I’ve Had A Few Thoughts, I’ll Share Them With You…

July has not been the best month for me, but it has given me a few poems which I thought you might enjoy reading. As an update about the Creativity Project, I think that chapter is over for now. I am not certain what will replace it, but for the present I am just trying to recharge my creative batteries. That involves a lot of reading. I am hopeful that I will return to more regular blogging in the not too distant future, so please stay tuned…

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Moon Arising

The sun sets,
The moon rises,
My thoughts turn
Once more toward
The past and you!

We had the best
Of all the things
Given under the
Sun and risen
Beneath the moon.

We had love,
Life, happiness,
And the gifts
Of one another…
We were blessed.

Now those days
And nights have long
Passed us by…
But memories remain
To sustain my life.

Jo Ann J. A. Jordan

Monday, July 1, 2013

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Unchangeable

Don’t Go!
Those were words enough
To say, but they could
Not halt time’s passage.
Don’t go!
A heart cry all well
Meant, but God Himself
Had made other plans.
Don’t go!
Accompanied by
Many falling tears,
But unstoppable.
Don’t go!
Impossible trial,
But somehow all will
Go on, left behind.

Jo Ann J. A. Jordan

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

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My Heart Remembers

When I said I love you
I meant forever,
And though we are apart
My heart will always
And forever remember.

That does not mean
There cannot be someone
New who I love too,
Just I will always love you
No matter what life brings.

I know others say
I should move on
Let you go, and it is true
I have, as have you,
But you are still a part of me.

My heart is not a fickle thing,
My love is deep and true,
And though there will be
Others who I love,
I will always love you.

So if you are reading this
And you think it might
Apply to you, it is most
Probably true, because
If I once did, I still love you.

If you chance to want
To be involved with me
Do not be afraid,
For though my love was given
There is still enough for you.

I promise you as I have
Promised in the past,
That I will truly love you
And that honestly means
You will be in my heart forever.

Jo Ann J. A. Jordan

Friday, July 12, 2013

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There were more poems this month, but I do not want to overtax you with my verbosity. I thank you for reading and hope you will find your way here again.

I will leave you with a list of things for which I am grateful:

1.   The tablet my Mom gave me for my birthday.
2.   Books, which I have been reading to help replenish my imagination.
3.   My dog, Hope, who comforts and delights me with her unconditional love.
4.   My Mom did not have to go to the hospital last evening, though she gave me an awful scare.
5.   The pain in my neck, shoulder, and back was not so bad that I could not make this post.

I hope you will take time to consider some of the things in your life for which you are grateful. Also, make an effort to do something creative and share it with the world. Your precious creations could change a life or brighten someone’s day.

Always,
Jo Ann

A Thought, A Poem, Something To Share…

I wrote this directly on my Facebook timeline. It was not edited or overwrought, just pure emotion and longing expressed. I thought perhaps it would be well to share it here…

Thoughts, Running Behind

He is not mine,
But my mind does stray
To him who at my side
Did once chance to stay.

If I could but change
Those things that drove
Us far asunder and apart,
I gladly would yet do it.

However, time has passed
Me by and taken him
Away from my side,
So now I only miss him.

I urge you each
To love while you can
And be careful of your words
That you not lose your beloved.

If I had it all to do again,
I would make sure
I kept him close
And never lost him.

My heart, it beats,
My life shudders…
Perhaps one day
Love will find me once more.

Jo Ann J. A. Jordan
Sunday, June 30, 2013

It is not much compared to the Creativity Project, but perhaps the offering of the heart is worth at least something.

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I hope all is well with you my friends. I have not in the least forgotten you. I am just taking some time.

Always,
Jo Ann

Creativity Project Year Two-Day 154

Journal entry:

Journal 6-11-20130001

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Unknown, But Unforgotten

Their names might have been
Jones, or Smith, or Brown, or White…
I surely don’t know,
Nor does anybody else,
But I owe them gratitude.

For whoever they
Were, from wherever they came,
They gave up their lives
To provide me with freedom,
And now they are lost, unknown.

No family comes
Shedding saddest tears, laying
Beautiful flowers
Upon the tomb, whispering
Their quiet prayers of blessing.

Yet, they are not quite
Forgotten, because someone
Somewhere remembers,
They are greatly missed, hearts grieve
Waiting for them to return.

I owe them honor…
I will not ever forget
Those unnamed ones who
Might have been Joneses, Smiths, Browns,
Whites, or so many others.

