Nearest Approach

Captain’s Log, Stardate 66256.2

Nearest Approach

Our current assignment is to observe the nearby star cluster, Bellus Fides; this assignment was interrupted when the Communications Officer notified me that he had received an alert over the CLS (Condensed Light and Sound rays) that Venus would be making its nearest approach to Mars in this 26,000 yr. Cosmic Cycle which ends at Stardate 66440.2.  As Captain, I was obliged to instruct all official personnel to be on high alert in the event that we receive immediate orders to deploy to Venus; accordingly, I ordered our navigator to determine the precise location of where our ship would be at that time and asked the quartermaster to make sure we had ample stores in the event of our deployment.  Another communiqué came shortly after but was garbled owing to the confluence of two disruptive forces, Solar flares in the cluster’s twin stars and the magnetic disturbance of a Dark Giant two parsecs away.  The communications officer attempted to ascertain whether the previous transmission was flawed in some way, necessitating a correction, or whether the recent communiqué held new information regarding a different subject; however, communication could not be reestablished with Orvonton Command.  Since our current mission will hold us in the magnetic field of the Dark Giant for the next few days until the mass of its system comes between us, I am making this log entry.

I immediately alerted the crew to start making preparations to reach Venus because the event of her nearest approach to Mars is an event of immense importance to not only my whole Life’s work, as it prefigures the completion and fulfillment of a process I started on Mars around Stardate 4427.1, but also to the whole crew of our Starship because they volunteered for this mission on the chance they could serve in just this circumstance.  I must, therefore, note that the crew is thrilled and jubilant at this possibility and morale is very, very high.  Little did I suspect upon awakening this morning how wonderful this day would prove to be as a result of receiving just that little bit of wonderful news—even supposing our deployment to Venus never materializes.  In an effort to reestablish communication, I have taken advantage of emergency protocols that allow me to utilize the circuits of the Gravity Messengers for communication and I have instructed the communications officer to utilize those circuits to let Orvonton Command know that we have lost our regular communication channels and should be communicated with by the Gravity Messenger Circuits until such time as we pass beyond the field of magnetic disturbance generated by the Dark Giant.  The mood is electric right now among the crew and officers; and we are functioning at the highest level of efficiency I have seen since the Starship was christened.  We are all viewing this opportunity with much heightened expectations and anticipation.

Love Laughs Alot

The quiet of the morning awakened them there on the mountain and soon coffee was brewing and the back door was opened to let a slight breeze come through the screen.  Hot buttered toast with raspberry preserves, fresh fruit, and scrambled eggs broke the evening’s fast and a morning dove cooed to make awakening official.  The conversation was tender and strayed to the previous day’s magical moments in the mountain meadow and a plan was made to return there soon but today held a walk up the stream to the tree line after showering.

There was a kind of rapids in the stream as it passed near the cabin and the sound of the water tumbling over the boulders could be heard in the bedroom and provided a soothing “white noise” for deep, restful sleep, free from cares, worries, and disturbing dreams.  The sound of the water seemed to flush away all tension from the muscles and erase everything from the mind that would upset, frighten, or annoy.  So, it was a relaxed couple indeed that set out hand in hand that morning toward the stream and the tree line far above the cabin.

The scent of spruce and pine was pungent in the air and the slight crackle of the pine needles under foot drew attention to the dry, warm morning air.  Sound seemed to travel for a great distance and, although they were speaking somewhat softly, in contrast to the natural sounds around them, their voices seemed booming and echoing.  Each, rather involuntarily, stopped speaking and continued walking in a meditative silence.  As they ascended, the trees became less dense and the patches of snow became more frequent and larger.  They turned to survey the climb they had made and looked out on a vista that included a brilliant morning sun and shaded, foggy valleys with sparkling streams that seemed to be sending some shining signals to all around.  It was time to don the warmer sweaters and share some trail mix and a quick drink; they could see the dome of the mountain as it stood out boldly against the western sky, surrounded at the tree line by a growth of pine and fir trees that made it look like a jewel of diamond-shining whiteness held in a filigree setting of green.  How fresh was the air; how clear was the sky; how crisp was the morning light as it shone off the snow, scintillating in a sparkling dance of water crystal diamonds.  The snow was now crunching under foot all the way and the path was becoming steeper; they could hear the stream rushing out of the mountain cave, beginning its cascade down and past the cabin where they were staying and that cave was their destination.

