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Time to Time… And All Times

Posted on July 14, 2019 by Jo Ann J. A. Jordan 4 comments

A day like today, one can feel awash in time, especially me, cause my relationship with time is tenuous. Alex, my son, asked me this morning if I thought I would live to be 56. There have been times when I came close to checking out. Only by the grace of God am I here.

I think we do not know how often the Lord keeps some tragedy from happening, maybe that walk back to check the door, or having to change a little one’s clothes, or the misplaced article is actually the Savior at work.

I am thankful for both the bad and the good because the trouble taught me to be stronger and keep fighting to thrive. There are times maybe I just survive, but I am so grateful for the people and relationships that grace(d) my life. I enjoy so many blessings.

Life’s struggles are constant, but to overcome, oh, how sweet is the victory. Jesus is near to those who need Him and will in no wise desert His people who are called by His name.

I am touched by the people who say I make a difference, having so often felt inconsequential. When you spend a lot of time alone, doubt can invade your mind and inhibit your productivity. Positive words are so precious.

I try to encourage and inspire, but sometimes I can wallow in the mire. I appreciate those who throw me a life float when I am sinking into the quicksand. I know sometimes it takes a monster truck and chains to rescue me; I am grateful to you all too.

I am not sure exactly where this was going. I just want to thank all of you who have sent me well-wishes today. I am so glad I got to the church because I got some kind words and hugs, hugs are so special. Sunday School and Worship were terrific as well. Jesus was present.

I sincerely hope I make better use of the coming years than I have the past ones, but I would not miss what has gone before because the Lord has woven a tapestry of identity from all I have experienced and it was worth it all.

I was going to affix Freddie Mercury singing Time Waits For No One to this, but maybe not. You can find it on YouTube, the Offical video is best.

Time does, however, rush away like the water going over the falls. Live every moment to the fullest, never give up, remember happiness is an internal thing, you create it. Do your best to avoid wasting all that is given to you. If there are things, you dream of doing, to the best of your ability, do those. Find your creativity and employ it to enhance the world.

You are so very precious. God loves you, and God makes no junk. I love you, too, all of you mean so much. I think I should probably stop now. Sorry for running long.

This was posted to Facebook first.

I want to add a few things here. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunities I have been given to have some poetry published. The social media communities in which I have been active have been supportive, and I am thankful for each person who has commented or liked or further interacted with my work and myself. I have been on the web since 1991 and put a lot of work out here.

I encourage you if you are creative, to invest sufficient time and effort in your work to hone your skills. Do not let negative thoughts stop you. Do not fear. Make it happen, cause happening is why you are here.

There are so many things, but it will wait. More than anything, know you matter. The world would be a lesser place without you. You are wonderfully made and specially fashioned for this, your time.

I need to be on here more. Sometimes I lose the belief that I make a difference. We are all liable to feel unworthy at times, we are though. We are here, and we belong.

As a quick prompt, explore your feelings about the passage of time and create an original work around your discovery.

The day comes running
Full of gifts, activities;
Freely, we grasp them.

Thank you for visiting Haphazard Creative. If you enjoyed what you read, please share, if you like follow the site or come back again. There is plenty to explore, and there is also my site at Chronicles, which contains my Creativity Project, which I did daily for a year and a half.

Inspired by a Rolling Stone

Posted on June 18, 2019 by Jo Ann J. A. Jordan Leave a comment

I caught myself saying I do not want to go see them live because I want to remember them as last I observed them. Then I thought is it the stars I fear to see or is it that they reflect who I have become?

Do I want to face that I am growing older, that the glory days are past? My idea of myself, it does not connect with the image in the mirror. I am unwilling to give in to infirmity, to recognize any decrepitness, I imagine myself strong enough to face anything for I have overcome so much.

I like to think the days are still outstretched in perpetuity, but I know, I know chronologically that more hours are passed than reach into the future.

This is hard to admit, to accept, that death is any breath away, and my tenure here will cease. However, it also imbues every moment with a priceless preciousness that I cannot escape or deny. If I am to do what I am purposed to do, I must get on about doing it. There is no time to waste in frivolities or procrastination.

Life is a limited engagement. The show does not employ the same cast forever, and the show must go on. I, like everyone, want to do all the good I can, love as much as possible, create more happiness than grief, and leave memories that will be treasured, but I realize I should do those things in the now. Now does not for anyone last indefinitely.

So, maybe I should see the stars as they are and let their talent and charm take my breath away again. Each of us is a universe of life, and we should celebrate the beauty of our existence for God made each of us a Masterpiece, one of a kind, with no duplicate in eternity.

So thank you, as so often, to Sir Mick Jagger for challenging me, inspiring me, and providing food for thought. I am so indebted to you and the many others who have given a soundtrack for my life.

