grafted in and on the journey

Hello Grafted In Reader, Today is Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024 in my corner of blog land. How is your December rolling along and you with it? I like to have some quiet time for about forty-five minutes three or four week-day mornings per week. I call this post, Take A Chance On Me, for that is what life feels like this week for yours truly. The quiet time today, resulted in my curiosity over the possibility of prayers by a named associate of the Apostle Peter from the Biblical record whose name is Clement. I found this prayer, lengthy but concise, and online, assumed to be by the same named person and love its straightforwardness: Lord, enlighten my understanding, I pray: arouse my will,  cleanse my heart, sanctify my soul. May I weep for past sins, repel future temptations, correct evil inclinations, nurture appropriate virtues. Give me, good God, love for you, hatred for myself, zeal for my neighbor, contempt for the world. May I strive to obey my superiors, to help those dependent on ...

Hello Grafted In Reader, Today is Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024, in my corner of blog land. First, thanks to you if you read and liked my latest story, Love You Each, posted at spillwords.com this past Friday. I had over 65 readers like the story; again, thanks from all over my heart! Second, My wife and I returned two days ago from visiting our son and his family in another state. The flight was full both ways, people were generally considerate and courteous! So were we, too. It was a pleasant visit and our grandsons are alive and well! Third, my published book, Human Being Human Doing, will soon become unavailable. I am moving toward short story fiction in anthologies, and making plans to create two chapbooks featuring 2-3 short stories each in the coming two years. Stay tuned please! Finally, as December is noted to have over 20 international holidays within the 31 days, I was delighted to see this news headline in my inbox today from "The Christian Science Monitor" newsletter....

     https://spillwords.com/love-you-each/ Hello Grafted In Reader, Winter snow has arrived today or overnight in my corner of blog land. I suspect the acumulation is at the most one inch, 25.4 mm, respectively. Good news too has fallen for yours truly. One of my stories is selected for publication online, effective December 6, 2024. See below! Dear David, Thank you for submitting your piece titled "Love You Each." We are excited to share the news that your work has been scheduled for publication on 12/6/24 at 1:30am Eastern Time (ET). You can access your published piece through the following link: https://spillwords.com/love-you-each/ We appreciate your valuable contribution and eagerly anticipate the impact your writing will have on our readers. My Note:  The story is about a young child raised by folks in "the village" as it were during her formative years. Please consider reading, and leaving a like at the above URL. May The Holy One bless and keep us today! Mel...

Hello Grafted In Reader, Today is Tuesday, December 3, in my corner of blog land. This morning, I participated in a Pre-Christmas season sale and bought three writer coffee mugs from Cafe Press online. They're due to arrive early next week! How are you doing with the seasonal flurry of activity? The title to this post means a health topic is on the horizon.  I have some info, provided by the Mayo Clinic email, to share with you about a drug and supplement known as Colostrum. Evidently, it's catching on as a popular wellness option from what is noted. Here is the key excerpt from the article offered by Mayo Clinic: Research is still in early stages when it comes to how colostrum supplementation can benefit those other than newborn babies. Currently, areas of health being evaluated include immune function, gut health, athletic performance and diarrhea prevention. Colostrum is rich in protective antibodies, particularly immunoglobulin G, known as IgG, and immunoglobulin A, known a...

Extra Extra Read All About Choice           Story: Torn           by David C. Russell, Author Hello Grafted In Reader, Okay, I attribute the creation of this to: - Weekly exercise from a writing group to which I belong - Too many 'Black Friday ads" heard and it's not even Friday.  Enjoy! Exercise: Torn   I was one of many Saturday shoppers at the local box hardware store. Overhead speakers piped in music, and occasional announcements aired about saving money on a brand of paint, outdoor lights, weather stripping, etc. After adding some canned soups and hot cereal choices to my cart, I wheeled over to the clothing aisle. My son had given me my present jacket from this store a few years back; my desire was to replace it with the same exact style. The Carhartt jacket was reduced by one-third its price, and the jacket I loved was less expensive by contrast. Each would be comparably capable of keeping one toasty through cons...

