Geoffrey Chaucer is credited with the original use of this phrase.  Perhaps he was having a good year?  Speaking for myself, I’d like to eliminate the “Good” from that phrase and simply say “Good riddance to 2018.”
Now I’m not saying that 2018 was a bad year in every possible way, however there are major portions I would love to forget.  The unexpected gallbladder surgery, actually make that two surgeries in two days, was an episode I’d like to put into the mental shredder.  This unforeseen hospital stay not only was draining on the wallet, but also on the emotional scale.  I was forced to miss an author award event that required the author to be present in order to secure a win.  Maybe next year?  We’ll see.
Rain.  And lots of it. It seems to me like it rained for days at a time this summer and when it wasn’t raining, the air was so drenched with humidity and heat, there wasn’t that many nice days to enjoy outdoors.  Oh, and nearly a foot of snow in mid-November, let’s not forget that one, with dozens of cars being stuck on the side of road during rush hour, much resembling a snowy, winter apocalypse.   
On a more personal note, I lost a person I really cared about and knew since I was a child.  So many things left unsaid, and so many questions left unanswered. 
 Does it seem like I am just complaining?  Maybe a bit.  I think it is okay every now and then to look back and analyze the past, whether good or bad.  To be honest, personal reflections actually causes one to realize all of the good things that are taken for granted by the individual.  Dwelling on the negative is something I don’t want to do, as there are many, many good things in store for 2019.  One will be the re-release of my book, The Journal of Ezekiel Walker through Peasantry Press. And maybe, just maybe, there will be the fulfillment of a dream of mine (with God’s help) to have one of my books turned into a feature film.  More on that in the upcoming months.
God has a plan, and not all of it will be to my liking, I’m sure.  Whatever 2019 brings, I know I won’t be going through it alone.  And that’s something I can always be thankful for!
Goodbye 2018, it’ been real!
JZ

For most of us, the Spring means rainy days and much anticipation towards the warmer (and hopefully) drier days.  We've had our fair share of wet and snowy times recently and with it much cooler air as well.  Seems like Winter does not want to let go, but that's OK, isn't it?  It just means that when the warm air does arrive, we can appreciate it that much more....hopefully without complaint.  

And what about Friday?  The day we all wait for only to let it evaporate into the weekend which then melts quickly into Monday.  If I sound melancholy, I really am not...maybe just more reflective?  Perhaps thinking about how little we take notice of and how much we take for granted.  The last half hour of your life that passed by has come and gone and you' will never be able to get it back to redo.   Was it productive?  Was it meaningful?  Only you and I can answer individually, but collectively we can look toward the next half hour we have been given.  Take it and hold onto it.  Make it your time, whatever that means to you.  Treasure what you have been given and work toward the things you want. Your time is at hand! 

By the way, it is Friday and don't forget to take your umbrella...

JZ

I love that old song by The Scorpions from 1990.  I can almost hear the whistling now, can you?  It reflected a very real set of changes I was facing at that time. Leaving high school, deciding on college or the workforce, career path, finding a girlfriend (my wife can attest to that one) and the list can go on.  
 
Change.

It it inevitable, it is often for the best, and it can be difficult to deal with at the beginning, yet it doesn't have to be scary. Change really, is just moving from one place to another - emotionally, spiritually, or physically.  It's the moving part that is the hardest to cope with from my perspective.  Fear of the unknown is one of humanity's greatest obstacles to overcome.  What exactly is waiting around the comer?  Will I lose what I have?  Will my new situation afford me the same luxury I've grown accustomed to?  

Ah... I think I've hit a nerve!  The comfort factor.  Yes, we are creatures of comfort and really do not like to be disturbed. I can understand that, especially when it's cold outside, and that thick, warm comforter is telling you to stay put.  But what if we never moved from our current location and just decided to stay in bed?  Besides obviously making an eventual mess of your bed and yourself, there would be no warm shower, no smiles from the outside world to greet you, ......no leaving high school, no finding your career, and no finding your soulmate.  

Change is not always comfortable at first, but you will adapt - until the next set of changes comes along.

