fdearmas

[fdearmas]

The gift

The stillness of the morning serves to amplify the sound of the wind blowing through the trees. If you listen closely you will hear them whisper that Christmas morning is once again at our door.

We sit and marvel that the year has flown by, something that seems to happen faster every year as we journey further into our lives, one day, one step, at a time.

Was it not just yesterday that the year was new? Spring, summer, and Fall read like a short story in the unfolding novel that is your life. You think back on those memories, visiting them, embracing them like a long lost friend.

In the passing days since we gathered with friends and family to give thanks, we’ve witness the madness that is Black Friday and the thrill of the hunt of cyber Monday.

We have all been to countless stores and malls, all in the pursuit of that perfect gift. And in that quest we have seen the worst of each other, traffic, people pushing and shoving, tempers frayed, patience gone.

Im glad all that craziness is behind us. Now as we prepare to greet this Christmas morning, the magic of the season allows us to once more see the truth. The perfect gift is not something you get from a store, or a mall, or yes, even from Amazon.

There is no 50% sale or coupon that will let you claim it, no line you can stand in in the hopes of being one of the lucky few.

Yet we so often fail to see its right in front of us, and can be clearly seen, if we only stop to look.

We see it in a young moms eyes as her child’s face lights up when they come running on Christmas morning. Or in the face of a father as he watches his kids sleeping.

It shows itself to you when you see an elderly couple walking, slowly with the burden of age, their hands held together, a smile on their lips.

It is the wagging of a tail.

It is given and received many times each day when a stranger does an act of kindness, or we stop to lend a hand.

It can mend a broken heart, and ease the pain of loneliness.

It’s the touch of a hand, or a hug, when your world is full of pain.

It is the words that heal and give you hope.

It is the only answer to hate and despair.

The gift I wish for most, for myself and for you, is the gift of love.

As the house slowly comes to life on this Christmas morn, and the presents are unwrapped, paper lying all over the room, take a moment. Look at the faces of those you love most. Pause just a minute to think of those whom you love and could not be with you, or have passed, and feel the warmth in your heart.

Hold on to that feeling throughout the coming year, for that truly is the greatest gift of all.

May you all have a wonderful Christmas full of love and joy. And may the coming year bring you happiness and countless hours with those you love.

From my family and I to you and your family, May you never have a day without this gift.

Merry Christmas.

Frank DeArmas

12/17

[fdearmas]

Next week many of us will take some time to reflect on all the many things we have to be thankful for. And yet, for some of

us, for some of the people we love, the holidays are filled with anxiety and a sadness that pushes all of the love and happiness away.

How can we be thankful when just getting out of bed is a

monumental task that many times just overwhelms you?

How can you embrace the season when all you feel is a bone

crushing sadness that often times leaves you short of breath

and just wanting it all to stop.

So many of us, and our loved ones, suffer from Depression.

I’m not talking about the blues. All of us have days when we

are sad. Many of us have lost loved ones this year and our

hearts are not sure how they can go on without that person in you life.

Others remember loved ones long ago gone, but at this time of year time play’s tricks on us, and it seems like only yesterday

they were here.

No, that’s just life, and we will have days like that, and

sometimes weeks and months. I’m talking about those loved

ones that through no fault of their own are dealing with this

chemistry in their heads that threatens their very lives.

This is not something you can just say, hey cheer up, any more then you can tell someone with Diabetes to hey, get your

pancreas to work better.

No this is a struggle that for whatever reason has chosen you as it’s target.

And for that reason, I wanted to just write down this message, just for you. I know your felling very down. I know your

hurting. And yes, it seems really bad this time of year. But

please, please remember that there is hope; there are people

who can help, people who know what you’re going through.

And more importantly, there our people who love you so much, and would give all that they have to see you free of this

sadness, free to live in joy.

If your feeling like there’s no way out, please know that there

is. Call someone, your mom, your dad, you siblings, your

friends, a lover, or a helpline, anyone that can give you the

hope of a better tomorrow and guide you from that dark place. You are loved, you are here, and for that all your loved ones

and I are so very thankful

May this be a happy Holiday season for all of you?

[fdearmas]

Memorial Day

There are not many days when I don't think of the friends I've lost while serving in the Army, or those I knew who did not come home in the other services. Sometimes it's a fleeting memory as I see something that reminds me of David or Keith, to name just two.

