Todays Word is: Hope

So, if you have been following along, then you know I am in the Summer Blog-off Contest.
I get a word I must write about before Midnight on Thursdays.
I am doing this for a cause: read below.
Why don't you support it too? You can make a donation by clicking on the bra icon.

If money is not how you can support. Then please leave a comment.

Please follow along by checking out the list of participants at Five Second Dance Party

2007 Blog-Off For Breast Cancer

Hope

At first I wanted to make a post using hope in it, yet reflecting the Harry Potter movie release. But instead I decided to go with my first real exposure to the word hope.

In grade 5 I was given a Gideon Bible.
There was one passage that stuck out for me.
This came after some research into Corinthians 13:13
The words working up to this passage are quite profound, and really do explain that no one great belief or deed can effect any change if it does not follow love.
In my copy love is represented by the word Charity, so it was easy for me to set a moral path based on this one piece of scripture on its own.

In my teens you were no one if you didn't have the faith, hope and charity charm on your charm bracelet. A cross, an anchor and a heart.
I know that they are Scandinavian symbols.
The Cross stands for Faith
The Anchor stands for Hope
The Heart stands for Charity (or in newer meanings Love)
The Cross is the easy one... The Anchor because to wish well toward those sailing away enstilled the Hope that they would return. Also to anchor your beliefs. The Heart is the physical representation of romance but we want to enstill the Egape (true love, or selfless love).

I like this whole passage because it tells us that no matter if we are great doing just one of virtues, it is meaningless if we do not hold to us the virtue of Charity or Love.
We have to begin at the beginning.
We have to love first and continuously for hope and faith to flourish.

Love means not judging.
Love means complete
Not when it suits you, or when I get enough attention, or I will if you do this for me.

So here is the Bible Passage to Corinthians 13:13

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

In this day and age, many folks will only do something if they get something out of it. We often ask ourselves What is the Me factor?

But The Hope here is only fruitful if you do it without the Me factor.
For in Charity we do it just cuz.
At least we hope we do.
To choose to do something to aid man because they are our fellow man, and for no other reason is the ultimate hope.
To look upon only the positive and to believe positive and to evangelize that in your own life is how the Faith part comes in.

To believe in oneself, and in other people and in those that are our future because we give of ourselves to promote hope, we give of ourselves for the sake of mankind. And to do this is to tribute our faith. Wow Hope can be generic and have great meaning too!

We hope because we believe in ourselves and others, and we share a morality structure.
We have a movement of Faith that allows us to share Love. But without Love we are nothing within our Hope.

Once in a while I will pull a Bible passage out for my own sake.
This is MY one. The one I chose to relish since childhood.

Yes, us mediums are talked about in this passage.
I don't see this as a negative finger pointed at those that speak in tongues, or foretell things, but as a testiment to a time that will come when speaking in tongues and mediumship will no longer be necessary. A time when we will have it all together and the messages will be clear to all. It is clear that all must Love before the future, spoke of here, will happen.

So this is what I first think of when I think of Hope.

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http://motivated-motion.blogspot.com/2007/07/todays-word-is-hope-so-if-you-have-been.html

July's Blog-off is beginning.
We will be posting new creative writing projects for every Thursday. Please cheer us on each week. There is money at stake! Money for winners and winners for charity!

This Week's Theme is Survivor

Please follow along by checking out the list of participants at Five Second Dance Party

2007 Blog-Off For Breast Cancer

Here is my competition entry:

Survivor

To the colony Gabriel was an angel.

When he was a child he was orphaned and was taken in by the Queen’s court as a servant.

The Queen liked Gabriel. She treated him like her own child.

She kept him close and trained him in the ways of the court.

She knew that he would never get the same privileges as an adult as she could lavish on him as a child, for he had no royal bloodline to be recognised.

Throughout his childhood he enjoyed the comforts of her chambers and they dined on the finest nectars of the Gods.

Gabriel would often sit outside in the sunshine and contemplate what his life would be like when he grew up.