Hello Grafted In Reader, Today is Sunday, November 24, 2024 in my corner of blog land.  Thursday, November 28, citizens in the United States of America will celebrate Thanksgiving or as is the fad, FriendsGiving. Perhaps that in and of itself is another topic: FriendsGiving and Thanksgiving.  My exhortation is to wish you a joyous occasion if you are celebrating this Holiday. Next weekend, many Christians and Catholics will begin to observe a period of time called Advent, which comes to an end on December 25, Christmas Day. This period looks to the Coming of Messiah both as a child, born in a guest room not a barn as is alleged, and also coming as Redeemer and King in the future. I want to challenge us with something by Jewish Rabbi, Irwin Keller. This is an excerpt from a Reflection for Shabbat email sent out every Saturday from the website, My Jewish Learning. To set the stage for R. Keller, many devout Jews adhere to the idea now that we are in the Messianic era, as opposed...

Hello Grafted In Reader, Note:  Story Snippet at the end of this post if interested! Today is November 18, 2024 in my corner of blog-land. Thanksgiving in the USA occurs in ten days; my mother passed away some years ago on November 22nd; former USA President, John Kennedy, assassinated on another November 22nd. Another Presidential and local state election occurred in early November; results somewhat satisfying for this citizen. I left Facebook before November, but have been doing more writing and taking more actions to improve and expand my writing craft. I do miss the 'online socialization' FB provided. However, posts on Reddit and exploring Mastodon are future endeavors to be carried out. What is November to you? One thing seems certain, It's a month of change here. November could be March in Reverse, weather-wise. I want to conclude with a story snippet that was a writing exercise from a group I belong too. The title is, Post Cards: Wishing You Were Here and mine featur...

Hello Grafted In Reader, Today is Friday, October 25, 2024 in my corner of blog-land. This post may appeal to those of you who observe a reflective time known as Sabbath, or quiet rest and contemplation during some hours between Friday and Sunday evening. In the '90s, pop singers Madonna and Whitney Houston make a brief reference to prayer in two songs by each, respectively. - Whitney prays about someone she has feelings of love for and desire for connection. - Madonna says a prayer in the midnight hour for her love interest. This blog, in its original purpose, was to inform us about the influence of Judaism with regard to Christian practice. Prayer is one of those practices within both faiths. Here is a simple explanation offered by the website: bible.com. TEFILLAH: Which means PRAYER How often do we use prayer as nothing more than an emergency call or a cold call to God? Too often we only pray when we need or want something from God - which is understandable considering the Engli...

Hello Grafted In Reader, Today is October 22, 2024 in my corner of blog-land. The title of this post is from a song originally recorded about fifty years ago, "Someday Soon".  People had stomach aches and other gut issues back then, too. One could view evening network news here in the U.S., and a thirty-minute news program would most certainly have an ad for stomach relief or headache relief. Where I am going with this is a caption below from a recent Mayo Clinic newsletter. Next time you go for your annual checkup, ask the person giving the checkup if they know about organnoids? Growing mini-organs to find new treatments 3D mini intestines grown in a dish, known as "organoids," provide a unique platform for studying the human gut. On the reading front, I just began a novel by Andrew Grealey from 1986, "Angels Of September". He was a Roman Catholic, fiction author, and would weave aspects of his faith and or theology into his novels. It's an entertaini...

Hello Grafted In Reader, Today is Friday, October 4, 2024 in my corner of blog-land.  Earlier today, my memories were somewhat enlivened from the decade of the 1990s. I read a reflection from the "New Life Devotions Archive" that was written during this decade, and I will share below. I think it has some valid, uplifting, considerations for that four-letter word we know as "love". I found this online, so credit goes to the writers and entity that posted this topic. Secure Love We admitted that we were powerless over our dependencies and that our lives had become unmanageable. lrd-secure-love The search for love and permanent security in relationships is deep within all of us. Even though we may be in a relationship where we are loved, we may deeply fear the loss of that love. This is especially true if we’ve been abandoned in the past or had our love betrayed. The Song of Solomon is a love poem dedicated to the girl Solomon loved. He describes a nightmare she had: “...

Hello Grafted In Readers, Today is Monday, Sept. 23, 2024 in my corner of blog-land. I am happy to see a build-up in visitors to our blog, Grafted In And On The Journey. Thank you for stopping by and if this is your first time, indeed welcome! I am avocationally a writer who enjoys creating short stories. It has been my pleasure to be featured in the periodical "New Authors Journal for the past few quarterly issues. You may find this title at Amazon.com in print, for sale across North America. Google, "New Authors Journal, Amazon, Fall 2024.". This story excerpt is part one and is about a gentleman, middle-aged, dealing with the loss of his wife to cancer. Part Two, to be featured in the Winter issue, is the way this man comes back to once again enjoying life as best he can. I share the story excerpt with you:   Hank Winthrop had been a widow for almost one year. At the passing of his wife of nearly twenty-eight years, name Jocelyn, There were several “almost” in his c...