Jo Ann J. A. Jordan
Tuesday, June 11, 2013

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I am grateful:

1.   I have such a fertile imagination.
2.   I have some wonderful friends all though I may never know all of them in person.
3.   Computers have brought people closer together who live at a distance.
4.   We have air conditioning and refrigerators.
5.   We live in the country instead of inside the city.

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This Tuesday has been quite a good day. I hope things went well for you also. If you have not already put your imagination to work today, I encourage you to do it now. You will never know what you may accomplish if you fail to make an effort. Do as I do and just begin putting words on paper and let it lead you where it will. The world awaits the genius of your sharing.

As a prompt, write about something unknown or forgotten. This could go in many directions and could lead to creation of new worlds. Wherever it takes you, write your poem, story, or journal entry down and share the link to your work in the comments below.

I am so grateful that you have taken time to visit my blog. I hope something here has touched your heart. Please come back often, but you might also want to subscribe to Chronicles for email updates. Your thoughts, suggestions, and criticism are welcome, so leave a comment if you like.

Always,
Jo Ann

Creativity Project Year Two-Day 153

Journal entry:

Journal 6-10-20130001

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Constant Pursuit

Green is the freshness
Of love newly discovered,
It brings you awake
From half contented slumber,
Thrusting you into living.

Green is ultimate
Fulfillment in loving arms
Of the one you have
Dreamed of, waited on, searched for
Throughout each day of your life.

Green is the pleasure
Of seeing your reflection
Mirrored in eyes which
Overflow with unending
Adoration uncontained.

Green is the moment
You break free of the prison
Of hope long deferred
And find yourself wide open
To miraculous passion.

Green is the sweet taste
Of luscious kisses shared with
The person you have
Known within the depths of your
Questing soul forevermore.

Jo Ann J. A. Jordan
Monday, June 10, 2013

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I am grateful:

1.   I had a very productive day.
2.   I have a heart for encouraging other people and so lift myself from depression.
3.   Beauty surrounds me in all aspects of my life.
4.   I have much more than I deserve.
5.   Love begets more love.

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Hope, my inspiration, my companion, my sweetheart…

This was a wonderful Monday because I accomplished more than I expected. I hope your day was also blessed. You have witnessed how I let my mind carry me to new insights through the creative process. I invite you to engage your imagination in a similar way. You can make your dreams come true if you only make a concerted effort. Do not put off your fulfillment… Do your work now.

As a prompt, write some affirmations that lift your heart and might encourage others. Even if you are feeling downtrodden, I know there are many blessings in your life, because there are in mine. Write them in a poem, story, or journal entry, and share a link to your work in the comments below.

Thank you for visiting my blog. I hope you will come back often and explore the many entries here. You might also want to subscribe to Chronicles by email so that you do not miss my updates. Your comments are always welcome, so do not hesitate to leave your thoughts, suggestions, or criticism.

Always,
Jo Ann

Creativity Project Year Two-Day 152

Journal entry:

Journal 6-9-20130001

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The following poem is in answer to the prompt at Our Lost Jungle which is “wicked”. I am not quite sure I got it right, but I made a valiant attempt…

Oddly Whimsical

It is a wicked
Truth that I am different,
Especially strange,
But it does not bother me…
I am accustomed to it.

People may wonder
How it is I am become
This way that I am,
But it is difficult to
Make any explanation.

Life has been so much
A puzzle of highs and lows,
Which have somewhat shaped
Me into the person who
Lives in this world nowadays.

I may not fit an
Ordinary description
Of who they would like
Me to be, but I am who
God exactly chose I be.

Considering what
I have survived, it is quite
A miraculous
Blessing I continue in
Achieving so many things.

It is a wicked
Truth that I am different,
Especially strange,
But all of us are chosen
To be uniquely deranged.

Jo Ann J. A. Jordan
Sunday, June 9, 2013

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I am grateful:

1.   I have wonderful tools with which to express my creativity.
2.   God gifted me with extraordinary imagination.
3.   I am blessed to live in a time when there is freedom of expression.
4.   I have opportunities to do things I enjoy.
5.   I am loved.

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My Sunday was very peaceful. I hope you had a great day. Now while you have a chance, engage your creativity and produce something to enliven the world. Your gifts are plentiful and you must only make an attempt to accomplish wonderful things. I know you can do it, because I do.

As a prompt, write about how you break the ordinary mold through your personal expression of uniqueness. Maybe you have a talent that is very rare, or you have done something most people only dream of doing. Whatever makes you different, write a poem, story, or journal entry about it and leave a link to your work in the comments below.

