turn and turn about

---

Somehow I start to see, but like a babe

it seems too much for me to handle well.

I have to take a break, enjoy the shade,

and have a play within your house, and dwell.

Not just to dwell on it, but in it too.

I now recall that ancient psalm* (prayer/ song),

of king who tried to understand, but knew

“relating, as a child” made him belong.

I needs go “back to basics” now & then,

as breathing has that flow of in, and out.

The outward part is “try to understand”,

the inward is to “see what’s good about..”

and then relate, as small child would to Mum, 

or Dad, when fed and sheltered - just enjoy 

their company, and rest ourself, in some

small way, to let me trust (as a small boy)

my parents to know more than me, to look..

look after me, to know more, and still be

aware of what is needed, they will book

me in to train my immaturity..

And I can take some time to try to gain

an understanding, strengthen my insight.

Though this must be acknowledging the plain

fact that I am contingent, and each night

the world goes on when I must fall asleep,

become unconscious, can’t be in control,

entrust my very self to you to keep

me as a self, within yourself or soul.

---

*  “..Lord, I have given up my pride

    and turned away from my arrogance.

I am not concerned with great matters

    or with subjects too difficult for me.

Instead, I am content and at peace.

As a weaned child lies quietly in its mother's arms,

    so my heart is quiet within me.

God’s people, trust in the Lord

    now and forever!.” (Psalm 131:1-2)

---

2025th Christmas

Anniversary celebrations

---

We sat, the five of us, at table, on

the night before, and played the Five Crowns game.

Reminded me of Magi who did more, 

though Anne had travelled something like the same.

And I recalled Paul Kelly’s songs which tell:

“From little things, Big things grow”, & then recalled

nine months before the baby, there’s one cell.

When life & growing’s nurtured, we don’t “fall”..

fall down, but can grow up (though I feel flat, 

and immature, & babyish, to boot.

I’ve seen so many children grow like that -

when in a world where love has taken root,

and then’s acknowledged, though we mightn't feel

too able to conveigh it through just words,

it’s sometimes just a nod, a sign, a meal,

a showing up, a lead in Way  Forwards*).

A fam’ly in a distant place contacts,

by video and says “Hello” & greets,

& shows some tables set, and too relax-

es while they wait for others in their streets.

Then there’s the baby girl whose birthday is..

(first anni-ver-sar-y is).. on today;

we rang and sang and said Hello to this 

whole fam’ly. Then both “Merry Christmas!” say.

Since celebrating great things often will

involve our lowly animal nature,

we celebrate with food (and swim) & swill;

So “wise and harmless” source, we celebrate ya!

---

*  Thinking of many things: 

• The Shepherd, by Fredrick Forsythe as told by Al "Fireside" Maitland; 

• the claim for the babe whose birth is celebrated at Christmas, and whose claimed identity gives rise to its name.

• ..

---

(prieve and)

re-prieve

---

Oh God! These bodies have done very well.

They scare us though, with your attention to

the details of how we can bring on Hell

into this Middle Earth, and how we do

have power to, by our responses, lift

or lower our whole Universe, in views

that we would hold tenaciously as gift

to care for, or as just resource to use.

But thanks for bringing options (into space

& time of our existence) here on Earth.

So thanks for ways to partner & to place

our trust (of friendship) in you since our birth...

foretold, which seems like coming very soon,

as soon as this womb world has done its trick

conduiting our connections (as the moon

can transfer light from Sun, so very quick,

round corners, into shadow we call night)

and brought us to enough maturity 

to make the journey which may seem quite fright-

-ful (through the birth canal) till we can see

our fam’ly: Dad & siblings, even Mum.

though we could only see her body since

our eyes began to work, our sight to come.

But seeing more can sometimes make us wince.

We're taking on our duties in the way 

a small child does, who follows whimsy where

it leads, curtailed by what their parents say.

That friendship, list’ning, babbling, is our “prayer”.

---

Meaning?

---

It's funny how at times I feel empty,

like purpose & life’s meaning’s drained away.

I’m left a shell, an empty garden. Me.

With no life growing in me on display.

No register of passions,  feelings “dead” -

though ‘tsnot as though my feelings on this thing 

are very tuned, or accurate or shed 

much light as basis for a sound judging.

But still it should be said, so when researched

it can be found that this has  now occurred

within this world, in this body now perched

on side of bed. At times things do get blurred.

