Post No. 200: A Body's Life Is Temporary

(Image by Paul Whiting)

A Body's Life Is Temporary

I know that my human body,
just like every other body, is
not going to live forever, but
my soul, just like every other
soul, is going to live forever!

-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 Writing About A Body's Life And A Soul's Life: A body's life is temporary! A soul's life is eternal! –Paul Whiting (written August 5th, 2015 and revised October 10th, 2022)

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My Writing About Getting Ready To Die [October 10th, 2015 Update]: I am only planning on doing a limited amount of new writing, since I think that I am getting ready to die, because I am tired most of the time! Thus, I think that after being HIV-positive for so long that I am not going to be here much longer... (I was diagnosed in November of 2000.) So, I am planning to only work on my personal care (that is, my day-to-day living) and my civic duty (that is, participating in upcoming elections by voting, including 'special elections'). Plus, I am taking the time to reread, edit and revise my blogs ('writing is revising'), so that I can correct all the mistakes that I have made in my existing writing!

–Paul Whiting (written October 10th, 2015, revised November 3rd, 2015, revised November 5th, 2015, revised November 10th, 2015, revised November 21st, 2015, revised November 24th, 2015, revised December 10th, 2015, revised December 29th, 2015, revised August 3rd, 2021, revised August 27th, 2022, revised February 15th, 2023 and revised April 1st, 2024)

[I feel like I need to clarify why there are so many 'revised dates' on this 'my writing,' just like there are often times so many 'revised dates' on other 'my writings' similar to this one! You see, I really try to keep my writing consistent as possible across all of my blogs. Therefore, as I am writing, I try to use the same phraseology wherever possible with regard to similar types of my writing so that, when I am editing my writing, I can change all of the similar writing at the same time and in the same way! Thus, a lot of the revisions indicated above, after my name (–Paul Whiting), and shown right after the original 'written date,' are often times due to these aforementioned consistent-writing revisions.]

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My Writing About Still Being Alive [August 3rd, 2021 Update]: I am still alive! And I am feeling a lot better than I was feeling—a couple of months short of exactly six years ago—when I wrote my 'October 10th, 2015 Update' (that also appears as 'My Writing About Getting Ready To Die' on some of my blogs), which can be found above. Plus, I have a smartphone again, after years of only having a basic phone. So, I am editing all of my blogs, but I am still preparing for death—especially now with the COVID-19 pandemic. However, I received my very first COVID-19 vaccine on June 25th, 2021, and I am now fully vaccinated for COVID-19, so there is still hope.

–Paul Whiting (written August 3rd, 2021, revised September 28th, 2021, revised June 15th, 2022, revised August 27th, 2022, revised August 28th, 2022, revised February 15th, 2023, revised June 8th, 2023 and revised April 1st, 2024)

[I feel like I need to clarify why there are so many 'revised dates' on this 'my writing,' just like there are often times so many 'revised dates' on other 'my writings' similar to this one! You see, I really try to keep my writing consistent as possible across all of my blogs. Therefore, as I am writing, I try to use the same phraseology wherever possible with regard to similar types of my writing so that, when I am editing my writing, I can change all of the similar writing at the same time and in the same way! Thus, a lot of the revisions indicated above, after my name (–Paul Whiting), and shown right after the original 'written date,' are often times due to these aforementioned consistent-writing revisions.]

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My Writing About My Blogs Being Sabotaged By Someone Who Is Very 'Tech Savvy,' Regarding The Blog Post "A Body's Life Is Temporary" [October 15th, 2021 Update]:

I think that my blogs are being sabotaged by someone who is very 'tech savvy,' and they may be someone that I know, because I have noticed strange things happening while I have been editing my writing, which includes the blog post "A Body's Life Is Temporary" not appearing on my "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" blog!

And I cannot even see it on the Blogger Dashboard, but I can go to that post directly—since the post title is listed in the labels—however, it appears as if I never published that particular blog post on my "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" blog.

So, I provided a hyperlink to the blog post "A Body's Life Is Temporary" from the aforementioned blog on my "Small All White in the Forest," "Three Dark Horses" and "Paul Whiting — A Creative Writer" blogs. (Please see the hyperlinks below for the posts.) You see, I am afraid of having that post appear as if it is not, in fact, published on my "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" blog—and that is why I provided a hyperlink. (Please see the hyperlink below for the post.)

–Paul Whiting (written October 15th, 2021, revised July 28th, 2022, revised July 29th, 2022 and revised February 18th, 2023)

https://smallallwhiteintheforest.blogspot.com/2015/08/a-bodys-life-is-temporary.html

https://threedarkhorses.blogspot.com/2015/08/the-oneness-of-god-bodys-life-is.html

https://paulwhitingwriting.blogspot.com/2022/04/for-easter-weekend-part-2-bodys-life-is.html

https://poetartistandphilosopher.blogspot.com/2015/08/a-bodys-life-is-temporary.html

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My Poetic Notes:

The reason that I wrote this poem can be summed up with the following statement: What inspired this poem is my impending death, because I know that my human body, just like every other body, is not going to live forever (the reader should know that I am HIV-positive and that I have full-blown AIDS), but my soul, just like every other soul, is going to live forever!

And this poem was also published on my "Poet, Artist and Philosopher," "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 "Poet, Artist and Philosopher," "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://poetartistandphilosopher.blogspot.com

https://threedarkhorses.blogspot.com

https://paulwhitingwriting.blogspot.com

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October 10th, 2015 Update [My Writing About Getting Ready To Die]: I am only planning on doing a limited amount of new writing, since I think that I am getting ready to die, because I am tired most of the time! Thus, I think that after being HIV-positive for so long that I am not going to be here much longer... (I was diagnosed in November of 2000.) So, I am planning to only work on my personal care (that is, my day-to-day living) and my civic duty (that is, participating in upcoming elections by voting, including 'special elections'). Plus, I am taking the time to reread, edit and revise my blogs ('writing is revising'), so that I can correct all the mistakes that I have made in my existing writing!

–Paul Whiting (written October 10th, 2015, revised November 3rd, 2015, revised November 5th, 2015, revised November 10th, 2015, revised November 21st, 2015, revised November 24th, 2015, revised December 10th, 2015, revised December 29th, 2015, revised August 3rd, 2021, revised August 27th, 2022, revised February 15th, 2023 and revised April 1st, 2024)

[I feel like I need to clarify why there are so many 'revised dates' on this 'update,' just like there are often times so many 'revised dates' on other 'updates' similar to this one! You see, I really try to keep my writing consistent as possible across all of my blogs. Therefore, as I am writing, I try to use the same phraseology wherever possible with regard to similar types of my writing so that, when I am editing my writing, I can change all of the similar writing at the same time and in the same way! Thus, a lot of the revisions indicated above, after my name (–Paul Whiting), and shown right after the original 'written date,' are often times due to these aforementioned consistent-writing revisions.]

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August 3rd, 2021 Update [My Writing About Still Being Alive]: I am still alive! And I am feeling a lot better than I was feeling—a couple of months short of exactly six years ago—when I wrote my 'October 10th, 2015 Update' (that also appears as 'My Writing About Getting Ready To Die' on some of my blogs), which can be found above. Plus, I have a smartphone again, after years of only having a basic phone. So, I am editing all of my blogs, but I am still preparing for death—especially now with the COVID-19 pandemic. However, I received my very first COVID-19 vaccine on June 25th, 2021, and I am now fully vaccinated for COVID-19, so there is still hope.

