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| (Image by Paul Whiting) |
We Are The Hands Of Christ!
We All Need To Understand That
We Are All The Hands Of Christ;
We All Need To Realize That We
All Walk The Same Path In Life!
We All Need To Know That We
Are All A Part Of How God Sees;
We All Need To Know That We
Are All A Part Of God Embodied!
We All Need To Become What
We Wish To See In All Others;
We All Need To Be The Love For
Our Sisters And Our Brothers!
-Paul Whiting
(a.k.a., Small All White in the Forest)
"I am no barrier to its sun; the light and I are as one!"
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My Poetic Notes:
The reason that I wrote this poem can be summed up with the following statement: I wrote this poem after hearing about the "Tragedy in Tucson," on January 8th, 2011, where eighteen people were shot, including U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords, who formed Americans for Responsible Solutions (now known as Giffords PAC) with her husband, Captain Mark Kelly (who is now Senator Mark Kelly), in the weeks following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting of December 14th, 2012. And in that mass shooting six people died in that mass shooting, including federal District Court Chief Judge John Roll.
And, in this poem, I was trying to convey the idea that, when we act, we are acting as if "We Are The Hands Of Christ!"
And this poem was also published on my "Three Dark Horses" and "Paul Whiting — A Creative Writer" blogs (please see the hyperlinks below for the blogs), since I feel that the message in this poem applies to the message I am trying to convey through "Three Dark Horses" and "Paul Whiting — A Creative Writer." Plus, I feel that the message in this poem applies to the message I am trying to convey through my new "The Oneness Of God" spiritual practice!
This poem was written in Portland, Oregon.
-Paulee
https://threedarkhorses.blogspot.com
https://paulwhitingwriting.blogspot.com
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"2011 Tucson shooting" from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia—which is funded primarily through donations from millions of individuals around the world, including this blogger (I make a totally affordable one-time donation if they are requesting donations when I am on their website):
"On January 8, 2011, U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords and eighteen others were shot during a constituent meeting held in a supermarket parking lot in Casas Adobes, Arizona, in the Tucson metropolitan area..."
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Tucson_shooting
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Giffords PAC (formerly known as "Americans for Responsible Solutions"):
"Gabby's Story"
Gabby Giffords embodies a boundless, yet practical, optimism that never falters.
Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords understands what it’s like to face overwhelming barriers. She also understands what it takes to get past them. From her scrappy Arizona childhood, to her bridge-building politics, to her remarkable recovery from traumatic injuries, Gabby personifies courage. Today she leads Giffords, the gun violence prevention organization she co-founded. Giffords is a nonprofit organization that shifts culture, changes policies, and challenges injustice, inspiring Americans across the country to fight gun violence.
A LIFE DEDICATED TO PUBLIC SERVICE
It’s not every day you encounter someone who went from running a family business to running for office—winning over voters of all stripes as a member of the Arizona legislature and then as a Member of Congress. As the youngest woman ever elected to the Arizona State Senate and a trailblazer in other offices, Gabby represented her community in the Arizona legislature from 2000 to 2005, and then in Congress from 2006 to 2012. In Washington DC, during the 2008 financial crash and other crises, Gabby never shied away from tough decisions.
Throughout her life, Gabby has sought to improve her community and country by using her extraordinary ability to bring people together to focus on how we can make things better. This trait has made her a powerful public figure in this moment and inspires people every day to take actions of their own to make a difference.
TURNING TRAGEDY INTO PURPOSE
On January 8, 2011, at a “Congress On Your Corner” constituent event in Tucson, Gabby was shot in the head by a gunman who killed six people and injured 12 others. Gabby stepped down from Congress in January 2012 to focus on her recovery. As the nation’s eyes were upon her, Gabby embarked on a path to regain her ability to speak and walk, inspiring the country with her resilience and optimistic spirit.
In 2013, after the tragic mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, Gabby co-founded the organization today known as Giffords. Over the past several years, the organization has been a leader in the national gun safety movement, making gun safety a kitchen table issue for voters. Giffords has helped gun safety champions win up and down the ballot in local, state, and federal races and worked hard to pass lifesaving legislation in states across the country and in the US House of Representatives.
As she leads Giffords, Gabby continues to make remarkable progress in her recovery. She helps raise awareness about aphasia, the language impairment she has suffered from since her shooting. She enjoys spending her free time playing the French horn, biking, practicing yoga, and learning Spanish. That spirit of resiliency, perseverance, and courage is one that resonates around the world. It helped her overcome tragedy, work tirelessly to recover when the odds were stacked against her, and become the nation’s most renowned leader in the movement to end gun violence.