Hello Grafted In Reader, How goes it today, September 19, 2024 in blog land or the world at large? This post is going to be a bit lengthy, and feature an article about The Lord (Yaweh) being our Shepherd. This article is a Hebrew Word Study exploring the meanings of Shepherd: herdsman, friend, consuming passion, maternal figure. I would like to share some exciting news on the writing front before posting the article by Heim Bentorah. - I have a story that will be in two parts featured in the Autumn issue of "New Authors Journal", available in print from Amazon.com. The story is about a fictional character whose wife succumbs to a diagnosis of cancer and the months of grief that ensue for him. The second part (featured in winter 2025 "New Authors Journal) will look at his turn-around in life a couple years later. He is consumed with passion to reach out to others in need at this point. Secondly, I am working on producing a chapbook called "From The Red Chair". T...

Hello Grafted In Reader, Today is August 20, 2024 in my corner of blog-land, Tuesday. I mentioned a story snippet would be shared in an upcoming post, and generally am a  man of my word. The story is meant to be a bit comical, light, romantic, and believable. My main character, a single man in his mid 20s, wants to marry one day but has a stipulation that few know of concerning his future bride. Here is the snippet. I hope to publish this in Fall and will let you know when and where. Homonym or Homophone David C. Russell My name is Clair; some have described me as a man of simple means. I have practiced basic life principles much of my twenty-six years: things like the golden rule, saving a minimum amount of five dollars a week, on occasion paying something forward. I did some community college after high school, but since age seventeen, have worked for a major window company as an installer. Part-time became full-time a few months after high school graduation. I liked most t...

Hello Grafted In Readers, I titled this post "Listen To Your Heart" for a couple reasons: First, to honor the Jewish people who commemorate this time by recalling events in their history that were anything but delightful, induced joy, but nearly brought this people to their end. The destruction of two temples prior to, and early in the Common Era, are one such example. The Holokaust of course is a most recent example as well as the ongoing war, conflict, that began on October 7, 2023. I can only suggest that one who listens to their heart may hear a Still Small Voice coming alongside to offer comfort and inner shalom. No fixes, but comfort and inner shalom. The other reason is this song was released around August 1989. So, it has enjoyed a history of being played on some radio stations for thirty-five years and still sounds good! Ifg we keep our hearts directed toward Adonai, we will surely find self direction for those areas of life where we come up short. Read an account, i...

Hello Grafted In Reader, Today is Thursday August 1, 2024 in my corner of blog land. Have you noticed yet the sense that events in history often or occasionally repeat themselves? Back in the day when "boom Boxes", portable radio/cassette players, were a consumer option, I used to record AP Network News briefs; this was to have an audio picture file about things occurring then in our world.  This week, Morning Edition News Program, NPR, featured a set of sound bites from this past July to note key news events: former President Trump shot at a rally, some notable figures from the entertainment world pass away, a President announces he'll not seek re-election, etc. Looking at some historic notations from the website, APNews, these are what I pasted. Note what two Presidents accomplished who were both in separate political parties during their tenure. Each left a legacy by doing this legislative hallmark: AUGUST 01 1981: America gets its MTV 1907: Scout Movement begins 1966:...

Hello Grafted In Reader, Today is Wednesday, July 24, 2024 in my corner of blog-land. I think much about each post title, and try to carry the tradition as it were to begin posts with a song title from acoustic music world, i.e., stations like Radio Heartland online. Today our title, Gotta Lot Of Love, is something we either have, don't have, or wish we had more of in life. We either gotta lot of love to give, that has been received, and dare I say both are true? Do you and I have an idea of what love looks like? feels like? but might fall short in giving a good description or definition. Leave that to the dictionary experts! I think that's okay. Let's consider this song and post title as we go about our day and try to pin down just what that means for each of us. As a writer, I recently wrote a story about a man who loses his wife after 28 years of marriage. She dies of skin cancer. Hank goes through a period where despair and monotony depict his life. In year three he is ...

