May 5, 2018, Prescott-
(Part 3 of the Mr. Ribeiro story will be dated tomorrow, May 6. In the meantime, this came up.)
You said you hoped to be my friend.
Then, when I started to get too close,
you backed off.
You wanted to be my friend,
Yet, when your good buddy trolled me
and I stood up to him,
you became very distant.
I’ve seen this before,
and it’s okay.
I am no more alone now,
than I was before you
came on my site.
Do what makes you happy.
Just leave me out of it.
May 4, 2018, Prescott-
I went back onto a Facebook site, where I had been inexplicably trolled, about a week ago. There are just too many good friends on that page, and the one troll is probably gone by now.
I went into work, a half-hour early, as is my practice, so as to set things in place for a successful day. We had carnival, this afternoon, and one of the students spotted the rides, whilst we were on our daily walk. That took us to carnival early. It was no use trying to talk that student out of heading onto the carnival grounds, especially once she saw the Tilt-a-Whirl. Three rides sufficed, though, especially when our weekly movie and popcorn were mentioned. The needs of our students are relatively simple.
I am headed down to Tempe, tomorrow, as the Baha’i meeting planned earlier, will take the entire day. The Prescott area is where I need to focus, most of the year, for the next three years. Of course, emergencies could always happen elsewhere, and plans change. Right now, though, I am fine with being here, eleven out of the twelve months.
My head and my heart are pretty much in sync, after all the fumbling and misinterpretations into which I have fallen, during my extended period of mourning. I’m grateful for the large number of friends who have surfaced, from every corner of the world. It’s said: Quality, not quantity. Well, I can testify that one does not negate the other.
I am letting necessity determine my locus and love light my path.
NEXT: Catching up with Antonio
May 2, 2018, Prescott-
I am now being asked to provide my e-mail address and name, for every comment I wish to make on any post in my reader. Word Press refuses to recognize my e-mail address and its password. So, if I seem like I am not caring about your posts- blame Word Press. I have not trolled anyone, nor have I intentionally set out to hurt anybody. WP, GET OVER IT!!
May 2, 2018, Prescott-
The weather cleared,
the waters receded,
and it was time to go.
Baghdad had started
to feel like home,
and that was too close
for the comfort of
the powers that were.
He mounted his
roan horse,
and rode out of
the Ridvan (Paradise) Garden.
Friends and family
rode and walked
along with
the Light of the World.
Through yet more
mountains,
across more rivers
and the searing
Anatolian Plain,
one and all
heeded the edict
of the Ottoman Sultan.
The Black Sea would be
their host, from Samsun
to Constantinople.
The Ottoman capital
would be His residence,
for a scant four months.
Baha’u’llah,
the Messenger of Unity,
never added to discord.
May 1, 2018, Prescott-
There are 3 1/2 weeks left in our academic year. I have two days off left- Tomorrow, for a Baha’i Holy Day- the Twelfth Day of Ridvan (more at that time) and a dental appointment, in two weeks’ time. Otherwise, weekdays will find us finishing what we started, for our four remaining students.
I won’t leave the state of Arizona until Memorial Day weekend and another “Where’s Waldo?”month. There is so much yet to do and to thoroughly enjoy, in the meantime, that I am hard put to make preliminary arrangements for June. You know, though, that I’ll get ‘er done, in plenty of time.
I’ll be back in Tempe, on Saturday, for a daylong Baha’i conference. Sunday will be spent reconnecting with a few long-lost friends, and honouring a very special young lady, on the cusp of her high school graduation. Mother’s Day weekend means Prescott Valley’s 40th anniversary. I may also head to Tucson, to see an ailing friend, if he’s up for a visit. The third weekend will be mostly Baha’i business, planning and prepping for the summer months.
One of my friends here has posted about making a Vision Board. I might try my hand at that, either next week or the following. It’d be good to do this in the presence of our peer tutors in the classroom, as it might inspire them to do the same.
May is sweet, hot (at least after this coming Saturday) and a time of culmination. I intend to truly savour the blessed days.
April 30, 2018, Prescott-
(This piece is based on real events in my life, recently).
As Gregory was walking through the Saturday Market, he noticed an unusual kiosk, offering raw cacao beans and blended products. A winsome lady smiled and beckoned him over, then proceeded to explain the efficacy of cacao, as a health aid, whilst offering samples of both the raw bean and blends.
“I’m Greg, and these are delicious items. Let me buy this peanut butter-cacao cup and a bag of maple infused flakes.!” “Thank you, Greg. I am Medina. It’s nice to make your acquaintance.”
“And I am Gerhard”, came a deep but not unpleasant voice from Greg’s rear. “Geri is my beloved”, Medina interjected, “We work together on this project.”
Gerhard changed the subject, inviting Greg to sit, in the back of the kiosk. “Gregory, we know who you are. I have been watching you since the tragedy. You have done well, keeping your health, as Leanna would have wanted. You have branched out some, traveling widely and learning to not let naysayers tie you down.”
“Yes, it has been a time of growth for me. I know Lee wants me to do these things.”
Gerhard held up a hand. “You must visit this kiosk, every Saturday that you are here, for the foreseeable future. On each visit, you will encounter an angel, who will teach you a key step in your continued growth. You will also encounter a challenger, who will try to ensnare you with the darkness of your past environment, making it seem like a way to pleasure. Medina and I will witness, and the beings may interact with us. You, though, will make the choice.”
Greg felt a wave of reassurance, and on each subsequent visit, he indeed met both teacher and charlatan. He listened carefully to both, whilst making a decision to more carefully honour the angelic.
