“Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us.” – Hal Borland
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Thought For the Day: Year’s End Is Neither End Nor Beginning But A Going On With All the Wisdom Experience Can Instill In Us
Posted in Thought For the Day
Tagged Beginning, End, Experience, Going On, Hal Borland, Instill, Thought For the Day, Us, Wisdom, Year's End
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First Principles: Dependence Begets Subservience and Venality
“Dependence begets subservience and venality, suffocates the germ of virtue, and prepares fit tools for the designs of ambition.” – Thomas Jefferson (1781)
Posted in First Principles
Tagged Ambition, Dependence, Design, First Principles, Germ, Pepare, Subservience, Suffocate, Thomas Jefferson, Tools, Venality, Virtue
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The Hunting of the Wren
Around the world there are nations that share a thread of British heritage. From this heritage, these nations still keep some semblance of International Boxing Day. This day itself is preceded by the earlier tradition of the Hunting of the Wren.
The Hunting of the Wren by Michael Romani As I look around this world, I am reminded Of those who are so foolishly heavenly minded That their faith does the world little good Because they are more mindful of what they should And should not do in God's personal relationship That no need is ever truly met in their worship The hole in their gospel bleeds faith that is dead And this is the truth that must indeed be said Saint Stephen's Day remembered in its sacrifice That some would give and make for love to suffice The life of Jesus has moments connected to the wren The king of birds whose song conquers even sin A puffed up chest that warbles loudly and clearly Summoning the midwinter courage needed so dearly Rag worn souls of wrenboys cast in mummers plays Bear the mysteries half hidden across the holy days Here in the Octave of this blessed Christmastide A penny or tuppence spent wounds no necessary pride Luck and peace of mind given in the Lord's charity Festive tricks played amidst the wild day of revelry This is the uncommon wisdom that knows why a caged bird sings And all of the glory of Heaven's gates salvation brings As a half forgotten enchantress casts a gathered beauty All of God's children sing together as is their sacred duty (c) December 26, 2019 Michael Romani All Rights Reserved
Posted in Poetry and Poems
Tagged Beauty, Bird, Caged, Charity, Children, Christmastide, Duty, Enchantress, Gather, Glory, Heaven, Holy Days, Hunting of the Wren, International Boxing Day, Lord, Mummers Play, Mysterry, Octave, Penny, Photograph, Poem, Poetry, Pride, Revelry, Sacred, Salvation, Sing, Trick, Tuppence, Wisdom, Wren, Wrenboys
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Thought For the Day: The Three Constants of Life Are Change, Choice and Principles
“There are three constants in life… change, choice and principles.” – Stephen Covey
The new year is swiftly approaching. As is my practice, from my birthday on 12/23 forward, I look back over my past year and years and then determine where I want to be by the end of the coming year. One by one, I am compiling a list of goals and/or resolutions for 2020 so that by 12/31/2019, I will have a list of 3 goals in each of four areas of my life from spiritual; family; physical; and career and personal development. Not quite the same system as Ben Franklin’s. But, then again, I am not him. 😉
Posted in Thought For the Day
Tagged Change, Choice, Constants, Life, Principles, Stephen Covey, Thought For the Day, Three
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First Principles: The Moral Principles and Precepts Contained In the Scripture Ought To Form the Basis of All Our Civil Constitutions and Laws
“The moral principles and precepts contained in the Scripture ought to form the basis of all our civil constitutions and laws.” – Noah Webster
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Tagged Base, Civil, Constitution, First Principles, Form, Law, Moral, Noah Webster, Precepts, Principles, Scripture
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In The Fullness of Time
A poem for this, the day celebrated as symbolizing Christ’s birth. Merry Christmas! Christmas… Christ Mass… A mass for Christ. Then then does that or might it actually mean? Is it really only about the birth of Christ? Or, is it more about the fullness of time and how in each measure, the reconcilement between Holy God and Sinful Mankind has unfolded in the fullness of time….