https://giffords.org
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February 7th, 2022 Update: In order to show my support for "National Gun Violence Survivors Week," which is yearly (annually) from February 1st through 7th, I made donations today, February 7th, 2022, to organizations that are working to end gun violence in America, including Ban Assault Weapons NOW (which is also known as 'BAWN'), Everytown for Gun Safety (which was formerly known as 'Mayors Against Illegal Guns') and Giffords PAC (which was formerly known as 'Americans for Responsible Solutions'). –Paul Whiting (written February 7th, 2022, revised June 12th, 2022, revised June 15th, 2022, revised July 18th, 2022, revised August 17th, 2022, revised December 30th, 2022, revised February 7th, 2023, revised March 7th, 2023 and revised March 21st, 2023)
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February 7th, 2023 Update: In order to show my support for "National Gun Violence Survivors Week," which is yearly (annually) from February 1st through 7th, I made donations today, February 7th, 2023, to organizations that are working to end gun violence in America, including Ban Assault Weapons NOW (which is also known as 'BAWN'), Everytown for Gun Safety (which was formerly known as 'Mayors Against Illegal Guns'), Giffords PAC (which was formerly known as 'Americans for Responsible Solutions') and Brady Campaign (which is also known as 'Brady: United Against Gun Violence' and which was formerly known as the 'National Council to Control Handguns,' 'Handgun Control, Inc.' and the 'Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence,' respectively). –Paul Whiting (written February 7th, 2023, revised March 7th, 2023, revised March 21st, 2023 and revised February 7th, 2024)
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October 24th, 2023 Update No. 7 [My Writing About How I Have Changed The Way That I Label My Blog Posts 'Updates' For Any Additional 'Updates' That I Write, After The First 'Update,' By Using A Simple Numbering System, Which Starts With The First 'Update' (Originally From My Blog Post Titled, "I Am No Longer Being An Activist In The Same Way That I Was," Which Is On My "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" Blog)]:
I have changed the way I label the blog post 'updates' that I write because I oftentimes write more than one 'update' per day!
And in the past, I have labeled the second, third, fourth and fifth 'update' with the following extensions—on the days that I write more than 'update'—to differentiate any additional 'updates' from the first one, as follows:
[1st] Month Day, Year Update
[2nd] Month Day, Year Update—Continued
[3rd] Month Day, Year Update—Continued Further
[4th] Month Day, Year Update—Continued Further Some More
[5th] Month Day, Year Update—Continued Further Some More Than Before
However today, October 24th, 2023, I actually had more than five 'updates' to write, so I decided to change how I differentiate any additional 'updates,' from the first 'update,' by using a simple numbering system, which actually starts with the first 'update' that I write, as follows:
Month Day, Year Update No. 1
Month Day, Year Update No. 2
Month Day, Year Update No. 3
Month Day, Year Update No. 4
Month Day, Year Update No. 5
Month Day, Year Update No. 6
Month Day, Year Update No. 7
Therefore, that is why this 'update' is the seventh one for today! –Paul Whiting (written October 24th, 2023 and revised October 28th, 2023)
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February 7th, 2024 Update No. 1: In order to show my support for "National Gun Violence Survivors Week," which is yearly (annually) from February 1st through 7th, I made donations today, February 7th, 2024, to organizations that are working to end gun violence in America, including Ban Assault Weapons NOW (which is also known as 'BAWN'), Giffords PAC (which was formerly known as 'Americans for Responsible Solutions'), Brady Campaign (which is also known as 'Brady: United Against Gun Violence' and which was formerly known as the 'National Council to Control Handguns,' 'Handgun Control, Inc.' and the 'Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence,' respectively), as well as March For Our Lives. –Paul Whiting (February 7th, 2024)
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November 6th, 2024 Update No. 1 [My Writing About No Longer Being An 'Online Activist' In Any Way, Shape Or Form]: Due to Donald Trump winning the 2024 Presidential Election—and until further notice—I am no longer being an 'Online Activist' in any way, shape or form, which includes no longer signing petitions from political, social, environmental and charitable organizations, and no longer sending letters to my Representative and Senators in Congress, as well as no longer making donations to political, social, environmental and charitable causes. Full stop! I am also unsubscribing from any of the emails that I used to receive from political, social, environmental and charitable organizations. In fact, I am even cancelling all of my monthly political donations to the main Democratic fundraising and coordinating organizations, as well as to the USO (United Service Organizations), in addition to cancelling all of my monthly news organization subscriptions, or news organization donations, because I am absolutely terrified of this second Trump administration. And I fully expect that democracy in America as we know it will be over! So, I am choosing to not engage in any 'activism' whatsoever—plus, I am not even sure that I will be exercising my 'civic duty' by voting in any upcoming elections because, as a (formerly) donating and a (potentially former) voting Democrat, I totally fear the retribution of President Donald J. Trump. Full stop!
P.S.: It's July 31st, 2025, and I feel like I need to provide an addendum (that is, "an item of additional material added at the end of a book or document, typically in order to correct, clarify, or supplement something") to this November 6th, 2024 'update!'
You see, a couple of days ago, on July 29th, 2025, I copied the text of this update to use as my reason for unsubscribing from a particular political email that I received that same day!