Thank you for reading this blog. I hope you will find your way back regularly, but you might also like to subscribe to Chronicles by email. If you have thoughts, suggestions, or criticism to share, I would appreciate you leaving a comment.

Always,
Jo Ann

Creativity Project Year Two-Day 150

Journal entry:

Journal 6-7-20130001

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Tremble, And Be Real

When you kiss my lips
The earth trembles underneath
My feet, or so it
Seems to me, as I am swept
Away by deep emotion.

My mind leaves orbit,
Trembling outside usual
Spheres of influence,
I am engulfed in magic,
Driven by flaming desire.

As your heated hands
Rove wild over my body
My skin burns hotter
Than molten metal within
A blazing fiery furnace.

I tremble like a
Flower in a fierce windstorm,
My body opens
To you without one restraint,
I am yours to be taken.

I cling to you with
Hands trembling, body heaving,
Caught up in passion,
Which cannot be easily
Undone, I am your captive.

Jo Ann J. A. Jordan
Friday, June 7, 2013

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I am grateful:

1.   I woke up fairly early, and decided to stay up.
2.   It did not rain on me, though Mom says it poured here while I was gone.
3.   I found a cover that will help protect my tablet when I transport it.
4.   Sam’s Club had capris in colors and sizes I wanted, and tee-shirts too.
5.   I made it home safely and unloaded the truck without assistance.

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I had a very good Friday, even though I seem to have acquired a strained ankle and had to put on my glasses, which I dislike. I hope your day fulfilled your expectations. It would be great if you engaged your imagination and created something that will nourish you and others. You have all you need within you to accomplish wonders. I believe in your talent and so should you.

As a prompt, write passionately. You may pick any topic, just be caught up in it and bring your reader along. Maybe there is love in your life that burns brightly, maybe you are inflamed by politics, maybe there is a cause you cannot resist, or something else that engages all your senses. Write about it, and share a link to your work in the comments below.

Thank you for reading my blog. I hope you will return often. Please explore the archives and if you are interested in receiving updates by email, subscribe to Chronicles. Your comments help me know what is working here, so please leave one.

Always,
Jo Ann

Creativity Project Year Two-Day 149

Journal entry:

Journal 6-6-20130001

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The Thirty by Thirty Challenge prompt from Our Lost Jungle for today helped inspire my poem…

Cordial

I am not bitter,
For I have seen things you meant
To bring me great harm
Turn into blessings beyond
Measure of expectation.

I loved you without
Reservation giving my
Whole heart into your
Hands, but you did not respect
My trustworthy devotion.

They are bittersweet,
These years I spend without you,
But I know there is
A good reason we have gone
Our very separate ways.

I have found the strength
To stop my needless crying,
Moving on with life,
Finding happiness in things
And people besides yourself.

I am not bitter,
For I pursue great reward
In honest living,
Giving of myself to those
Who appreciate my love.

Jo Ann J. A. Jordan
Thursday, June 6, 2013

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I am grateful:

1.   I got up earlier than I intended to, and so had more day to enjoy.
2.   I finished the book I was reading.
3.   I played Tetris on my tablet.
4.   My shower was refreshing.
5.   I went outside, took some photographs, and later sat on the trampoline reading on my tablet.

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This Thursday was an enjoyable day. I hope you also found pleasure in it. Now, I encourage you to make an effort and create something wonderful to share with others. You have a unique vision that the world will welcome. Each of us is endowed with imagination, which can make a grand impression on people. Do not hide your creativity, but let it shine forth.

As a prompt, write about a book you have recently read, or movie you saw. You might pick out a theme from it, or a character, or write a general review. If you use this prompt, please leave a link to your work in the comments below.

I greatly appreciate your visit to my blog. I hope you will return often, but you might also want to subscribe to Chronicles by email. Your thoughts, suggestions, and criticism are very valuable to me, so please leave a comment.

Always,
Jo Ann

Creativity Project Year Two-Day 148

Journal entry:

Journal 6-5-20130001

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The prompt at my friend Khara’s Our Lost Jungle helped initiate this poem, as did the quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson…

Avoid The Crush

Emerson wrote,
“Things are in the saddle,
And ride mankind.”
Even those many years ago,
It was realized that people
Are crushed under the weight
Of all that they possess.

We need to turn our hearts
To the finer things of spirit,
Letting go our occupation
With always acquiring more,
Our souls are forever reaching
Out to be filled with sweetness
Found in loving interaction.

We can develop our potential
By employing our creative powers
Making our dear held dreams
Become reality and leaving things
To a lesser importance within
The days we live… Then we will
Be much happier every moment.

