Thoughts in the dark of night

I wrote this while most were sleeping. It was one of those times when sleep eluded me. Perhaps having a new pen had something to do with it too. I hope you can read my scribblings.

Worth More Than The Stars

You may not realize
How very important you are
In the eyes of those
Who love you completely,
And God who created you
To be His own chosen child;
No matter your mistakes, sins,
You are treasured beyond your imagining,
You are counted among the precious,
Priceless people who are never forgotten.
You are worth more than the stars.

This photograph has nothing to do with the subject recounted above, but I thought it grand.

My doggy, Hope, who is my close companion now because it is raining and she is afraid of rain.

I am grateful:

1. I have my Mom for whom to care.
2. My dog is a very loving animal who helps me deal with problems.
3. There are beautiful ink pens in the world.
4. I am reasonably good at writing.
5. My new keyboard and mouse arrived on Monday.
6. We have central heat and air to keep us comfortable.
7. There is plenty of food in the house.
8. I have very recently secured a part-time job as Copy Editor for local publications.
9. My friends have encouraged me when I could not believe in myself.
10. My son will soon come off recruiting duty which is his wish.

If you have the time, write a short list of things for which you are thankful. I find detailing my blessings improves my mood and makes what I lack seem less important. You might find it beneficial as well.

If you need a prompt, consider doing as the handwritten part of this entry suggests and handwrite something. If you send someone a letter or card, I guarantee it will brighten their day.

Creativity is your natural state. Open yourself to the inspiration around you, put your mind and hands to work adding something beautiful to the world. We need what you have to share. Someone might be looking for exactly what you have to say. So get busy and create a work of art in whatever form you choose.

If you have enjoyed this blog, I invite you to explore more pages, follow it, so you get email updates, and come back to visit often.

Always,
Jo Ann J. A. Jordan

Some Textual Photos I Created Today

I hope you enjoyed these creations from my photos. I hope you have an awesome day. I encourage you to create something today. You are capable of making whatever you desire and it will enrich your life. The world needs more of us to share our originality.

I am grateful today:

1.     I was accepted for a Creative Writing Specialization with Wesleyan University on financial aid.
2.     I have the technological devices I need to do creative work.
3.     I have access to multitudes of books through my local library.
4.     I had my eyes examined and have new contacts and glasses that make the world clear for me.
5.     We have plenty of food to sustain us.
6.     I have some beautiful clothing.
7.     Our home is temperate and comfortable.
8.     Some of my creative work was published in the Chapel Hill News & Views.
9.     We have had our Explorer a year, and it is one of the best vehicles I have ever driven.
10.   I have some wonderful, supportive friends around the world.

Now it is your turn. Make a list of at least five things for which you are grateful today. This will have a positive effect on you even, and especially, if you are going through a difficult time. Life looks better when you count your blessings. It makes you appreciate what you have, in spite of what you may lack.

Here is a picture I took a while back that I call, “Meet Me Here.” Your creative challenge is to write a story that might happen here, or one about this photo. Have fun, and do not allow your inner critic to stymie your work. You have the ability to create something wonderful.

Finally, if you enjoyed what you have seen here, please subscribe to my blog. I would love for you to share this blog with your friends if you feel it would add quality to their lives.

All the work found here is originally created by Jo Ann J. A. Jordan and is covered by copyright. Should you wish to share please credit the work.

All the best to each of you,
God Bless,
Always,
Jo Ann

Ramblings Of A Sleepless Mind

You are not required to stay up all night to reap the benefits of my activity. Please just follow along…

I want to start up my business again, but I don’t have any capital to begin… I guess dreaming is the best I can do. I wish I could win the lottery, but somehow I think that is unlikely since I do not buy tickets… If wishes were horses, beggars would ride…

My dog, Hope, has expensive tastes, she likes pistachios. I can hardly afford them for myself, what am I supposed to do now that the dog begs for them whenever I get the bag out?