Hello Grafted In Reader, Today is Tuesday, July 9 in my corner of blog land. I titled this, Welcome Normal, for a good reason: a recent move has boxes all over the place, pans and skillets in new drawers, coffee somewhere, office fan somewhere, etc etc. My reading habit though continues as I indulge in the stories by the late Franz Kafka. Then, I plan to re-read some E.M. Forster, whom has become a favorite author. My piano gig at The Voyager in St. Clair, MI, continues Thursday evenings through Sunday evenings. Sunday though is from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., a little more if there is a full restaurant on Sundays. I recommend their signature pasta cooked in olive oil! The day stretches ahead and there are things awaiting on my to-=do list, which is kept mentally. Here's to the current journey and what may be happening with each of us. I am pleased you stopped by! I take comfort in imagining what one goes through, others have the same experience or quite similar. May the shalom of the Most ...

Hello Grafted In Reader, Today is Wednesday, June 26, 2024 in my corner of blog land. My listening habits vary in reading music, entertainment choices probably similar to my tastes in cuisine. I like the All American burger, Chinese style cashu chicken, classical music from the Baroque period e.g., Bach, J.S. and or CPE to name two; acoustic folk music by singers such as Kate Ryan or The Dubliners; light or mellow rock, older country music and some American Standards by Sinatra, Cole, or FitzGerald. I titled this post, It's A Heavenly Day, after hearing a song by the same name on the station, RTE Gold based in Ireland. Lyrics to much of the song appear now: Heavenly Day Song by Patty Griffin  Lyrics Oh, heavenly dayAll the clouds blew awayGot no trouble today with anyone The smile on your face, I live only to seeIt's enough for me, baby, it's enough for meOh, heavenly day, heavenly day, heavenly day Tomorrow may rain with sorrowHere's a little time we can borrowForget a...

                    Hello Grafted In Reader, For many, today is the Sabbath or Shabbat, Saturday, June 15, 2024. May you regularly observe a weekly period of self rest, renewal, and divine refreshment! Writing is at the top of my list these days. You are invited to read the sample of my latest story at: https://www.spillwords.com/author/davidcrussell titled, "The Demagogue" Here is the opening for your perusal. THE DEMAGOGUE written by: David C Russell “April Fools,” I said. “You screwed up my breakfast,” Kim said, expression incensed, annoyed, exasperated. “I was just having fun. Don’t be such a poor sport,” I answered. “You eat this bowl of rice krispies and let me know how you like baking soda instead of sugar,” Kim said, still annoyed. This was my first attempt at deception at the age of eight. Kim was my younger sister by two years. Gradually, over time, motivation to deceive for the thrill it brought would mentally beckon...

Hello Grafted In Readers, Today is Wednesday, May 29, 2024 in my corner of blogland. We have a few things to converse about today. Grafted In Here To Stay I have decided to keep the "cabin" open as it were for you to drop in anytime. Just wipe your shoes off on the figurative, virtual matt provided at the entry. I will also be moving to Substack during the next few months. That will be an extension of what you have seen here if visiting a while. I enjoy our current arrangement, and can tell some of you do as well. Writing Life I just came off the writing life race track for a while, and am resuming creating short fiction. The racetrack in question is about book promotion and marketing. I am on the verge of working with someone to find comfortable, affordable ways to promote my title(s) more effectively.  My recent created "Menacing Dropoff" story will be in the summer issue of "New Authors Journal" available in print from Amazon.com around middle June. Her...

Hello Grafted In Reader, Today is Tuesday, May 14, 2024 in my corner of blog-land. How goes it? I just had a warm visit with a friend whom I will identify as LM. Our conversation included the key words that I'm using as this post's title: Persevere and Persist. We all face roadblocks throughout life, stop-signs if driving, crosswalks if pedestrian, periods of wait when shopping or eating out, starting small if embarking on something like writing, a new business venture, learning to play a music instrument, income as an adolescent or young adult. Or, it used to be that way... On Sunday May 12, I played piano at The Voyageur in St. Clair, MI, for patrons as it was Mother's Day here in North America. My song choices ranged 50 years in scope and as they were played, different memories came to mind from respective eras. I persevered through whatever challenges each era brought. So have you. I might be right in saying for the most part, things worked out well for both of us despi...

Hello Grafted In Readers, Thanks to the five of you who have dropped by to visit since last post. Today is Wednesday, April 10 in my corner of blog land. Have you ever done something that you could take pride in, and for whatever reason, if it was to benefit others, the thing you accomplished went largely unnoticed? I woke this morning to spend a good hour in quiet solitude just over this very experience. The issue is to make other things in your life front and center, so this occurrence is not robbing you of your joy, your creativity, your attention to the moment in which you now live, and probably a few other prospects.  Perhaps It may well be  Jordan Peterson, Psychiatrist, whom advised compare yourself today with yourself of yesterday. That's a reminder to not compare your success with another but with your own. Yes, easier said than done; I know... My 11-month-old title, "Human Being Human Doing" continues to be at reduced price at: https://books2read.com/u/mlqXG9 ti...