In the Fullness of Time by Michael Romani What then is the meaning of Christmas? The story of this day told in its mass Is one of the fullness of time Taking in the mysterious and sublime More than beautiful greeting card scenes There is the truth that it truly means That essence of this very blessed day It cannot be reduce to nativity plays God in Christ reconciles the world to Him With a depth that transcends all hymns When we examine Christmas from God's perspective Its in this we find our beliefs caught in reflective In the moments of truth that are revealed Though never intentionally meant to be concealed God sent forth His Son for our redemption Though this too rarely reaches our contemplation Each man and woman has become God's heirs As we utter our toasts lifted in our holiday airs The coming of the fullness of time may seem abstract And difficult to grasp, but, the time of birth is exact God in His sovereignty rules majestically over all As the reconcilement of man and God is recalled From before the heavens and earth were created All was in place while the firmaments patiently waited The working of God's hand aligned events to His will Promises delivered from the seed of woman reveal That Jesus born of a women may have seemed ordinary But was necessarily God and human so very extraordinary Jesus, then, was born under the role of Moses' law So that He might redeem those born also under the law We all fall very short and all are under condemnation But, the spotless Lamb of God would pay for our redemption In doing this, we have found the glorious reality That we are all now adopted into God's true family By nature, we children of wrath are under Divine protection Given our new identity as given by God's intervention Called to live our lives by steps in a new way As children of light called out as servants today Abstaining from the darkness that God so hates Stumbled along the way, the cross delivers our fates Until in that fullness of time, Jesus does return We must holdfast, living true as we continue to learn Anticipating the glory of His triumph returned Guided by His inspiration and salvation we must discern (c) December 25, 2019 Michael Romani All Rights Reserved
Posted in Poetry and Poems
Tagged Abstract, Belief, Birth, Bless, Christ, Contemplation, Essence, Exact, Full, God, God In Christ, Grasp, Greeting Card, Heir, Holy, Hymn, Man, Mass, Meaning, Merry Christmas, Moments, Mystery, Nativity Play, Photograph, Poem, Poetry, Reconcile, Redemption, Reflect, Sin, Sublime, Time, Toast, Told, Transcend, Truth, Woman
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Please Have A Merry and Blessed Christmas 2019
To all my friends, family and even enemies, especially enemies, may you have the happiest and most blessed Christmas ever in reflection of the many gifts our heavenly Father has given to each and every one of us. May we live each day with Christmas in our hearts and join together to make this world as is heaven above.
To Quote John Wesley:
“Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.”
If each of us would endeavor to do just this to the best of who we are, the world would be filled with peace, joy, love and tenderness, today and every day. This is my wish for all of us on this Christmas Day, December 25, 2019
This is how much God loves us, from Heaven to Earth and back again…
Posted in Thought For the Day
Tagged Blessed, Christmas, December 25 2019, Endeavor, Enemies, Every Day, Family, Father, Friends, Gifts, Good, Hearts, Heaven, John 3:16, John Wesley, Join Together, Joy, Love, Merry Christmas, Peace, Tenderness, Thought For the Day, Today, Wish, World
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Thought For the Day: Peace On Earth Will Come To Stay, When We Live Christmas Every Day
“Peace on earth will come to stay, When we live Christmas every day.” – Helen Steiner Rice
Posted in Thought For the Day
Tagged Christmas, Come, Earth, Every Day, Helen Steiner Rice, Live, Peace, Stay, Thought For the Day, We
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First Principles: It Is the Duty of All Nations To Acknowledge the Providence of Almighty God
“What students would learn in American schools above all is the religion of Jesus Christ. It is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favors.” – George Washington
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Tagged Acknowledge, All, American, Benefits, Duty, Favor, First Principles, George Washington, God, Grateful, Humble, Implore, Jesus Christ, Learn, Nations, Obey, Protection, Providence, School, Students, Will
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Forgotten Presents
Let’s call this one for the missed one on December 22nd and Happy Chanukah to all who celebrate this!
Forgotten Presents by Michael Romani To all the kids who learned How not to believe All of those who have been turned By things that do deceive Keep your eyes on the cross Count the hurts that caused the loss And hold on tight to the prayers And lessons learned on church stairs That hurt comes before the anger Tossed feelings that are not stranger A hug out of disappointed dreams Christmas carols that play in streams A darkened world is its own plight I think on this, this most holy night Drifting thoughts float into prescience Of being all and one of forgotten presents In the Hall of Letters are the memories That lay behind the history of our families And all of those little things that make life better Summed up here in this legacy of letters Words written in the staid belief That our desires told would gain relief And that dreams given make life better Faith, hope and love somehow brought together All of the elves in Santa's workshop Going at it full drill and full stop Could not do but to ensure Christmas endures And in this, humanity finds its needed cure True believers to the core of each one This is the truth of life since it first begun It's Christmas and snow is falling on the ground It's time that a miracle or two is found (c) December 24, 2019 Michael Romani All Rights Reserved
Posted in Poetry and Poems
Tagged Anger, Begun, Belief, Believe, Better, Carol, Celebrate, Christmas, Church, Core, Cross, Cure, Dark, Deceive, December 22 2019, Desire, Dream, Drift, Elves, Endure, Eyes, Faith, Fall, Family, Feelings, Float, Forgotten, Found, Full Drill, Full Stop, Ground, Hall, Happy Chanukah, History, Hold, Holy Night, Hope, Hug Out, Humanity, Hurt, Kid, Learn, Lessons, Letters, Life, Loss, Love, Memory, Miracle, Photograph, Plight, Poem, Poetry, Prayer, Prescience, Present, Relief, Santa, Snow, Stranger, Stream, Sum, Together, True Believer, Truth, Turn, Words, Workshop, World
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