Maybe my small contribution will touch someone who needs to remember we are all here for only a brief while and should expend our time wisely. Blessed be.

So, about the lost Fitbit…

Posted on May 19, 2019 by Jo Ann J. A. Jordan Leave a comment

God and I, we are close. So I reminded Him who I know He is, and who I sometimes realize I am. I told Him I believed in miracles because I have seen the work of His hands, and I asked Him to show me again. I took that praying walk alone. Covered a lot of ground to no good result.

Then since my Marbles is supposed to be part the breed of the very best scent hounds, I took the dogs out.

It is extremely tough to see a rose gold bangle among leaves. The dog did not find it. There was a sparkle, just a glimmer, I uncovered it. Fitbit found, God with me again, as always, though I do not always know, and doubt.

Oh, yeah, I believe in little everyday miracles, and I believe nothing is too unimportant to pray about, God is never too busy to help us. He loves for us to call out to Him. He loves us as His children, and a good father always listens. The best, help any way they can. Trust God, He is for you, forever.

Friday, May 17, 2019

As a prompt, use creativity to explore something that unexpectedly turned out to your advantage, possibly by the influence of the Divine, or synchronicity, or coincidence. Make it any type of composition you like. If you want, drop a link in the comments so I might see your work.

Gratitude List
I am thankful:

Marbles is behaving much better.
I have read some books on Kindle recently, since reading print seems a challenge to maintain interest.
Have been writing a lot on social media.
Have been studying some craft books.
Took care of a problematic situation.

Thank you for visiting Haphazard Creative, if you like follow the site, or simply return as you may. I hope you are prospering and experiencing enjoyment in your days. Remember, time is limited, and relationships are precious. Invest in what most fulfills you even if it is not popular with the crowd. You only lead your life and therefore, should secure your happiness.

Musing by Hand

Posted on May 5, 2019 by Jo Ann J. A. Jordan Leave a comment

I thank you for taking the time to read and for visiting Haphazard Creative. I hope you will follow the website or return in the future.

A Prompt: Create something by hand and share it with the world. It puts one out there in honesty that typing or digital design do not. You cannot hide your reality.

I am grateful:

I have come to a new appreciation of life and accomplishment.
Time is fluid, but I must grasp each experience.
Marbles has become somewhat more manageable.
I started a new journal.
Kindle is excellent to read on.

As you go through your day, remember there is love surrounding you, and you have gifts, talents, and skills of immeasurable worth. You are a blessing.

Rallying

Posted on April 9, 2019 by Jo Ann J. A. Jordan Leave a comment

This poem is written in the first person, but I assure you if you need to take its message to heart, it can apply as a rallying cry for more than only me. In fact, that is the only reason I shared. This was journaling work. A suggestion, if you are struggling with any sort of problem, try using a journal or even “Scraps Of Paper,” that is an old poem of mine, but a valid recommendation.

If fear is haunting you, look up, do not give in, do not give up. We can overcome fear, resistance, negativity, but it has always been, presently is, forever will be, a choice. The war is one of continual battles, but if we do not make an attempt so much will go undone, and the world will not become what it could be.

Choosing Freedom

Where I am right now,

Where I want to be today,

Kept apart by me.

I am the factor

Who must make many changes

To realize dreams.

No one else can do

Whatever it is I must;

The power is mine.

Christ gave me these gifts,

But He will not force my work;

I must create it.

Giftedness is not

Placed within to be wasted,

It has a purpose.

Procrastination,

My inadequate feelings,

I must overcome.

I have studied, learned,

Still, I lack enough belief

To discard my fear.

It, False Evidence

Appearing Real, I leave now

Outside, behind me.

I take confidence

As an armor, wrapped in faith,

And banish my doubt.

These abilities

Were put in me to help those

In need, set me free.

My aspirations

I must craft until they can

Join reality.

Tuesday, April 9, 2019

If you need a prompt, consider creating something to rally yourself, which you can also share with others. All of us are consistently in need of positive influence and encouragement. There is a heaviness of unrealized hopes and dreams in our world today. Many are discouraged and barely keeping themselves alive. We need to help one another. Far too many are lost upon giving up.

I am grateful:

1. The positive influence of music has been helping me so much. I highly recommend YouTube music or if you have Amazon Prime, Prime Music. Both these can be streamed without commercials.

2. My dogs, Marbles, and Tribble, who challenge me to develop a greater degree of patience while providing companionship.

3. I am experiencing a rather extensively creative period.

4. Friends, who back me up when I get down into my soles.

5. Queen, The Rolling Stones, and a wide variety of Contemporary Christian Artists. Newsboys, “Crazy,” is a grand favorite.

All Right!

