Deep In The Forrest

Warning: I was feeling quite melancholy tonight, I wrote this poem for my Daddy. Oh, I did it to myself. That's one of my gifts, heavy emotion, making myself all sad... but it's o.k., I don't mind. I would rather feel, and go through pain, and come out the other side shining than never to have loved, or felt, or been so loved at all. If you knew my family, and my friends you would sure know how lucky I am. That being said, and if you have dared to go this far, then read on. "Just Not Forever" (For Daddy - 8/29/27 - 1/14/09) I know what they say is true How things appear to be but all I really want is for you to come home sit across the table have a cup of coffee we'll share a laugh or two maybe we'll even argue but you'll be there and things will be right again This world is really messed up without you here to talk to, to tell my jokes to and to laugh with oh, without your shoulder to cry on when I'm sad when things go sliding from good down to ba...

Jewel was on Howard Stern's Show (on Sirius ) this week and she sang the following song, The Needle And The Damage Done (Neil Young). It was pretty haunting, sad and I've had it stuck in my head ever since. So I take a moment to think about all of the people who have loved, and lost anybody they loved to a horrible addiction or disease. No matter when, why or how, it hurts just the same, and leaves a hole in our hearts forever. Even though we know that they're safe, loved and still living on in our hearts and right by our side, watching and hearing every word, and every tear, we miss them terribly. Here's to needed hope for the ones not yet too far gone. Sending out healing, love and strength to everyone... Love, Aunt Jackie

Geezuz it was hotter than High Noon in Death Valley today! Still trying to get things finished up for my contributions to Meggy's FABA (For Artists By Artists) event this weekend. With my procrastinating nature, and lack of time I am struggling but I will prevail, miraculously at the last moments. :) The weekend passed off way too fast. I did get some motorcycle riding in, and visited my Mom. We watched a few movies, to include "The Slammin Salmon" (a comedy, I recommend it, pretty funny). Then for our Sunday supper, we made Vegetable Chili with Mexican Cornbread (it was a Mr. J and AJ combined effort, Kudos to Mr. J on doing the Chili!). Nice when you can work together and enjoy doing things. A busy week coming up, so hopefully I'll get through unscathed. As far as updates or any new interesting events, I don't have anything to report right this moment, but I am working and things are all a-brew... Will of course blog anytime something exciting happens and as m...

This morning when I Facebooked about Friday in my status message about 'Friday being in the house', one of my favorite blog pals, Angie (No More Empty Fortune Cookies) said that Friday was her B.F.F., and it got me to thinking, ME TOO!! For those of us who are corporate 'slaves to the man', workin the 8 or 9 - 5 all week long, Friday feels that way. No better day of the week (well, once you actually get off work that is). This is the time that all of you independent people, who've broken away from the time clock can insert a gloating remark such as "Friday means nothing to me, I am on my own schedule." Well, good for you. Revel in the fact that we're all jealous of you. Also, I realize that there are others who are not as fortunate as us MF'rs (Monday - Friday'ers, what were YOU thinking?!). Yes we too can feel as though others only aspire to our cubicle-hell greatness... these would be restaurant workers, retail workers, truckers or just any...

Well would you look at that, I made a mid-week post! I'm doing a little better. I'm still staying quite the busy bee, and trying to better organize myself in other areas, work, personal, creative, and I have a lot of things coming my way and things I want to accomplish! So just sharing. The last couple days, I've been working on a few of these "lists of 10", no meme or anything, just something I jotted down as a post idea, and finally decided to throw it in. Why 10? Just because really... I just felt like 10. It could make for a bit more "AJ Enlightenment" for ya. So how about we start with... My 10 favorite works of art. Now, just a note that I made this a list of 10, but I have so many favorite works of art, I just narrowed it down for the sake of this shorter list. Each one I love for a different reason. Don't feel like explaining why now, just know it's a reflection of something in my soul. "Gala Contemplating the Mediterranean Sea which...

A fter Mother's Day, the week really slid by me. Workload for me has not let up very much, but Friday wasn't too bad. I just still didn't get any chance to post. Now the weekend has been a little different story. Lazines s was all that prevented my posting. Despite the storms around the areas, and the flooding in Millington, and of course Nashville the rain has been persistent off and on through the week, and it's back again this afternoon. More thunder, lightening and all of that. Not that I mind as long as it isn't flooding or more damage for the people who've already suffered issues because of it. If anyone was wondering (since I did get a few emails and so forth asking if we were o.k. here), there were flooded parts of our area, but nothing like Nashville, or the area above Memphis, Millington. So far so good here. Anyways, that's about it on the rain front. I know my blog time has been severely less lately, and my posts have not been much which I don...

My mother is a poem I'll never be able to write, though everything I write is a poem to my mother. ~Sharon Doubiago Sometimes I have trouble finding my muse... then I think of Mama, and I am miraculously able to move forward. Sometimes I feel down on my luck, or wonder how to go on... and then I think of what my Mom has endured in her own life, and all of the gifts I have because of her and I feel stupid not to put one more foot forward. Mom is an endless inspiration to me, an endless song of love. She's been the greatest teacher, the best friend, the warmest heart and the most comfort in times when she probably felt low on those things herself. There is nothing I hold higher than that precious soul on Earth that I call "Mom". Although I feel that I have let her down many times in my life, and that I can never repay her fully for everything she has given to me, I try. I do the best I can, which I always feel pales in comparison to her. My guilt sometimes asphyxiates m...

Stand by for what you might deduce as psychotic ramblings by AJ ;) Reality is a funny thing. That needn't be some hugely astounding, Nobel-prize winning statement of the century, it's just a string of characters, a few short words. What are words anyway if not all-too-commonly misused gifts of our language? Photo caption: "Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one." ~Einstein Just throw your Ego out the window for a moment and examine the phrase. " Reality is a funny thing ." (Now I'm not talking about Reality Television, which is indeed its own animal, and not much of one at that-can you taste my disdain?) Oh yes, this might leave you thinking, "Oh how can you say that? Reality is very serious indeed. Reality is dire to our existence and everyone needs to wake up and smell the coffee! We all need to be slapped in the face by this Reality , people need to grow up and learn the seriousness of how things really are in this life!!...