Actually

Why is there dancing
In a moment so somber?
Riptide takes plunder.

Emotions Drift

Lone Star Way

Texas, she is wild
A rodeo, bronco-buck,
A ringing bell to
Raise the shunt, bull breaks you up
Shining star to guide you back.

They say, “Life is BIG!” –
You know it when working rig,
Given miles of smiles
Launched into something beyond –
How living is made brand new.

Texas, incautious,
Frightening, overanxious,
But come about Life
Real faces, joy each traces
Everyone going places.

“No one plans to stay,”
But somehow, most get caught, dazed,
By the awesome part
That steals deep into the heart
Reminding one Love is True.

Texas is a song,
Stiff wind blowing sand, grass,
Catching doors, close fast,
Driving rain, square dancing rooves
Settling strangers onto stools.

Coming prove ready
Your life will sudden speedy
Overdrive its test
Keep together or make mess
Flying high, the better, blest.

Texas, she is wild,
Open, for each one decides
How to live and thrive
Within a state full alive
Not just a bit, and get by.

© Jo Ann J. A. Jordan
Thursday, May 1, 2025

Fulsome Calm

I am sure others
Are more stable and able
But I still love life
Even when it causes tears,
I can say, “Thank God today!”
When hard things rain down
There is comfort to be found
In knowing Jesus
Holds my life His steadfast hands
I have faith He understands.
Giving everything
To the Lord, trusting His work
God gives me my worth
Nothing on Earth can take it
Because nothing here made it.
Mercy, grace, give me hope,
Redeemed, made whiter than snow
By the Lamb of God
Who Loves me eternally
Christ Jesus safety bestows.

When grief hits me like a stone, and I wish for my old home that can never be restored, I take shelter in the Lord.
I have learned that days are often beyond my control, but prayer lends a foundation to continue on.

Life may not go well at all times, but it is still, underneath the anguish, well with my soul. Jesus can handle the storms and bring me through, maybe shaken, but not destroyed.

I am thankful:
1. I have a church.
2. Creativity works.
3. There is fresh water.
4. I have things to help when my mind makes a mess of me.
5. There are people I love who love me.

What are you thankful for today? Noticing things that bring gratitude can enrich lives. I invite you to make a list, if only mentally; writing works well because it solidifies concepts and gives them depth.

I do not post as often as possible, but my journal absorbs thoughts daily.

PROMPT: Write down a few thoughts today, especially if your life challenges you right now.

Thank you for visiting my site and lending me a bit of your attention. So many things take time, and I am very glad you chose to read this entry.

May God bless you abundantly from His riches in Christ Jesus.

Please follow, like, and possibly share the site with someone else who might find it helpful.

Always and Evermore,
Jo Ann

Fond Haiku, Busyness, Too

There are moments when nothing comes right, and then there are times we live again. The mission is to balance everything so it holds together enough that we do not die.

Anxiety can lead to panic, and our edges may fray. The trick is to tuck the fabric and sew another set of seams to help us face living alive. Those seams form a roadmap. We follow our path through the struggle and trials. However, it may not have the proper signage, and our “good path study (GPS)” may not know how to look for possibilities.

There are trips and falls along some byways. Wrong turns, lessons learned, every day we compete to better ourselves. The journey is not always fair but often lets us find simple joys. The texture of the paper beneath the pen is healing as the soul speaks. The welcome voice of family or friends bequeaths us smiles.

The opportunity to start over and come into a place where Love abounds is a beautiful blessing. No one has the answers to what we need, but if attention is paid, intuition may supply our longing. We follow our hearts and listen to our spirit’s guidance.

I am grateful I am out of the inhumane rays of the sun. Texas, this far south, never cools down. Sleep evaded me last night, but I am trying to prepare for a better night. I appreciate that God gives peace so rest and restoration occur. Nothing I do seems enough, but there still abides hope.

PROMPT: Are you coming apart or moving forward? Even in the breaking, a story is threaded through. You are moving, and that is all that is required. If you have your pieces of peace in order, that is wondrously grand. Create something that is a testimony of this moment in your search for purpose and meaning.

I write a lot of haiku, and the ones shown run over lines because the paper is not very big. You should try writing this counted syllable form as a warm-up to more intense creation. The counts are 5-7-5, and there is no rhyme scheme. If you are a visual artist, you can still work on the exercise because when we write by hand, it is an artistry of its own.

I think that is as much as I have right now. I hope your day is full of blessings. Find the discipline you need to reach your creativity and fill your life until it overflows. Remember, you are forever loved. Be a star shining that you might lend another person light. Love, and then keep on loving more. This is why we are given life.

Please comment on, like, follow, and share this content. If you know others who might enjoy what is here, please point them this way. You are important to me; let’s be friends!

Always & Evermore,
Jo Ann

NoTiCe

Losing or Winning

When
Contemplating
The loss
Of most of
My worldly
Possessions
Because I have
No space
Here in Texas
And cannot
Travel back
To Georgia,
In any case,
My Heart Breaks.

My mind
Descends
Saying there
Is no life
Left for
You,
Take it,
Leave.
Suicidal
Ideation
Becomes pressing
The voices louder.
I fight –
A welterweight
Contending
For Existence.

I
Have
Been
Cleaning
Everything
In sight,
Keeping busy
To allow
My heart
Room
To Fight
A mind
Gone
Haywire
Once more –
Worst than
Every
Day
Here
Before.

I have
Purpose NOW
Even though my
Wayward brain
Would have
It, I forget.
Demanding
I quit,
But
It fails
To
Recognize
I
Never
Give
Up!
When
Ringed
Around
With turmoil,
Trouble,
I excavate
Digging deep
Where no
Killer impulse
Can go, grow.

I am
Expert
In Entertaining
Myself with
Loves
Which are
Forever;
And immersing
Myself
In Prayer.
Jesus
Washes
Me clean.
He has my
Victory!

Still,
And Still,
Time/Space
Are a vexing
Trial.
Consistent
Battles
Carry
Thunderous
Barrage –
Punching
Low, Below,
But I shall
Not Give In!

Win,
Beloved!
Do
It Over
And Again!

Fly high!

ASCEND!