Writing Exercise: My Mother and me on Saturday ~ A Description

It is Saturday. I sit on the couch watching Mom doze. Her hair is white, with streaks of brown left over from her youth. She is sitting in a wheelchair with her head resting in her right hand and her right elbow on her right knee. Her feet are up on the couch because her legs are swollen. He doll is sitting on her left leg, its head resting against the left side of the wheelchair.

It is strange how things change as one grows older. When I was a child, Mom would never let us put our feet on the couch. Age and time has brought a reversal of rolls. Now that I am the mother and she is the daughter I let her put her feet on the couch. In fact, I place her feet on the couch myself and I lock the wheels of her chair, so that she cannot wander through the house.

There are dangers in the house for an Alzheimer’s patient. There are dangers in the kitchen. There are dangers in the bathroom. There are dangers in the bedroom. Therefore, wherever Mom goes in the house I go with her watching over her. I am the mother to my mother.

I Changed My Mind

Daily Writing Practice Prompt for April 13, 2008: Write about a time you changed your mind.

I changed my mind,
I looked at all the fact I knew,
those were very few
because I didn't know the entire story.

I changed my mind,
I followed my gut feeling
rather then the over cautious advice
of my selfish desires.

I changed my mind,
I accepted a new view of spirituality,
I new vision of divinity,
and was rewarded with new friends
who encouraged my soul's progress.

I Still Don't Know

Istijlál (Majesty), 2 Jalal (Glory), 165 B.E. – Thursday, April 10, 2008 about 4:37 PM PDT

Daily Writing Practice Prompt for April 10, 2008: I still don't know..."

I still don't know why
I don't like romance novels
unless there is a science fiction or fantasy
background.

I still don't know why
I would rather read mystic love poem
then love poems written
to another human being.

I still don't know why
I cry at sad movies

I still don't know why
I can never find a writing pen
when I need to write down a phone number,
but can always find a pen
or half-a-dozen of them
at any other time.

I still don't know why
I can laugh and cry
at the same time
without any effort at all.

I still don't know why
a cat wants to go outside
until you open the door to let it out;
then it decides it didn't want to go outside
after all.

Writing Through the Darkness

Fidal (Grace), 6 Mulk (Dominion), 164 B.E. - Tuesday, February 12, 2008 about 12:49 PM PST

The idea is to write, not matter how dark it is just write even if you cannot read what you write until the light arrives. Write and write and write some more until your mood changes or you write the solution to your problem. It does not matter what you write as long as you write. Writing focuses the mind on something else beside the situation or the problem.

The idea is to write when you cannot see the solution for the problem. Every problem has a solution just as every forest has more then one tree. When you cannot see the forest for the trees or the solution for the problem then write. Sit down with your journal and write. Turn on your computer and write. Log onto your blog and write.

The idea is to write because every problem has a solution. Write until you see the solution. It does not matter what you write. Write a poem, write a short story, write a rant, but write and continue to write until you see the solution to your problem. Write until you see the early morning light and the night become day again.

The idea is to write and the exercise is a free write. You write what comes to mind and you do not stop because of misspellings or grammar that is what rewrites are for to fix the spelling and the grammar. That is what spell checkers are for and mouse curses. If you spell the word phonetically then the spell checker can find it. If the keys on your keyboard stick and you miss a letter continue to write, the spell checker will catch the missed letter and give you a choice of words so that your blog entry is readable.

Writing a Personal Mission Statement

Istijlal (Majesty), 1 Mulk (Dominion), 164 B.E. - Thursday, February 7, 2008 about 8:03 AM PST

I wrote a personal mission statement early in 2007, but on March 12, 2007 my world fell apart when I took my mother to the Emergency Room. My mother is out of the hospital, recovering, and I have found my priorities have changed. Therefore, I have decided to rewrite my personal mission statement.

It is never too late to be what you might have been. ~~George Eliot

According to I Will Change Your Life.com a personal mission statement does three things. It outlines (1) "what you want to be", (2) "what you want to do", and (3) the values you upon which you are basing this being and wanting. Founded on self-knowledge and decision-making, a personal mission statement can help a person change.

Afraid lest he be caught up in a net of words tripped up, bewildered and so defeated – thrown aside – a man hesitates to write down his innermost convictions. ~~William Carlos Williams

I did not give a lot of thought to my last mission statement, a big mistake because that statement did not help me during the stress last year. This year I am going to give more thought to it. I have set March 21, 208 to complete my mission statement; this is the first day of spring and the day I celebrate as the New Year.

