Random Acts of Writing

By Mark J. Molldrem

Reading in and of itself is a joy. Reading for knowledge and insight is a manifold joy. Reading for self-reflection and personal growth is an infinite joy. You will experience all these joys reading this book.

Learn the meaning of the earths tilt. Be surprised by wings. Appreciate the value of a good nights sleep. Delight in the courage and wisdom of Auggie. And more

The forty-eight essays will guide you through the seasons of the year, the holiday seasons and the seasons of life with some humor, some seriousness, and some serendipity.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Sep 15, 2017
• ISBN: 9781543449228

Mark J. Molldrem

Mark J. Molldrem invests his time with his children and grandchildren, reading, writing, stain glass art, hosting a daily local radio program Joy in the Morning, volunteering with a downtown revitalization organization, yard work and vacationing with his wife, Shirley.  Throughout the years, he has authored many articles in magazines, journals and newspapers.  He founded and is the Executive Director of Friendship International, a local mission with a global outreach, especially to Liberia, West Africa, where he has taught since 2007 and sent many cargo containers of educational, medical and family supplies.

Book preview

Copyright © 2017 by Mark J. Molldrem.

Library of Congress Control Number:                      2017914315

ISBN:                      Hardcover                         978-1-5434-4920-4

                                Softcover                           978-1-5434-4921-1

                                 eBook                               978-1-5434-4922-8

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted

in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,

without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 09/15/2017

Xlibris

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

766964

CONTENTS

Introduction

January

Making The Most Of Your Time

Sweet Dreams

Reading The Tides

The Names Of God

February

Love Is Not Love

Love Is And Is Not About You

Lincoln’s Legacy

The Economy Of The Heart

March

Wisdom For Aging

No Paradise Here—Still …

When Everyone Is An Irish Wannabe

No Fool With Finances

April

Too Much At Once

Duties Fulfilled Provide Rights And Privileges

We Belong To The Land

Prescription For World Health

May

A Common Sense Response To Suffering

Wonder

The Test Of Time

Half-Staff And Full-Staff Hearts

June

Somewhere Over The Rainbow

Wings—Of All Things!

Choices

To Be … Or Not!

July

Freedom For What?

Roses Among The Thorns

The Dance Of Shiva

Which Time Is It?

August

The Doer Of Good

You Are Somebody

Moon Watch

What Are You Good For?

September

Celebrate The Victory

The Joy And Good Of Work

Hispanic Treasure

Blessings And Investments

October

The Golden Years

Dating Is Different Now

Suppose Everything Matters

You Can’t Scare Me

November

Always In Season

Sacrifice For Freedom

Thank You, George

Thanks For The Thorns

December

Go Bung

The Art Of Ending

The Reason For The Seasons

Old City Bar

Epilogue

INTRODUCTION

Words and sentences, reflecting upon experience with descriptions, thoughts, feelings, and meaning, are the foundation of literature, which is one of the many features distinguishing Homo sapiens from the rest of the animal kingdom. Words and sentences can be put together in the form of poetry, dialogues, novels, treatises, documents, or books on various subjects of human interest (for example, science, history, travel, food, sports, religion, or philosophy). None of these are the nature of this volume. Words and sentences can also create plays in which people act out the plot and characters involved. Such acting gives shape to the acts (divisions) within the play. So is this book like a play? It is titled Random Acts of Writing. Are there distinct acts that reveal characters engaged in a story line?

No, the acts of writing within these pages are not like those of Sophocles, Shakespeare, Chekov, or Ibsen; they do not necessarily string together to tell a coherent story with characters and plot. They are random after all. Yet they do indeed tell a story, but more about the pathways of the mind and heart as life unfolds in its multifarious, glorious, delightful, challenging, and mysterious ways. Instead of a story line with plot, you’ll find character lines with attitudes, perspectives, values, and behaviors.

