American youths are handicapped.

Their goals are being shattered.

Who should be blamed for such travesty?

What should adults do to avoid this dilemma?

Where is the youth’s role models?

Why is the air so poisoned?

Some public officials are responsible.

These individuals spill gas on the flames.

These officials’ lives are deplorable.

They are known to have abusive relationships.

Some of their children are born out of wedlock.

Still, these are the ones who are elected.

Others tell glaring lies in the public arena.

People often hear them on radio and TV.

Yet, these are the leaders of the nation.

Unabashedly, they do so in God’s name.

Young people are the future of the nation.

Imagine how they are bogged down with paradoxes.

These statements are harmful and confusing to young minds.

Why aren’t public officials ideal role models to American youths?

It’s time for change in this diverse society that Americans love.

Life is a challenge.

People are always thinking.

In their heads are a running commentary.

This is what some think they truly are.

But these memories are false.

Many people dwell on the past and future.

They see the ends as justifying the means.

However, these perceptions are totally false.

The real You can be found in the Now.

It’s the presence is accessed in stillness.

So, be sure to completely silent your mind.

Then, you’ll start living in the present moment.

The past and the future are only One.

They are best described as the present.

Living with a thinking mind is unconscious.

While in stillness, one becomes conscious.

Between the space of stillness is the sacred.

This is where the real You are found.

With such presence, a person will tap into divinity.

This realization is called a spiritual awakening.

When situations don’t work out don’t fight,

become upset, and keep pushing.

Just have a sense of when to let go,

relax, and be at peace.

Remember there isn’t always a solution.

If you have to try again,

come back at a later time.

Maybe the problem will resolve itself.

Sometimes we may realize it can’t,

so, we have to call an expert.

He or she may be able to help.

But the same principle applies.

If it’s a device it may be time to get another.

With some problems it may be the way things are.

Learn to accept these the way they are, and move on.

This may well be a blessed gift in disguise.

I’m careful about life.

I often try to do my best.

I pray to the Eternal Presence.

And take good care of myself.

I endeavor to eat right, exercise, and have fun.

Still, I read a lot, and think about circumstances.

But you may not know what perplexes me?

I work hard to better myself.

I can honestly say that I’ve grown spiritually.

In much of my life, I’ve prevailed.

But a mystery lies with everything that I do.

Some people live by trying their best,

And when they die, they hope to reap rewards.

So, many men and women place their hopes in Heaven.

But I envision a different afterlife.

I don’t believe in a Christian Heaven.

Neither do I believe in reincarnation of Eastern faiths.

But what do I hold to be true?

At heart I’m a religious naturalist.

So, what happens after I leave this earth?

I’ll still be One with the Eternal Presence of the Universe.

Now is the present reality.

There’s Oneness in life.

It’s what it is.

All experiences will change for better or worse.

I Am is I Am. I Am the true self.

Accept the good and bad about life.

The opposite of birth is death.

Life has no opposite. It’s everlasting.

Birth, growth, and death are natural occurrences.

The pictures in our heads aren’t real, and not who we are.

Determine what’s most important in life.

Act as though the whole world depends on it. 

Life is a challenge.

People are always thinking.

In their heads are a running commentary.

This is what some think they truly are.

But these memories are false.

Many people dwell on the past and future.

They see the ends as justifying the means.

However, these perceptions are totally false.

The real You can be found in the Now.

It’s the presence is accessed in stillness.

So, be sure to completely silent your mind.

Then, you’ll start living in the present moment.

The past and the future are only One.

They are best described as the present.

Living with a thinking mind is unconscious.

While in stillness, one becomes conscious.

Between the space of stillness is the sacred.

This is where the real You are found.

With such presence, a person will tap into divinity.

This realization is called a spiritual awakening.

Information is ubiquitous.

It greets us throughout the day.

We’re all awaken to pseudo-events.

We rise in the morning to this barrage.

Can we live without this information?

Of what does it consist?

What does the future hold?

These questions deserve answers.

The clock we depend on for the time.

Our lives are shaped by this device.

Radio & TV keep us entertained.

It’s these media that’s sharing humor.

American mass media is pervasive.

Whether it’s print, electronic or film.

Remember movies we saw in cinemas.

These were funny, horror, and fantasy.

Nor must we forget the impact of social media.

Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram come to mind.

What a way to keep up with family and friends.

But all these media spell out tomes of pseudo-events.

People reflect the spectrum.

They come in different colors.

Glorious shades greet daylight.

Beauty graces their many gifts.

The Black race is most prolific.

Their color range titillates our eyes.

Some are as dark like charcoal.

Others appear like a sparkling white.

But what does different colors mean?

Why do people talk about color?

Is a person’s color really important?

These are some questions that matter.

Africans hear stories of the Black race.

Europeans learn what it means to be White.

Asians are referred to as being Yellow.

While Native Americans are viewed as Red.

Our nation is in the colors of the rainbow.

Their gifts transcend their ethnic groups.

Diversity is an underlying strength of all people.

That’s why America is so richly blessed.

Some Virginians are older now.

Their lives are gradually ebbing.

Is this the end of a well-lived life?

No one really knows.

Fleeting years have passed them by.

Where has all this time gone.

They are no longer vibrant and young.

Their faces are wrinkled with old age.

How do they feel about living?

Some may find it rather depressing.

They will rather take to their bed for comfort.

But most will prefer to rally on than to give up.

This condition is definitely a new reality

That’s in the second half of an older life.

It’s an experience of shattered dreams and pain.

Nevertheless, a Virginian mind may be clear.

Virginians view such a setback as a mountain.

Yes, at times they have fallen down as they ascend.

Yet, they know the resilience in their hearts live on.

They will strive and pull themselves up once more.

This is the condition of their luminous sadness.

It’s the discovery of the inevitable nature of an older life.

Corolla wild horses are hardy.

They have adapted on the Outer Banks

To winter by living in the wild

They are able to do so,

By growing thicker coats,

And eating a modified diet

They are able to survive the cold.

Cold is dangerous for horses.

But these wild ponies

Have lived through snowstorms,

And whipping frigid winds

They know how to adapt

Because of centuries living in the wild

These wild horses spend their time

On the banks in the maritime forests

By fresh water marshes

With a leader of the pack

This stallion leads the mares

Through the winter months

By eating dry winter grass

And stalks of sea oats on the dunes.