Calendar Quindecims July

by tkbrown
Summer heat melts most ev'ry day
and seems to give erotic sway
as opportunity surmounts
all thought in those special moments
of delightful, hot arousal.
Then, sudden, shrill silence doth stall
as the heat sets in, shimmering
the sky, passersby in faux bling
seem to be seeking summer breeze
that pushes out upon the seas.
'Twas lost upon the desert sands
drifting in from faraway lands.
The virus again takes a toll
amongst reveling protestor's roll
and partygoers on a stroll.

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Image Above: Fourth of July Fireworks @depositphotos.com/vector-images/
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Jesus is Tempted by Satan

Scripture is from the Holy Bible — New King James Version (NKJV)

Notes on Scripture (below) by tkbrown

Matthew 4:1-11

1 — “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.”

2 — “And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.”

3 — “Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, ‘If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.'”

4 — “But He answered and said, ‘It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'”

5 — “Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple.”

6 — “and said to Him, ‘If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you.’ and ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.'”

7 — “Jesus said to him, ‘It is written again, You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'”

8 — “Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.”

9 — “And he said to Him, ‘All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.'”

10 — “Then Jesus said to him, ‘Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only you shall serve.'”

11 — “Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.”

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Prophecy

v4 — Deuteronomy 8:3 — “So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.”

v6 — Psalm 91:11, 12

11 — “For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.”

12 — “In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.”

v7 — Deuteronomy 6:16 — “You shall not tempt the Lord your God as you tempted Him in Massah.”

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Related New Testament Scriptures

v11 — James 4:7 — “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

v11 — Hebrews 1:14 — “Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister to those who will inherit salvation?”

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Mark 1:11-13

11 — “Then a voice came from heaven, ‘You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.'”

12 — “Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness.”

13 — “And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with wild beasts, and the angels ministered to Him.”

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Related New Testament Scriptures

v11 — Matthew 3:17 — “And suddenly a voice came from heaven saying, ‘This is My Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.'”

v11 — Matthew 12:17, 18

17 — “that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying;”

18 — “‘Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased! I will put My Spirit upon Him, and He will declare justice to the Gentiles.'”

v12 — Matthew 4:1-11 (See above.)

v12 — Matthew 4:10, 11 (See above.)

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Luke 4:1-14

1 — “Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness.”

2 — “being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days, He ate nothing, and afterword, when they had ended, He was hungry.”

3 — “And the devil said to Him, ‘If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.'”

4 — “But Jesus answered him saying, ‘It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.'”

5 — “Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment in time.”

6 — “And the devil said to Him, ‘All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.'”

7 — “‘Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.'”

8 — “And Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Get behind me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.'”

9 — “Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, ‘If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here.'”

10 — “‘For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you.'”

11 — “‘and, ‘in their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.'”

12 — “And Jesus answered and said to him, ‘It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'”

13 — “Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.”

14 — “Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.”

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Prophecy

v4 — Deuteronomy 8:3 — “So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.”

v8 — Deuteronomy 6:13 — “You shall fear the Lord your God and serve Him and shall take oaths in His name.”

Deuteronomy 10:20 — “You shall fear the Lord your God; you shall serve Him, and to Him you shall hold fast, and take oaths in His name.”

v9 — Matthew 4:5-7 (See above.)

v10 — Psalm 91:11 — “For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.”

v11 — Psalm 91:12 — “In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.”

v12 — Deuteronomy 6:16 — “You shall not tempt the Lord your God as you tempted Him in Massah.”

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Related New Testament Scriptures

v1 — Matthew 4:1-11 (See above.)

v13 — Hebrews 4:15 — “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.”

v14 — John 4:43 — “Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee.”

v14 — Acts 10:37 — “. . . that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached.”

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Notes on Scripture: by tkbrown

Here, I have presented the Scriptures which portray Jesus’ forty days and forty nights of fasting and prayer in the wilderness when Satan tempted Him. These Scriptures are found in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. While there may be slight differences in the wording of each account of the event, these are no more than would be found if three witnesses in a court of law presented accounts of a specific incident. This is important in the fact that all three testimonials also coordinate with Old Testament prophecy related to these Scriptures and with related Scriptures in the New Testament. Thus, we have ‘rightly divided the Word of Truth’ with regard to this event in Jesus’ life.

