"[5] And the king gave this command to Joab, Abishai, and Ittai: 'For my sake, deal gently with young Absalom.' And all the troops heard the king give this order to his commanders.

[14] 'Enough of this nonsense,' Joab said. Then he took three daggers and plunged them into Absalom’s heart as he dangled, still alive, in the great tree ‭‭(2 Samuel‬ ‭18:5‬ ‭NLT‬‬)."

David certainly dealt with betrayal throughout his life, from being the betrayer in his affair with Bathsheba, to being the betrayed when his son Absalom stole his throne, and also being betrayed by his right hand man Joab when he ignored David's request to spare his son Absalom. Hopefully we aren't hit with the same extremes of betrayal that David experienced, but we will feel betrayal at some point in our lives, whether we are hurt by someone we love and/or count on, or whether we mess up and break someone's trust through our actions. We are in good company when we remember Peter's betrayal of Jesus when he denied him three times, and the betrayal of Judas after being one of Jesus' disciples. Jesus understands the pain of betrayal and can help us process it if we ask Him, and like His disciple Peter, we can still be redeemed from being betrayers in the past if we repent and turn to Him going forward.

Thank You Lord for being relatable for the times we have been affected by betrayal, whether we were the victim or the villain. Please forgive me for any times that I have been the betrayer, and thank You for walking with me through past betrayals that happened to me. Please help me to be a man of my word that is true to those I interact with, and please show me how I can bless and minister to those that have been hurt by betrayals in their lives. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

There is a basic fact that lies overlooked in our inherent potentials. That glaring face of responsibility on the dual faced coin of our own personal choices.

These choices being the actualized fiber of who we are.

It is the idea that just because we can do something and do so without consequence, does not mean we have to.

This concept in conjuction with life being the main thing I hold sacred combine to allow for my answer to such a question.

Life being sacred means I respect it. I will not take it, and any who have it have my respect inherently; though respect can be lost situationally I grant it initially off the rip.

There have been bad people in my life and many who have harmed and even threatened my very livelihood, but the loss sustained to me through the mistreatment of that which I hold sacred would be a greater cost on my self than Any outsider could ever inflict.

So it is; that given a free pass to end a life, I would not take it; I would decline.

The void feeling that makes a person eager and thirsty for some excitement. A young writer like myself would take my laptop and dash away at the keyboard, loosing myself slowly and immersing my entire subconscious into the dim screen. Moments after and the feeling disappears like it was never there. Submerging into my fiction world was all it took and what it always takes.

A faithful wife of thirty years,

My brother, the last of my childhood family, I hold dear.

My sons, in whom, I am so very proud.

My marriage, in which I am strictly vowed.

My new daughter who is bright as the day.

My new grandson who is on the way.

I have suffered, I have loss.

Yet I continue to kneel at the cross.

The people I love; that I hold dear,

Continue sustainment throughout the years.

My advise is simple and strait to speak of;

Hold fast to all of those that you love.

one Thanksgiving

I was given a piece

of paper

asked

to write

what I am grateful for

I wrote down

I am thankful

for the gravy on

these mashed potatoes

crumpled it up

and stuffed it

in the middle

of the perfect

white mounds

thankful for nothing

feeling alone and bitter

then I dumped salt on them

and like a wound

it only hurt more for it

We talked for the first time.

Each challenged the other

to be better, without

tearing each other down.

My hope is that we can

stay the course and be friends.

Hi guys!!!

I know.

I said that I would only be gone for the summer and be back in the fall.

But then…life happened!!!

At present I’m assisting my aunt with her three kids under 1, and between bottles, diapers and dishes, I haven’t really found the time to write.

But I promise to start writing on here again someday! Maybe next year I’ll get back on track. :)

(I flatter myself by believing many here miss me. :P)

I do check on here for certain people’s writing on a regular basis.

(Hope4ever, lamagoofball, and RosemarieThorn in particular.)

To keep you entertained while you wait, here is a excerpt from my story I’m writing!

The dark figure crept along the rocky shore. The beach was deserted and the sun had set. The figure darted between boulders and went around a corner. There shadowy sails were outlined against the skyline. The man slunk on the beach alongside the ship and called in a low voice. After receiving a muffled reply, he swam out to the ship. A lantern was held out over the side and a rope ladder dropped down with a soft splash. The man climbed aboard and the murmur of voices could be heard. Then the lantern was extinguished, but not before the flag flying high above the ship showed the pattern of the skull and crossbones.

’til we meet again!!!!