Icarus laughed as he fell, defying the very laws of gravity that held him captive. His descent into the depths of the unknown was not one of despair but of bitter triumph. With his head thrown back and a wild yell escaping his lips, he embraced the winds that carried him towards his inevitable demise. Arms spread wide, he revelled in the freedom of the moment, teeth bared to the world that had tried to tame him.
As he plummeted towards the earth, the scorching heat of the sun’s rays touched his skin, leaving trails of blazing wax down his back, thighs, ankles, and feet. The feathers that once adorned his wings floated around him like ethereal prayers, tantalizingly close, yet just out of his reach. The very elements that granted him flight now conspired against him, mocking his audacity to challenge the divine.
Death, a relentless pursuer, breathed burning kisses against his shoulders, where the fragile wings were attached to the harness that had given him the illusion of freedom. The sun, an accomplice to his downfall, painted the world in a mesmerizing palette of gold, adding a touch of tragic beauty to the scene.
In Icarus’ laughter, there was a certain defiance, a rebellion against the limitations imposed upon mortals. He had dared to soar too close to the heavens, defying the warnings of his father, Daedalus. The price for his audacity was steep, but in that moment of free fall, he experienced a euphoria that few could comprehend.
For Icarus, there was a bitter irony in crashing when he should have been soaring. The world had expected him to falter, to succumb to the weight of his aspirations. Yet, even in his descent, he found solace in the knowledge that he had defied mediocrity. He had dared to dream, to reach for the unreachable, and that, in itself, was a victory worth celebrating.
There is a certain beauty in setting the world on fire and watching from the centre of the flames. Icarus, in his tragic demise, became a symbol of the human spirit, of the unyielding desire to push boundaries and explore the realms of possibility. His laughter, though tinged with sorrow, echoed in the hearts of those who refused to be bound by the shackles of conformity.
In the end, Icarus may have fallen, but his laughter resounded through the ages, a reminder that even in our darkest moments, we can find strength and defiance. His wings may have melted, but his spirit soared, forever etched in the annals of human ambition. And as the winds carried him towards his final destination, Icarus laughed, triumphant laughter that defied the very concept of failure.
The elements that granted Icarus flight were a pair of wings crafted by his father, Daedalus, and the natural force of the wind. Daedalus, a skilled craftsman and inventor, constructed the wings using feathers and wax. The feathers provided the necessary lift, while the wax acted as an adhesive to hold the feathers together and attach them to a harness.
When Icarus wore the wings and flapped them vigorously, he could generate enough air resistance to lift himself off the ground and soar through the sky. The wind played a crucial role in aiding his flight, catching the wings and carrying him aloft. With the wings and the power of the wind, Icarus was able to experience the exhilaration of defying gravity and reaching heights that were previously unimaginable for a mortal being.
By all means, marry; if you get a good wife, you’ll become happy; if you get a bad one, you’ll become a philosopher.
It can be challenging to determine if your partner is emotionally attached to someone else, as every relationship is unique and individuals express emotions differently.
However, here are a few signs that may indicate emotional attachment to someone else:
It’s important to approach these signs with open communication and trust.
If you have concerns, it’s best to have an honest and calm conversation with your partner to address any issues or doubts you may have.
And remember that you can drift apart it happens when you least expect
Theres still plenty of fish to fry yet
If they need to explore other options let them go
Be kind by not changing someone by a chain around their neck
If you truly want them to be free let them be free
Kindness allows you to understand what humanity is all about
Advice from a Singer Sewing Machine Manual from 1949
Prepare yourself mentally for sewing. π§΅
Think about what you are going to do.π
Never approach sewing with a sigh or lackadaisically. π
Good results are difficult when indifference dominates. π§΅
Never try to sew with a sink full of dirty dishes or beds unmade.πͺ‘π§΅
When there are urgent housekeeping chores, do these first, so that your mind is free to enjoy your sewing. πͺ‘π§΅
When you sew, make yourself as attractive as possible. π§΅πͺ‘π§Ά
Put on a clean dress. π§΅πͺ‘π§Ά
Keep a little bag of French chalk near your sewing machine to dust your fingers at intervals. π§΅πͺ‘π§Ά
Have your hair in order, powder and lipstick put on. π§΅πͺ‘π§Ά
If you are constantly fearful that a visitor might drop in or your husband will come home, and you will not look neatly put together, you will not enjoy your sewing. πͺ‘π§Άπͺ‘π§΅
A generation that walked to school and then walked back. π« A generation that did their homework alone to get out asap to play in the street. π« A generation that spent all their free time on the roads with their Friends.π« An era that played hide and seek when dark.π« A generation that made mud cakes.π« A generation that collected sports cards.π« A generation that found, collected and washed & Returned empty Coke bottles to the local grocery store for 5 cents each, then bought a Mountain Dew and candy bar with the money.π« A generation that made paper toys with their bare hands.π« A generation who bought vinyl albums to play on record players.π« A generation that collected photos and albums of clippings of their life experiences as a Kid.π« A generation that played board games and cards on rainy days.π« A generation whose TV went off at midnight after playing the National Anthem.π« A generation that had parents who were there.π« A generation that laughed under the covers in bed so parents didn’t know we were still awake.π« A generation that is passing, and, unfortunately, it will never return no matter how hard we try.π« I loved Growing up when I did. π« It was the best of times.π«
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth and the works therein shall be burned up. But the day of the Lord, Lord, sometimes I get distracted by the cares of life and neglect the kingdom work that You have called me to. Renew my urgency to proclaim the good news and share Your grace with others. Empower me to live in a way that always testifies to Your love and polish so that You may draw others to Yourself through me. In Jesusβ name, amen. Come as a thief in the night; the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, the elements shall melt with fervent heat, and the earth and the works therein shall be burned up.βοΈπβοΈ
Itβs easy to take our eyes off eternity and become consumed with day-to-day life. But Jesus reminds us that the things of this earth are temporary, here for a season and then gone in a flash. So let us prepare for Jesusβ return by living as His kingdom people now, doing good in His name, and sharing His love and grace so that when He comes, we are ready, and others may be ready, too.βοΈπβοΈ
Lord, sometimes I get distracted by the cares of life and neglect the kingdom work that You have called me to. Renew my urgency to proclaim the good news and share Your grace with others. Empower me to live in a way that always testifies to Your love and polish so that You may draw others to Yourself through me. In Jesusβ name, amen.βοΈπβοΈ
My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.