They would have been in their 50s now, like me, but instead, in my mind and in the minds of their loved ones, they will always be young men and women, kids really. We were all kids, but we carried a big responsibility, one we took seriously.

But today our nation sets aside this day to focus on them, though in reality I miss and honor them always.

So I hope that while you enjoy the day you take just a minute in the silence to just say thank you for the life they did not get to lead.

All of them would have loved to have a long life, but they gave that up in the hope that you would be able to enjoy yours with the freedoms we too often take for granted.

Thanks guys, I'm sorry I could not have done more to give you that chance, but I'll never forget you and live with the hope of seeing you one day to again BS with you.

[fdearmas]

Storms coming in. Wind picking up. Waves on the lake rush to the shore as if trying to outrun what it knows is coming.

There's a peaceful feeling just before a storm that is only broken by the sounds of distant thunder.

Clouds race on by as if driven by an unseen hand. Trees sway in a dance, trying to coax a reluctant suitor.

There is beauty in the moment, your senses are heighten as every cell in your body awaits the onset. Then, slowly at first, the rain starts to fall.

You smell it first, you feel the temperature drop ever so slightly as your skin tingles at its kiss.

And then, like the release of a lovers passion after a long courtship, the sky's open up and the earth once more quenches it's never ending thirst.

[fdearmas]

Awaking

Darkness envelops you. Slowly you start to become aware of light, it dances lightly around you, shyly peeking out like a child from behind her mothers dress.

You resent it at first. The warmth of your bed and the fading remnants of your dreams tug at your mind, making the case to stay with them in this place made of all that you desire.

Fight as you may, the light continues to gain a finger hold on your conscience mind, and slowly, agonizingly so, it is joined by others as your senses start to come to life.

A breeze touches your skin, gently, softly, as if the lightest touch of a lovers lips. Your skin tingles at the thrill as your dreams struggle to remain in control.

Your ears, sensing an opening, pick up the soft, almost imperceptible, sound of the breeze as it passes through the branches of the trees outside.

A morning dove, softly, shyly, greats the day and is answered by another.

Slowly the symphony that is the new day raises to a crescendo and you realize the fight is lost.

You rise, and look to see the first glimpse of the new sunrise, and not for the first time, your soul joins in the song that is life and great the coming day.

[fdearmas]

The Road

What roads will you travel this year?

Why is it that on the eve of every New Year, we sit down and start to ponder on what will be our resolutions? What is it that I am going to do to improve myself, improve my relationships, and improve my life? Every year without fail I come up with at least one or two, and sometimes I even keep them.

Maybe it's because it is a new year, a new beginning, a time where our habits of the past do not dictate our future. Or maybe it's because we just want to be better people, better friends, husbands, wife, and kids, whatever. In truth we all face these choices everyday, but on this dawn of the New Year It gives us a chance to stop and contemplate a little bit longer on the choices that face us.

The final seconds of 2016 race past on their endless march into history. The clock counts down, three, two, one, and we cheer as we embrace what may come next. In that instant the New Year comes to be, and the old becomes the past. And as it does I look ahead to see the many roads on which I can travel onward with my life, starting with my next step, the first of 2017.

As I hesitate for a moment, I think back on the year that was and can’t help but wonder what would have been if I had taken a different path. What would have happened if I made different choices? I know, it's silly to spend too much time on what could have been, but it's also human.

When you are young, there seems to be so many endless possibilities, the world is opened before us, ours for the taking. We never really stopped to think about the why; we just fearlessly put one foot in front of the other.

But over time, as I have traveled further on in life, I've started to think that my choices are slowly being narrowed. Each choice funneling me on a certain heading, almost as if life had placed guard rails on my path, restricting me to a certain direction, a certain road, a certain life.

But life's tunnel vision is stopping us from seeing that our choices are still plentiful, if not different. Many of those choices could still happen, if we but have the will to plant our foot firmly and fearlessly in its direction.

With every step we must choose. Left or right, forward or back, kindness or indifference, love or hate. Everyday we make hundreds of these choices. And each of those choices become part of who we are. Each one adds to our journey through life.

And in the same way, every person we meet changes us in little ways, as we do the same for them. Each has an influence upon us, a teacher, a friend, or the stranger who wishes you good morning, these too become part of who we are. They are the many people who help course correct us, or some times lead us astray.