On the penultimate kiosk of the winter season, Medina cautioned Greg. “You are in late middle age, yet you are attractive to several women-other than me. Some are close at hand; others far away. Towards some, you will feel a like attraction; others will not entice you in the least. Some are close to you in age; others could be your child.. You must, of course, treat each and all with profound respect.” “My mother always told me these things, when I came of age”, Greg replied, ” I have held them in my heart, all these years.” “Yes, and you were most loving to Leanna”, Medina intoned. “Soon, though, you will encounter five women. One, a decade your junior, will be your prime mentor, and will alternately encourage and chastise you. Another, very young, will love you from a safe distance, always wanting your attention but feeling guilty about it, with all the drama this conflict entails. A third, also a decade your junior, will want you to return to the Faith of your past, as a condition of friendship. The fourth will correspond with you for a time, and will prove a challenger, enticing you, then disappearing. The fifth, close to you in age, will dally with you from a distance, and will ignore your lack of interest in romantic interlude with her, pleading, for what will seem like an eternity, that you join her in the desert. You will choose among them, but I must caution, as your mother surely would, to hurt none of them.”
Greg was taken greatly aback by this admonition. He vowed to not let either his attraction or disinterest lead him astray. A few years earlier, after all, his mourning for Leanna had clouded his vision, and caused two fine women considerable harm.
Across town, Nikki thought of the older man who frequently came into her store and had been uniformly interested in her as a person, if shy. She wished he would come by this day.
April 30, 2018, Twin Arrows, AZ-
As I sit in this quiet hotel lobby, watching over a little boy and his family, in various stages of sleep, I feel an odd comfort. They may very well have lost their home by now.
The power in their forest home may be shut off, also, as authorities seek to curb further sources of fire. The wind, meanwhile, is roaring, and is no doubt being answered by the blaze, 60 miles to the southeast, in a hideous call and response.
I am as alone now, as I’ve been in quite a while. An online group, with whom I’ve been sharing some fairly deep thoughts, have gone dark, after one of their number took exception to a post I wrote on their site. I deleted the post, but no matter. What’s done is done and even among the enlightened, there are limits to what one is allowed to say.
Here, at least, I can pretty much speak freely, so long as I am respectful of others. I love so many, albeit mostly not in a romantic way. (There are only two of whom I can say I am inclined that way and I’ve met neither, in person, so that may be fanciful thinking.) It matters little, though I am bound to be scolded for entertaining such feelings, yet again. We live in a judgemental society.
Enough of this. I need to rest a bit and focus my thoughts on the day ahead. There will be the drive back to Prescott, a couple hours of work, a haircut and a chiropractic treatment, then more rest and some time at the gym.
Be safe and well. I love you all.
April 29, 2018, Prescott-
While it is a bit windy, outside
and there is a fire threatening
folks in a rural area up north,
I find myself in a calm mood again.
I was shocked to learn,
yesterday,
of a trusted friend’s
mid-life crisis.
The person is
taking steps , though,
to deal with some
deep-seated issues.
I went to exercise
at my local gym,
and then watched
“Inifinity War”,
the latest comic book-based
film saga.
Sleep came fairly easy
and was intense.
A pleasant breakfast,
and a nice greeting
from a new friend,
who’s far away,
made for a relaxing morning.
This is the Ninth Day of Ridvan.
On this day, in 1863,
the weather cleared
and the flood waters
subsided,
on the riverine island,
where Baha’u’llah
and His family/followers
were preparing for their
journey from Baghdad
to what is now Istanbul.
I will join several friends
in mid-afternoon,
to commemorate the occasion.
Now, though, it’s time
to honour those whose
service to the Red Cross,
this past year,
has been above and beyond.
I’m not blustery inside.
April 28, 2018, Prescott-
So, we got Santino to the hospital, in plenty of time and being a Castaldo, and a made man, to boot, Sonny got the best treatment. Papa wasn’t too thrilled at seeing his prime button man have the drop done on him-especially by a “dope”, like Tony Ribeiro. “He’s from the &*!#$ Azores, for the love of Christ!”, my sainted father shouted, “All those people know is netting mackerel”.
Sonny was thus taken down a notch, but at least there was no kiss planted on his cheek, or other made man positioned behind him, in the staff car. Tony, on the other hand, received an unannounced visit from important personages in our extended family. He cordially greeted the capos and offered them rich, dark coffee and some Azorean pastries, as was his wont. The men took the offered refreshments and warily plotted their gift of a comeuppance to their brother-in-arms’ assailant.
Unfortunately for those plans, it took the Lunesta about two minutes to kick in. Tony carefully dragged the men out of his shop and closed early. He was in Armonk, NY, when the news came over the radio, of an unfortunate blaze in Baltimore’s Flower Mart. “Ah, well, it’s to be expected. Alfredo Castaldo doesn’t have much of a sense of humour”, Mr. Ribeiro mused, as he pointed his car towards Connecticut, took out his travel bag and set the car alight.
Neither he, nor his cousin Marco, who picked him up, noticed the boys and me following, as the getaway car headed north towards Albany.
April 27, 2018, Prescott-
You sent me a letter,
“Save with us!”
On a whim,
I checked out your offer.
“We represent a new way of thinking”,
you said.
I checked out your offer.
Your answer, as I expected,
was “No”.
This is your pants on fire moment.
I’ve never been much for liar’s poker,
and I will sit this one out.
I go on my way,
with my own resources.
Meager as they are,
unlike you,
I came by them honestly.
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