And so, I actually bothered to read this update—in order to verify that it made sense for me to use as a response to the request on this political email's unsubscribe page which stated, "Please tell us why you are leaving"—during which I realized there was a typo (that is, 'a typographical error') in the text of the update, as I have highlighted below, with the correction in brackets:
"And I fully expect that democracy in America as we know [it] will be over!"
Thus, I accidentally left out the word "it" in the sentence above. Hence, I corrected said typo on July 29th, the verification of which can be seen reflected in the addition of the date "revised July 29th, 2025" after my name.
However, as I got to thinking about the fact that I had originally said
I may not be voting in any upcoming elections, I realized that, in fact,
I did vote in Portland Oregon's Multnomah County Special District Election on May 20th, 2025, just like I usually do! [I always vote in every election (even 'special elections') and I always vote Democrat, which is why I was worried about voting in any upcoming elections given President Trump's clear disdain for Democrats.]
Therefore, I decided to write this "P.S." today, July 31st, as a way to clarify that I am still voting in elections (even 'special elections'), it's just that I am no longer engaging in any 'Online Activism,' during Trump's Presidency, as I explained in great detail above. (I hope that makes sense!)
–Paul Whiting (written November 6th, 2024, revised November 7th, 2024, revised July 29th, 2025 and revised July 31st, 2025)
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Blogger's Note: This is a follow-up to my 'November 6th, 2024 Update No. 1 [My Writing About No Longer Being An 'Online Activist' In Any Way, Shape Or Form]' that is located on my blog post "I Am No Longer Being An Activist In The Same Way That I Was," which can be found on my "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" blog. And that update stated, in part, the following:
"Due to Donald Trump winning the 2024 Presidential Election—and until further notice—I am no longer being an 'Online Activist' in any way, shape or form, which includes no longer signing petitions from political, social, environmental and charitable organizations, and no longer sending letters to my Representative and Senators in Congress, as well as no longer making donations to political, social, environmental and charitable causes. Full stop! I am also unsubscribing from any of the emails that I used to receive from political, social, environmental and charitable organizations. In fact, I am even cancelling all of my monthly political donations to the main Democratic fundraising and coordinating organizations, as well as to the USO (United Service Organizations), in addition to cancelling all of my monthly news organization subscriptions, or news organization donations, because I am absolutely terrified of this second Trump administration. ..."
You see, I have restarted donating to organizations which support the U.S. Military, including the USO (United Service Organizations)—that I restarted donating to as of April 16th, 2026—which supports our Active Duty Personnel, as well as Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), and Armed Services YMCA (ASYMCA), in addition to Wounded Warrior Project (WWP)—that I restarted donating to as of May 25th, 2026—all of which support our Military Veterans.
So, for the complete updates (with any corresponding ‘My Writing About...’) regarding these restarted donations, please see my blog post titled, "My Point Of View On...Giving Charity And Accepting Charity," which can be found on both of my "Paul Whiting — Math Magician" and "Paul Whiting — A Creative Writer" blogs, within which you can do a find-in-page search for the updates listed below by their label names (or, by their corresponding ‘My Writing About...' titles, where applicable).
These are the updates regarding my restarted donations to the USO on April 16th, 2026:
April 16th, 2026 Update No. 1
April 16th, 2026 Update No. 1 (Follow-Up No. 1, Written On April 17th, 2026) [My Writing About How I Restarted Donating To The USO (United Service Organizations) As Of April 2026]
April 16th, 2026 Update No. 1 (Follow-Up No. 2, Written On April 19th, 2026)
April 16th, 2026 Update No. 1 (Follow-Up No. 3, Written On May 17th, 2026) [My Writing About How I Restarted Donating To The USO (United Service Organizations) As Of April 2026, Part 2]
April 16th, 2026 Update No. 1 (Follow-Up No. 4, Written On June 15th, 2026, Which Also Discusses June 14th, 2026)
Theses are the updates regarding my restarted donations to Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), and to Armed Services YMCA (ASYMCA), as well as to Wounded Warrior Project (WWP), respectively, on May 25th, 2026:
May 25th, 2026 Update No. 3, Written On May 26th, 2026
May 25th, 2026 Update No. 4, Written On May 27th, 2026, Which Also Discusses May 2026
May 25th, 2026 Update No. 5, Written On May 27th, 2026
(Now, to clarify something: I would normally also refer you to my blog post titled, "I Am No Longer Being An Activist In The Same Way That I Was," which can be found on my "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" blog, for these blog post updates (and for the corresponding ‘My Writing About…’, where applicable), but I cannot edit this post anymore—for an unknown reason—as of May 11th, 2026. So, any editing that I have tried to do on this blog post, after May 11th, for some reason won't save.)
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This "Small All White in the Forest" Post No. 127 was edited on June 19th, 2026.
"Poetry is using the fewest words possible in order to describe all that is possible to describe." –Paul Whiting [June 1st, 2022]