Loaded down with soulless things
We are crushed and find ourselves
Unable to rise above the heaviness,
We must break free, desiring
Relationships that reward us
With the best fulfillment of
Our many human needs.

Jo Ann J. A. Jordan
Wednesday, June 5, 2013

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I am grateful:

1.   I slept long and soundly with no disturbing dreams.
2.   The buffalo hot wings we had for supper were as good as something at a restaurant.
3.   We have a working air conditioner.
4.   There is rain coming down outside.
5.   Using Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations is helping me write when I have so few ideas.

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I caught up on some rest on this wonderful Wednesday. I hope your day was pleasurable. If you will turn your thoughts to working creatively, I am sure you can make something of worth to share with the world. You have the tools you need, the most important being your imagination. I urge you to give your talent a chance to shine.

As a prompt, use Emerson’s lines, “Things are in the saddle, And ride mankind.” in a poem, story, or journal entry. No doubt you can do something marvelous. If you use this prompt, please leave a link to your work in the comments below.

Thank you for visiting my blog. I hope you will return often, but you might also want to subscribe to Chronicles for updates by email. If you have thoughts, suggestions, or criticism to share, please leave a comment.

Always,
Jo Ann

Creativity Project Year Two-Day 146

Journal entry:

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Unbridled

Red is the passion
Of a heart unfettered by
Any real restraint,
One that is given freely,
Totally dedicated.

Scarlet are kisses
Tracking over the body
Of one who lays down
All inhibitions that hold
Burning emotions at bay.

Red is fulfillment
Of wildly raging lovers
In each other’s arms,
Carrying them beyond all
Their dearly held fantasies.

Crimson is the first
Flush of love opening souls
To one another,
The divine connection draws
Sweethearts together always.

Red is the growing
Trust between any who share
Intertwined lives for
Longer than they ever had
Reason to expect they would.

Jo Ann J. A. Jordan
Monday, June 3, 2013

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I am grateful:

1.   I woke up early.
2.   I had a hot shower.
3.   Mom was able to get her bath.
4.   The tablet I wanted went on sale.
5.   Best Buy did have it, even though one of the sales associates said they did not.

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I had a great Monday, although Mom was in a lot of pain and I was saddened by her discomfort. I hope your day was also good. I encourage you to take time to use your imagination and create something to share with others. Even if you only work for your own pleasure it is worthwhile. However, your talent is sure to move people if you put your creations on display.

As a prompt, write about something you have delayed doing. Maybe it is buying something, or sharing news with someone you care about. Whatever it is, write it out. If you use this prompt, please leave a link to your work in the comments below.

Thank you for visiting my blog. I am embarked on a challenge throughout June sponsored by Our Lost Jungle. I hope this will keep me motivated. Please come back to see what I am doing often. You might like to subscribe to Chronicles by email so you receive updates. You comments are always welcome, so leave one below.

Always,
Jo Ann

Creativity Project Year Two-Day 144

Journal entry:

Journal 6-1-20130001

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When Storms Threaten Us

Sometimes God allows
Things to happen we hardly
Even understand,
But have faith it is just part
Of His overriding plan.

God carries us through
Every dangerous storm with
Overwhelming love,
Caring for us as His own
Dear children, never leaving.

Jesus watches us,
Taking care situations
Are never so hard
We lose our connection to
Him, and our abiding faith.

We depend upon
The Father, Son, and Spirit
To maintain our lives
Amidst pain and suffering,
Knowing they can give relief.

We are not ever
Forsaken, though we may doubt,
God understands us
Knowing we are sometimes weak,
He strengthens us with His peace.

Jo Ann J. A. Jordan
Saturday, June 1, 2013

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I am grateful:

1.   I am given words to write when I do not know what to say.
2.   I slept a good deal today.
3.   God surrounds us with beauty if we open our eyes to see.
4.   My puppy dog, Hope, keeps me company.
5.   I have learned to use some self control.

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I needed this quiet Saturday at home. I hope your day was relaxing and pleasant. Take time to exercise your creativity and make something wonderful to share with others. You are blessed with the talent you need to achieve great things if you only apply some effort. I know your gifts are worthwhile, for each of us is a precious treasure.

As a prompt, write about a place you would like to vacation, or perhaps why you are not vacationing. Share a link to your poem, story, or journal entry in the comments below.

Thanks so very much for spending your time reading my blog. I hope you will find your way back here often. You might want to enter your email address in the space above and subscribe to Chronicles. If you have thoughts, suggestions, or criticism to share, please leave a comment.

Always,
Jo Ann