–Paul Whiting (written August 3rd, 2021, revised September 28th, 2021, revised June 15th, 2022, revised August 27th, 2022, revised August 28th, 2022, revised February 15th, 2023, revised June 8th, 2023 and revised April 1st, 2024)

[I feel like I need to clarify why there are so many 'revised dates' on this 'update,' just like there are often times so many 'revised dates' on other 'updates' similar to this one! You see, I really try to keep my writing consistent as possible across all of my blogs. Therefore, as I am writing, I try to use the same phraseology wherever possible with regard to similar types of my writing so that, when I am editing my writing, I can change all of the similar writing at the same time and in the same way! Thus, a lot of the revisions indicated above, after my name (–Paul Whiting), and shown right after the original 'written date,' are often times due to these aforementioned consistent-writing revisions.]

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October 15th, 2021 Update [My Writing About My Blogs Being Sabotaged By Someone Who Is Very 'Tech Savvy,' Regarding The Blog Post "A Body's Life Is Temporary"]:

I think that my blogs are being sabotaged by someone who is very 'tech savvy,' and they may be someone that I know, because I have noticed strange things happening while I have been editing my writing, which includes the blog post "A Body's Life Is Temporary" not appearing on my "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" blog!

And I cannot even see it on the Blogger Dashboard, but I can go to that post directly—since the post title is listed in the labels—however, it appears as if I never published that particular blog post on my "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" blog.

So, I provided a hyperlink to the blog post "A Body's Life Is Temporary" from the aforementioned blog on my "Small All White in the Forest," "Three Dark Horses" and "Paul Whiting — A Creative Writer" blogs. (Please see the hyperlinks below for the posts.) You see, I am afraid of having that post appear as if it is not, in fact, published on my "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" blog—and that is why I provided a hyperlink. (Please see the hyperlink below for the post.)

–Paul Whiting (written October 15th, 2021, revised July 28th, 2022, revised July 29th, 2022, revised February 18th, 2023 and revised February 18th, 2023)

https://smallallwhiteintheforest.blogspot.com/2015/08/a-bodys-life-is-temporary.html

https://threedarkhorses.blogspot.com/2015/08/the-oneness-of-god-bodys-life-is.html

https://paulwhitingwriting.blogspot.com/2022/04/for-easter-weekend-part-2-bodys-life-is.html

https://poetartistandphilosopher.blogspot.com/2015/08/a-bodys-life-is-temporary.html

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This "Small All White in the Forest" Post No. 200 was edited on May 6th, 2024.

"Poetry is using the fewest words possible in order to describe all that is possible to describe." –Paul Whiting [June 1st, 2022]

Post No. 199: For Father's Day 2015 — "A Happy Father's Day!"

Image from Real Skate Stories

A Happy Father's Day!
(Or, "With Arms Wide Open")

I Just Want To
Wish You "A Happy Father's Day!"
I Just Want To
Walk So Tall In Your Honest Way!
I Just Want To
Be As Generous As You Were Hoping!
I Just Want To
Live, Like You Do, "With Arms Wide Open!"
I Just Want To
Be As Unconditional As You So Lovingly Are!
I Just Want To
Wish Becoming As Bright Of A 'Night Star!'
I Just Want To
Say "Bless You" For Never Giving Up!
I Just Want To
Say "Thank You" For Raising Me Up!
I Just Want To
Be So Strong In Your Gentle Way!
I Just Want To
Say, "Happy Father's Day!"

-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: This poem is a reworking of a poem that I wrote for the 100th Anniversary of Father's Day, which was in 2010.

So, I decided to rework that poem and publish it this year, 2015, because I started blogging after the 100th Anniversary of Mother's Day, which was in 2008, so I was unable to publish a poem for the same anniversary of Mother's Day as Father's Day!

And since I did not get a chance to publish a poem for the 100th Anniversary of Mother's Day, I decided to delete the post for the 100th Anniversary of Father's Day and publish a poem for both Mother's Day and Father's Day the same year.

Plus, this poem is also inspired by the song "With Arms Wide Open," which is performed by the band Creed, and was written by Scott Stapp and Mark Tremonti from Creed. (Please see the hyperlink below for the video.)

And this poem was also published on my "Paul Whiting — A Creative Writer" blog (please see the hyperlink below for the blog), since I feel that the message in this poem applies to the message that I am trying to convey through "Paul Whiting — A Creative Writer."

This poem was written in Portland, Oregon.

-Paulee

https://paulwhitingwriting.blogspot.com

Watch "Creed - With Arms Wide Open" on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/99j0zLuNhi8

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June 19th, 2022 Update, Written On June 18th, 2022: Happy Father's Day, everyone! I signed a Father’s Day card to military dads around the world from the USO (United Service Organizations) today, June 18th, 2022, that I received via an email yesterday, June 17th, 2022, which stated the following:

Paul,

As a veteran and a father, I know how challenging Father's Day can be for military dads. Many of them are stationed far away from their families, sometimes missing their kids' first words and steps. They can't be at precious events like summer baseball games, graduations and dance recitals. It's not easy.

Military dads sacrifice so much to serve their country and keep us safe at home. We need to make sure they feel appreciated on Father's Day, so we set a goal to get 25,000 signatures on our card honoring military dads. We can't fill up this card without your help, so please sign our Father's Day card honoring military dads now.

[Please see the hyperlink below for the card.]***

During my time in the U.S. Air Force, I spent many holidays away from home. Signing a card may not seem like a lot, but trust me, any time I got a reminder that folks back home were thinking about us, it meant so much. That's why I'm asking for your help today in giving our service members that same support and encouragement.

Please, we need to get 25,000 signatures before Father's Day — and it's only two days away. Will you add your name now to help fill up the card?

Thank you for helping make Father's Day special for American heroes!

[Name redacted], USO

***[I used to include hyperlinks contained within the email messages, or the text messages, to which I am referring in these "Activism Updates"; however, I could not figure out how to include the aforementioned hyperlinks, regarding some relevant action that I had taken—such as signing a petition, sending a letter or message to my representative(s) in Congress, signing a USO 'Thank You' card, and/or making a donation—without including my personal information.]

Plus, after I signed the card, I made a one-time donation on the USO.org website to say to military dads, "Happy Father’s Day. We so appreciate all the sacrifices you and your family make every day in service of our country and the freedoms we all enjoy. Thank you."

In addition to that, I already make a recurring monthly donation to the USO in order to show my support for our U.S. Military Personnel! You see, I usually make one-time donations to the USO each month—as often as I can manage when they request a donation via email or text message. Therefore, I am planning to continue making one-time donations to the USO in the future, as often as I can manage to make donations, in addition to making the aforementioned recurring monthly donation.

By the way, did you know that the USO is a not-for-profit organization and not part of the Department of Defense (DoD)? The following description of the USO is from their 'About Us' webpage:

"The USO is not part of the federal government. A congressionally chartered, private organization, the USO relies on the generosity of individuals, organizations and corporations to support its activities, and is powered by a family of volunteers to accomplish our mission of connection."

So, that is why I 'volunteer financially' as a member of the "USO Home Team" through a recurring monthly donation, as well as through one-time donations to the USO each month!