Can you hear the winds of change calling your name?  

JZ

​What a warm summer it has been. 
Lots of heat and sun with buckets of swampy, thick humidity.  Gallons of iced tea and sitting by the pool was the plan of action for many.  But change is coming.  Change as in the shorter days, which have already started, along with cooler nights the first sighting of light, fall jackets.  The air will soon have a crisp, but gentle bite that lets us know we are still among the living, evidenced by frosty breath and chilly fingers. 
In one way, it will be nice to break out the heavier clothes and feel the warmth of a soft, flannel shirt, on a cold and dark morning.  But yet, I doubt many of are looking forward to scraping car windows when we are already late for work or getting the kids off to school.  Not much fun at all.  So what to do?
Nothing.
There isn’t much we can do to change the seasons by our own accord or make the summer last forever.  So it is with life I suppose.  There are seasons of warm sun and there are seemingly endless days of cold winter.  But remember, those days won’t last forever.   Perhaps we should just soak in what makes each season so special and be thankful for the place we are presently at?  Who knows, it make to heat more bearable and the cold more tolerable? 
Just a random thought from a guy fanning himself as he writes this piece.  Please excuse me while a grab a glass of iced tea.
JJZ

Uncle Rico Kip, I reckon... you know a lot about... cyberspace? You ever come across anything... like time travel?
Kip Easy, I've already looked into it for myself.
Uncle Rico Right on... right on.
You may recognize that familiar dialogue from the hit movie Napoleon Dynamite.   I still never tire of watching that movie for some reason?  Maybe I can relate to Uncle Rico looking to go back in time - looking to re-write history , or so he believes.
For many of us if given the opportunity, I think we'd take that chance to redo things, to fix mistakes, or to mend broken relationships.  The good news is that we don't really need a time machine to do those things.  If you are reading this, then the opportunity is yours for the taking.  Go fix a mistake.  Re-create an opportunity you may have missed out on.  Fix that relationship with an old friend before its really too late.  The good news is that you and I still have time to work with.  Make the most of it!
Now if I can only find my nunchucks and bow staff. 
JZ

As I reflected on the death of Jesus this Easter season, my focus was drawn to the two criminals who hung next to Christ while he was on the cross.  Two different people, yet ultimately the same; thieves, convicted criminals, condemned to death – sinners. 

What separates one from the other is a matter of the heart.  The one criminal hurled insults and mocked Jesus asking him to get them down from the cross.  A jailbreak if you will.  And what if that man were to be freed from his cross?  Would he repent, change his ways, and give up his life of crime?  Most likely he would continue down the same path, only to be eventually brought to the same bloody cross in the future.  His heart was riddled with arrogance, deceit, and treachery.  An unrepentant heart.

The other man, also a thief, also sentenced to death, had a different perspective on his pitiful circumstances.  Realizing he did indeed deserve what was happening to him, and that Jesus was innocent of his crimes, scolded the other man for speaking to Jesus in such an insulting way.  Realizing he had nothing to lose and possibly everything to gain, he simply asks Jesus to remember him when he enters his kingdom.  This man’s heart was broken, sincere, and most of all humbled.  A repentant heart.  Jesus of course, tells this man that he would be with him forever more. 

The book of Jeremiah in chapter seventeen, verse nine says, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.  Who can understand it?”  It seems only one can truly understand matters of the heart – none other than the one who created the everlasting human soul - the mender of broken hearts – Jesus.  The cure itself for the deceitful heart is love, humility, and forgiveness – everything Jesus truly represented and still represents today. 