What’s on your mind? Funny you should ask, because I have been thinking about trying to start my magazine up online. It would be a literary and art magazine showcasing a wide variety of talent as it was when I published it in print form. I do not know if I have a wide enough network to gather submissions, and I am not sure I have the discretionary time to afford all the effort required, but I am considering it. I have the prerequisite software for it and I think I might be able to secure web hosting… Am I ready to take the reins as editor and publisher again? It is not an easy job, for writers are sometimes troublesome, but I like a challenge… I wonder if I am too old to begin doing it again. It is a huge task and requires diligence… So that is what is on my mind…

Have you ever noticed that as a usual thing every other version Microsoft releases is great? Take Windows 98, great; Windows Millennium, not so good; Windows XP, great; Windows Vista, not so good; Windows 7, great; Windows 8, not so good; Windows 8.1, decent… Why do we beta test for them on every other release? Seems like their software engineers would get it together every time. Maybe they need to quit rushing out versions and wait until they have a solid release…

I just realized it was after 2:00AM… I am wide awake and feeling creative. Why is it that nighttime seems to be the time of ideas for me? I want to be a morning person, but it just does not work for me. I am a hopeless night owl. The daytime world just does not have the appeal of after dark… Is something wrong with me? I wake up when the sun goes down… not the greatest attribute.

I should have known coffee in the afternoon was a mistake, but did that stop me? Not in the least did it dissuade me… Sometimes I disregard the better part of my judgment. So I am up and feeling full of energy halfway through the night…

Why am I still in this place when I really want to move forward? Maybe fear is stopping me, but what is that about? I fear failure, because it is very hard for creatives to succeed. I fear success, because it would overturn all sorts of things in my life. I want to perfect things before I bring them out before others, and that keeps me in a stalled state, because really I can do nothing perfectly.
I am determined to get past these barriers to achieving the life I want, but it is hard… One step I can take is being positive, another step is to gather the material for what I want to accomplish. These are easy things and I should be able to do them, one small step at a time.
I am capable and I believe that my dreams can become a reality, so as I advise others, I must make the effort and continue going forward…

Going With The Flow

Rolling, that is what happens
When you allow time to wash
Over you without resistance,
You roll forward creeping into
Places you never realized you
Were really meant to go.
Time overtakes you and takes
You over the rough spaces
Where intention would not
Allow you to succeed without
A great deal of extra effort
You might unwillingly expend.
Your perfectionism cannot
Hinder you because the momentum
Comes from beyond yourself,
You drift on currents that lift
Your fragile spirits up higher
Than you ever imagined going.
You roll, a creative force,
Unstoppable, moving through
Both time and space with only
One idea to carry you onward,
A positive declaration that you
Will finally accomplish your dreams.

© Jo Ann J. A. Jordan
Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Adjusted the settings on my mouse… Now this clunky mouse works like the best I have ever had. Who knew tweaking the software could make such improvements? Now I think I love the Logitech M705. It is like having a whole new mouse.

Just fixed a cup of coffee because I have decided I want to stay up all day… Should be no problem, the night is nearly over and daylight will soon arrive. Now if only the coffee cup cools down enough that I can drink from it…

Mom gave me some pens she has not used. Ink pens! Gel pens! I love free pens… My Mom is the greatest! Happy, happy, happy!

If you wish to achieve, you must first believe! You can exceed any goal you have decreed! Just continue forward and your effort will manifest what you are working toward!

Coffee! In a seasonal cup, coffee, what more can you ask for?

Fulfilling A Need

What do we want?
Poems!
Where do we get them?
We make them!
How do we do that?
We engage our creativity!
Who benefits?
The people of the world!
Why does it matter?
It wakes people to happiness!
When can we do it?
Now, because time is slipping by!
What do we want?
Poems!