Think about how much better 2017 could be if when we see a wrong, we try to right it. When we see someone in need, we try to help. When someone lashes out at us with hate, we answer with love. When we see someone alone, we hug them and tell them how glad we are that they are in our lives.

I know this is not easy; this is hard and takes courage. And I know I for one will fail more times then not. But in those failures will be a chance to learn, a chance to make a better choice, a better decision, a bold step forward.

Personally I will try to remember that those around me will go forward with a little part of me in them. It's totally up to me whether what they take is negative, or hopefully, positive.

We pave our road through life one step, one decision, at a time. As I move forward I will try to take that proverbial path less traveled, give freely of myself, live my life fully, and love with all my heart.

My friends discover a part of you that's been waiting to be free. Be bold. Lean on each other. Have courage. This is my New Years wish for you.

May you all have a very happy, prosperous, and healthy 2017? And may love be your companion on your road through life.

Frank

Copy Write © Frank DeArmas 12/2016

For more of my writing’s please visit www.fdearmas.com

[fdearmas]

2016 New Years message

Auld Lang syne

Once again there comes the time

To take stock of the year

To reminisce upon the road

That takes us far and near

I think about this life we trod

Each step for us a fight

To keep our feet upon the path

And slip not into the night

This year for me the road has shown

That time pays us no heed

We try in vain to stem its flow

But she simply just proceeds

For those of you who know me best

I try to see the good

In everything that I do see

At least I hope I would

With that in mind I now reflect

Upon the passing year

There's been a lot of Joy I find

And also there's been tears

I think about the friends I've made

And those who said goodbye

I think about the challenges

That encompass all our lives

For if one thing that life has shown

Is that there will be changes

Our daily lives and set routines

She laughs and rearranges

No sooner do we think we grasp

Her secrets and her truth

But mindful that a ladies she

And we but silly youths

So I set my sights before me

Steadfastly to the dawn

Another year behind us

And yes another born

I for one will face this morn

Prepared to seize the times

And raise my cup to you my friends

And sing of Auld Lang syne.

May 2016 be a wonderful year for all of you my dear friends.

F DeArmas 12/2015

[fdearmas]

Christmas message 2015

Twas the night before Christmas

And my heart was aglow

With the memories still vivid

Of the Christmas's I've known

I can see a small boy

Oh my I was young

We hadn't much money

But we had lots of fun

I can see all the trees

As we fly through the years

Even the silver one

That still brings me tears

And here too the people

Who have giving me love

So many still with us

Yet others above

The faces of friends

Both from now and my youth

They bring me both joy

And some sorrow in truth

My thoughts they all scamper

Much too cramped to dwell

On any one moment

On any one smell

I visit these memories

As my mind races time

As I look to my past

As my life still unwinds

Tis the love that I'm feeling

As I sit here tonight

As it wraps me in warmth

Against the cold of this night

For its love that you give me

When you greet me hello

It's a love I feel too

And I want you to know

So my friends now I leave you

With this greeting so right

Merry Christmas to all

And to all a good night

F DeArmas 2015

[fdearmas]

Wounded warrior, your not alone

The drums of war beat far away

And yet for you there here to stay

Within your soul the pain still grows

You keep it deep, it rarely shows.

So very young, you raised your hand

To guard our freedom, protect our land

You wonder now what was the price

Of mindless days, of terrors strife

The things you've seen, to forget you try

Come racing back, when you close your eyes

The darkness and the anguish grow

While those around you never know

You do not think they'd understand

Or think of you a lessor man

To be so brave and have this fear

It's better not to let them near

Some wounds, my brother, are hard to heal

Are hard to see, though not to feel

And though you think it best to hide

Please feel the love that's at your side

Let that love dispel the night

Heal your wound and bring the light

This is a fight so please decide

To let those that love you fight at your side

So take a step, and then one more

Raise up your gaze and see the score

We got you now, your safe and home

Wounded warrior, your not alone

Francisco DeArmas

If you are a Veteran, and fighting with depression, or a loved one of a Vet that needs help, your not alone. Please contact the VA crises line at https://www.veteranscrisisline.net/

Thank you for your service.

[fdearmas]

Next week many of us will take some time to reflect on all the many things we have to be thankful for.

And yet, for some of us, for some of the people we love, the holidays are filled with anxiety and a sadness that pushes all of the love and happiness away.