So how can you read this book? People’s habits in reading books vary. Some like to start and not stop until the last page is turned. Others will read the conclusion first and then go back to the beginning to see how the ending came to be. It is recommended that in reading this book, you take time with each act. Notice how the book is structured around the months of the year. There are basically four weeks in each month, so there are four acts to each month. Read one a week—once, twice … more times as desired. Reflect upon the theme for the week. Apply it each day of the week; or modify it to your circumstances or ideas to make it your own in some way.

A brief introduction to each month will focus on the origin and meaning of the name of the month. This is just for fun and interest’s sake. Notice the questions and space provided after each month’s introduction. Respond to the questions or note significant events that have occurred during this month in years past that you want to remember whether joyfully, pleasantly, sadly, or regretfully. Jot them down whether you are mindful of them before or after you read the weeks of that particular month.

What you are about to venture forth in reading is not meant to be a page-turner (as in a great detective or romance novel), but a page-stopper for you to pause and reflect, question and learn, wonder and grow. Enjoy the reading as you journey forward on your path in life.

JANUARY

January.jpg

Janus, the Roman god of gates and doorways, gives his name to this month. Appropriately named, the first month of each new year is a time to leave the old year behind and embrace the new year, like walking through a doorway into a different room. Janus is portrayed with two faces—one looking backward and one looking forward, much like what we do at this time of year as we close the door on the past and open the door on the future.

What do you hope the new year will be like for you?

What can you do to make the new year the best ever for you?

Previous, notable events that have occurred in this month …

Making the Most of Your Time

Time’s a-wastin’!

Time marches on!

Time is running out!

What time is it? It’s time to see out the old year and see in the New Year.

60/60/24/7/30/365: We mark time by the seconds in a minute, minutes in an hour, hours in a day, days in a week, days in a month, and days in a year. Annually, we celebrate in some way the course of the earth around the sun, reflecting on the year that has been and anticipating the year that will be.

What has happened in your life this past revolution around the sun? What do you hope for during this next revolution around the sun? It seems like only yesterday that we were at this same point in time—pondering where it went … so fast … pondering what kind of times would be in store for us in the year ahead … taking forever to develop. Now we are at it again—pondering!

60/60/24/7/30/365! That’s it. No more, no less. The same for all of us, despite our wishes that if we could only have one more hour in the day or one more day in the week, we just might get done what we want or need to do. Not going to happen!

So what can be done about this? Basically, we all need to stop focusing our attention on how much time we have or do not have; remember, it’s the same for all of us. What we need to do is begin focusing on what we are doing with the time we have!

There is a saying about three kinds of people in the world: those who make things happen, those who watch what happens, and those who wonder what just happened. Which are you? Making … watching … or wondering?

Many of us are considering making resolutions to see us into the new year. Resolutions are motivated by our experiences, as they should be. If we have lost a loved one this past year, we may be motivated to pay more attention to those who are still with us. If we have lost a job, we may be motivated to retool ourselves with different skills and search in new markets for work. If we have taken a hard hit financially, we may be motivated to look for a second job or decide to cut back our expenses. If we have had a dramatic illness or accident, we may be motivated to change our lifestyle regarding eating, exercise, recreation, or leisure time.

As you stand—or kneel—on the threshold of this new year, looking backward with joys and regrets, looking forward with hopes and fears, determine to invest your time wisely to make good what lies ahead. Don’t just watch time go by or wonder what just passed you by.

Know this: there will be favorable times ahead, and there will be unfavorable times ahead. In this respect, the new year will be very much like the old year, just like the seasons that come and go—they are still the same seasons with only minor variations throughout. The key to your new year will be how you will find ways to live graciously through the time you have so that you can make the most of it.

Sweet Dreams

Throughout the generations, parents have said to their children, Go to bed now, sweet dreams. How many times have children tried to stay up late (an adult proclivity also), squeeze more into the day, and end up worrying about tomorrow? Getting a good night’s sleep is important; having dreams is important. History could depend on it!

In the seventh century BCE, King