© Jo Ann J. A. Jordan
Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Invitation Only

Come! Whispered on the air,
Inviting you to join
Others already there…
Come! Such gentle care
Exhibited for all,
Do you want to share?
Come! Do you dare
Accept the invitation,
So very fair?
Come! Do not delay
Make your choice right away
While you have the chance today!
Come! Christ beckons,
The Spirit encourages,
Come as your heart reckons!
Come! While time makes way
Because the moments flee quickly
Hearken now for seconds slip away.
Come! Your choice cannot wait,
Be fast to answer the quiet call
For it urgently decides your fate.
Come! Whispered on the air,
Inviting you to join
Others already there…

© Jo Ann J. A. Jordan
Tuesday, October 22, 2013

These are the nighttime, early morning, ramblings of a restless mind. You should join me at Jo Ann J. A. Jordan on Facebook if you would like to follow my adventures there… Lots of things make it there that never see the blog. I only put it all here today because I thought you might like to experience the process.

I am grateful:

1)   I have equipment that helps me reach my creative potential.
2)   I am old enough to choose my bedtime, most of the time anyway.
3)   People still visit my blog, even though I am no longer doing the Creativity Project.
4)   Life is a gift we can enjoy in the moment.
5)   People are a precious blessing when they touch my life.

As a prompt, write a how, what, when, where, who, why poem. If you need an example, reread the one I did above. If you are a visual artist, instead of poet, picture something that explore at least one of the aspects. I know you can do this, and I bet you will enjoy it. Your creativity is at least as bountiful as mine.

Thank you so much for visiting Chronicles and reading this post. You might find it enjoyable to browse the archives. There is much material contained there. If you like what you found here you can subscribe for email updates by entering your address in the space provided.

I hope your day meets your expectations. Generally you get out of the hours in direct proportion to what you invest, so make each moment special.

Always,
Jo Ann

One Year And Counting

This month marks a year that I have volunteered to create the Sweetwater Camera Club’s pages in the Chapel Hill News & Views. Over time the task has become easier. I enjoy the work. I also update the website of Sweetwater Camera Club. Here are the Contest Winners Page and the Featured Members Page for this month.

I hope the club will choose to have me continue in my position for a long time.

Always,
Jo Ann

A Review I Think You Should Read

If you are buying electronics, such as computers, I highly recommend you buy from Sam’s Club. I have used HP products bought in their stores for years now and have gotten good service from all of them. One advantage of buying there is their Electronic Help Desk or Tech Experts. For the life of your product you receive free technical support from them. I have found them very knowledgeable and able to assist with a variety of problems. Another advantage of buying at Sam’s Club is their excellent and affordable warranty plans that cover your products after the manufacturer’s warranty has expired. I have used these services and been very pleased. These two advantageous services have saved me a great deal of trouble and expense. Any electronics you buy at Sam’s Club are eligible for these programs. Check them out next time you are going to make a purchase. Their prices are also very competitive.

When I speak of their Electronic Help Desk or Tech Experts being helpful, I am not just complimenting them unreasonably. Within the last week they have helped me solve computer problems with both my Windows 7 and Windows Vista machines. The finger print scanner on my Windows 7 machine had quit working a few weeks ago and I finally called Sam’s Help Desk. The technician helped me uninstall the old software, download a newer version from HP, download drivers, and get the scanner working properly again. My Mom’s Windows Vista machine would not start Windows and I called them. They advised me to power cycle the laptop by removing the battery, unplugging it, and holding down the power button. Then we ran a system utility that I had already run without power cycling the machine. It found disk errors this second time and repaired the computer. Now it works properly again. They are very helpful and courteous. A plus is that they are based here and speak English well. This is a free program offered to anyone who buys any electronics from Sam’s Club. Maybe you would know these things without assistance, but I find it great to have an ally in keeping my equipment running properly.

Earlier this year I had a power supply fail on a machine that was beyond manufacturer’s warranty. I called it in to Sam’s Club technicians and because I had their extended warranty they free overnight shipped me a brand new one without charge. This is another example of how good their service programs are.