Hello Grafted In Readers, I am listening to some acoustic music from Radio Heartland as we visit. In fact, earlier this hour they played the song for which this post is titled. Bill Staines was a folk singer in the '70s and '80s, who had a pleasant sound, nice lyrics about life's pleasures and some pitfalls, but his legacy remains! It's the last Monday of March 2024 in my corner of blog land. Much personal growth in writing has occurred, more so behind the scenes since our last visit. Be careful what you shop for, it may not be the best thing for you, is my take-away. I am reading, "Let Us Descend" by author Jesmyn Ward. The story is set in the time of slavery existing in the U.S., and is quite a riveting story. On the writing front, a friend suggested that I work on a story about a group combatting rising water rates. This is an occurrence happening across North America, and in some cases has out-paced our inflation rate around 6 or 7 percent annually. The st...

Hello Grafted In Reader, Today is extraordinary in my corner of blog land, February 29, 2024. Tomorrow begins the month of March. I particularly like the month of March for the following noted occurrences: - National Reading Month, U.S., - March Madness Tournament, college basketball, U.S., - Arrival of Spring and the inkling of warmer days and nights, North America. How does March stand in your list of enjoyments? Plans On Moving Since our last visit nearly three weeks ago, I have decided to explore the possibility of moving to SubStack and even changing the title of the blog there to that assigned my most current book, "Human Being Human Doing" Side Note:  https://books2read.com/u/mlqXG9 Back to Visit I will alert you when my first post appears at SubStack, but am tentatively planning on mid April, 2024. Books Being Read My daily trek in life includes a good hour of reading for pleasure, knowledge, and personal sustenance. For pleasure, I am reading a Fantasy novel by well-...

Hello Grafted In Reader, I am glad for your visit be it the first time or a seeming innumerable time. Today is Monday, February 12, 2024 in my corner of blog land. It is also said to be the 100th anniversary for the composition, "Rhapsody In Blue" by the late George Gershwin. Hence, this post is titled to honor this man and his life in music! This is also a planning session for this blog. I request your comments on the following over the next few weeks. I am considering broadening the scope of this blog to include a monthly author update or newsletter. Below, is a sample draft of what is envisioned. Would this be of interest to you, in addition to, or separate from our visits as they have occurred? Proposed Sample Newsletter David C. Russell Welcome  In 1996, John Larson released his musical titled, "Rent." A reflective song within the musical, "Seasons Of Love" points out that one year contains 525600 minutes. Engagement with this newsletter may require a...

Hello Grafted In Readers, Today is February 8, 2023 in my corner of blog land. We are blessed with "mild spring" weather today with temperatures nearing 50 degrees F, or 10 degrees C. As the sun is mostly prominent, it the recipe for spending time outdoors! This morning, someone sent me a post I had applied to a social media site, namely Facebook, from the Union of Reform Judaism, on the day Donald Trump became the forty-fifth President of the United States. The point of this post being, we are to hold our leadership up in prayer regardless our feeling about the one in leadership. It's a lengthy post, but worth reading on occasion, and worth posting here as it is somewhat timely. I will be back with more news in a couple weeks, but hope you will avail yourself the opportunity to read this essay. Post Of January 21, 2017 Hello Facebook Friends and Readers, I am an author and reader by avocation. Living in the USA, today is Inauguration Day of a new national leader, Donald ...

Hello Grafted In Reader Today is January 23, 2024 in my corner of blog-land. I am up before the emergence of dawn, and used the time to start reading a collection of essays by teacher and Rabbi, Raymond Apple of Australia. Biblical People : Mandelbaum Studies in Judaica ... Walmart https://www.walmart.com › Books › All Books About this result This is a book of short essays on interesting people, events and themes in the Hebrew scriptures. An earlier book by the same author is New Testament People ... His first portrait is of the Bible Prophet, Elijah. The phrase "still small voice" also described as a thin silence or quiet whisper is mentioned. HaShem speaks in a still small voice, not always but when so chosen. When silence fills the room what do you hear? It's an enlightening question to consider of oneself. By the way, have you had a chance to look at my book title - "Human Being Human Doing"?  (See previous post) I am working on a new title, "Moments wi...