“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style” – Maya Angelou
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Thought For the Day: My Mission In Life Is Not Merely To Survive, But To Thrive, and To Do So With Some Passion, Some Compassion, Some Humor, and Some Style
Posted in Thought For the Day
Tagged Compassion, Humor, Life, Maya Angelou, Mission, Not Merely, Passion, Style, Survive, Thought For the Day, Thrive
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Weight To Words
Weight To Words
by Michael Doyle
In these, the end of days
I think of a million ways
We needed to attach weight to words
And all of the misdeeds occurred
Life's constant motion gets the best of me
When I think of all that might yet be
Knowing that trust becomes a necessity
When the truth is told between you and me
Choices made become the voice to hear
When the curtain falls to make it clear
That butterfly dreams in a caterpillar's mind
Seems an odd set of thoughts to find
Yet, that is precisely what is entwined
In all the mental resources we have mined
In thinking thoughts that become who we are
At least when we wish on that proverbial star
How did the workaday world become such a blur
It used to be a slower tapestry that occurred
As if it were nothing but a simple stride
And now I find that I most often need to confide
To that God of wonder for us all
Knowing he watches us as we call
In our joy and in His praise
Because He is the sum of love in our days
Heaven shares its triumphant crown
As the next blessed thing, we have found
We turn to find that darkness is slain
By His mighty words that keep us sayin'
Worthy is the Lord we worship
Finding love is a holy relationship
It's something more than good enough
And we stand strong to call Satan's bluff
It turns out that Yahweh is who we serve
And from Him, we get the richness we deserve
There is so very much we have to gain
As we casually live under Heaven's reign
(c) April 3, 2025 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved
First Principles: If Duties Are Too High, They Lessen Consumption… This Forms A Complete Barrier Against Any Material Oppression of the Citizens By Taxes of This Class
“If duties are too high, they lessen the consumption; the collection is eluded; and the product to the treasury is not so great as when they are confined within proper and moderate bounds. This forms a complete barrier against any material oppression of the citizens by taxes of this class, and is itself a natural limitation of the power of imposing them.” – Alexander Hamilton
Thought For the Day: That Government Is Best Which Governs the Least, Because Its People Discipline Themselves
“That government is best which governs the least, because its people discipline themselves.” – Henry David Thoreau
Posted in Thought For the Day
Tagged Best, Discipline, Govern, Government, Henry David Thoreau, Least, People, Thought For the Day
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Damaged Memories of An Indiana Tornado
Damaged Memories of An Indiana Tornado
by Michael Doyle
Ominous clouds are captured in a photograph
That suggests thunderclaps as the Devil's laugh
As lightning strikes down on a Hoosier cornfield
Forked-tongued, it speaks of devastation revealed
Cracked wood is tossed across the creek's bend
As a human voice cries, praying into the wind
A solitary conductor hears this symphony of survival
As the long growl of wind sees this storm's arrival
A woman lies trapped, stuck in the fallen debris
While across the flooded road, there lay fallen trees
A tornado's path keeps moving swiftly northwest
This might be the one to suggest life's constant test
Fragments of lives swirl up into the stormy skies
While flash floods cut off escape before our eyes
Nature's fury is raw and full of intense power
A child prays to live through this darkened hour
Loss and renewal are the patterns of resilience
Here in the tragic moments of time and transience
Until the worst of this has come and soared
Away after making the earth its own worst dartboard
Small towns suffer the brunt of tornado destruction
Statistically, we search for the hints of intuition
Seeking the hows, whys, and wherefores that allude reason
Until we allow that it is just part of life's seasons
Tornado Alley rides out the winds of the present century
Knowing that each moment of this is a notch of history
Heavy rains and strong winds will continue after it is gone
And the memory of these tornadoes will linger on
(c) April 2, 2025 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved
Posted in Poetry and Poems
Tagged Clouds, Cracked Wood, Damaging Winds, Debris, Devastation, Devil's Laugh, Fallen Trees, Flooded Road, Forked-Tongued, Fragments of lives, Hoosier Cornfield, Human Voice, Indiana, Lightning, Long Growl of Wind, Memories, Photograph, Poetry and Poems, Symphony of Survival, Thunder claps, Trapped, Wind
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First Principles: In the Discharge of Duties My Guide Will Be the Constitution, Which I This Day Swear To Preserve, Protect, and Defend
“In the discharge of duties my guide will be the Constitution, which I this day swear to preserve, protect, and defend.” – Zachary Taylor
Posted in First Principles
Tagged Defend, Discharge, Duties, First Principles, Guide, Preserve, Protect, The Constitution, Zachary Tayler
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Thought For the Day: All the World’s A Stage, and All the Men and Women Merely Players
“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.” – William Shakespeare, in As You Like It
Posted in Thought For the Day
Tagged All, As You Like It, Men and Women, Players, Stage, Thought For the Day, William Shakespeare, World
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My Final Victory Won
My Final Victory Won
by Michael Doyle
My soul has no place to hide
As I face the night and ride
Rolling away that stone
Wherever I am, I'm not alone
Burning ashes spread with the wind
Blown hot until the end
Praying that things turn around
My feet are on solid ground
And I know that I am complete
By myself but with God, I am replete
Owing all to someone I've never seen
He is God, and I am merely a human being
Jesus came to free my tainted soul
Everything is securely in His control
I offer my praise and gratitude
For how He has fixed my attitude
Into not caring about earthly treasure
Holding Heaven as my true pleasure
I know the true worth of all
As I sing songs of praise and recall
That forever, I am wholly freed
Pursuing heavenly treasure, not greed
Thankful for all God has done
My final victory has been won
(c) April 1, 2025 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved
Posted in Poetry and Poems
Tagged Alone, Attitude, Blown Hot, Burning Ashes, Care, Complete, Done, Earthly Treasure, Face, Final Victory, Fixed, Forever, Freed, God, Gratitude, Greed, Heaven, Heavenly Treasure, His Control, Human Being, Jesus, No Place To Hide, Offer, Owe, Poetry and Poems, Praise, Pray, Recall, Replete, Ride, Secure, Seen, Solid Ground, Songs, Soul, Stone, Tainted Soul, Thankful, The Night, True Pleasure, Wind, Won, Worth
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Thought For the Day: Tolerance Implies No Lack of Commitment To One’s Own Beliefs. Rather It Condemns the Oppression or Persecution of Others
“Tolerance implies no lack of commitment to one’s own beliefs. Rather it condemns the oppression or persecution of others.” – John F. Kennedy
Posted in Thought For the Day
Tagged Commitment, Condemns, Imply, John F. Kennedy, Oppression, Own Beliefs, Persecution, Thought For the Day, Tolerance
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First Principles: Minorities Have A Right To Appeal To the Constitution As A Shield Against Such Oppression
“By the theory of our Government majorities rule, but this right is not an arbitrary or unlimited one. It is a right to be exercised in subordination to the Constitution and in conformity to it. One great object of the Constitution was to restrain majorities from oppressing minorities or encroaching upon their just rights. Minorities have a right to appeal to the Constitution as a shield against such oppression.” – James K. Polk, Inaugural Address (March 4, 1845)
ALOHA PROMISES FOREVER 