But also, that there are two good things which

appear to help me not to fall apart:

First is a slight distrust of feelings. Glitch-

-es seem to still occur. It’s still an art -

the feedback loop from body back to “me”.

It might depend on which side of my brain,

is handling the data then, to see

and understand my purpose. Then again

sometimes just one response must do for ā 

few diff’rent kinds of feedback; like there’s tears -

of pain, of joy, of sadness, or  eye strain.

If I mistake the context, then my fears

will all be “proved right”, as my eyes and sight

have testified to me at forty five.

I thought some bad infection came at night.

But teary eyes were just “years been alive”.

The second, is a story, not some “fact”.

And story is what lets right hemispheres,

see context for interpretting each act

and “seeing” what significance appears…

So I recall my story in this world,

to get involved in my self-authoring.

Identify the purpose I've been hurled

here for, get straight my  reason for being!

Then doing it (in chunks), is my next step

to bring me to experience, not just

"in theory". ’Times I need to have just wept

with someone-else, else I  grow full - ‘n bust.

---

with Emmanuel, God is "with" us! (not against us)

---

With Kev, right now, said Martin in a text,

what comes to my mind is “signif’cant life’, 

and ‘loved’. And also the words “cheerfulness”

and “genuine courtesy” & “warmth”. Alright,

I tried to pass these on to him today 

while Annabelle & Milly joined me at

the hospital where we hoped things to say

or read a Psalm, and sing a song. We sat

or stood by his still body (open mouthed, 

not breathing any more while we were there, 

before the doctor came to check what housed

his very self, we thought he was somewhere

within the care of his shepherd, a sheep,

and read Psalm 23, and something else,

and sang of Peace Boat as he slipped to “sleep” 

(as Jesus spoke of death). God’s several* selves.

---

*   Annabelle Rose Elvita Heer Walls, Millicent Jayne Tullia Heer McLean, Harriet Jayne Elowyn McLean, & Paul Lindsay Walker, saying “good night” to Kevin Angus McIntyre.

The Big Question: What DO we need?

---

Communities of Practice, where we learn

to “practice what we preach” and that’s the Christ

of God - as one who died in his good turn

at ripe old age in nursing home, enticed

to focus on a life of luxury,

provided with his servants round to care 

for ev’ry need, until he died in sleep,

surrounded by his fam’ly who were there,

and loved him, as he’d loved them through the years

denying their own selves gladly to serve, 

to hang out with him when he faced his fears..

Communities which practice keep their nerve,

Embodying their words spoken to bless,

& showing how to make this practical,

once taken in, to live it out in  stress-

full situations when they lacked a full

experience, or ways to speak of it,

both to yourself and others you affect,

within the group, & outsiders who sit

around who see, & gain a great respect.

Our biggest need, it’s said, is words to speak

about these good lives, we’ve all had till now,

about good choices, things we’ve done which tweak

& maximize investments, Take a bow.

An audience who’ll clap, and pat my back,

and tell me I am better than I thought.

And then we sell our merch off, don’t be slack,

and roll into our coffins - which we've bought.

---

new-world way!

---

My old habits of barging in and then

just trying to smooth off the ruffles made,

has worked at times, and espesh-ly when

my immaturity was clear & bade

folk overlook it, from a gracious heart.

I helped to “multiply grace in the world”!

But as God’s Reign’s Ambassador* has start-

-ed to call us, by questions, where we’re hurled:

“Shall we keep sinning, so grace will abound?”

The answer that then clearly must erupt

into the world volcanic’ly, I've found

to be what causes mountains to grow up:

“ .. a ghastly thought! We, who have died to sin—

how could we live in sin a moment long-

-grr?”° That’s the grrunt, the grrit, that helps us win,

that might come out in strong determined song.

And I recall that Jesus is a gent-

a gentlleman, who’ll knock and stand around

till he’s invited in (to where he’s sent)

And little brother James said that he’d found:

The way to be was just like his big bro:

that’s very quick to listen, look, and think,

(took thirty years, and that seems), very slow

to speak out public’ly, and then he’d wink…

and tell a story, ask a question and

do an act of kindness, that would show

the truth of Herald's message^ (which he planned)

and clearly spoke, so ev’ryone would know.