–Paul Whiting (written June 18th, 2022, revised June 19th, 2022, revised June 22nd, 2022, revised June 25th, 2022, revised June 26th, 2022, revised August 16th, 2022, revised November 18th, 2022, revised November 24th, 2022, revised December 26th, 2022, revised December 29th, 2022, revised April 11th, 2023 revised April 21st, 2023, revised April 27th, 2023, revised April 28th, 2023, revised May 17th, 2023, revised June 14th, 2023, revised July 28th, 2023, revised September 27th, 2023 and revised November 18th, 2023)

[I feel like I need to clarify why there are so many 'revised dates' on this 'update,' just like there are often times so many 'revised dates' on other 'updates' similar to this one! You see, I really try to keep my writing consistent as possible across all of my blogs. Therefore, as I am writing, I try to use the same phraseology wherever possible with regard to similar types of my writing so that, when I am editing my writing, I can change all of the similar writing at the same time and in the same way! Thus, a lot of the revisions indicated above, after my name (–Paul Whiting), and shown right after the original 'written date,' are often times due to these aforementioned consistent-writing revisions.]

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June 18th, 2023 Update: Happy Father's Day, everyone! I signed a Father’s Day card to military dads around the world from the USO (United Service Organizations) website today, June 18th, 2023:

This Father’s Day, help us honor dads who serve. Choose from our list, or write something from your heart.

Thus, I chose to send a link to my poem "A Happy Father's Day!" from my "Small All White in the Forest" blog, as follows:

A Happy Father's Day! (Or, "With Arms Wide Open")

https://smallallwhiteintheforest.blogspot.com/2015/06/for-fathers-day-happy-fathers-day.html

-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!"

Plus, after I signed the card, I made a one-time donation on the USO.org website to say to military fathers:

A Happy Father's Day!
(Or, "With Arms Wide Open")

I Just Want To
Wish You "A Happy Father's Day!"
I Just Want To
Walk So Tall In Your Honest Way!
I Just Want To
Be As Generous As You Were Hoping!
I Just Want To
Live, Like You Do, "With Arms Wide Open!"
I Just Want To
Be As Unconditional As You So Lovingly Are!
I Just Want To
Wish Becoming As Bright Of A 'Night Star!'
I Just Want To
Say "Bless You" For Never Giving Up!
I Just Want To
Say "Thank You" For Raising Me Up!
I Just Want To
Be So Strong In Your Gentle Way!
I Just Want To
Say, "Happy Father's Day!"

In addition to that, I already make a recurring monthly donation to the USO in order to show my support for our U.S. Military Personnel! You see, I usually make one-time donations to the USO each month—as often as I can manage when they request a donation via email or text message. Therefore, I am planning to continue making one-time donations to the USO in the future, as often as I can manage to make donations, in addition to making the aforementioned recurring monthly donation.

By the way, did you know that the USO is a not-for-profit organization and not part of the Department of Defense (DoD)? The following description of the USO is from their 'About Us' webpage:

"The USO is not part of the federal government. A congressionally chartered, private organization, the USO relies on the generosity of individuals, organizations and corporations to support its activities, and is powered by a family of volunteers to accomplish our mission of connection."

So, that is why I 'volunteer financially' as a member of the "USO Home Team" through a recurring monthly donation, as well as through one-time donations to the USO each month! –Paul Whiting (written June 18th, 2023, revised July 28th, 2023, revised July 31st, 2023, revised September 27th, 2023 and revised November 18th, 2023)

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This "Small All White in the Forest" Post No. 199 was edited on November 18th, 2023.

"Poetry is using the fewest words possible in order to describe all that is possible to describe." –Paul Whiting [June 1st, 2022]

Post No. 198: For The Summer Solstice — The Call Of The God Apollo

Image from Cassie Ocken

The Call Of The God Apollo
(Or, "The Call Of An Everyday Hero")

The God Apollo Is "An Everyday Hero,"
Because—Every Day—The God Apollo Lets
His Soul Shine, So That There Can Be Life!

And So, The Call Of The God Apollo Is
"The Call Of An Everyday Hero"—To Let
Your Soul Shine, So That There Can Be Life!

-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!"

My Poetic Notes:

The reason that I wrote this poem can be summed up with the following statement: I wrote this poem because I realized that I had already written poems for both The Goddess Gaia (The Earth) and The Goddess Luna (The Moon)—which are the two closest Heavenly Bodies in Our Solar System—but I had not yet written a poem for The God Apollo (The Sun).

And in the year 2015, the Summer Solstice and Father's Day are on the same day, which I truly feel is symbolic since all males—and especially fathers—are like the sun in the sky!

And this poem was also published on my "Paul Whiting — A Creative Writer" blog (please see the hyperlink below for the blog), since I feel that the message in this poem applies to the message that I am trying to convey through "Paul Whiting — A Creative Writer."

This poem was written in Portland, Oregon.

-Paulee

https://paulwhitingwriting.blogspot.com

This "Small All White in the Forest" Post No. 198 was edited on April 15th, 2024.

"Poetry is using the fewest words possible in order to describe all that is possible to describe." –Paul Whiting [June 1st, 2022]

Post No. 197: For Mother's Day 2015 — "A Happy Mother's Day!"

(Image from Mothers Day Quotes Messages)

A Happy Mother's Day!
(Or, "A Song For Mama")

I Just Want To
Wish You "A Happy Mother's Day!"
I Just Want To
Be So Humble In Your Genuine Way!
I Just Want To
Live As Fully As You Do Without Drama!
I Just Want To
Sing A Song For You, "A Song For Mama!"
I Just Want To
Be As Nurturing As You So Patiently Are!
I Just Want To
Wish Becoming As Bright Of A "Day Star!"
I Just Want To
Say "Bless You" For Never Giving Up!
I Just Want To
Say "Thank You" For Raising Me Up!
I Just Want To
Be So Gentle In Your Loving Way!
I Just Want To
Say, "Happy Mother's Day!"

-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: This poem is a reworking of a poem that I wrote for the 100th Anniversary of Father's Day, which was in 2010.

So, I decided to rework that poem and publish it this year, 2015, because I started blogging after the 100th Anniversary of Mother's Day, which was in 2008, so I was unable to publish a poem for the same anniversary of Mother's Day as Father's Day!

And since I did not get a chance to publish a poem for the 100th Anniversary of Mother's Day, I decided to delete the post for the 100th Anniversary of Father's Day and publish a poem for both Mother's Day and Father's Day the same year.

Plus, this poem is also inspired by the song "A Song for Mama," which is performed by Boys II Men, and was written and produced by Kenneth Brian Edmonds (better known by his stage name 'Babyface') and served as the theme song to the 1997 motion picture "Soul Food." (Please see the hyperlink below for the video.)

And this poem was also published on my "Paul Whiting — A Creative Writer" blog (please see the hyperlink below for the blog), since I feel that the message in this poem applies to the message that I am trying to convey through "Paul Whiting — A Creative Writer."

This poem was written in Portland, Oregon.

-Paulee

https://paulwhitingwriting.blogspot.com

Watch "A Song For Mama" on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/vdTnuc3ktzo

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May 8th, 2022 Update, Written On May 7th, 2022: Happy Mother's Day, everyone! I signed a Mother’s Day card to military moms around the world from the USO (United Service Organizations) today, May 7th, 2022, that I received today via an email with the subject line, "Quick favor before Mother's Day", which stated the following:

Tomorrow is Mother’s Day, Paul, and I need your help to make it special for military moms around the world.

