My Mind vs. My Heart

While I sit here trying to make my mind think of what to write it says to me, ' Why would you want to write about HIM? ' And my heart replies, 'Because when I was with him I gave him my all, and when he left he took half of my heart. He made me want to be good, accomplish things I never thought I could. He made me want to do better things that I knew I could. He made me laugh when I was down. He picked me up when I fell down and cried. And even though he got me mad, I knew I accepted him just like that. Even though he wasn't near I could feel his presence around my heart. So now I write this to let him know that he has my heart no matter what.'

Mother, How Are You Doing Up There In Zion?

The leaves were once again falling; autumn was once again with us. This morning I had received a phone call from a friend inviting me to a small party at her home, which I was delighted and happy to accept.

As soon as I stepped into my friend’s garden, my eyes were instantly attracted by the geraniums and the chrysanthemums which were in full bloom. The fragrance from these flowers filled the air and reminded me immediately of my parent’s garden in the past. I felt a lump in my throat as the sorrows went through my mind; my tears gathered and flowed down my face. The chrysanthemums made me think of my mother who had passed away only last autumn. I looked up to the sky because I knew she was now living in Zion, in the seventh heaven.

My mind floated back in memory. My mother had been a very hard working, industrious and thrifty woman with strong Chinese traditional virtues. We were a family of nine people-----a large one with my parents, grandpa and grandma and us five children, three sons, two daughters. I was the youngest daughter born in the 1960’s.

Those years were bad years with most Chinese families suffering from the famine and other disasters. We as a family were one of those who experienced those hard times. We barely existed on father’s meagre wages and mother’s struggling income. Mother had a very hard job----dragging the river for sand grain, which she sold to the boss of a building site. Mother shared a big family burden with father trying to survive during those bad days.

I still have memories of mother getting up early in the morning before the break of dawn, tiptoeing out of the house with her tools trying not to disturb anybody. Although I was a little girl at the time, I understood in my mind that mother was heading for the river, which was in the vicinity of our house. She would stand in the river and scoop up scanty amounts of sand from the riverbed and then carry the heavy wet sand to the bank with a basket on her back and struggle by crawling towards on all fours. Her clothes would be dripping and drenched with sweat and the water seeping through the basket. During winter, whenever she came back home from the river, I would find her soaked through and trembling with the cold chill penetrating her body. Mother would accumulate the river sand into a large heap drying in the open and then riddle with a screen before selling to the building boss. No matter how hard she worked, our family could barely make ends meet.

I would always look forward to the day when mother would be selling the sand each month because she would always bring us children dainty bits such as konfyts, boiled peanuts, fried peas or broad beans from market after doing her business with the boss man. These eating stuffs look common nowadays to boys and girls, but for me during those bad times they were a big treat.

I remember sitting on the threshold at the gate, waiting for mother with my brothers and sister. I would rest my head on my hands, keeping my eyes on the road leading to the market. River sand holds a special token for me with both sadness and happiness, which has made a deep impression on me from my childhood.

Mother worked hard, as did so many, during those years. She lived a spare life-style, making many sacrifices and being rigorous with herself. She would never spend one cent if she considered it unnecessary. I remember very clearly during the year I started middle school, my farther brought home a fine piece of costume material because he was concerned that mother always wore patched clothes. Mother was unhappy with him for going to that expense and kept complaining to him about being wasteful with the money. Many years later after her death my sister and I were going through her belongings which she had kept in a large wooden case. I was shocked to find that piece of costume material at the bottom of the case being still intact. I held it in my hands and burst out crying: “Mother, my dearest mother, I was only 13 when I started middle school and now I’m 41 years old. It had been 28 years. Why did you always care for all us children but never yourself?”

I was working at my office when my sister phoned 500 kilometres away from the hospital to tell me that mother was seriously ill. I suddenly went dumb and dizzy and felt as if the sky had fallen in on me. We spent some time talking about mother and her condition, when I put the receiver down picking up my belongings and decided to head for the bus station. I only had one desire that was to see my mother in person as soon as possible.

I travelled all night and arrived at the hospital early in the morning. My heart was pounding with fear and anxiety, and I raced to the ward where I knew she was confined in. I rushed into the room and took a look at my sister’s face and knew it was not good. Mother just laid there with her eyes closed. It was clear this was her last day----her breathing was heavy and it was clear that she was being tortured by the cancer. I was now out of control my tears were running down like a rushing river. “Mama, Mama, please don’t leave us!” I murmured to her.

My sister put her arms around me as I tried to arouse mama from her coma. Her eyelids quivered slightly enough to tell me she had heard my voice her youngest daughter. It was clear she had a deathbed wish to see me one more time. My sister and I held each other with our heads on each other’s shoulders sobbing out of control. We both knew she was now on the road to Zion and with all our crying and the shedding of tears nothing could stop mama’s journey. That happened one morning last winter when mother gave up her life and peacefully went to sleep after many years of toiling never ever complaining, and always had a smile----she would always say: “Tomorrow will be a better day”.