I will write my personal mission statement in phrases that I can repeat several times each day. I will answer three questions

1. What do I want to be?
2. What do I want to do?
3. What do I value?

Birthday Calculator

'Idal (Justice), 19 Sultan (Sovereignty), Wednesday, February 6, 2008 about 7:55 AM PST

This Birthday Calculator is a fun exercise. I put in my birthday, December 24, 1946 and it gave me interesting statistics and information about my astrological sign. I am going to use the information to write a birthday poem. I am also going to put my mother's birthday in and use that to write a birthday poem for her.

I was conceived on Tuesday, April 2, 1946 and born on Tuesday, December 24.
My fortune cookie says: "A warm smile is testimony of a generous nature."
My life path is 11 (I am going to investigate this after I finish this post).
My golden number is 9 (Something else I am going to invesigate).
My epact number is 27 (The numberic root of this number is 9).
My astrological sign is Capricorn.
I was born in the Chinese year of the Dog.
My Native American Zodiac sign is Goose and my plant is Bramble.
I was born in the Egyptian month of Famenoth, which is the third month of the Poret season and Poret means Emergence or Fertile Soil.
Since I was born after sundown, my birthday on the Hebrew calendar is 2 Tevet 5707.
According to the Mayan calendar, I was born on 12 baktun 16 katun 13 turn 0 uinal 14 kin.
According to the Islamic calendar. I was born on 30 Muharram 1366.
Celebrities that share my birthday are

1. Kit Carson
2. Ava Gardner
3. Ryan Seacrest
4. Ricky Martin
5. Howard Hughes
6. Mary Higgins Clark
7. Johnny Greulle.

Top songs of 1946 are

1. The Gypsy by the Ink Spots
2. Rumors are Flying by Frankie Carle
3. The Old Lamplighter by Sammy Kaye
4. Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow! by Vaughn Moore
5. Prisoner of Love by Perry Como
6. Oh! What it Seemed to Be by Frankie Carle
7. To Each His Own by Eddy Howard
8. For Sentimental Reasons by Nat King Cole
9. Five Minutes More by Frank Sintra
10. Old Buttermilk Sky by Kay Kyser

My birthstone is Blue Zircon with mystical qualities that help me to be more at peace with myself.
Other birthstones are Blue Topaz, Ruby, and Lapis Lazuli.
My birth tree is the Apple Tree which is the Tree of Love, which has the following attributes "Of slight build, lots of charm, appeal and attraction, pleasant aura, flirtatious, adventurous, sensitive, always in love, wants to love and be loved, faithful and tender partner, very generous, scientific talents, lives for today, a carefree philosopher with imagination."

This is only a bit of the information about me that the birthday calculator gave me.

Mixing and Matching the Themes

Fidal (Grace), 18 Sultan (Sovereignty), 164 B.E. - Tuesday, February 5, 2008 about 7:13 AM PST

I am going to start mixing the themes an putting them on different days. Perhaps even skipping one and putting something else in its place. I am going to use more prompts to write and demonstrate more poetry forms. Discuss different methods of writing on a prompt. All right, I got bored having a specific theme on a specific day. My muse bulked at having to work that way.

I think one thing I will do is mix and match the themes, if I am writing about a contest then I will do a short review of the web site where I found the contest. I enjoy contest because they all have something different to offer a writer. Some contests have themes, while others require specific forms. It is fun and exciting to come up with a poem or story that will be appropriate for a contest.

Write Week Update

Jamal (Beauty), 16 Sultan 164 B.E. - 16 Sultan (Sovereignty), 164 B.E. - Sunday, February 3, 2008 about 10:41 AM PST

Title: The Light of the World
Genre: Personal Essay
Theme: Spiritual
Word Count Goal: 5,000 words
Daily Word Count Goal: 714 words
Words Written up to today: 2,410
Quotes used so far as prompts to get the writing started: 2

“I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach the end of the earth.” Isaiah 49:6 ESV

“The spiritual light of the world has risen again from the eastern horizon.” (Abdu'l-Baha, Divine Philosophy, p. 80)

Notes: So far I have two sections to this essay. I use the quotes to get me started them write as much as possible. This essay is going to need rewriting, but that is alright. I have learned a great deal about the way I think and why I do things in only the first section of this essay. I chose to do prompts because I din not know how to start the essay and had no idea concerning the subject.