No company is perfect, but I have been buying equipment from Sam’s Club since the early nineties. Their products and services have always exceeded my expectations in quality and reliability. I give them my highest recommendation.

Always,
Jo Ann

Creativity Project Year Two-Day 140

Journal entry:

Higher

I rise…
And you cannot
Keep me down because I
Am being lifted up by God
Who supplies my every need through His great
Abundant love given freely
With no payment required
Of me ever
I rise…

Jo Ann J. A. Jordan
Tuesday, May 28, 2013

I am grateful:

1.   We have almost enough award dollars to buy a tablet.
2.   I read quite a bit through the night.
3.   I took a nap this morning.
4.   Alex is working on a mind map of his story.
5.   Laura came by this evening.

This Tuesday was a very good day. I hope you accomplished things you wanted today. If you will devote some time to your creativity, you will find it has many rewards. Your communication with others can enhance their lives. Your gifts are many, use them wisely.

As a prompt, write about something that moves you higher. This could be a person, your spirituality, an accomplishment, whatever moves you to write a poem, story, or journal entry. If you use this prompt, please leave a link to your work in the comments below.

Thank you so much for visiting my blog. I hope you will find your way back often. It is easy to subscribe to Chronicles, just enter your email in the space above and you will receive updates. I would love to read your remarks, so please leave a comment.

Always,
Jo Ann

 

Creativity Project Year Two-Day 139

Journal entry:

Dilemma

I procrastinate,
Because I am unsure of
What the future will
Bring, but indecisiveness
Can become very costly.

I wish I could know
Without a shadow of doubt
That buying something
Now is better than waiting,
But I have no guarantee.

So I hesitate,
Thinking the purchase over,
Measuring value
Against what I believe may
Be upgraded in future.

Technology has
Been changing so rapidly
I am unwilling
To spend money on something
That will be soon obsolete.

Yet I want very
Badly to have the device,
I cannot decide
What it is I should really
Do and the prices vary.

Jo Ann J. A. Jordan
Monday, May 27, 2013

I am grateful:

1.   I managed to get up fairly early.
2.   I decided to cook my concoction for lunch.
3.   I vacuumed the floors.
4.   Mom’s best friend, June, came to visit.
5.   I told Leigh we had a lot of trash and she decided to come get it.

My Memorial Day was wonderful. I hope your day was fantastic. Now take a few minutes to create work that will last beyond the temporary. You undoubtedly have talent, so use it. The world awaits your effort.

As a prompt, write about indecisiveness. Maybe you are not plagued with it as I am… Tell your story. If you use this prompt, please leave a link to your work in the comments below.

Thanks for reading my blog. You can subscribe to Chronicles by entering your email in the space provided above. Any comments you choose to leave would be appreciated.

Always,
Jo Ann

Creativity Project Year Two-Day 106

Journal entry:

Fervent Prayer

Dear Lord, in the highest,
Please watch over me.
Dear Lord, be my shelter,
Keep me from agony.

Dear Lord, I’m not worthy,
That You should care for me.
Dear Lord, please have patience,
Never abandon me.

Dear Lord, oh most holy,
My shepherd always be.
Dear Lord, never leave me,
My God forever be.

Jo Ann J. A. Jordan
Wednesday, April 24, 2013

I am grateful:

1.   I slept well last night and did not have horrifying dreams.
2.   I had Oreos and cold milk for breakfast.
3.   I was give a poem on my drive into town.
4.   Mom suggested I pick up something for supper so we had Subway sandwiches.
5.   Scrivener was on sale for half price on Amazon, and I finally decided to give in and get it.

I had a very pleasant Wednesday. I hope your day was also enjoyable. If you have a few minutes to spare, I suggest you do something creative. It could be writing, drawing, photography, crafting, painting, whatever appeals to you. I know it will enrich your life, and it will probably ease your stress.