He would look to the sky and converse with the Gods and try to bargain with them to keep his status.

Alas, after all the years of hoping, Gabriel grew up and took his rightful place as a court servant to the Queen.

He was determined to be the best servant ever appointed. By doing so, he hoped that he would have great favour with the Gods and possibly be restored as a member of the Royal Court some day.

He toiled each day. He walked many miles to gather materials for the Queen. Whatever her desire, he would find it.

Some days it would seem he would travel for a meagre stick of fruit wood, or some lushess vegetable. And on others he would move building supplies from the farthest colonies for trade.

Gabriel was small. He never grew into a powerful adult. He worked like one of the strong ones though.

As the years passed, Gabriel’s reputation grew throughout the colony.

He was known as The Perfect Little Servant.

Everyone knew of his desire to bargain with the Gods, and they would mock him when he passed by.

“Gabriel, the perfect little servant, prays to the Gods every day for Royal Blood!”

The children would call out as they watched him work so hard.

“Gabriel, the perfect little servant. Favourite of the Queen. Too bad the Gods don’t speak to you Angel.”

The adults would chide at him daily.

Gabriel was not swayed. He vowed to devote time every day to speak to the Gods, no matter what.

It came to pass that the Colony came under attack from the Gods.

There were great fires in the colony and floods, then the crops became poisoned.

Gabriel worked through plagues to serve his precious Queen.

He thought the Gods would notice, and spare the Colony, because of his devotion.

One day he sat on the hill, broken and alone.

“My God, why have you forsaken the Colony? I have been the perfect Angel. I only hoped to become Royal, but I was truly dedicated you and my service to the Queen. You plagued us with fire, and floods, and poisoned our crops. I worked harder and harder...

And all that has become of me is that I am now alone. The Colony is dead. My Queen has perished, and the land is ruined. Yet you keep me alive.

Why do you keep me alive? What is my purpose?”

Suddenly he heard a sound from the heavens, and a thousand faces appeared in the sky.

There were words, but Gabriel could not understand them.

Was he becoming a true Angel?

A beautiful day.... The summer smells are in the air. The kitchen door is open.

Mom is preparing lunch.

The boy is squatting down with a magnifying glass in one hand and the hose in the other.

He peers down at the little hill after an hour of dousing it with the hose.

He spies one lone ant.

He yells out, “Hey Mom! Hey Mom! Come quick! We have a Survivor!”

And Gabriel looks up trying to make out what the God is saying.

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I encourage anyone to comment. Thanks

http://motivated-motion.blogspot.com/2007/07/julys-blog-off-is-beginning.html

Happy Hallowe'en To You!

Today I will tell you a ghostly tale.
One that I only know.
It may be fake, but it may be real.
You will be scared before I go.

The story tonight is of a day, I knew not so long ago.
Grab your favourite blanky, and safety kitty.....
Are you ready?

Grandmother used to have a table in the grand salon.
This table was small and dark. The finish on the grain was almost blood red, and it shone of a fine polish.

Each time I entered her home, my nose stung of that deep coal oil smell. My first breath would be raw, then the scent mellowed. That strain metalic back-taste upon my breath. My brain would always feel comfort associated with that smell.

The large house was all wood, with a wrap-around portch. The house had too many doors! And this strange one on the corner of the salon. Like there needed to be many escape routes for the earthly creatures that passed o're the threshold.

Now back to that table. That fine dark table. So small one could barely put out tea upon it.
Today there was no tea there. This time there were two seats. One wooden dining room chair, and one piano bench. The bench was covered in a green silk, quilted to show a soft pattern.

I heard shuffling behind me.


There my Grandmother stood with a candle-stick. Her hair was covered by a violet turban. She wore a violet dress to match it.
Her face was soft and she smiled.
"I am glad you have come" she said.

She motioned for me to sit upon the bench. She sat across from me on the chair.