---

Footnotes:

*° Jesus’ Apostle Paul, in his Letter to the Roman Christians 6:1-4

^ his "gospel", the timely message of who reigned now, those 15 words (in Greek): as in Mark 1:14-15 “Time’s fulfilled: God’s reign is “near”! Give up all your own agendas - take this seriously.”

---

Step out! - into the dance I'm learning…

---

And learn to do the simple thing - admit

when I am immature or self absorbed;

and, on the side of greater good, then git -

to work again, the sacred oil’s been daubed

on toe, and thumb, of this priest of the God,

the spirit of creative love who loves 

creatively, with pow’r that’s not just nod-

-ding to a principle, with gen’ral shoves

in right directions. Partnership it is,

but still not one of equals; I must start 

with humble, loving, learning ways of his,

who’ll reach, impeach, and teach me all his art

of living well, by seeing good that’s there

around about me, ev’ry step I take,

and letting my heart well in thanks, and prayer

for others round about, then help them bake

the cakes they love to make, to bring more good

into God’s great good world, when thirst is slaked, 

and hunger which is meant to serve, or should

enhance the passion - fruit icing what’s baked…

and say the thing his prophet should then say,

and rule the world - bring order as a king

is meant to do, who knows the kingly way

of God who rules the rulers of each thing

or aspect of our lives here down below!

I’ll recognise, then speak, and sing, and play

his praises, to his honour, for I know

the kind of songs he sings, and words he’ll say.

---

look out, slow down, see clear, step forward now ’n live "near"...

---

I'm so affected by those round about,

by people whom I love, and want to please.

I’m scared of what it means with those who lout-

ishly accuse, command, so I’ll appease.

I’d cease to be the person who you made,

or play the part you wanted me to play

within this drama, with its heat and shade,

and problems which show while you seem away.

This shows my insecurities up well.

It shows my own propensities to act

instinctively, defensive of the self,

not with the view that’s overall in fact.

Not closely, well connected with the GOD,

the spirit of creative love that’s formed

a world like this, and me to serve the lot,

to work as partner with your ways en-normed.

Ennorm-ously in need of your input, 

inhibiting affects that slow me up,

to check, and tune, and get in step, without

just throwing in the tow'l when I’m shown up.

So here I am, so weak and immature,

who knows so little of your kinda love,

HESED*, that lives in covenant with who’re

a willing partner with who’s “from above”.

So my first call is from yourself: “Respond…" -

in kind, to all the care you've shown to me.

My first love will then draw the others on;

do you see, Paul, how they are then set free?

---

* HESED is the Hebrew word for loving-kindness, loyal love, covenant love, and is based on keeping one’s own word, affected by, but not predicated upon the other’s responses.

---

Draft audio song

...doing well…

---

Well here’s a thing I’m learning* that’s a “trick”,

a “hack” for living down here as we do

(for those of us who travel slow or quick

upon this Earth through time - and distance too).

For those who live within this kind of world

where processes are part of how things work.

Instead of just events where stuff is hurled

near “ready made” at us. It’s quite berserk

that even then, like when a baby’s born,

it takes a bunch of years to learn to use

it's body prop’ly - 'cept for how to mourn,

or cry aloud. We help them learn to choose

to live out of their instincts, and then learn

to do things that are helpful to their place 

within a human culture: take their turn

at turning round, at sitting in a space,

at crawling on all fours, and using words,

and learning to participate within

the structures of authority [like birds

within the unseen air wherein they swim

both up, and down, and join in flocks to aid

in simple things like moving right along

in line with seasons (though they are not paid

in cash) there’s gifts they take. They thank in song.]

So forward Ways we go, we learn to trust

the process that is bigger than ourselves

of mateship that means friends who do not bust

when hard things come about. So “anti- hell”!

