Tracks In The Dust

A Father's Advice About Learning the Mission of Life

14 Jun 2013

Organized Chaos

I have noticed that I spend a lot of time and effort trying to be organized. Maybe you do too?

Perhaps it’s because structure, for many people is a coping mechanism that helps us deal with the chaos and complexity of daily life in a way that we understand.

I feel it everyday, like so many around me, often avoiding chaos and uncertainty like the plague. Amazing as it may seem I think that history has proven over and over that all of our biggest opportunities for creating, for innovating, for “changing the paradigm” or whatever you want to call it… they have all come from that which scares us the most – chaos.

Not that I would welcome it of course, but in the scheme of things when I ponder how to avoid it… I can get darn creative. Sometimes it just becomes an inspiration. Sometimes it is a response to something unexpected. I look around the house some days and see how cluttered daily life has left things. Running from one errand to another, heading off to work or school and then getting caught up in that complex maze of things.

So there it is- those mazes that can make life complex, that chaos that can surround you and make you pause to think “I need more structure, need more control” and not let this get the best of me. Then… I creatively find ways to relax… maybe even get distracted… it will be okay. It will pass. Of course I can always make a list of everything I need to do. I can sort through and see what I can accomplish quickly (quickly- like the list I am making ha-ha).

Finally in the scheme of things I realize that even with all that chaos, that I had another day to cherish the life I have and make the best of it. God has blessed me. And that is on the TOP of my list. How about yours?

List Making (Photo credit: Bunches and Bits {Karina})

Posted in Doing Things That Will Change Your Life and tagged Acceptance, Chaos, cherish, choices, Philosophy, Postive Thinking, Reality Check, Religion and Spirituality, Self-Awareness

13 Jun 2013

4 Comments

Signs of Sanity

When you enter the front door of my house, we have posted the sign below for all to see. After all- life should be “sunny side up”

There are some other signs that have made me smile along the way. Sharing them. Sorry I cannot tell you where I got them exactly, but they make me smile at the pure silliness of our life here on Earth.

And for me – there is profound statements here….

Sign 3 Sign 1

The best sign of about signs.

Posted in Learning Lessons Along the Journey Of Life and tagged Humor, Joy, life is precious, Messages, Postive Thinking, Signage, Signs, Statement

12 Jun 2013

Hitchcock’s Revenge

There was something eerie about last night. Not sure what. It reminded me of this …which I wrote a long, long time ago. Seems he always comes to mind when things bump in the night.

Movements through shadows belonging to no one

Bright lights shining in quiet cold darkness

Sharp breezes blowing without a direction

Sounds unexplained that are heard out of sight

Echoes of footsteps that never come closer

Distant rumbles from lighting unseen near the trees

Shapes that are formed with the blink of an eyeball

Large looming clouds that light dull in the night

Heartbeats go faster and breath’s become shorter

As mysterious movements rush past in the dark

With eyes that follow but don’t have a face

The full moon once glowing sinks into the marshes

The night grows colder with death in the air

The mind plays tricks when Hitchcock enters-

“Good evening”, good night and goodbye to them all

From “An Even Break” by © MGert September 23, 1976

Posted in Poems, Prayers and Promises and tagged Alfred Hitchcock, bump in the night, Doubt, Fear, Hitchcock, Memories, Movies, Poems, Poetry, scary movies, Verse

10 Jun 2013

All Things Must Pass

More frequently these days I recall how precious life is. It is very fragile. We have our chance to look at life from many ways. But in the end it all will pass. That’s why I share this song from the late George Harrison. It has always been one of those songs that captures the spirituality of the passing of time.

Sunrise doesn’t last all morning
A cloudburst doesn’t last all day
Seems my love is up and has left you with no warning
Its not always going to be this grey

All things must pass
All things must pass away

Sunset doesn’t last all evening
A mind can blow those clouds away
After all this, my love is up and must be leaving
Its not always going to be this grey

All things must pass
All things must pass away
All things must pass
None of lifes strings can last
So, I must be on my way
And face another day

Now the darkness only stays the night-time
In the morning it will fade away
Daylight is good at arriving at the right time
Its not always going to be this grey

All things must pass
All things must pass away
All things must pass
All things must pass away

A VIDEO FROM VH1 – George Harrison’s last live performance before his death.

Posted in Life's Sound Track (Music) and tagged Acceptance, All Things Must Pass, being remembered, Cancer, choices, George Harrison, Grace, Joy, Life, life is precious, Music, Rock music, Sprituality, tracks in the dust

09 Jun 2013

2 Comments

The Meaning of Love

Before I was in love with my wife, I had an idea of what love was. A deep feeling of passion and remembrance. A way to feel that was part of songs and poetry.

Time had captured a high-school romantic way to know about desperate love and the pain when it was over. Everyone has a different definition, but the verb “to love” I have learned has a meaning depending on where you started and how you got there.

After I fell in love with my wife, I realized how easy it was to be fooled into believing you were “in love.” It is so much more once you know that love means more. It’s really unfair, because until you know that kind of love- you can’t understand it.

And once you do know that love, you cannot explain it to anyone quite exactly the way it is. But people will tell you they know, that they are aware of it. Perhaps they do- but only you and her will know for sure.

And then they we to capture it by making a “day” out of it. On this day my wife and I celebrate an “anniversary”- another milestone in which to track the movement of life. It has been decades of love with my wife. We have experienced pain, elation of children in our lives, the passing of parents and the loss of one of our children to something we could not for-see. We have moved to many cities, experienced many lessons over time. We are here to tell each other it will all be fine– we are together in God’s love. We understand much about love. Not everything mind you, but much of love and the life we have led together.