Everyone has problems
We all carry our deep scars,
But there is still hope;
All the things we have misplaced,
Innocence taken away,
Trust broken apart,
Truth found foul fabrication –
Healing still exists;
No matter our trials, troubles,
Love is real, we belong, hold on.
Life is a treasure –
Holy, precious, rare, unique,
Ultimately given
To bring us all transcendent
Blessings, love, peace, eternity.

Thank you for visiting Haphazard Creative. I most sincerely hope you found something edifying and encouraging here. My purpose as I share is to arouse the creative genius in others and set other flames to dispelling the sadness I feel is so much a loose in our world currently. If you enjoyed the things in this posting, please check out other entries. If you like, follow this website, or come back when you have time.

Much love to you all, always,
Jo Ann

Project

Posted on March 20, 2019 by Jo Ann J. A. Jordan Leave a comment

Notes to A Reluctant Creator

Introduction

Welcome! I am so glad you found your way here. We have things to explore and discover. Jump In!

Oh, sorry, you may be wondering what all this Creativity has to do with you. The thing is you are, whether you realize or not, one of the most creative people on the planet, and elsewhere too, if you like to think that way.

Now, you may not be an artist, writer, poet, graphic designer, photographer, or any of those liberal arts things. You may believe you lack talent, gifts, and skills, but I have something to tell you. YOU ARE CREATIVE!

Have you ever shopped for the perfect outfit and matched up pieces from different stores, to make something decidedly your own? Do you pick flowers and arrange them to decorate your table? When you cook, do you get the recipe and then modify it to suit your needs and tastes? Have you planned a party where you decided the guest list, the decorations, the menu, and desserts, employed a photographer, sent out invitations? Have you written an email on which you took extra time to make sure it said what you meant, precisely? Have you sewn, knitted, scrapbooked? Do you do a bit of home repair or mechanical work on a vehicle? Do you plan and plant a vegetable or flower garden? Are you raising or have you raised a child? Have you trained a dog? I submit, in all these things you have used creativity. There is no hiding from it; you are an individual with creative flair.

In the following pages, I may lean toward the liberal arts, but what I suggest can often be used in other applications. I am going to show you some of my work, and encourage, inspire and prompt you to do your own. Be aware creativity has no rules, though I recommend being yourself as honestly and entirely as you may. Creativity is the quality that makes what we produce undeniably our own.

Creativity can free us when we are stuck and guide us when we are at a loss. It is a significant quality we share with God. *Humanity, made in the Creator’s image, blessed with imagination and ability to create.*

I recommend you get a journal and perhaps, a sketchbook, or if you are like many and more electronically inclined, set up a file for your projects. I am going to put you to work, but it will not seem that way. It will be exciting and fun. You are going to discover what your critic ran under wraps in your soul, and unearth the freedom of creativity you experienced as a child.

So, I do not know about you, but I am very excited to begin. We have things to do and learn together, and we are going to find grace and freedom to embrace our authentic selves. 2017-03-26 Monster after me In Color

Still, the Taste

Posted on March 19, 2019 by Jo Ann J. A. Jordan 3 comments

There was a day in the dead of Winter, when the weatherman on the Black & White TV said everyone should stay home. Of course, Daddy went to work, cause he did. I was a tyke.

Melv had to go into work at Mr. Cleo’s Machinist Shop, and Mom was tasked with the drive, in the white Buick that was dripping icicles like a waterfall. We still lived in the trailer park, so as I say, I was a tyke.

I hadn’t had breakfast, Mom fixed a bowl of my favorites, Froot Loops. Back then, car seats had not been invented, and as a family, we were not fans of seatbelts.

Mom drove, Melv sat up front, and I had the back seat to myself, with the bowl and a blond headed Pee Wee doll with a tiny red dress with black trim, from Grants.

We made it out of the trailer park and across Gordon Road, past the Baptist Church that was somehow not quite the Baptist we were.

I was munching on the Froot Loops, and there was somewhat an argument in the front seat, which I did not worry so much about, because at least in this car, plates could not go flying and belts were not involved.

As I recall, I was standing on the hump with one hand on the blue vinyl of the front seat looking out the windshield when the car suddenly began to slide, then spin. I lost the back of the front seat, the Froot Loops, my feet, and was flung around amid the flying cereal.

We hit the rock cut. I wound up in the floorboard.

The Buick had such a coating of ice, as did the rock face, that there was not a scratch on that invincible car. The only casualty of the accident was my bowl of Froot Loops.

Mom did, however, become more adamant about never driving on ice. It did not slow her down under less inclement conditions though. My love of speed is inherited from both parents.

Melv may fill in what happened about his day, I am no longer certain. I was understandably upset about my breakfast.

As you see, I am still a junkie.

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