How can we be thankful when just getting out of bed is a monumental task that many times just overwhelms you?

How can you embrace the season when all you feel is a bone crushing sadness that often times leaves you short of breath and just wanting it all to stop.

So many of us, and our loved ones, suffer from Depression.

I’m not talking about the blues. All of us have days when we are sad. Many of us have lost loved ones this year and our hearts are not sure how they can go on without that person in you life.

Others remember loved ones long ago gone, but at this time of year time play’s tricks on us, and it seems like only yesterday they were here.

No, that’s just life, and we will have days like that, and sometimes weeks and months. I’m talking about those loved ones that through no fault of their own are dealing with this

chemistry in their heads that threatens their very lives.

This is not something you can just say, hey cheer up, any more then you can tell someone with Diabetes to hey, get your pancreas to work better.

No this is a struggle that for whatever reason has chosen you as it’s target.

And for that reason, I wanted to just write down this message, just for you. I know your felling very down. I know your hurting. And yes, it seems really bad this time of year.

But please, please remember that there is hope; there are people who can help, people who know what you’re going through.

And more importantly, there our people who love you so much, and would give all that they have to see you free of this sadness, free to live in joy.

If your feeling like there’s no way out, please know that there is. Call someone, your mom, your dad, you siblings, your friends, a lover, or a helpline, anyone that can give you the hope of a better tomorrow and guide you from that dark place.

You are loved, you are here, and for that all your loved ones and I are so very thankful.

May this be a happy Holiday season for all of you.

[fdearmas]

The magic of this night

The magic of this night It's 2 AM. The guest have gone home, food put away, music turned off. The silence greats me as my senses stretch out to fill every corner of the house. The tree is lit, the wind softly plays its song out side, reminding me of the chill that lives there. And yet here, alone, the warmth of my home embraces me as my mind wonders far from the now. Another year has come to past, and with it I feel a weariness settle on my body and soul. This year has been hard, so much strife, so many hurtful words spoken in anger and fear, so many friends raising their voices against each other. It's easy to let myself slide down that path and so hard to climb back up. And yet, on this night, as happens so often at this time of year, the angry voices loose their volume, as the whisperings of the past gain strength. I feel the warmth of all my many Christmas eve's growing in my heart as the cold of this winters night is pushed ever further from me. Today slips away as I make my way towards my distant past. The years falling off me like a light summers rain from my brow. Vividly I recall the wild imagination of the boy I was, and the sounds and smells of yesterday's long gone. The memory of other silent nights when every little sound might just be Santa up on the roof. Forward now the years flow until I feel the sting of the lonely cold of my Army Christmas days away from loved ones. These were nights shared with my brothers and sisters in arms, keeping me strong, reminding me why I served. Thinking about those back home, safe because of men and women who answered the call, like so many do today. A blink and time sees my heart swell at the joy of a father's first Christmas as my girls were born. So much joy in my soul they brought then as they do now. How those Christmas's flew by as they grew up, here but briefly and then too soon gone, and seeing them now creating their own memories, living their own dreams, what more can a dad wish for. My thoughts now draw me back to the present, with all the years that have past, and all I have seen, jockeying for attention in my mind. The blessing of having so many Christmas's is also its curse, as I see the faces of all those who have passed before me. Im thankful that at this time of year they visit me, and touch my heart, letting me know they are somehow still with me. And yet in my soul a sadness lingers, I miss them. It is no wonder that my heart seeks a simpler time, back to the boy I was. And yet I don't kid myself, there were many hard times then too, and sometimes hateful words and angry voices. But we somehow found our way back to our friends and those we loved. And so it is that my wish for all of you this year is just that, that you may find your way back to each other. Don't let the magic of this season go by without reaching out. We all don't think alike, or look alike, or pray alike, but we all do love, have dreams, and hopes. We are all someone's brother, sister, mother, father, wife, husband, lover, friend. Disagree, by all means, for I know the price paid for all of us to be able to speak our minds freely, but please don't forget to love each other. For in that love lies the magic of this night. My love to you all and merry Christmas to you and all whom you love, and best wishes for the new year. Frank Frank DeArmas 2016

[fdearmas]

What's next

So Lauren turned me on to Tumblr, let's see how this fits in to my digital world. Never been much of a blogger. fdearmas.tumblr.com