One Book Every Writer Should Have

Istijlal (Majesty), 18 Sharaf (Honor), 164 B.E. - Thursday, January 17, 2008 about 2:58 PM PST

Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg is one book that every beginning writer should have in his or her personal library. This wonderful little book is written from the point of view of a writer and a poet. Every chapter gives exercises or writing advice.

When reading a book about writing use various colored highlighters to mark passages of interest. Use one color for writing advice and another color for writing ideas. A writer can get a great many ideas poetic themes when reading any book, but this book is especially good for finding subjects for poems and giving useful advice on things like sentences. I enjoy this book and reread sections of it all the time.

5000 Question Survey - Questions 26 to 50

4 Sharaf 164 B.E. - Thursday, January 3, 2008 about 8:56 AM PST

For the answers to the first 25 questions see 5000 Question Survey - The Beginning. To see all the questions in the survey go to The 5,000 Question Survey.

26. Who has done something today to show they care about you? My mother she kissed me good morning.

27. Do you have a lot to learn? I have a great deal to learn about myself and the reason I do or don't do something.

28. If you could learn how to do three things just by wishing and not by working what would they be? A: Fly an airplane, B: Speak Spanish, and C: Bake a cake in a Microwave oven

29. Which do you remember the longest: what other people say, what other people do or how other people make you feel? It depends on the "other people" which it is. Sometimes I remember a combination of the three and sometimes just one.

30. What are the key ingredients to having a good relationship? Respect of the other person and of yourself.

31. What 3 things do you want to do before you die? A: Go to Haifa, Israel, B: Fly in a hot air balloon, and C: Go on an Alaskan cruise.

32. What three things would you want to die to avoid doing? A: Bungee jumping, B: Being in a plane crash, and C: Walking barefoot in the snow.

33. Is there a cause you believe in more than any other cause? Yes, I believe in the three onenesses: (1) the oneness of humanity, (2) the oneness of God, and (3) the oneness of religion.

34. What does each decade make you think of: The 19.. 20's: My mother, she was born in 1921; 30's: The music was interesting; 40's: The war; 50's: Going to school in Blackwell, Oklahoma; 60's: The music was interesting; 70's: The music was interesting; 80's: The music was interesting; 90's: The music was interesting; 2000 (so far): I turned 60 in 2006, in 2007 my mother turn 86 in the operating room having a bowl resection - So far this decade has been a mixed bag of nuts. 2010's: A time to look forward to because humanity is moving into a period of spirituality.

35. Which decade do you feel the most special connection to and why? The 2000's because of the things I learned about myself and the wisdom I gained.

36. What is your favorite oldie/classic rock song? Bridge over Troubled Waters

37. What country do you live in and who is the leader of that country? If you could say any sentence to the current leader of your country what would it be? I live in America and this year 2008 is an election year so we're going to change leaders. I would say to the present leader "You did as good a job as you could under the circumstances." To the future leader "Rock on."

38. What's your favorite TV channel to watch in the middle of the night? I don't watch T.V. in the middle of the night except on special occasions.

39. What Disney villain are you the most like and why? None of the Disney villains, I identify more with Daisy Duck.

40. Have you ever been a girl scout/boy scout? No

41. If you were traveling to another continent would you rather fly or take a boat? Fly

42. Why is the sky blue during the day and black at night? It's blue during the day because of the scattering of blue light. It's black at night so that we can see the stars.

43. What does your name mean? My name means (first) Snow, (Middle) Prosperous, and (Last) Where the Wild Things Live.

44. Would you rather explore the deeps of the ocean or outer space? Outer space

45. Word association What is the first word that comes to mind when you see the word: Air: Breathing, Meat: Prime Rib, Different: Humor, Pink: Dawn, Deserve: Grace, White: Snow, Elvis: Music, Magic: Love, Heart: Soul, Clash: Opinion, Pulp: Paper.

46. If you could meet any person in the world who is dead who would you want it to be? Baha'u'llah

47. What if you could meet anyone who is alive? My half-sister

48. Is there a movie that you love so much you could watch it everyday? Any of the Lord of the Rings movies

49. You are going to be stuck alone in an elevator for a week. What do you bring to do? A journal and a pen to write with.

50. Have you ever saved someone's life or had your life saved? My grandfather saved my life when I was a child. He took me out of an old fridge I was hiding in for a game of hide-and-seek.