When I say “military mom,” I’m talking about mothers serving in our Armed Forces right now, many of whom will spend the day far away from their kids as they work to defend our freedom. But I am also talking about all the moms back home whose kids are service members. Holidays like tomorrow are tough on every member of a military family.

That’s why it is so important to show our support for troops and their families when we can. As an officer in the U.S. Army who has spent countless holidays overseas, I will tell you that it really does make a difference to know that folks back home are thinking of us as we risk our lives to keep them safe.

So please, before midnight tonight, will you be one of the 50,000 signatures we need to meet our goal to honor military moms?***

Thank you for helping make sure military moms know how much they are appreciated on their special day — and for everything you do to support service members around the world as they defend our country.

[Name redacted], U.S. Army

***[I used to include hyperlinks contained within the email messages, or the text messages, to which I am referring in these "Activism Updates"; however, I could not figure out how to include the aforementioned hyperlinks, regarding some relevant action that I had taken—such as signing a petition, sending a letter or message to my representative(s) in Congress, signing a USO 'Thank You' card, and/or making a donation—without including my personal information.]

Plus, after I signed the card, I made a one-time donation on the USO.org website to say to military moms, "We so appreciate the sacrifices you and your family make every day in service of our country and the freedoms we all cherish."

In addition to that, I already make a recurring monthly donation to the USO in order to show my support for our U.S. Military Personnel! You see, I usually make one-time donations to the USO each month—as often as I can manage when they request a donation via email or text message. Therefore, I am planning to continue making one-time donations to the USO in the future, as often as I can manage to make donations, in addition to making the aforementioned recurring monthly donation.

By the way, did you know that the USO is a not-for-profit organization and not part of the Department of Defense (DoD)? The following description of the USO is from their 'About Us' webpage:

"The USO is not part of the federal government. A congressionally chartered, private organization, the USO relies on the generosity of individuals, organizations and corporations to support its activities, and is powered by a family of volunteers to accomplish our mission of connection."

So, that is why I 'volunteer financially' as a member of the "USO Home Team" through a recurring monthly donation, as well as through one-time donations to the USO each month!

–Paul Whiting (written May 7th, 2022, revised May 21st, 2022, revised May 26th, 2022, revised June 18th, 2022, revised June 22nd, 2022, revised June 25th, 2022, revised June 26th, 2022, revised August 16th, 2022, revised September 4th, 2022, revised November 18th, 2022, revised November 24th, 2022, revised December 27th, 2022, revised December 29th, 2022, revised April 11th, 2023, revised April 21st, 2023, revised April 27th, 2023, revised April 28th, 2023, revised May 14th, 2023, revised May 17th, 2023, revised June 14th, 2023, revised July 28th, 2023, revised September 27th, 2023 and revised November 18th, 2023)

[I feel like I need to clarify why there are so many 'revised dates' on this 'update,' just like there are often times so many 'revised dates' on other 'updates' similar to this one! You see, I really try to keep my writing consistent as possible across all of my blogs. Therefore, as I am writing, I try to use the same phraseology wherever possible with regard to similar types of my writing so that, when I am editing my writing, I can change all of the similar writing at the same time and in the same way! Thus, a lot of the revisions indicated above, after my name (–Paul Whiting), and shown right after the original 'written date,' are often times due to these aforementioned consistent-writing revisions.]

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May 14th, 2023 Update: Happy Mother's Day, everyone! I signed a Mother’s Day card to military moms around the world from the USO (United Service Organizations) today, May 14th, 2023, that I received today via an email with the subject line, "Missing your name on our Mother’s Day card", which stated the following:

Paul: Happy Mother's Day! We hope you and yours are celebrating all the caring moms in your life. But for many military moms around the world, this day can be particularly difficult.

So what is a "military mom"? Military moms are mothers who are currently serving in our nation's military, sacrificing time with their own children to protect our freedoms. Military moms are also the mothers of service members — thousands of miles away from their kids on a holiday like today.

That's why it is so important to show our support for troops and their families when we can, but especially on days like today.

So please, before our midnight goal deadline, will yours be one of the 10,000 email signatures we need to meet our goal to honor and thank our military moms?

Sign the Mother's Day card to honor military moms around the world.

SIGN NOW***

Thank you for helping make sure military moms know just how much they are appreciated on their special day — and for everything you do to support the brave troops around the world as they defend our country.

The USO

***[I used to include hyperlinks contained within the email messages, or the text messages, to which I am referring in these "Activism Updates"; however, I could not figure out how to include the aforementioned hyperlinks, regarding some relevant action that I had taken—such as signing a petition, sending a letter or message to my representative(s) in Congress, signing a USO 'Thank You' card, and/or making a donation—without including my personal information.]

Plus, after I signed the card, I made a one-time donation on the USO.org website to say to military moms, "Happy Mother’s Day! We are incredibly appreciative of the sacrifices you and your family make every day in service of our country and the freedoms we all cherish."

In addition to that, I already make a recurring monthly donation to the USO in order to show my support for our U.S. Military Personnel! You see, I usually make one-time donations to the USO each month—as often as I can manage when they request a donation via email or text message. Therefore, I am planning to continue making one-time donations to the USO in the future, as often as I can manage to make donations, in addition to making the aforementioned recurring monthly donation.

By the way, did you know that the USO is a not-for-profit organization and not part of the Department of Defense (DoD)? The following description of the USO is from their 'About Us' webpage:

"The USO is not part of the federal government. A congressionally chartered, private organization, the USO relies on the generosity of individuals, organizations and corporations to support its activities, and is powered by a family of volunteers to accomplish our mission of connection."

So, that is why I 'volunteer financially' as a member of the "USO Home Team" through a recurring monthly donation, as well as through one-time donations to the USO each month! –Paul Whiting (written May 14th, 2023, revised July 28th, 2023, revised September 27th, 2023 and revised November 18th, 2023)

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May 12th, 2024 Update No. 1: Happy Mother's Day, everyone! In celebration of Mother's Day, I did a Google search for "Mother's Day USO" and found the following USO (United Service Organizations) search result regarding Mother's Day:

United Service Organizations

Sign the card: Thank the mothers moms serving our country this Mother's Day

This Mother's Day, the USO is thanking moms in the military for their service and sacrifice. Sign the card to military moms!

And, after I read the search results above, I clicked on the hyperlink to the referenced webpage, the relevant text of which can be found below:

★★★USO★★★

50,000 signatures needed to hit our goal!

→→→→→19,857

This Mother’s Day, the USO is thanking moms in the military for their service and sacrifice. Sign the card to military moms!

Thank you for all you do for our country, and happy Mother’s Day!

Sincerely,

First Name: Paul
Last Name: Whiting
Email: [redacted]

SIGN THE CARD

---------------------------------------------

Thanks for signing the card! Will you take a few minutes to complete a quick survey about supporting all of our nation's heroes?

The USO supports America's men and women in uniform at more than 200 locations around the world, including on the front lines in places like Djibouti and Afghanistan. How important is it to you that Americans continue supporting our deployed service members?

[✓] Extremely important
[  ] Very important
[  ] Somewhat important
[  ] Not at all important

The USO is more than concerts and airport lounges. Which of the ways we support our military men and women do you believe are valuable? Check all that apply.

[✓] Providing connections to family, home and country during deployments. [✓] Helping military personnel and their families transition back into civilian life. [✓] Supporting military families whose loved ones are deployed.
[✓] Providing support and rehabilitation for wounded, ill and injured service members.
[✓] Delivering special gifts and cheer to our heroes through programs like USO2GO.