Forty days and forty nights is a long time to be without food, but this was done to show that Jesus’ Spirit form and the angels ministering to Jesus was sufficient to satisfy His human needs. This is another example of how God takes care of those who do His will. Jesus was tempted of Satan so we can know He understands the temptations we endure at Satan’s hand.

As our High Priest, Jesus’ understanding of our weaknesses regarding temptation is important. Had He never come to Earth in human form, He could never have truly understood our weakness or the desire to give in when Satan tempts us. God realized this was a faltering point in His righteous understanding of these weaknesses in man. Thus, Jesus understanding of the tendency to give in to temptations gives Him the ability to ‘argue our case’ with God and mediate with Him on our behalf. Hebrews 4:15 tells us this was God’s plan. We can look at the Scripture presented in Romans 3:21-26 to see how this all fits together.

Romans 3:21-26

21 — “But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,”

22 — “even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;”

23 — “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

24 — “being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,”

25 — “whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,”

26 — “to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

This well-known passage from Romans chapter 3 ties in to Satan’s temptation of Jesus and of man in his struggles to overcome temptation. God’s righteousness puts Him in a position of not fully understanding these trials. Through the centuries, the Jewish Law as given to Moses on Mount Sinai allowed Jesus’ forbearance and atonement (propitiation) of their sins to go back and cover all those sins that God had passed over before Christ was born. Now, God is shown to “be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:26).

Jesus is now ready to begin His ministry on Earth. In our next lesson, we will see Jesus begin to select His disciples as he begins to preach and to teach the multitudes. Join us as we look closely at each account of this process as presented in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

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Lesson One -- Scripture: Zacharias to Have Son . . . 
Lesson Two -- Scripture: Jesus' Birth Foretold . . . 
Lesson Three -- Scripture: Zacharias' Son, John, is Born . . . 
Lesson Four -- Scripture: Jesus is Born . . . 
Lesson Five -- Scripture: And Jesus Grew . . .
Lesson Six -- Scripture: John Begins His Ministry . . . 
Lesson Seven -- Scripture: Jesus is Introduced to the World . . . 
Lesson Eight -- Scripture: Jesus' Ancestral Lineage
Lesson Nine -- Scripture: Jesus is Tempted By Satan

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Photo above by: kieutruongphoto @pixabay.com.

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Today in History: 24 May

1944: First Telegraphic Message Sent

Samuel B Morse, on 24 May 1944, sent the first telegram from the U.S. Capitol to his fellow researcher–Alfred Vail–at a railroad station in Baltimore, Maryland. The historic event, witnessed by members of Congress, messaged — ‘What hath God wrought.’ The words were taken from the Bible.

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Source:

Eds. Today in History. (24 May 2020). “Today in History: May 24.” Microsoft News @msn.com. (24 May 2020). https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/today-in-history-may-24/ss-BB1430Te?ocid=msedgdhp#image=2.

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Image above: from “Today in History.” Copyright: Authenticated News/Getty Images.

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Calendar Quindecims June

by tkbrown
Vacations, picnics, and honoring Dad
are bits of fun we are wishing for now,
but gloom and doom hover, keeping us sad,
longing for days with wild oats to sow.
Summertime is wont to be filled with fun,
pleasure-filled hours for yon sweet memories,
for loving anew, basking 'neath warm sun,
taking advantage of sea surfing waves.
How long 'til normal waltzes through the sand,
enjoying family as we once did . . .
strolling through the park, walking hand-in-hand,
dining-in sans limiting safety bid.
Covid-19 has changed the way of life,
taught us to search out the oboe and fife,
enjoying quiet, paint with palette knife.

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Image: 'Chasing Waves' - Saona Island; Dominican Republic
Photo by: Kamil Kalbarczyk @Unsplash.com

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Strength and Refuge

~~ by tkbrown
I cannot imagine what it must be like
to be in his position, having lost so much . . . 

How does one rebuild after such devastation?
. . . after seeing so much suffering and misery?
. . . after opening eyes to the cruelest of cruel
and the most surreal of the most beautiful?

The pain in his facial expression, his eyes,
brings tears to mine that won't blink back.
So much planning! Will it be enough
to bring life to a town so marred by death?
Can any amount of planning or effort
to jumpstart life -- after so much death --
ever diminish or take away the pain?

