Heaven Help the Children/Forever Never

 

Forever Never/Dawn of the Dream

Cheryl Pennington 

Copyright 2022

Hi there,

In a bit of a reversal I am posting to my Tropical Affair blog and linking here in Blogger. Some of you have had difficulty posting comments here.

I hope you have time for a quick look at another excerpt from my developing novel, Forever Never/Dawn of the Dream. My book has been over ten years in the making and is finally nearing completion. While not everyone is a fan of fantasy or Spiritual Mythology, I like to think (as so many writers hope) that my tale is a little different. In the fledgling world I have created, the struggle has only just begun where all struggles are born… in the soul of creation. 

On Domhan, where idyllic perfection is the norm, none of its inhabitants are prepared for the expression of Eternity’s lurking desire, a force so grappling that even the children become tangled in its deceptive web. 

In writing my story from second and third person style, their thoughts are as relevant as their actions. It is my hope that anyone who gets to know these gentle people will recognize some part of themselves in their hopes, dreams and genuine struggles. 

Everything within Existence has a purpose and if we could just accept the primary forces that seem always at odds within ourselves, perhaps we could find a way to cease the endless struggle. Maybe then we could make it a partnership of perfection rather than a war for control. 

I hope you enjoy the excerpts I’ve shared and, if so, leave me a comment. 

Love and Light,

Cheryl 

Tree Talk #SoCS

Where would we be without them? Our breath, the very essence of life, is shared with us by our friends, the trees. 

Imagine when the world was new

so fresh, still wet

with glistening dew

Pristine! 

~a golden moment in the thought of Creation

These gentle giants, Earth’s sentries

ever watchful and enduring

have seen everything,

given humankind

their best..

And yet..

Do we take the time to watch them sway

or touch their skin while in their shadows play?

With the sun’s kiss they grow,

their arms outstretched to

feel its glow 

Look closely so that you might see

they struggle just the same as we

against the suffocating tangle

of predators that strangle.

Still they rise,

their arms to the skies-

lifting us up to share the view,

ignoring the wounds we inflict as they do!

Cooling shade for family fun

Silent witness to life undone

Nature’s drama in constant motion..

while some prefer less motion-

the notion that time moves 

quickly is a lie.

It is we that let the moments slip by…

until we rest beneath their heavy arms

finally comforted by the shade

and laid to climb no more

They are broken by the wind,

yet stand

Like friendship untouched by the shifting sand

of time

When suppressed they simply find another way

of growing, showing 

us the way

to survive

and thrive, 

by digging our fingers into the earth

A quiet place of contemplation

Springing colors that bring elation

Falling into step with dying

crimson red, their blood is shed, but

no crying!

For they are mighty, enduring, fearless! 

Every bird in every tree is counting on their shelter.

Can we walk lightly on their beds,

avoiding helter skelter,

to see the love they express?

Can we feel the soft caress,

 hear the gentle whisper

and see the smile of Mother Nature?

Have our hearts grown so cold

we cannot feel the pain of Earth’s great loss? 

If so, then what remains? 

All life shall be lost without breath, without light, without love. 

Teach your children well….

This post was brought to you by Linda Hill’s #SoCS prompt. I hope you’ll take a moment to visit her site and meet other great bloggers. 

These photos are for my good friend Dan Antion of No Facilities I was late to the #ThursdayDoors prompt this week, but his post made me dig out these photos of New Year’s Eve shenanigans with our boys. I mean, what better way to dispose of the dried out gingerbread house project than blowing it up with firecrackers? Yep, the critters ate well that night. 😜🤭

Contribution

 Today. It’s a word. It implies a unit of time and that very implication imposes definitions, limitations, expectations, urgency and even hope. Words are interestingly powerful things. Magnificent things happen when words are spoken correctly and terrible things happen when words are twisted, misused and abused. This is why I try, as much as possible, to choose my words, even in extreme emotional states. I have spent so many years having to talk for a living, learning to communicate in ways that bring positive results and keep relationships working that it hasn’t bothered me a lot to spend a few months not having to talk much. 

Well, more than I would have liked given that we now live in a country where I speak little of the language and have to be ever more cautious about how I use my words. I find having to translate my thoughts into the proper communication based on this new language gives me even more of an opportunity to choose the way I wish to present my thoughts. With all I have seen of communication lately in politics, in social media and on the news, I wonder if it might not be prudent to do a little language research and interpretation before many people open their mouths to speak. 

It is a simple problem really, and one that is as old as time. Humans must be taught at the earliest age to understand that their thought process is different from anyone else’s. An individual’s ideas, emotions and judgments are based on their own history, genetics, upbringing and influences which means that there are trillions of possible dyed in the wool ways in which people view everything from love, spirituality, responsibility and happiness to how to make a really perfect grilled cheese sandwich. 

When we speak to anyone else about anything, it is imperative to accept that their personal experience will affect what they hear and understand when they hear you. Sure, if you spew dogmatic ideas and opinions, there will be those who might share your views or even others who are afraid to think for themselves and will follow the most powerful voice they hear. 

If you speak in a passive voice, inspiring compassion, empathy, understanding and hope, you may attract others of like mind as well as those who may long for these types of feelings but aren’t able to accept them for themselves without actually doing the personal groundwork it takes to get to such a place. 

This process ends up in leaders and followers of groups with rules and standards which only amplifies separation. In my humble opinion, at this point in time for our world, it is crucial that we stop talking all the time, stop looking to someone else to set our standard or make us feel like we belong. 

I only find true peace when I am still and quiet, when I walk in Nature and listen, feel, touch the Creation we call home. When you can see the perfection and beauty in the tiniest parts that make up the whole of this magnificent world we live on, you can finally understand that Existence depends upon everything single thing that moves within it. 

That glint of yellow there on the ground

Golden beauty on its petals found

A shadow on that leaf as it rustles

Delicate wonder that knows its place

As I walk in silence, hummingbirds appear, butterflies flit by, bees sing and the wind whispers through the trees. They dance in the breeze. Gracefully, gratefully, hopefully, carefree. These are healing moments. Moments. Not days, months or years that loom ominously on our calendars of demanding expectation. I may not be in the same rat race I was just six months ago, but my practice of experiencing moments began long before I left my career behind. It was this practice that helped me to survive the standards, constrictions and dictations that were placed on me by those who understand nothing of the illusion of time. 

Be brave. See something familiar without the old judgment. 

Acknowledge your reflection in the All That Is.

For we are all and all is us. Only when we see existence truly as the sum of every one of its parts will we reach a point of unity. 

Go outside and find something minuscule. Examine it, feel it and accept it for its part in Creation. If you want take a photo or make a sketch and share it here with me in the comments. Let’s all begin to acknowledge the gifts that are ours for free. 

They are depending on us. If we stop looking, how long before much of this Creation will cease to exist?