Thousands of service men and women are currently deployed overseas, including in combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan. Have you or a family member or friend ever served in the U.S. military?

[✓] Yes
[  ] No

How important do you think it is to support our nation's heroes and help them stay connected to family back home during deployment?

[✓] Extremely important
[  ] Important
[  ] Somewhat important
[  ] Not at all important

A Navy lieutenant commander recently told us that USO Care Packages are a "constant reminder to those of us out 'in the sandbox' that we are not forgotten and folks back home actually care."

Now, as we work to deliver our brave service members a touch of home, we need to ask for your support.

It takes a lot of time, coordination and money to get our care packages to more than 200,000 service members who are away from their families, sacrificing so much defending our freedoms. The USO is not a government agency we rely on the generosity and patriotism of citizens like you.

But right now, time is running out before our midnight deadline, and we need your support. Help us make sure that we have the resources to support our troops. Will you please donate by MIDNIGHT tonight to send a little bit of home to our service members and show them how thankful you are?

[  ] Yes, I'll donate $35 or more. Send me a T- shirt!
[✓] Yes, I'll donate but don't want a T-shirt!
[  ] No, I don't want to donate to support our service members today.

---------------------------------------------

Help Connect our Heroes to Home

It takes a lot of time, coordination and money to get our care packages and other essentials to more than 200,000 service members who are away from their families, sacrificing so much defending our freedoms.

Will you please donate by MIDNIGHT tonight to send a little bit of home to pur service members and show them how thankful you are?

SUPPORT OUR TROOPS

[  ] $25
[  ] $50
[  ] $75
[  ] $100
[  ] $250
[  ] $500
[  ] $1,000
[✓] $ 10.00

And so, I signed the USO Mother's Day card "thanking moms in the military for their service and sacrifice." Plus, after I signed the card, I made a one-time donation on the USO.org website to say to our military moms, "Thank you for all you do for our country, and happy Mother's Day!"

In addition to that, I already make a recurring monthly donation to the USO in order to show my support for our U.S. Military Personnel! You see, I usually make one-time donations to the USO each month—as often as I can manage when they request a donation via email or text message. Therefore, I am planning to continue making one-time donations to the USO in the future, as often as I can manage to make donations, in addition to making the aforementioned recurring monthly donation.

By the way, did you know that the USO is a not-for-profit organization and not part of the Department of Defense (DoD)? The following description of the USO is from their 'About Us' webpage:

"The USO is not part of the federal government. A congressionally chartered, private organization, the USO relies on the generosity of individuals, organizations and corporations to support its activities, and is powered by a family of volunteers to accomplish our mission of connection."

So, that is why I 'volunteer financially' as a member of the "USO Home Team" through a recurring monthly donation, as well as through one-time donations to the USO each month!

–Paul Whiting (written May 12th, 2024 and revised May 18th, 2024)

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This "Small All White in the Forest" Post No. 197 was edited on May 18th, 2024.

"Poetry is using the fewest words possible in order to describe all that is possible to describe." –Paul Whiting [June 1st, 2022]

Post No. 196: "Everything Is Connected, But..."

(Image from Science Wiki)

"Everything Is Connected, But..."

Everything
is
connected,
but
it
appears
separate.

For,
everything
is
literally
connected
because
it
all
comes
from
one
thing,
which
is
Literally
Nothing,
that
is
differentiated.

-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!"

My Writing About How Everything Is Connected, But It Appears Separate: Everything is connected, but it appears separate. For, everything is literally connected because it all comes from one thing, which is Literally Nothing, that is differentiated. –Paul Whiting (written May 2nd, 2015 and revised August 19th, 2022)

My Poetic Notes:

The reason that I wrote this poem can be summed up with the following statement: I wrote this poem to illustrate the concept that everything is literally connected because it all comes from one thing, which is Literally Nothing, that is differentiated.

And this poem was also published on my "Poet, Artist and Philosopher," "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 "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" and "Three Dark Horses." 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://poetartistandphilosopher.blogspot.com

https://threedarkhorses.blogspot.com

https://paulwhitingwriting.blogspot.com/2022/06/everything-is-connected-but.html

This "Small All White in the Forest" Post No. 196 was edited on May 6th, 2024.

"Poetry is using the fewest words possible in order to describe all that is possible to describe." –Paul Whiting [June 1st, 2022]

Post No. 195: God Is Not Coming To Save You...God Is Coming To Train You On How To Save Yourself!

(Image from MMASHARE)

God Is Coming To Train You
On How To Save Yourself!
(Or, "God Is Not Coming To Save You")

God Is Not Coming To Save You...
God Is Coming To Train You On How
To Save Yourself! For, You Are God!

-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!"

My Writing About God Coming To Train You On How To Save Yourself: God is not coming to save you... God is coming to train you on how to save yourself! For, you are God! –Paul Whiting (written April 30th, 2015 and revised October 7th, 2022)

My Poetic Notes:

The reason that I wrote this poem can be summed up with the following statement: I wrote this poem because I truly believe that God is not coming to save us, but is coming to train us on how to save ourselves, since we are all God!

And this poem was also published on my "Poet, Artist and Philosopher," "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 "Poet, Artist and Philosopher," "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://poetartistandphilosopher.blogspot.com

https://threedarkhorses.blogspot.com

https://paulwhitingwriting.blogspot.com

This "Small All White in the Forest" Post No. 195 was edited on May 6th, 2024.

"Poetry is using the fewest words possible in order to describe all that is possible to describe." –Paul Whiting [June 1st, 2022]

Post No. 194: We Are The Hell Of Being Nothing Blossoming!

(Image from HD Wallpapers)

We Are The Hell Of Being
Nothing Blossoming!

In the beginning, there was Literally
Nothing—and Nothing was Self-Aware!
And being Literally Nothing that was
Self-Aware was NOT EASY, which is why
"We, The Gods and/or The Goddesses"
are really intensely negative by nature...

...However, we can Evolve Out Of Nothing
in order to transform simply being Literally
Nothing. And thus, when we Evolve Out Of
Nothing, we physically embody becoming
Everything That Exists, which is why "We
Are The Hell Of Being Nothing Blossoming!"

-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 Writing About How We Are The Hell Of Being Nothing Blossoming: In the beginning, there was Literally Nothing—and Nothing was Self-Aware! And being Literally Nothing that was Self-Aware was NOT EASY, which is why "We, The Gods and/or The Goddesses" are really intensely negative by nature... ...However, we can Evolve Out Of Nothing in order to transform simply being Literally Nothing. And thus, when we Evolve Out Of Nothing, we physically embody becoming Everything That Exists, which is why "We Are The Hell Of Being Nothing Blossoming!" –Paul Whiting (written April 20th, 2015, revised June 7th, 2015 and revised October 3rd, 2022)

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My Writing About All Souls Being Intrinsically Negative Energy: All Souls are intrinsically Negative Energy, because All Souls are Literally Nothing which is Self-Aware! And for All Souls to experience anything other than being Negative Energy, since we are Literally Nothing, we have to evolve out of being Nothing—in order to transform being intrinsically Negative Energy—by becoming Everything That Exists! –Paul Whiting (written June 18th, 2015, revised November 22nd, 2015, revised June 4th, 2022 and revised July 25th, 2022)