As Christians, we sometimes face opposition and danger simply for faithfully following Jesus. As much as we would like God to keep us from all threats, sometimes He allows us to experience risk to reveal his righteousness. When Daniel survived the lionsβ den, the king knew, without a doubt, that God had rescued Daniel and was just.
Lord, give me the courage to stand firm in You when danger comes my way. Help me to remain faithful, even if others persecute me for Your sake. Give me perseverance so I may not deny Your name or seek vengeance against those who oppose me. Instead, help me to abide in You while I wait for Your trust and righteousness to be revealed. In Jesusβ name, Amen.
Lord, give me the courage to stand firm in You when danger comes my way. Help me to remain faithful, even if others persecute me for Your sake. Give me perseverance so that I may not deny Your name or seek vengeance against those who oppose me. Instead, help me to abide in You while I wait for Your trust and righteousness to be revealed. In Jesusβ name, Amen.AMEN
Posted initially on Naturalist Weekly: We have entered the micro-season of βThe Pheasant First Calls.β This is the third micro-season of the mini-season Minor Cold.? All the micro-seasons within Minor Cold are: The Water Dropwort Flourishes (Jan 06 β Jan 10), The Springwater Holds Warmth (Jan 11 β Jan 15), The Pheasant First Calls (Janβ¦
Today was Veteranβs Day, and I had the high privilege of speaking to the students and faculty of the Valentine Independent School District. For anyone who doubts the effectiveness of a small, rural school and what they accomplish on a day to day basis, I suggest some time spent here.
Perhaps I am prejudiced in that respect, as I am the product of some rather small schools myself. But to see the involvement, the courtesy, the respect and the mastery of the building blocks of education, even at grade school level, is something to be experienced.
It is not millions upon millions of dollars spent for buildings and overinflated sheepskins on a wall, denoting worn out platitudes with no real meaning. It is the simple hard work on the part of faculty and students, and the backing of involved parents who truly love and care for their children.
All, as well as the community of Valentine itself, should be proud of what I saw there today.
Thank you for having me!
(Photograph: Ben, Trooper Thompson, THP Alpine and Superintendent/Principal Debbie Engle, Valentine ISD Photo Courtesy of Nancy Donaldson)
And for those who might be interested in what I had to say, the transcript goes as follows:
βGood Morning, and thank you for inviting me. I consider it an honor to be here, and to talk with you a bit about the meaning of Veteranβs Day.
But first, I would like to recognize the veterans in our audience; ladies and gentlemen, would you please stand up?
Young folks, you see these people? Let me tell you something: They are the reason you arenβt living as a slave subject to another country or foreign power.
They have defended you and your rights as an American citizen in places which most people canβt even spell, much less find on a map.
Veterans, if you would remain standing, I have another question for our audience:
If you have a grandfather, an aunt, an older brother or sister, or anyone else in your family who has served in our Armed Forces, would you please stand?
Now, if you have a friend, or an acquaintance, or someone you know who was in the Marine Corps, the Navy, the Army, the Air Force, Coast Guard or Space Force, would you stand?
Finally, if there are any high school students who have already signed up for military service, would you please stand?
Thank you. Now everyone take a good look around and see how important Veteranβs Day is to the citizens of Valentine, Texas. Each one of you has a special reason to be here this morning, and to be thankful. I ask that you keep that in mind.
When Ms. Donaldson asked me to come, my first thought was βWhat do I talk about?β There are so many things which need saying about Veteranβs Day.
I know your teachers have talked to you about it; about its history and why we recognize this day. But I want to go a little deeper than that, and visit with you about something we veterans hold very dear; the American Flag.
This needs to be discussed, because these days there is a certain disrespect for that flag by people who should know better.
The Flag is the symbol of our country. When you are in the military and the flag is raised in the morning, you stand and salute it.