I smelled the fragrance of those flowers in my friend’s garden and then my mother’s face appeared. Just like a burning candle, mother always brightened those cold winter nights for us. We were five children she had bred and worked so hard so that each one of us could graduate from universities and then saw us grow up flying away from the family nest to establish our own lives, leaving the couple of decrepit swallows alone in the old nest. What hurtful to all five of us was her passing away so early-----denying us the wish to be able to pay back all those sacrifices she had made by allowing us to take care of her now that we were so capable of doing. In the past, I was seldom back home to see and accompany her, as I was busy with work. I thought I might have more chances to stay with her someday in the future when I had holidays. However, I now realize the chance to make up for that big loss has disappeared. It is too late to retrieve anything. Whenever I think about it, I always condemn myself with shame and regret!

It was the year when mother had taken her journey that the chrysanthemums in our old garden, which she had planted herself, were in such luxuriant bloom. I mixed the white petals with mother’s cremains and then walked over to the mountain slope at the back of our garden then scattered them into the breeze. I now know for sure that mother will hear our laughing and talking when we are staying at home with father---she will smile and be happy that we care.

It will be Mid-Autumn Festival again tomorrow (15th day of the 8th lunar month, one of the important Chinese traditional days for family members to reunite). It will be the first Mid-Autumn Festival after mother left. I’m going to see my father after the party and all my brothers and sister will be home too. However, mother is now absent forever. When I’m thinking of her, I get depressed and sorrowful with tears in my eyes.

The mum flowers in our old garden would be in full bloom again this autumn. I quietly said to her in my mind: “Mother, can you smell the fragrance there from beyond? Do you know how much I miss you? How are you doing up there in Zion?”

By Han Tian

March On! ! !

When we march,
We march with our swords.
Devil step back, because it's the word.

Kill, we kill,
And the sick get heal.
De cripple dem, in their feet they can feel.

Devil betta move,
Christian, get in the groove!
The battle's is the Lord's
And that him dun prove!

If you are a Christian:
Then, this be your mission.
Satan's wall we bring down
So low,
I mean under de ground!

War, we ah war.
Satan get what he look for.
The souls he stole,
We are taking back for the king.
Because, Jesus came and died.
Yay!
We got remission of sins!

Satan your only trap,
Jesus block dat.
Satan bring your face,
Get a spiritual slap!

The streets we take,
Because that is we mandate.
We are pushing love
And wiping away hate.

Satan thought he had win,
He had us bound up in sin
But, Jesus loose we,
Now our spirits are free.

Since then we are marching,
We living in the word.
Jesus, oh thank you!
Thank you for giving your blood!

We nuh march in we self.
This thing is bigger than us.
Through Jesus alone, we can crumble
Slew-foot and all his to dust.

Satan you gotto be sick
Bring yourself,
Here's a spiritual kick!

Christian come let we shout
Hallelujah praise.
Shout it out loud!
If you know you covered by the blood!
Hallelujah praise!
Make the dry bones rattle in the graves.

Satan we know you tough,
That's why we don't depend on us
Bring you face,
Get a Holy Ghost Cuff!
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!

children and parent

Should Students' Academic Performance Be Protected as Privacy Against Their Parents

　　Many parents feel that they have their right to gain access to the information on their children who are in college, especially to know what grades they are making. They pressure their sons and daughters and call university officials, trying to get access to their children's performance in college.

　　Most parents are paying for their children's education; so, it's certainly not unreasonable for them to want to know what's going on, but this is something that should be taken care of between the parents and their child, not between the parent and anyone else.

　　Also, parents should understand that bugging their kids to tell them this kind of stuff isn’t necessarily the best thing for them. College is a time when students are beginning their lives as adults. To continue to treat them like they are in high school can be detrimental to the learning they should be doing outside of the classroom.

All in a days work.

All in a days work

I open my eyes
And take a breath
And thank the lord
For this day iv never
Seen. this day in which
Ill never see again. I walk
To the closet I grab my
Shirt grab my tie put on
My pants.I wash my
Face an reality sets in
The issues of the day have
Began to set in. I jump
In the car an I smash on
The gas away I go to this place
Of torment I call job repetitive
Day in day out the same people
The same stail jokes, same dead
Issues but its all in a days work
That I must endure I want Moore
That this Moore that what status quoe says is needful no Moore days
Like this change is in me the problems not the people the problem is me...thought if you do the same thing the same way every day you can't expect change but ill
It again as I said once before its
All in a days work..
Make the most of it.