The stress of shouldering so much responsibility
must overwhelm even the strongest of men at times.
One must respect, if not admire, the tenacity
of those in public office, muddling through the mire
that life has suddenly wrought -- with no warning --
no time to prepare for the insurmountable struggles
faced by all during these uncharted times.

These are the times when I look to the scriptures
for guidance and for resolution within myself.
Many specific passages come to the front of my mind,
but for this day, one can take comfort in the message
meted out in the thirteenth chapter of Romans (NKJV).
To those in positions of power during this time
of foreboding, each is to be subject and to give honor.
He or she has been burdened with the greatest load
any leader has ever known. Even war does not
wreak the havoc, pain and loss of incurable illness.
In the end, each of us, whether stricken or not,
whether impoverished or not, must answer
for deeds directed toward those in power --
for each is appointed that power by the Lord God.
Let me never forget, if characteristics needed
to address the burdens of the time were mine,
I would be there; but, I do not have what it takes
to meet today's challenges head-on --
most of us do not . . ..
Thus, I must respect those whom God deems
able to fill whatever needs arise on this day,
and on every day throughout this time of trial.
May God Bless and Keep Each of Them,
and May He Be Their Strength and Refuge!

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Source Referenced: The Holy Bible (NKJV) — the New King James Version

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Photo by: Steve Halama on Unsplash.com

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Calendar Quindecims May

by tkbrown

Commonly, ye old merry month of May
presents flowers from April's cool showers,
abundant sunshine in place of drab gray
skies brings us early harvests from forests,
vegetable gardens, berry patches
and herb gardens' aromatic promise
of summer. Bringing the dinner tables
to life with vivid visual vibrance
of color and ambience--much the same
as do our thoughts and memories of yore
tickle taste buds with mouth-watering fame
of delectable favorites and more.
All of these treasures in much more subtle
fashion as COVID-19 doth frazzle
nerves, events beyond our home-fire easel.

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Photo by: Akemy Mory on Unsplash.com

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Jesus is Born

old antique bible as an open book with sunlight bursting from the pages
Scripture is from the Holy Bible–New King James Version (NKJV)
Notes on Scripture (below) by tkbrown

Matthew 1:21-25

21 — “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

22 — “So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet saying:”

23 — “‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which is translated, ‘God with us.'”

24 — “Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife,”

25 — “and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.”

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Luke 2:1-40

1 — “And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.”

2 — “This census first toop place while Quirinius was governing Syria.”

3 — “So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.”

4 — “Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,”

5 — “to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child.”

6 — “So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered.”

7 — “And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”

8 — “Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.”

9 — :And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.”

10 — “Then the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.'”

11 — “‘For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.'”

12 — “‘And this will be a sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger,'”

13 — “‘and suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying;'”

14 — “‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!'”

15 — “So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven that the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.'”

16 — “And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the Babe lying in a manger.”

17 — “Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child.”

18 — “And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds.”

19 — “But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.”

20 — “Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.”

21 — “And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.”

22 — “Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord.”

23 — “(as it is written in the law of the Lord, ‘Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord’),”

24 — “and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, ‘A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.'”

25 — “And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, awaiting for the Consolation of Israel and the Holy Spirit was upon Him.”

26 — “And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.”

27 — “So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law,”

28 — “he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:”

29 — “‘Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word;'”

30 — “‘for my eyes have seen Your salvation'”

31 — “‘which you have prepared before the face of all peoples.'”

32 — “‘a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.'”

33 — “And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him.”

34 — “Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, ‘Behold this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against'”

35 — “‘(yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.'”

36 — “Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity,”

37 — “and t his woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.”

38 — “And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.”

39 — “So when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth.”

40 — “And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon Him.”

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Notes on Scripture: by tkbrown

As we see in Luke 2:22, after the days of Mary’s purification according to the law of Moses, they took Jesus to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord. Now, according to the Law of Moses as seen in Leviticus 2:1-4 (below), Mary and Joseph would not have left Bethlehem for Jerusalem for a minimum of forty-one days after Jesus’ birth. This says the Wise Men — or the Three Kings — could not have seen Jesus until after Mary’s purification. Therefore, the Epiphany (January 6) is not possible. Joseph and Mary were a devout Jewish couple, and they would have followed Jewish Law guidelines for her purification to the nth degree.