We layed our hands upon the table, with our fingertips outstretched to touch tip to tip.
As like many times before we began to breathe slowly and deeply. With eyes closed, and clearing our minds with every breath.

I slowly opened my eyes. Blue light began to glow around our fingertips, and it grew larger as I stared upon it.
I began to notice small sparkley lights in the air, near to the ceiling. They were like little flickers that floated across my view as I looked into the ceiling corner.
I could smell something.
It was like strong perfume. But it had this weird fruity back-scent.
At that moment I felt my Grandmothers toes jerk forward to bang mine.
"Make sure you don't take your feet off the ground! Flat feet, like mine. Keep touching my feet!" she said in a desperate manner.


The room began to swirl slowly. I was not quite ready for that, and I shut my eyes. Not tight. Just to relax my brain a bit. As my eyes stayed shut I began to notice a glow. A glow in my mind's eye. That space above your eyes when they're shut. It was becoming intense. I opened my eyes again.
Now the blue glow between our fingers was like a large orb encompassing our hands. I could feel no temperature change, yet there was a sparkley feeling in my hands. The glow in my mind's eye was getting stronger. My vision of the place where I sat became lost in the soup of glow in my head!

My face began to feel really weird. Like something was tugging on my muscles and making certain ones flex. My right eye began to twitch. Then my right cheek. My right corner of my mouth, and the area around the crease of my chin. I was becoming distorted. Strange spasms had one half of my face.
Then suddenly I had this feeling I was falling fast!
I was suddenly aware of my whole surroundings. I was out of my body!

I could see my Grandmother and myself sitting at the table below me. As I had a better look, I realized that the table was raised off the ground. Grandmother and me still had our feet bonded to the floor and touching. Our hands still lay upon the table in the original mannor. Yet that table was floating! I was amazed by that! Then it dawned on me that I should be more amazed at the fact I was not in my body!
At that point the room began to glow blue. Shadows appeared all around us.

Gathered around us were several shadowy figures. I could not quite make out who they were. They seemed to be talking to eachother, yet I could not hear them speak. I saw their motions, as if they were discussing the situation amongst themselves.
I did not feel like being in the room any longer. As soon as I thought that, I was somewhere else! I was floating over trees.
I should have been cold! I wasn't cold. I could smell the fresh air, and the scent of firelogs burning.


Something was happening to my head. It felt weak. I was dizzy again.
Everything was a blur. Suddenly I was walking. It was very cold. I felt so small. There was a horrible stink in the air. A smell like dank and wet caves.
I could hardly see. I was carrying a large wooden bowl. The bowl was almost too big for me to manage.

I was walking in a corridor. A long dark corridor. There were recesses in the walls, and in these recesses glowed hot embers with whisps of fire from the logs laid therein. I could not speak. My feet were bare. I wore a plain brown smock. I saw people pass me by. I must be a child.
They are all bigger than me. Ahead there are torchlights. I hear sounds. Low mumbling. It seems there may be a well-lit room ahead. I continue on with my bowl. I soon turn to my left to find a large hall. There are alot of pillars going to the ceiling. It isn't fancy. It is a very unlavish place, but there are lots of benches and tables, and quite a few people are sitting around and talking.

Their clothes are nicer than mine. Not too much more colourful, but definitely newer and of finer material. Another dressed like me guides me by the shoulder through the room to a large table of food.

"Put it here luv"

I put down my large bowl upon the table. Now I see it it filled with fruit. My stomach begins to growl.
I peer under the table and see scraps of bread.
I go to pick up a piece.





Suddenly I am yanked backwards! I'm in trouble. The strong pull doesn't end! I am dizzy once more, and I am moving quickly backwards. I am losing my perspective. I don't know what is happening. I am confused!
I stop moving. It is black. I cannot see anything. I am looking for even a dim glow......Nothing............


I am aware my face is distorted. My mind clears more. I open my eyes.
Right in front of my face is a face! A large face. So close I can't see it properly. I feel my breath bouncing off the face.
I slowly drift backwards..........
It is a very small woman. Very round features. Her cheeks are soft and round. Her eyes are really bright and cheerful.
She begins to speak, but I cannot hear her words.