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My Writing About What You Can Do With Your Naturally Negative Energy: There us nothing wrong with being naturally Negative Energy: it just depends on what you do with Your Negative Energy, since naturally Negative Energy is what we are as Literally Nothing! And Negative Energy is actually Positive Energy in its opposite state, because Negative Energy is 'Darkness' and Positive Energy is 'Light.' Therefore, you can invert Your Negative Energy into Positive Energy—and then you can invert Your Positive Energy into Neutral Energy—while you are turning 'Your Darkness' into 'Your Light,' as a God and/or a Goddess, by becoming Your Own Universes! –Paul Whiting (written December 3rd, 2015, revised June 4th, 2022 and revised October 3rd, 2022)

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My Writing About How Matter, Or Energy, Can Neither Be Created, Nor Destroyed, It Can Only Change Form: Everything in physics is energy conversion! In other words, physics is the inversion of Literally Nothing into opposing fields of energy. That means, Nothing can invert itself into Negative Energy (or, electronics), Positive Energy (or, protons), and Neutral Energy (or, neutrons), all of which is contained within Nothing that has been converted into Suction (or, vacuum). And the reason that Nothing can do all of these wonderful things is because Nothing has Self-Awareness (or, consciousness), which is Literally Light! Thus, that light is what God is—which is what we all are—and that is why it is said that matter, or energy, can neither be created, nor destroyed, it can only change form. –Paul Whiting (written January 26th, 2023 and revised January 27th, 2023)

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My Poetic Notes:

The reason that I wrote this prose can be summed up with the following statement: "We Are The Hell Of Being Nothing Blossoming!"

Just so you know, I revised this poem, as I often do with my writing! And I changed how this poem was written when I republished it on my new "Paul Whiting — A Creative Writer" blog. So, I wanted to show you how this poem used to be written, before I revised it as above.

And it used to be written like this:

We Are Hell Blossoming!

In the beginning, there was Literally
Nothing—and Nothing was Self-Aware!
And being Literally Nothing that was
Self-Aware was NOT EASY, which is
why "We, The Gods" are really
intensely negative by nature...

...However, we can Evolve Out Of
Nothing in order to transform simply
being Literally Nothing. And so, when
we Evolve Out Of Nothing, we physically
embody becoming Everything That Exists,
which is why "We Are Hell Blossoming!"

Thus, I revised this poem to be written as it is above.

And this prose was also published on my "Poet, Artist and Philosopher," "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 prose applies to the message I am trying to convey through "Poet, Artist and Philosopher," "Three Dark Horses" and "Paul Whiting — A Creative Writer." Plus, I feel that the message in this prose applies to the message I am trying to convey through my new "The Oneness Of God" spiritual practice!

This prose was written in Portland, Oregon.

-Paulee

https://poetartistandphilosopher.blogspot.com

https://threedarkhorses.blogspot.com

https://paulwhitingwriting.blogspot.com

-------------------------------------------------------------------

This "Small All White in the Forest" Post No. 194 was edited on May 11th, 2024.

"Poetry is using the fewest words possible in order to describe all that is possible to describe." –Paul Whiting [June 1st, 2022]

Post No. 193: Not Just A Man

(Image from Wikipedia)

Not Just A Man

I Am Not Just "A Hero."
I Am Not Just "An Angel."
I Am Not Just "A Man."

You Are Not Just "A Hero."
You Are Not Just "An Angel."
You Are Not Just "A Man."

We Are Not Just "Heroes."
We Are Not Just "Angels."
We Are Not Just "Men."

-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!"

My Writing About A Man Being 'Not Just A Man': I am not just "a man." You are not just "a man." We are not just "men." We are God! –Paul Whiting (written approximately on April 10th, 2015 and turned into 'my writing' from my notes on September 30th, 2022)

My Poetic Notes:

The reason that I wrote this poem can be summed up with the following statement: "I am not just 'a man.' You are not just 'a man.' We are not just 'men.' We are God!"

This poem was inspired by the lyrics to the song "In Her Eyes" written by Jeffrey Cohen, Michael Ochs, Andy Selby and Molly Kaye and, specifically, the cover performed by Josh Groban. (Please see the hyperlink below for the video.)

And this poem was also published on my "Poet, Artist and Philosopher," "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 "Poet, Artist and Philosopher," "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://poetartistandphilosopher.blogspot.com

https://threedarkhorses.blogspot.com

https://paulwhitingwriting.blogspot.com

Watch "Josh Groban- In her eyes (with lyrics)" on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/sSkpn9MZGNg

"In Her Eyes" from AZlyrics:

She stares through my shadow
She sees something more
Believes there's a light in me
She is sure
And her truth makes me stronger
Does she realize
I awake every morning
With her strength by my side

I am not a hero
I am not an angel
I am just a man
Man who's trying to love her
Unlike any other
In her eyes I am

This world keeps on spinning
Only she stills my heart
She's my inspiration
She's my northern star
I don't count my possession
All I call mine
I will give her completely
To the end of all time

I am not a hero
I am not an angel
I am just a man
Man who's trying to love her
Unlike any other
In her eyes I am

In her eyes I see the sky and all I'll ever need
In her eyes time passes by and she is with me

I am not a hero
I am not an angel
I am just a man
Man who's trying to love her
Unlike any other
In her eyes I am
In her eyes I am

https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/joshgroban/inhereyes.html

This "Small All White in the Forest" Post No. 193 was edited on May 6th, 2024.

"Poetry is using the fewest words possible in order to describe all that is possible to describe." –Paul Whiting [June 1st, 2022]

Post No. 192: The 'One, True Path' Of God

(Image from Wikipedia)

WARNING: THIS POST HAS CONTENT THAT MAY BE DISTURBING TO SOME READERS. VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED!

The 'One, True Path' Of God
(Or, "If We Just Hold Out, We'll Be All White!")

God has told us that we never have to change,
Since we tread upon "God's One, True Path!"
And so, we will seek to forcibly arrange
For all of the world to feel our wrath!

And we will hide behind God's "chosen words"—
The words we chose, as we have all concurred!
And damn all of those others who follow just
The Word Of God with "In God We Trust!"

For, they do not know how it feels to seek
Validation in what God has never revealed!
Because deep down inside, we fear ourselves,
And that is why we seek to create this Hell!

So, watch us band together with hoods in place
To run from the demons that we cannot face!
For, we tread upon "God's One, True Path,"
The one that lets us express our wrath!

Because it is confirmed by what we claim
That God always wants us to stay the same!
And by God's Word—which we have arranged—
God has told us that we never have to change!

-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!"

My Poetic Notes:

The reason that I wrote this poem can be summed up with the following statement: This poem was originally written on "The Official White House Poet" blog, which is one of the sixteen blogs that I decided to relocate within my current blogs. And it was originally published on "The Official White House Poet" blog on July 9th, 2010, along with a poem that I wrote on that same day titled, "The End Of The Civil War," which is published on this blog.

And I was going to republish this poem on July 9th, 2015 in order to represent the original publishing date. However, the year 2015 is the 150th Anniversary of the Thirteenth Amendment to The United States Constitution, which "abolished slavery and involuntary servitude..." (The Thirteenth Amendment was passed by the Senate on April 8, 1864 and by the House on January 31, 1865; and was ratified by the required 27 of the then 36 states on December 6, 1865; and was then proclaimed on December 18, 1865.)