---

*  This year I followed the process of a bunch of mediocre skills that required ongoing repeated work towards an end that seemed (& was) far, far removed from my starting point, over a time frame of 5-12 years, or more: 1) with my wife, I bought a house and oversaw (& significantly contributed to) the insulation & recladding of it, then upgrading its front & back landings, and the usability of its various rooms and underneath for  storage & living areas; 2) I jammed a (piano/) keyboard with some real (band-ed) musicians playing new songs in different keys, and got a very fun outcome; 3) I got gamer to do fun “3 min portraits” of possibly over a thousand people; 4) I completed walking the length of Australia NOBO (NOrth BOund) every step (possibly apart from 10- 50 meters, the difference between some pickup points and drop off points, e.g. across a road outside Weipa) from South Cape in Tassy, to North point in Tassy, then from Wilson's Promontory (Southern tip of mainland Victoria), to Pajenka (Northern tip of Cape York in  mainland Queensland) including Melbourne to Mapoon; then from the Southern tip of Thursday Island (South of the helicopter pad), to the Northern most sand/mud spur of Thursday Island, (on the northern mangrove-flat/ beach); 5) I lived intimately with & raised a family with - my woman for 39+ years; 6) I  responded (in the Way of Jesus)  to real, freely offered friendship from unexpected quarters, like a little child; 7) I am trusting the process I began over 65yrs ago. The process of “growing up”, which is as with a grain of wheat, a process that comes about mystically, invisibl-ly, and in the words of Jesus,  “automatically” or “all by itself”; yet a process that, with humans, can never occur “all by one’s self”; though a child is certainly involved in the process of parents “raising it”, it seems to me that loving parents/ guardians are essential to the human genome being transferred from a collection of molecules into a whole person of the human kind, an adult Woman or Man, relating with those younger and less mature as a conduit of the resources of the wellspring of HESED - lovingkindness. ...

---

left over?

Thursday 11/Dec/2025

---

Today we had a diff’rent day @ school

the normal teacher was away so we 

did diff’rent things; it could have been quite cool!

Instead we tried to hear, & think, & see,

& learn about the "right" side of the brain.

A fellow said it could do magic stuff; 

& I believe it 'coz I've seen again 

how magic’ly it operates in tough

& tricky situations - It connects 

us with the world around us where we live

& helps us to "belong” in all respects 

not just to 'use'; but even how to give... 

That’s not to say what’s left is “just no good”!

That speech and language (indexed by that side)

have no place, or can’t help, or that we should

not use them to communicate (or hide)

the truth about ourselves (or what goes down)

from those about us with their interests -hey!-

in us, our world, our country, or our town.

It’s just that we’ll think in a diff’rent way

not just about “What is it that I want?

(Though we might well be quite aware of that,)

We’ll also think of body-language, font,

and who we might affect by what we’ve shat..

within the eco-system we received -

to influence for good, in ev’ry act,

and word, and thought (imagined, or perceived).

The "right"* sees right, by rights, (and rite,) in fact!

---

*  i.e. the right-hemisphere of the human brain (as understood by the statistically verified generalisation of what is common in the human species, while acknowledging variations in individual bodily manifestations of the general "rule".

---

a Mum works hard to birth a babe

Oh God, the God of fatherhood itself, 

and motherhood as well we've come to see,

whose Leader for us is our life and health,

our food and drink, as Mum is to Baby.

The El-Shaddai who succours those who come

beneath your wings of pro-tec-tion and care,

as chicks come to the hen who is their Mum,

knows all the cost, and pays it. God's aware.

Not standing off, aloof, (as some Dad's did, 

in days gone by.. because we trusted our

culture & our science   to keep hid)

To notice you, we have to take a bow.

Then from a lowly spot we see more your

ways of hiding in the lowly spots

when crying, wailing, groaning, would implore

and yet we learn to trust you, more than not.

Please Help Milly!

people swamped by storms & massive flooding…

---

Oh God of Abraham (who trusted you)

we’ve seen you act to help him rectify

his family caught, enslaved, delivered to

some enemies. Please now do help us die

to our own comforts (as our guiding lights)

and ease the weather for your kids to shine

your attitude towards the folk in plights

beside them in that country all the time…

and give the spirit of your child to them.

A child who trusts implicitly his Dad,

and lives the fam’ly values from tree-stem 

out to the branch where he can rightly add

expressions that are tailored for that time

and place within your world where they have lived,

to show the fam’ly thriving as aligned 

to root of fam’ly tree of life as sieved

out to the world now through this avenue

of your fam’ly, with motives of its source

and start, as at its heart - the heart of you,

once broken by our failures and the course

we’ve taken as we walked away from you,

and fell asleep, or died (which-ever one),

our flesh now has not strength enough to do

the things impossible that are not fun.

We need a way to team up yet again,

with that creative love that thought and made

a world for children to grow up, be sent

to waft the fam’ly scent within its shade.

---