She is looking at me perplexed. She does not know why I cannot hear her.
She speaks again.
She knows now I still cannot hear her.

Suddenly a spasm hits me. I heave a dry heave like I am going to be sick.
A loud wretch, raw and loud erupts from my chest.
My eyes slam shut with the reaction. All the blood rushes to my head.
Oh I hate that feeling! That pressure ..................................
That moment my soul re-enters my body..............

And the table slams down to the floor once more.

Is the tale true?
It might be so.
Just remember, don't ever sit at a small table with me

A little Bum Flesh humour
goes a long way!

Tonight there'll be lots of kids at our door!

Carl brought home cupcakes!

The Two Avatars of Witchamy, my alter Ego!

Now to fulfill Chumly's request,
I bring you Photos of a Halloween past.
This one is at Eva's place. Carl and I are ready to go!

I bet everyone wants to be a socket to someone's plug!

Oh Me! In my Witchy Splendor! All Gothed up and No Place to Gho!

One of Lynn's basic effect shots.

Lou, all pimped out!

Eva and Lou

"Where's Heff?"

Wow! Lots of Devils with the red dresses on!

Wasn't That A Party?

http://motivated-motion.blogspot.com/2006/10/happy-halloween-to-you-today-i-will.html

You will not find these posts on the front page of my Blog these days.
I take part in a writing group and these are the pieces that I submit as per the parameters of the task.
If you are a good sleuth you found them in the sidebar.
I hope you enjoy the pieces.

We will call these: The Amy Papers



The Continuing Saga of Schmirlock Bones and Dr. Winsome



When last we saw the Super Forensic Sleuths, they were in the Grand Salon of Casa Loma with all of the suspects…….

Gathered around the large round meeting table in the Grand Salon was everyone who was in the Castle at the time Courtney Loveyface was found dead, hanging upside-down from the foyer balcony railing, swinging from a short rope tied to her right ankle.

Close to the garden window sat Maiden Marion the primary housekeeper. Her tall stature was being muted as she slumped in her chair. She was pale and quite distraught over her Lady’s death. Schmirlock watched her closely as she looked like exhaustion was overcoming her, and her eyes were fighting sleep.

At the area of the table closer to the Billiard Room doors was Kevin Heart-throb Steel. He was restless and kept getting up from the table and pacing, like he had a secret and was tormented about whether to tell it. He’d stand up and pace, then look at everyone and then sit down. Most believed he knew something and that is why his ADD was getting the better of them today. If it was he who did it there would be no NASCAR races for him to win in prison.

Schmirlock slid over on the bench they shared and whispered something into Dr. Winsom’s ear.
In a response, Dr. Winsome looked down at his blazer pocket and patted it with his hand in a gesture of assurance that the item in question was in his pocket.

Caroline Compington sat nearer the fireplace. Her face was like stone, showing no emotion at all.
With a guarded stare she viewed each of the players in this criminal show. Her back perfectly straight and her head held high, she seemed so inconvenienced.

The twins Keri, and Carry, were sitting across from each other. Like that was the absolute farthest away from each other they could get within the confines of the table. The looks they gave each other were pure hate. The rumour was one betrayed the other just after arriving at the Castle and they had been at each other’s throats since the incident.

Schmirlock Bones stood up to address the group.
“After our thorough investigation Dr. Winsome and myself have learned some very interesting things.”

Everyone became suddenly uneasy at the start of this conversation.

“Dr. Winsome learned from Maiden Marion that the reason Keri and Carry are ready to kill each other is because of one man. Seems they both fancied this guy, and he lead them both on. Keri thought the man was all for her, and Carry here thought that the man was all for him.” As he patted Carry on the shoulder. “It was only when Keri and Carry arrived here for their holiday, did they realise they both had met the same man. It was revealed in a shocking uncovering when per chance they ran into him here.” Said Schmirlock.