Leviticus 2:1-8

1 — “Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,”

2 — “‘Speak to the children of Israel, saying: If a woman has conceived, and borne a male child, then she shall be unclean seven days; as in the days of her customary impurity she shall be unclean.'”

3 — “‘And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.'”

4 — “‘She shall then continue in the blood of her purification thirty-three days. She shall not touch any hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary until the days of her purification are fulfilled.'”

5 — “‘But if she bears a female child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her customary impurity, and she shall continue in the blood of her purification sixty-six days.'”

6 — “‘When the days of her purification are fulfilled, whether for a son or a daughter, she shall bring to the priest a lamb of the first year as a burnt offering, and a young pigeon or a turtledove as a sin offering, to the door of the tabernacle of meeting.'”

7 — “‘Then he shall offer it before the Lord and make atonement for her. And she shall be clean from the flow of her blood. This is the law for her who has borne a male or a female.'”

8 — “‘And if she is not able to bring a lamb, then she may bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons–one as a burnt offering and the other as a sin offering. So, the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean.'”

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Next week, we will look at Jesus’ life from His birth to adulthood.

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Source:

Abbot, Shari. (5 January 2020). “Did the Wise Men Arrive 12 Days After Jesus’ Birth? Or Was it Much Later?” Reasons for Hope — Jesus. (4 April 2020). https://reasonsforhopejesus.com/did-the-wise-men-arrive-12-days-after-jesus-birth-or-much-later/.

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Week One -- Scripture: Zacharias to have Son . . . 
Week Two -- Scripture: Jesus' Birth Foretold . . . 
Week Three -- Scripture: Zacharias' son, John, is born . . . 
Week Four -- Jesus is Born . . . 

COVID-19

~~ by tkbrown
Dropping . . . dropping . . . dropping --
economic indicators keep dropping --
GDP drops 9% -- then 35%,
the DOW plummets,
one-day losses greater than ever recorded,
one-third of their value -- lost
to COVID-19.
Unemployment skyrockets,
layoffs and furloughs,
rising . . . rising . . . rising . . .
midst businesses thriving--
just weeks ago.
The businesses did not fail,
the plague is killing them
one . . . by . . . one
as the number of COVID-19 cases keep climbing
and the death toll keeps rising,
as people finally begin to realize
this is not going away
anytime soon.
Death, illness and dying
testing our faith, strength, resolve,
taking much from the picture society had made,
reversing life -- in many ways -- to days of yore . . .
but, in many ways, advancing it to another level.
Living . . . and working . . . from home
over the 'net --
a concept never considered before
by most.
Now,
learning how to be lonely alone
becomes the painful new saga.
I learned this long ago,
I would rather be lonely alone
than to be lonely with someone.
At least, being lonely alone --
I know I am alone in this endeavor.
When I have a spouse/partner,
but am still lonely --
something is missing,
and it is harder to do
a-n-y  t-h-i-n-g.
Loneliness,
or alone time --
you can choose
to have the latter
and fill it with hobbies
that you love doing . . .
or love learning to do.
Loneliness does not have to exist,
just because
you are alone.

Get to know Y_O_U!
I know,
that is a really strange thing to say,
but all too often
we stay so busy doing
THINGS that need to be done -- 'til
we have no time to know ourselves.
We all change as time passes
whether we want to -- or not.
These changes may not be to our liking
when we really take the time to know ourselves.
It is not an easy task --
getting to know yourself --
but . . . it IS a necessary task.
So, spend some time alone
. . . with you . . ..
You might just learn to like your own company!

Calendar Quindecims April’s March . . .

by tkbrown
April showers do bring May flowers only
when they come on schedule, but when early
I would bet those flowers are early too.
They will be peaking their noses at you
from beneath that sodden soil and eyeing
those clouds while, looking for sunshine, hoping
beyond hope they are still perky, pretty
when those June weddings march in so freshly.
I don't know though, June weddings might not be
since coronavirus stopped in to see
just what we're about in this country free --
in life, liberty -- above all, happy.
I believe there is more yet to be seen
of this vile, sickening killer that's been
traversing our world with death knell so keen.

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Image above by Malcolm Lightbody — on Unsplash.com

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