His for sure, I rise again and accept my fate, there's no fear or anger or hate, but a stronger faith and greater heart, from Love of the Truth I'm never apart!

Be that person

Why is life so cruel??

Why are people so cruel??

Because true beauty and kindness are special and rare!

When most forget you and pass you by, that one will say, I'm with you! I'll help you! You can rely on me! 

That comfort from rarity is the reason

We are touched, it's the reason we are not alone and the reason we matter.

People can make a difference if they want to,

They can lend a hand,

They can say a kind word,

They can be there,

But it is rare.

Be the reason someone smiles in their heart.

And you will feel the Grace of God.

In times of pain

In times of pain,

In times when you feel weary and low, 

When you ask yourself why? Why me?

You ask yourself why are people like that?

What did I do wrong?

You felt the brutality and intimidation of life and you feel yourself slipping, you feel angry and weak. You feel negativity is taking over your mind and you feel like giving up.

Then, you experience a gentleness...

You see a friendly face,

You hear a voice of encouragement,

You read a kind word,

You feel a strong and powerful presence and you feel comforted that you're not alone,

That others are with you and understand you, and care for you...

It is in these dark times when you must dig your deepest, not to get lower or closer to your grave, but to fight for your life and rise again. To rise again wiser and to rise again stronger.

It is in these times, in these challenging times when we are made, when we show who we are and we fight and we keep fighting with every sinew of strength until we feel at peace again.

You will get there, because you have it in you to get there! and you will feel at peace again!

Persist

People knock you and you punch through a brick wall.

Darkness surrounds you, you're feeling fear, vultures encircle.

You're in the Lions Den, scared and weak, 

There's talk and rumor,

relief couldn't come sooner.

You hope and pray for that day when you're carried and begin your climb, sailing past the far off distant winning line.

The dark mist covers your mind, your body feels inferior,

The weight is heavy, your shoulders collapse,

The journey is extreme, but it is the journey that gives you your strength.

You carried the Globe on your back, now you're kicking the ball to your goal. 

You run with zest and determination, things still fly at you, but you've risen to the task, 

You slip the negative and remain elevated,

The bullets bounce off and you persist, still motivated.

There's always a way,

Bring on the challenge, bring on the fight, 

you're stronger than you think when your back is gotten, you're never forgotten.

The power of the two words,

The power of I AM,

REMEMBER...

when I am weak, then I AM strong. 

This is courage, this is resistance, with this you're an inspiration..

Your affirmation must be greater than yourself!

Then anything is possible!

Persist.