Tears welled up in Keri’s eyes.

Dr. Winsome broke in, “ It seems that Miss Courtney Loveyface was already dead before she was laced up to the banister. I found smudges of makeup on the side of her cheek that didn’t belong to her, and there was a distinctive thumbprint bruise near her ear, along her neck. Seeing Miss Loveyface had no makeup on at the time I concluded that the makeup was a cross transference from another woman she struggled with.”

Kevin drew a deep breath and sighed, this meant he was no longer a suspect.

Schmirlock cut in, “Even though it was well known that in the tabloids there were claims that Caroline Compington and Courtney have been at lager-heads over their last business venture together, the truth is that Caroline and Courtney were having a very passionate affair.”

Caroline was not amused by this reveal. She looked daggers at Schmirlock for revealing her secret.

Schmirlock made his final analysis of the crime. “Courtney Loveyface was using Caroline Compington. Courtney knew Caroline loved her very much. Courtney decided to use that passion Caroline had, for Courtney’s own gain. The final straw was when Caroline refused to bemuse Courtney in a three-way trist with her other lover. Whereas Caroline was devastated to find out about this mystery man…….She was not as broken as the man was, by the sudden involvement of Caroline as a third party; for Courtney was using him as well.”

Keri shot daggers from her eyes at her brother! She knew he was involved somehow, but she would have never guessed…..that!

Suddenly Maiden Marion crumpled to the floor in a faint.

“Got it Winsome?” Yelled Schmirlock.

“All right here.” Dr. Winsome replied as he pulled the syringe out of his pocket.

“When we were upstairs we noticed someone had removed the bottle of sleeping pills from Miss Loveyface’s night stand. We were prepared for this.” Interjected Schmirlock Bones.

Dr. Winsome revived Maiden Marion and injected her with adrenaline. “That should do her, she will be fine.”

“Ah but she won’t”, said Schmirlock. “ For Yesterday when we were in the Conservatory I noticed that the makeup she wears is the same as the makeup rubbed onto Miss Loveyface. I made a few calls to confirm my suspicions.”

With that, Schmirlock swiped down his hand and caught Maiden Marion by the hair. Pulling off an elaborate wig.

Keri screamed at her brother, “You Bastard!” And ran from the room. Carry was frozen. He couldn’t even breathe.

“Maiden Marion is the famous transvestite Marty Combs. Mr Combs is a wonderful confidence man. He was controlling Keri, and Carry, Caroline, and Courtney, getting all of the attention he wanted. But Courtney knew that he hated being a man and gave him an ultimatum, to go all boy or not continue to see Courtney any longer. Marty didn’t want to be found out. His whole scheme was dependent upon having two identities. He also knew that Carry would eventually find out he was a woman at heart and Marty would lose all hope to stay with his true love, Carry.” Schmirlock moved in and cuffed Maiden Marion, aka Marty Combs.

“Everything depended on Marty’s secret not being revealed. He needed to make sure Courtney didn’t tell. So he sent Courtney a note saying ‘I need to see you tonight’ and signed it ‘Caroline’. Certain Courtney would come. He waited in the hall outside of Caroline’s room. He hid in the shadows. When Courtney came around the corner he pinned her against the door jam and strangled her ‘till she was dead.”

Later that night when all the paperwork was finished with and the Police took away the guilty Schmirlock and Dr. Winsome headed back to their pad.

Dr Winsome noticed an envelope on the silver tray, upon the hall table.

He opened it, and read it and said, “Looks like we have another one old chum…….Our attendance is requested as soon as possible to Portwright Manner by the Earl that resides there.” Dr. Winsome recites part of the letter. “Due to the raven that follows him wherever he goes, a young man is convinced something terrible is about to happen….”

Schmirlock gazes at Dr. Winsome and comments, “Terrible, indeed.”

http://motivated-motion.blogspot.com/2006/07/you-will-not-find-these-posts-on-front.html