We went to the Amish Kitchen this week at Mary Yoder’s Restaurant, in Middlefield and while I was sitting there waiting for the server, I looked at the wall where a wooden sign was hanging. It had a saying on it and I now share it with you.
ALWAYS STAND FOR WHAT IS RIGHT, EVEN IF YOU STAND ALONE!!!!!
I thought it was very appropriate in todays world.
Peace,
Den Betts
This MIGHT be about someone with a mind-altering problem having thoughts. I looked at my father who had Alzheimer’s and this might have come to mind then. OR, it could have been me long ago, suffering from a TBI and knowing that something was wrong, but not understanding what, at the time. The mind is unique and sometimes not easy to fathom..
Lonely Heart 2018-33
The lonely heart beats; outside,
A songbird sings his song, nearby
The quarter hour chime of an old
Grandfather clock sounds loudly.
A sigh, a sob, as tears roll down
Cheeks in salty twin rivulets.
Perhaps a reason for emotion shown,
But only quiet sadness expressed.
Filtered light through paned
Glass reaching, touching,
A dusty smell lingers, competing
With a favorite pet odor.
Hands silently twist a lace kerchief,
Into a single strand,
Trying to relieve the tension
Held deep inside the bosom.
An overstuffed chair squeaks,
With well-worn discord, while,
Nearby a purring sound quietly
Lends its rhythmic cadence.
A word suddenly escapes, “Why?”
No answer expected, only asked, as
The lonely heart tries to keep pace,
With the tick tock, tick tock……
Den Betts bettsden@gmail.com
Values 2018-32
What are values in life as far as ethics goes, for instance? What do we put on them as far as importance, in relation to our actions and how we live? Do values determine our correct conduct and lifestyle, such as being “good” or if we see a way of life with low value, is that “bad”? I would think that whatever action is done, its value would be raised or lowered or at least changed.
I think of today’s turmoil in life in the United States, as an indicator of our values. We can do “right” or “wrong” or decide what “ought to be” and these actions will determine our values in life.
Certain actions by some today, show for others, their “values” in life. The decisions made and the repercussions that occur also determine how we see ourselves in the mirror. If we accept an action or decree by a person in charge, we are part of that determination of values that go along with the decision.
This is too broad of a subject to easily put a clear definition on what our values are today. But, we can speculate as to the “good and bad” of some of things that transpire on a regular basis now.
Treating people in a certain way and accepting the results of such treatment can be viewed as good and bad, but by different people with different backgrounds and cultures.
Immigration, health, taxes, etc. are examples of what can be right or wrong where mandates, laws, and dictates affect SO many people of many types. It is TOO easy to make a decision that changes the lives of others, without thinking of the changes made, just the results. This is where we must decide on what our values are, when we see the new rules that apply.
Health care that takes away the care of people, immigration dictates that forego past laws and create discord for many, taxes that give back just a little, to the low end of financial statues people, are examples of where we must again, decide what our values are in life.
To, in essence, say the hell with the aged, the unhealthy, the poor, because we should take care of ourselves and forget those people, is WRONG. Our values are skewed, if we think this is right and correct.
We have become inhuman, we can now state we are sub-human to others, and in such a life, we are therefore not worthy of being called a populace of any thing that is worthy ourselves. We cannot say we are acting in a business-like way, without realizing the human way of life. If we still proclaim ourselves as occupants of a nation based on Christian values, we are deceiving ourselves, and any that listen, by saying we are Christians.
I have not stated any names, because the mirror of life is there for all of us to look at and ponder our beliefs and those of others. We in the U.S. have much to consider now and in the future. Where do we draw the line as to what we accept or reject in life, whereas, in those areas where others are affected, we will, in turn, be affected.
Peace,
Den Betts bettsden@gmail.com
The joys of life, of living and experiencing existence as an adventure. Enjoy life, as it is, when it is and how it is, and know that life is everlasting – REALLY!!!!
Life Aura 2018-31
So grand! So wonderful to behold,
The existence of life, of living
To experience, to have, and continue
Good and bad times, laughter and
Sorrow, accomplishments and failures
All intertwined together as one
Not to be taken for granted,
Nor wasted by acts of self-admonishment
A gift to explode with adventure
In daily trips or encounters with self.
Each second a now, of yesterday,
Today and tomorrow of energy,
A smile, a tear, a giggle, a sneer,
All a part of its totality of composition.
No guarantees of goodness,
Of comfort or times free of pain,
Only a chance to make whatever
With the cards played.
Each being, a life-aura
To spend eternity of living…
Den Betts bettsden@gmail.com
Oh, how I look forward to Spring! A change in temps, seeing things in a different light, a promise of newness of living, so many things to experience anew. Cold gone, and white changed to green. Winter has it’s positives (somewhere I guess), but Spring is eternal as far as I am concerned……
Spring 2018-30
A rebirth of the dormant world
With its rekindling of growth
Smells once forgotten, now back.
Creatures gone before, now returned.
Puffy and white now replacing
Grey and foreboding, welcomed
Amidst the gentle rains feeding
Plants awakened, stretching upward.
Lively steps in tired old men
Walking up the street with a bounce.
Children playing in puddles and mud
Grins, with sparkles in the eye.
Spring, a time of joy, a time of
Hope, a period of the rebirth
Once again of the world, the
Promise of continued life unfolds.