So, I decided to republished this poem on April 9th, 2015, in order to represent the 150th Anniversary of the Thirteenth Amendment to The United States Constitution, which is also the day after I republished the poem "The End Of The Civil War," since the two poems were originally published on the same day and are related by topic with regard to racial bigotry and discrimination. (Please see the "Thirteenth Amendment to The United States Constitution" in labels for the poem.)

And this poem was also published on my "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" and "Paul Whiting — A Creative Writer" blogs (please see the hyperlink below for the blogs), since I feel that the message in this poem applies to the message I am trying to convey through "Poet, Artist and Philosopher and "Paul Whiting — A Creative Writer."

This poem was written in Portland, Oregon.

-Paulee

https://poetartistandphilosopher.blogspot.com

https://paulwhitingwriting.blogspot.com

"Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution" 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 monthly donation):

"The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime. In Congress, it was passed by the Senate on April 8, 1864, and by the House on January 31, 1865. The amendment was ratified by the required number of states on December 6, 1865. On December 18, 1865, Secretary of State William H. Seward proclaimed its adoption. It was the first of the three Reconstruction Amendments adopted following the American Civil War."

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirteenth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution

This "Small All White in the Forest" Post No. 192 was edited on December 7th, 2023.

"Poetry is using the fewest words possible in order to describe all that is possible to describe." –Paul Whiting [June 1st, 2022]

Post No. 191: Racial Discrimination's End

(Image from Enisma.com)

WARNING: THIS POST HAS CONTENT THAT MAY BE DISTURBING TO SOME READERS. VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED!

The Civil War's End
(Or, "Racial Discrimination's End")

Let us trample a broken chain, as
we are tired of this anger and shame;
Let us trample a broken chain, since
we were never meant to be in such pain;
Let us trample a broken chain, because
we should heal that which makes us lame;
Let us trample a broken chain, because
we need to be working toward change;
Let us trample a broken chain, since
we need to overcome placing blame;
Let us trample a broken chain, as
we celebrate not being the same!

-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: This poem was originally written on my "The Official White House Poet" blog, which is one of the sixteen blogs that I decided to relocate within my current blogs. And this poem was originally published on "The Official White House Poet" blog on July 9th, 2010, along with another poem that I wrote on that same day titled, "The 'One, True Path' Of God," which is published on this blog.

And I was going to republish this poem on July 9th, 2015, in order to represent the original publishing date. However, the year 2015 is the 150th Anniversary of the Thirteenth Amendment to The United States Constitution, which "abolished slavery and involuntary servitude..." (The Thirteenth Amendment was passed by the Senate on April 8, 1864 and by the House on January 31, 1865; and was ratified by the required 27 of the then 36 states on December 6, 1865; and was then proclaimed on December 18, 1865.)

So, I decided to republished this poem on April 8, 2015, in order to represent the 150th Anniversary of the Thirteenth Amendment to The United States Constitution, which is also the day before I republished "The 'One, True Path' Of God," since these two poems were originally published on the same day and are related by topic with regard to racial bigotry and discrimination. (Please see the "Thirteenth Amendment to The United States Constitution" in labels for the poem.)

And this poem was also published on my "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" and "Paul Whiting — A Creative Writer" blogs (please see the hyperlink below for the blogs), since I feel that the message in this poem applies to the message I am trying to convey through "Poet, Artist and Philosopher and "Paul Whiting — A Creative Writer."

This poem was written in Portland, Oregon.

-Paulee

https://poetartistandphilosopher.blogspot.com

https://paulwhitingwriting.blogspot.com

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"Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution" 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 monthly donation):

"The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime. In Congress, it was passed by the Senate on April 8, 1864, and by the House on January 31, 1865. The amendment was ratified by the required number of states on December 6, 1865. On December 18, 1865, Secretary of State William H. Seward proclaimed its adoption. It was the first of the three Reconstruction Amendments adopted following the American Civil War."

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirteenth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution

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October 15th, 2022 Update: I read an excellent Time Magazine article dated October 12th, 2022 that is titled, "Lincoln Saved American Democracy. We Can Too," which I heard about from one of the daily emails that I received today, October 15th, 2022, from Time since I am a subscriber:

https://time.com/6221209/lincoln-saved-american-democracy-we-can-too

And, in the article is a quote by President Abraham Lincoln—who is known as a great thinker of his time—which I think sums up the obvious reason that slavery is just plain wrong: "As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master."

So, I decided to look up the full quote and found the following on the National Park Service website:

Lincoln Quote on Slavery

August 1, 1858: On Slavery

As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy. Whatever differs from this, to the extent of the difference, is not democracy.

https://www.nps.gov/liho/learn/historyculture/onslavery.htm

Then, I continued to search for that quote in order to find the context in which it was written, and on the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum website I found an article titled, "LINCOLN DRAWS THE LINE ON SLAVERY," which explains that the quote was from Lincoln's notes that he wrote to himself:

"Among the most fascinating of Abraham Lincoln's writings are the notes he wrote to himself. Mostly discovered after his death, they offer few clues as to their origin and intent, but they give us glimpses into his thought process."

The article explains a lot more about the quote; however, this article does not credit the quote with any kind of date for when it was written:

"Among the items in the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum’s collection is another note that will be on display in our Treasures Gallery for the upcoming year. Commonly referred to as the 'Definition of Democracy,' it is much shorter ... and a bit more of a mystery. None of Lincoln’s contemporaries tell us anything about this note or when he wrote it. However, its text is bold and intriguing:

'As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy. Whatever differs from this, to the extent of the difference, is no democracy.'"

[By the way, in Lincoln's quote from the Presidential Library website, they depict his "bolding" of the words 'slave' and 'master' as italicized, however I underscored those words, because I usually italicize text from sources that are not my own writing, in these 'updates' that I write, in order to make them stand out from my own writing; and, besides that, Lincoln himself underscored those words, in order to emphasize them, which you can see from an image of his quote from the aforementioned article.]

https://presidentlincoln.illinois.gov/Blog/Posts/108/Abraham-Lincoln/2021/2/Lincoln-Draws-the-Line-on-Slavery/blog-post

Anyway, I was really impressed by Lincoln's words because I think that they are a true representation of a quote by Jesus The Christ—who is known as the greatest thinker of all time—and the words of His quote are also called the Golden Rule: "Do unto others as you would have done unto you."

–Paul Whiting (written October 15th, 2022 and revised December 6th, 2022)

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This "Small All White in the Forest" Post No. 191 was edited on May 3rd, 2024.

"Poetry is using the fewest words possible in order to describe all that is possible to describe." –Paul Whiting [June 1st, 2022]

Post No. 190: "Believe In Me, But..."

(Image from Astrogems)

Ye Are Gods!
(Or, "Believe In Me, But...")

Believe In Me, But
Believe In Yourself Too!
For, We Are All Gods...

-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!"

My Writing About Believing In Me And Believing In Yourself Too: Believe in me, but believe in yourself too! For, we are all Gods... –Paul Whiting (written April 5th, 2015, revised April 3rd, 2016, revised June 21st, 2016 and revised September 27th, 2022)

My Poetic Notes:

The reason that I wrote this poem can be summed up with the following statement: "Believe in me, but believe in yourself too! For, we are all Gods..."

And this poem was also published on my "Poet, Artist and Philosopher," "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 "Poet, Artist and Philosopher," "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://poetartistandphilosopher.blogspot.com

https://threedarkhorses.blogspot.com

https://paulwhitingwriting.blogspot.com

This "Small All White in the Forest" Post No. 190 was edited on May 6th, 2024.