When you pass by an American Flag displayed anyplace, you salute it.
When evening comes and it is lowered at sunset, you stand and salute it.
As a member of the military, that flag is there for you constantly. When you go to a foreign shore, you take that flag with you. If you are called upon to go to war, you carry that flag into combat.
And when your friends, your mentors, your brothers die fighting for that flag and what it represents; their broken bodies are placed in a casket and covered by that same flag on their final journey back home.
Now we have some folks who seem to think they should disrespect that Flag as well as our National Anthem. I am sure you have already heard about this; maybe even saw it happen.
Many of them are professional sports figures who make more money in a year than your parents or teachers might see in a lifetime. I might add most anyone serving in the military, too.
Let me be clear here; it is not illegal for them to do so. However, just because something isnβt against the law doesnβt mean itβs a good idea. In this case; it is incredibly stupid, wrong and outright ignorant.
Donβt misunderstand me: I strongly believe in the ability to protest peaceably. It is your American birthright and specified in the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights. I have spent most of my life learning about those rights, and protecting them as best as I know how.
But there are times, very important times, when we should all remember that whatever our background, last name or color of skin, we are all Americans.
And those things that separate us are never as strong as those precious bonds which we have in common.
When we stand for the National Anthem, and when we pay respect to Our Flag, such is one of those times I am speaking of.
Just the briefest of moments when we all need to put aside our individual differences, and show the world that we are all Americans.
Question: When the Twin Towers fell on 9/11, does anyone recall what went up immediately among all that death and destruction?
When a flood, or a tornado, or a hurricane, or a great fire occurs, or any other disaster, what is the first thing someone puts up to show our unity as Americans?
There is yet another example I know of far too well, and which I have already mentioned. When an American military person dies, what covers their casket?
Why? To honor them and show that we as a people are united in our grief for the loss of their life.
Folks, in late October of 1983, over 240 flag-draped coffins were flown back from a hellhole called Beirut, Lebanon. Each one contained a dead American, many of whom were friends and acquaintances of mine.
It was a black day for our nation, and the saddest day of my life.
But you know what? There was no way to tell which casket contained my friends and the other Marines I knew, because they all looked the same.
You see, that Flag made them all equal, even in death. No matter what their last name was, what their color of skin, how rich or poor they were, whether they were Democrat or Republican, or what part of the country they came from.
They were all Americans killed in the service of their country and for your freedoms; all united in death.
Are you beginning to understand why that Flag means so much to a veteran?
And why it should mean so much to us all?
Another quick exampleβ¦ E PLURIBUS UNUM βOut of Many, Oneβ
This is on our coins. Check any US coin in your pocket and those words will be on it.
They mean that no matter what our differences might be, we are one people. Like in the Pledge of Allegiance; βunder God, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all.
Indivisible: That means cannot be divided.
Liberty: You should all know what that means by now, and there is no sweeter word in any language. Itβs the kind of word that sets off fireworks in your mouth whenever you say it.
Now look at your handβ¦
There are many different bones, tendons and muscles in your hand. All different in shape, size and function.
Separately they canβt do much. They are too small, too weak, too easily broken.
But when they work together, they do marvelous things. They make: The clothes you wear. The food you eat. The home you live in.
All the technological advances, the machines, the art, the literature, the progress of civilization itself; all made by the hands of man working together.
And when you shape your hand just right, it makes a fist. That fist is the Armed Forces of the United States of America, and it protects everything else made by that same hand.
There was a quote by Benjamin Franklin during the Revolutionary War; something he said not too long before Francis Scott Key wrote the Star Spangled Banner. βWe must all hang together, or we shall surely all hang separately.β
Do you understand what Franklin meant when he said that? Because if all the individual parts of that hand donβt work together, it is not much good for anything.
You must also understand that what he said is just as true today as it was over 200 years ago. We Americans must stick together, because if we go our different ways that hand will be crushed.
When we stand for The Flag and for the Star Spangled Banner, we are showing that no matter what our differences might be; there are precious, almost sacred times when we must show the world that we stand βunitedβ.
Just like the name of our country βThe United States of Americaβ.
So the next time you see someone dishonor Our Flag and not stand for our National Anthem, think hard about what I have told you today, and why it is so wrong for them to do so.
Then ask yourself two simple questions: 1. Can any of those people name one nation better than what we have here? 2. And if they can; why arenβt they already there?
Our Country is hanging in the balance of history and an uncertain future. You young people are our nationβs future, good or bad.
In a few short years, the decisions in what happens to that future will be up to you. I would advise to start preparing for them now, because for your own sakes you donβt want to make the wrong ones.
And to our veterans, thank you for your service and your sacrifices.
I salute you!
Thank you again for having me here today, and may God bless America!
Ben H. English Alpine, Texas USMC: 1976-1983 THP: 1986-2008 HS Teacher: 2008-2010
Author of βYonderingsβ βDestinyβs Wayβ βOut There: Essays on the Lower Big Bendβ βThe Uvalde Raiderβ βBlack And White: Tales of the Texas Highway Patrolβ
Facebook: Ben H. English
Webpage: benhenglish.com βGraying but still gameβ
You must be logged in to post a comment.