Den Betts bettsden@gmail.com
Hatred and Anger 2018-29
Why do “some” have so much bitterness and perhaps anger and hatred for those of other faiths, skin color, or ethnic origins?
Where is the love of all in their lives? And, do they claim any sort of religious beliefs like being a Christian? If so, do they not realize that the god-man, Jesus, touted nothing but love for all? Even, if not a Christian or any other faith, is not love a much better attitude towards people of the world?
It is hard to understand the thinking of those that have these feelings of hatred. What story do they have to share that could explain how they feel? How can they be proud of having Anti-Semite, racial prejudice, or abhorrence for others in their thoughts or actions?
There is NO answer to these questions that make any sense. I can only pray that time will resolve the issues for them, and in their place, understanding, love and caring for fellow mankind will result.
Hatred towards others is like a slow festering boil that keeps hurting and hurting until expunged and removed. This can happen, but a decision to take action must be made and then acted on, which is hard to do at times.
Many have removed God from their lives or have never had Him there as a guiding light, such as Jesus Christ is for those that believe. He IS the light of the world and coming to this conclusion takes time and perseverance, and simply belief. Reading Scripture and learning about the man-God that taught love instead of hate is a start, but only a beginning.
The time where we learn from the teachings of Jesus and then mirror the things it takes, will be the finalization of the journey of life with God, or at least a continuation.
Peace,
Den Betts bettsden@gmail.com
Thinking about life 2018-28
We all go through lives with the same number of hours in the day. What we do in those hours are mostly up to us, with some work, some play, eating meals, commuting here and there, and other necessary chores of life.
Hour after hour we use them to accomplish things we must or want to do. BUT, how many of us get caught up in mundane actions that do not really matter in the long run of things in life?
Could we, if we tried, look at many things differently? To take the time to just look into the eyes of someone or something we love and let that one know how much we appreciate and love them, would be terrific.
Or, tell a friend the same thing with conviction and meaning. To try to look at others with another outlook and see them in a diverse light. To say than you to anyone that did something out of the ordinary in a special way.
To change our opinion on someone of another color, religion, creed, ethnicity, or anything else which is foreign to us in our way of living. To actually TALK with one of those “others” and ask them a question about their way of life, which is contrary to ours. It is TOO easy to ignore them and go on with our lives, doing our things, and wondering about them and their things.
Do we stay in a clam shell of living and exclude what we are uncomfortable with, and keep our ignorance and not expand our knowledge? IF we do, we are NOT growing, but instead, staying stagnant in our lives. We can make excuses, but that is all they are and, reality is, we are snobs of our own making.
We COULD be afraid to do anything, as it will maybe make us vulnerable to ridicule or worse yet, make us stand out to someone. We do NOT want that to happen, do we? Yet, it is easy to criticize and not know another person that belongs to any group we are uncertain of and let our unawareness rule.
Oh well, that is said, and I can move on in my slap happy way and think I am so great in saying all this, which is bull crap to some anyway.
Peace,
Den Betts bettsden@gmail.com
When doing some research for genealogy, I wrote this to signify the vastness of our creation on Earth and where we came from. We are all creatures of long ago, with stories from the past that are part of our existence. Starting with Eve, continuing with Lucy, our ancestors have traveled afar to where we are today.
Message Heard 2018-27
Beside a thatched dwelling
In front of a smoking fire
Bones, stones, and shells,
Fly to a mat of woven grass.
Foretelling a future, a decision
To be made, fate itself in limbo.
Frayed leather garments
Darkened by sweat and time
Cling to an old one with the
Insight, interpreting the fall.
The bush resounds; drums beat,
Signaling the message told
By the ancient one; for all to hear.
Far away, a man dressed in pinstripes,
Moves his head with ear upraised.
The Manhattan intersection beckons;
He lingers with a quizzical look, squinting.
The man walks away in the crowd,
Wondering what he heard in the wind.
Den Betts bettsden@gmail.com
I wrote this when my future was in doubt, my past was full of crap, and the present life was dwelling on both. It is TOO easy to think that all will be good, all was bad and the now is just so so……….. But, think positive, because we are what and how we are and we CAN change for the better; always…….
Past-Present-Future 2018-26
The past is done
And the future’s begun
Dwell not on yesterday
As life goes on, regardless
Of events of the past.
Today is tomorrow’s history
As yesterday’s is today and
Tomorrow is yesterday’s
Future, as it is also today.
Think positive of the morrow
As the hopes of today are
Life rafts in a sea of despair
Nothing is so bad that can’t
Be changed in the future.
Den Betts bettsden@gmail.com
Whoa! This is something I wrote when, again, my mind was floating in a different zone of life. I understand it, hope you do, or if not, pretend you do. Perhaps someone who knows me could look at this and say, “Ha, thought so; he is weird!” And, as the saying goes, “It takes one to know one”, or words like that. Oh yeh, I was NOT drunk or drinking when I wrote this; Ha!!!!
Silent Song 2018-25
Mindless melodies contorted with rhyme,
Playing parodies in the present time
Lingering lyrics float in the air,
Stating sentences of a care, a dare
Fractural fibers leap in sine
Creating chaos in the mind of mine
Wandering wisps of static substance
Forever lost, but not forgotten.
Den Betts bettsden@gmail.com
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