The mouth of the cave faced due east and was ablaze with the morning sun and, despite the temperature, it felt quite warm inside and this was borne out by the fact that there was a steam arising from the walls that gave the cave a slightly mystical and magical feel.  They dipped their cups in the stream for a drink and it was ice cold, refreshing, and with a distinct taste of iron; they felt invigorated.

The stream had cut down into the mountain inside the cave and left a ledge that provided a good vantage point for sitting and looking out over the mountain; the cave, the roar of the stream, and the silence of the panoramic view suggested the feel of a holy sanctuary and each held their cup of water as a chalice of holy communion.  He put his arm around her; she placed her hand on his thigh; they sat still like that for almost an hour and finally stirred with a kiss.

The trip back seemed to go more quickly and was punctuated with more laughing and giggling; more skipping and jumping; some slipping on the pine needles and a general lighthearted good time of it.  They ran the last little bit to the cabin and arrived breathless and deeper in love, ready for a hearty meal.

I Was There

I was there;

This morning after you left your room.

There was a palpable vibration of tension in the air.

The light came in on the right hand side of the bed as reckoned by one lying on it looking toward the ceiling.

I saw clothes hanging on chairs and the bed was not yet made up.

There was a device with a cd in it lying on the bed; I played it.

The male vocalist started out singing in Arabic then changed to English;

The lyrics were a variation on the theme of us v. them…not constructive.

I was nervous with fear that you might return and see me there;

How could I explain…or worse…that someone else might see me there.

I was nervous, too, because I have been so honest with you and I have left myself vulnerable and, more or less, naked before you.  I have nothing to hide behind so I didn’t want the scathing glare.  I held the device close to my heart knowing that you had held it too; that you had touched it; that you, perhaps, even loved it.  I left my Light there for you to find when you returned.

I came home and finished sleeping.

God's Dove

A habit has arisen that I'm loathe to put away;
It seems that I take out my Love to look at it each day.
It stunned me so when it first came, I didn't realize
That it was really Love at all, it was such a surprise.

Each day that I interrogate this Love that I have here
I find myself adoring it and holding it more dear.
It doesn't act like other "loves" that deigned to visit me;
Indeed, it acts and carries on completely selflessly.

It seeketh not control at all, it only sheds its Light;
But it has all the Power of God and all of God's own Might.
It fears not sometime banishment nor does it feel alone;
For every sin or mistake made, it knows it can atone.

You know, I'm quite beside myself to understand this Love,
It's not like any love I've known, it must be from above.
Oh, yes, I've thought that I have loved and held another dear
But never have I loved like this, a Love so pure and clear.

I marvel at its willingness to set another free
To be herself or find herself or be what she would be.
I marvel, too, at how it stays so imperturbable
Despite the efforts of the few to create much trouble.

This Love is not the mortal kind that burns in passion hot;
Indeed, it seems it's best defined by all that that is not.
It doesn't lose its patience quick nor is it e'er unkind;
And Truth is what it always picks when forced to speak its mind.

It doesn't side with ego nor with jingoistic zeal;
The wholeness of the world's the only thing that has appeal.
This Love is strange, I do not doubt, its like no one has seen;
But, yet, to me it's real enough, it is the Golden Mean.

One other thing that I must add, this Love has its own cloak
To make the one invisible who seeks its Flame to stoke.
Thus, anyone who looks upon the Flame of this pure Love
Will think they see a common bird when really it's God's Dove.

Oh Paradise, Thou Central Isle

Oh Paradise, Thou God of Form, Thou Central Isle and domicile
Of each, the First, the Second, and the Third Great Source and Center.
How I thank Thee for Thy Radiant Splendor, for Thy Solitude Serene,
And for Thine Holy, Exclusive, and Divine existence.

I bless Thee as the Home of every Heart;
I bless Thee as the destiny of every start;
I bless Thee ever and anon with loving gaze and joyful song;
I bless Thee now and evermore, Thy peaceful shores where I belong.

Thou Home of homes and pattern for all peace and rest
It's by Thy Presence that all space is blessed
And takes upon itself the form and feature Thou hast giv'n
That here, in time, we know both earth and heaven.

Thou holdest me within Thy Grasp, sweetly embraced as suckling child;
Thy pull extendeth far beyond what's known in space, unthought, and wild.
Oh sweetest of the Gardens, Thou, I long Thy Fragrant air to breathe
That I might soon be lifted up, the mortal sword forever sheathed.