If you were asked to choose one of the criminals that hung beside Jesus on that horrific and beautiful afternoon, and offer that man a chance to go back in time to redo any part of his life, who might you select?  The answer might just be a matter of the heart.
JZ

Where does salvation lie? 
Is it found in ancient scripts or is it locked inside the vault of our hearts?
What is the cost of salvation?  If there is a cost, does it come at the expense of our freedom, or is freedom gained through salvation?
To have need of salvation means that someone needs to be saved from something.  So what then, do we need to be saved from?  A habit, a disease, death – ourselves?
Further, when does the moment of salvation occur?  Is it a ritualistic phrase uttered at a moment of decision or is salvation a gradual process that evolves throughout an entire lifetime?   
These are some of the questions I ponder in my new book, tentatively titled, The Third Chamber.  It’s still being written, but I like where it’s headed and I think it will push the boundaries of what traditional Christianity defines as being “saved.” 
My new book will still invoke the speculative elements of the paranormal and supernatural, but this time around it will center on two souls destined to be together, yet separated by an un-crossable chasm. 
Is love defined by salvation or is salvation the result of love?
I’ll save more details for another time!

For this post I thought I'd share a very short story of mine.  For those who've read it, they've told me it touched their soul.  I hope it does the same for yours.  Enjoy.


Snow Angel
Quarter-sized snowflakes landed carelessly across a crisp blanket of snow that morning.  While the cold but still air felt undoubtedly like winter, it seemed to hold the slightest hint that Spring was not too far in the future.  It was a typical Saturday in early February that awakened fresh memories of a not too distant past. 
He trampled the unbroken sheet of white and made his way up the slight hill to where she lay.  The sleepy sun cast long shadows against the tomb stones and head markers in the distance.  Everything about this place told him to remain quiet, yet he wanted to scream.
So he did – then he laughed, and finally cried.
Her marker stood as a memorial, but to what – a life that never had a chance to begin – a rose that’s taken before its petals are unfurled?  It seemed beyond the point for questions but not out of the realm of reason to ask them.  He knew he’d see his daughter again someday, but standing there very much alone that morning, he needed something more than a promise.
As the sun rose higher, the snowflakes began to wane and finally disappeared giving way to a small, chilly breeze.  He tucked his hands in the deep pockets of his jacket and buried his beard into his chest.  His right hand tightened around a folded piece of paper which felt oddly familiar.  Realizing it was a photograph, he brought it to his chest, keeping it folded.  The pictures in his mind were much clearer and required little effort to open. Closing his eyes tightly, the tears still came but dried quickly against the cold air and a steady stream of sunshine.
He let out a sigh and turned to leave but something bid him to stay.  Whether acting on impulse or simply obeying the still, small voice that spoke to him that morning, he fell to the ground and lay on his back.  He grinned, then laughed out loud while wildly flailing his arms and legs.
“I’ve made an angel for my angel,” he said to himself.
A sudden burst of wind caught him unaware and he shuddered a bit as he caught his breath.  Rising to his feet, he brushed away the icy pellets that clung to his jacket and tucked the photograph into his chest pocket.  As he slowly turned to say goodbye, the sun hid bashfully behind a large, white cloud – the air stood strangely calm and gave some indication of what he would see.
A small snow angel lay nestled next to his.

JJZ

Cleaning their rooms - alas!  Such a hard and laborious task.  Perhaps for children around the ages of four and seven I suppose that may be true.  Anyone who has kids knows how hard it can be to get them to clean their rooms.  And by "clean" we simply mean picking up their toys.  Why is so hard to get kids to clean up after themselves?  Too many other things to do, like making a mess in another part of the house.  But I digress, the chore must be done and someone must do it.  That usually means me or my wife putting doll's clothes and marbles into their respective and temporary homes.  

So....I've decided to try an experiment.  I purchased for each one of my children a toy that has been in dire want for some time and am holding it "hostage," so to speak.  Once each of their rooms have been kept clean for a yet undetermined time, each child will receive their long overdue and much anticipated toy.  I'll let you know how it pans out.

Motivation.  It's what moves us.  It's why we do what we do.  For some on this planet that working more hours at their job for more money to buy a a new and bigger house.  For others, it could mean finding a dry spot underneath an overpass to stay alive for the night.  

What's your driving force?  Why do you do what you do every day?  Is there a shiny new toy waiting for you, just out of reach? Or are you spending your days kicking around the same old toys that have been lying on your floor for years?

In either case, is it your motivation, or lack thereof that keeps you coming back?  I'd be interested to know.
JJZ