"Poetry is using the fewest words possible in order to describe all that is possible to describe." –Paul Whiting [June 1st, 2022]

Post No. 189: Strength Is Weakness Inverted

(Image from RichmondShareBlog)

Strength Is Weakness Inverted
(Or, "Durability Is Vulnerability Converted")

Strength is weakness inverted; and, thus,
durability is vulnerability converted!

Love is fear inverted; and, therefore,
excitation is trepidation converted!

-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!"

My Writing About Inverted—And Converted—States Of Consciousness: Strength is weakness inverted; and, thus, durability is vulnerability converted! Love is fear inverted; and, therefore, excitation is trepidation converted! –Paul Whiting (written April 4th, 2015 and revised September 26th, 2022)

My Writing About How Matter, Or Energy, Can Neither Be Created, Nor Destroyed, It Can Only Change Form: Everything in physics is energy conversion! In other words, physics is the inversion of Literally Nothing into opposing fields of energy. That means, Nothing can invert itself into Negative Energy (or, electronics), Positive Energy (or, protons), and Neutral Energy (or, neutrons), all of which is contained within Nothing that has been converted into Suction (or, vacuum). And the reason that Nothing can do all of these wonderful things is because Nothing has Self-Awareness (or, consciousness), which is Literally Light! Thus, that light is what God is—which is what we all are—and that is why it is said that matter, or energy, can neither be created, nor destroyed, it can only change form. –Paul Whiting (written January 26th, 2023 and revised January 27th, 2023)

My Poetic Notes:

The reason that I wrote this poem can be summed up with the following statement: I wrote this poem as another way of saying that energy and matter can neither be created, nor destroyed, but can only change form!

And this poem was also published on my "Poet, Artist and Philosopher," "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 "Poet, Artist and Philosopher," "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://poetartistandphilosopher.blogspot.com

https://threedarkhorses.blogspot.com

https://paulwhitingwriting.blogspot.com

This "Small All White in the Forest" Post No. 189 was edited on May 6th, 2024.

"Poetry is using the fewest words possible in order to describe all that is possible to describe." –Paul Whiting [June 1st, 2022]

Post No. 188: For St. Patrick's Day 2015 — "You Can't Stop Living Life Just Because You Might Be Dead"

(Image from Happy Holidays 2015)

You Can't Stop Living Life Just
Because You Might Be Dead

You can't stop living life [today]
just because you might
be dead [tomorrow].

-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!"

My Writing About Still Living Life Even Though You Might Be Dead: You can't stop living life just because you might be dead. And I intend the aforementioned statement in the most positive, and respectful, way possible—and without any disrespect for anyone who may been dealing with some kind of life-threatening health condition, or terminal illness, like I am. (The reader should know that I am HIV-positive with full-blown AIDS. And I have almost died on multiple occasions, due to multiple infections, but that was mostly before I started taking HIV medications, which greatly improved my health.) So, I wrote the above-mentioned statement when I realized that I wasn't really living life because I was so afraid dying. Thus, that was the place where I was coming from in giving this kind of flippant life advice. –Paul Whiting (written March 16th, 2015, revised August 25th, 2022 and revised April 17th, 2023)

My Poetic Notes:

The reason that I wrote this poem can be summed up with the following statement: I wrote this poem when I was worrying about dying (as I often do, since I am HIV-positive with full-blown AIDS) and I realized that I couldn't stop living life today just because I might be dead tomorrow!

And this poem was also published on my "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" 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 "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" and "Paul Whiting — A Creative Writer."

This poem was written in Portland, Oregon.

-Paulee

https://poetartistandphilosopher.blogspot.com

https://paulwhitingwriting.blogspot.com

This "Small All White in the Forest" Post No. 188 was edited on May 5th, 2024.

"Poetry is using the fewest words possible in order to describe all that is possible to describe." –Paul Whiting [June 1st, 2022]

Post No. 187: A Candle Can "Sing," So To Speak!

(Image from Teach Peace Now)

A Candle Can "Sing!"

A Candle Can "Sing,"
Like Simon & Garfunkel's
"The Sound Of Silence!"

-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!"

My Poetic Notes:

The reason that I wrote this poem can be summed up with the following statement: This poem is about the "sound," so to speak, that a burning candle makes, which is like the song "The Sound of Silence" by Simon & Garfunkel!

Plus, this poem was also inspired by "The Sound of Silence," which was written by Paul Simon and performed by Simon & Garfunkel. (Please see the hyperlink below for the video.) By the way, "The Sound of Silence" was "originally titled 'The Sounds of Silence' on the album Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M."

And this poem was also published on my "Paul Whiting — A Creative Writer" blog (please see the hyperlink below for the blog), since I feel that the message in this poem applies to the message that I am trying to convey through "Paul Whiting — A Creative Writer."

This poem was written in Portland, Oregon.

-Paulee

https://paulwhitingwriting.blogspot.com

Watch "Simon & Garfunkel - The Sounds of Silence (Audio)" on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/4fWyzwo1xg0

"The Sound of Silence" 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 monthly donation):

"'The Sound of Silence', originally 'The Sounds of Silence', is a song by the American music duo Simon & Garfunkel. The song was written by Paul Simon over several months in 1963 and 1964. A studio audition led to the duo signing a record deal with Columbia Records, and the original acoustic version of the song was recorded in March 1964 at Columbia Studios in New York City and included on their debut album, Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. Released on October 19, 1964, the album was a commercial failure and led to the duo disbanding; Simon returned to England, and Art Garfunkel to his studies at Columbia University.

In 1965, the song began to attract airplay at radio stations in Boston and throughout Florida. The growing airplay led Tom Wilson, the song's producer, to remix the track, overdubbing electric instruments and drums. This remixed version was released as a single in September 1965. Simon & Garfunkel were not informed of the song's remix until after its release. The song hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending January 1, 1966, leading the duo to reunite and hastily record their second album, which Columbia titled Sounds of Silence in an attempt to capitalize on the song's success. The remixed single version of the song was included on this follow-up album.

It was featured in the 1967 film The Graduate and was included on the film's soundtrack album. It was additionally released on the Mrs. Robinson EP in 1968, along with three other songs from the film: 'Mrs. Robinson', 'April Come She Will' and 'Scarborough Fair/Canticle'. The song was a top-ten hit in multiple countries worldwide, among them Australia, Austria, West Germany, Japan and the Netherlands. Generally considered a classic folk rock song, the song was added to the National Recording Registry in the Library of Congress for being 'culturally, historically, or aesthetically important' in 2012, along with the rest of the Sounds of Silence album. Originally titled 'The Sounds of Silence' on the album Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M., the song was included in later compilations, beginning with the 1972 compilation album Simon and Garfunkel's Greatest Hits."

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sound_of_Silence

This "Small All White in the Forest" Post No. 187 was edited on December 7th, 2023.

"Poetry is using the fewest words possible in order to describe all that is possible to describe." –Paul Whiting [June 1st, 2022]

My poems that are Haiku in their style—within which one stanza is composed of three lines, where each line has words containing five syllables, seven syllables and five syllables, respectively—are a lot more like Senryū poems in that the topic of these poems is typically about people, rather than the topic of these poems being about nature, as is usually the case in classic Haiku poems. And that is why I call these types of poems "Haiku-style." –Paul Whiting [September 19th, 2023]