Behold, Thou art the Holy Home of Light and Love and Power unknown;
Thou guardest all in far-flung space with lines of force each spun by Grace.
And here, Urantia's lonely voice, I lift my paean to rejoice
In All that Thou dost mean to me in hopes that others soon will see.

Oh Paradise, my Heart's abode, don't let our little world explode
Or fall apart from thoughts impure but keep Your Lines of Love secure.
Thou Central Isle I do implore Thee to embrace us more and more.
For soon the entire world will see, our orbit is Thy Gravity.

Oh Paradise, Thy Might Divine, forever holds the worlds in line,
Forever calls the Dance of Spheres, promenading, bringing near.
We swing abroad through empty space but still held firm in Thy Embrace.
Oh hold us ever near to Thee until we taste Eternity.

Where Do Your Thoughts Go?

Tell me, where do your thoughts go when our lips touch each other
And where do your thoughts go when we lie close together;
Tell me, where do your thoughts go when my image arises
In your mind, in your heart or adoring disguises?

When we kiss my thoughts quiver and dash straightaway
To a meadow in heaven to gambol and play;
When lying beside you my thoughts soon take flight
To the Heart of Creation, filled with Love, filled with Light.

My thoughts are knit close with your Heart and your Love;
My thoughts are sequestered in Heaven above.
My thoughts are ignited by your touch and your smile;
My thoughts of you comfort me mile after mile.

So, tell me, Beloved One, where go thy thoughts
When to thee my image by Heaven is brought?
As an arrow my Love to thee takes instant flight
When an image of you comes to my inner sight.

Life Ain't Easy for a Boy Named Suh

My otherwise bucolic Thanksgiving Day holiday was viciously punctuated by the actions of one of the players on the Detroit Lions football team. In Football-onia, it is the tradition to have the Lions and, usually, the Packers play on Thanksgiving Day; this tradition goes back quite some time. Indeed, it goes back to a time where such actions as I, and millions of others, witnessed might not have brought much more than, perhaps, a penalty. Those were the days when "piling on" was punishable by penalty but not "roughing the passer." If you saw the game, then you know that Suh, after having tackled the opponent, began banging his head on the turf and, when pulled off, stomped the arm of his opponent who was still lying on the ground. Just so you know, this is not a rant about how violent football is or anything like that; it is, however, a comment that takes pointed aim at how certain vocations unwittingly play into the hands of human temperament.

What I mean by this is that certain vocations seem to attract a cadre of individuals who have a temperament for that vocation that is eerily compatible with the vocation's demands. Take, for instance, the fact that police departments around the country are populated by ex-military people. Football, and other sports, seem to straddle the line because there are often people with violent tempers that take up tennis and very often "gentler, kinder" people who find themselves strangely talented for football.

I do not believe that there is anything inherent about any particular sport that makes it either violent or non-violent; I do, however, believe that individuals who have not had adequate expression of their temperament so that they could find a peaceful balance and harmony within themselves, seek out "benign" or "approved" ways of expressing that temperament. In this way, they get to express themselves in a way that is "hidden." What is unique about Thursday's performance by Suh is that his expressing was caught on camera and broadcast to the nation. He then had the temerity to say that he was just "catching his balance."

As of this writing, Suh has not received any punishment from the NFL and I don't really expect him to get much beyond, perhaps, a two game suspension; and that, despite the fact that he is a repeat offender. Situations like this are really quite difficult because, on the one hand, he could be rehabilitated if he could ever "get it all out" in a safe way--that is, safe for him and others; on the other hand, football is not that place and how do we send that message in a way that it can be "heard," "understood," and "complied with"?

Suh's actions were deliberate and vicious and he thinks it was ok to act like that; unless the NFL sends a serious "wake-up call" to Suh, we will see this behavior again, perhaps from even more individuals who think that they make enough money to be able to "afford" whatever penalty the NFL imposes. The athletes that act in this way do so on the basis of an economic calculation; they determine that they can "afford" to act the way they act because it wont "cost" them that much and they are willing to "pay" because getting to "express" whatever is bothering them is more valuable than what it would "cost" them.

Is a pre-signing psychiatric evaluation an option? Rumor has it that Suh will have to take "anger management" courses; that seems "too little, too late." The main concern for me is that there has been precious little said about what the coach should do; everyone seems to be waiting on the NFL to act. In my estimation, the coach is more to blame for his silence...and...here...the silence is the same deafening silence that we heard at Penn State. What is it that the coach is getting out of all of this; whatever it is, on Thursday it wasn't a win.