As a prompt, write a simple song in praise of something or someone. This does not have to be intricate, just a short exclamation. If you use this prompt, please leave a link to your work in the comments below.

If you are a writer and in need of some software to help with your work, I understand Scrivener is very good. It is on sale for $20.00 which is half price. I am sharing the link to Amazon for your convenience: Scrivener on Amazon. I have not used the software yet, but I have been meaning to buy it for some time and just did not think I could afford the $40.00. At this price I snapped it up. You can visit Scrivener at Literature and Latte to read about the program.

Thank you for reading my blog. I hope you will return often, but you might also want to enter your email address in the space provided above and subscribe to Chronicles. I would appreciate your comments, so please leave one.

Always,
Jo Ann

Creativity Project Year Two-Day 102

Journal entry:

Poetic Gift

The writer does not
Pick the poem all alone,
The poem chooses
The poet to bring it to
Life and proper conclusion.

The words come upon
The poet in fits and starts,
Not at all at once,
Giving ample chances for
Developing lines that sing.

The practice becomes
Fertile ground for works of art
That visit poets
With greater frequency when
The lines are written daily.

Almost every man,
Woman, or child can receive
The infinite gift
Of poetry, but only
Some accept that destiny.

No, the writer does
Not pick the poem alone,
But is chosen by
The poem that wishes to
Be born to the waiting world.

Jo Ann J. A. Jordan
Saturday, April 20, 2013

I am grateful:

1.   New opportunities arrive as needed.
2.   Friends support my efforts and inspire me.
3.   Life is rich, though I am not financially wealthy.
4.   Penny still seems to enjoy living despite her frailty.
5.   I got some extra rest today.

It was a quiet Saturday here. I hope your day brought you happiness. Did you take time to work creatively already? If not, I encourage you to get busy and expend some imaginative energy. You have so much to share with the world if you will only make an effort.

As a prompt, write about how you feel technology could be used to solve the problems with which society wrestles. Perhaps you have the idea that could help us all locked inside you. Free write, or write a poem, story, or journal entry and share a link to your work in the comments below.

Thanks so much for taking time to read my blog. I hope you will return often, but you might also want to subscribe to Chronicles by entering your email address in the space provided above. If you have thoughts, suggestions, or criticism to share, please leave a comment.

Always,
Jo Ann

Creativity Project Year Two-Day 93

Journal entry:

I combined prompts from NaPoWriMo and Poetic Asides to inspire the following poem. If you need a spark to get your muse working, check out those sites.

In Case Of Rudeness

Usually I
Will express myself fully
And do what is best,
But when people are very
Rude, I only walk away.

I do not believe
Being confrontational
Adds anything to
The resulting outcome, so
I remove myself quickly.

My leaving does not
Signify the rudeness won,
It just means I will
Not let my anger carry
Me away in their presence.

Without any doubt,
I am little prepared for
Impolite people,
Who are disrespectful of
Anyone and everyone.

Thankfully, I know
The limits of my temper
And rapidly move
Myself out of target range,
So I am not explosive.

Jo Ann J. A. Jordan
Thursday, April 11, 2013

I am grateful:

1.   Alex and I had a really good conversation this morning.
2.   I did not have anything to do outside the house until evening.
3.   Mom was sweet about my having to go to the SCC meeting.
4.   The storms were not as severe as I expected.
5.   I had the perfect inspiration for my poem this evening.

I had a pretty good Thursday, all things considered. I hope your day was very pleasant. Before you get busy with something else, engage your creativity produce a work of artistic excellence. You have the talent within you to make a wonder to share with the world.

As a prompt, write about the last time technology malfunctioned and caused turmoil in your life. If you write a poem, story, journal entry, or anything else in answer to this prompt, please leave a link to your work in the comments.

Thanks so much for visiting my blog. I hope you will come back often, but you might also want to enter your email address in the space above and subscribe to Chronicles for future updates. Your input is very valuable to me, so if you will, leave a comment.

Always,
Jo Ann