Farewell Signs

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven."  -Ecclesiastes III-

"Good writing takes more than just time; it wants your best moments and the best of you."

-Real Live Preacher, RealLivePreacher.com weblog, 10-09-04-
 
"But words are things, and a small drop of ink, falling like dew, upon a thought, produces that which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think."

-George Gordon Byron-
 
The signs are everywhere and no longer possible to ignore.  I knew it was happening when I couldn't generate a blog concept regarding the Islamic Cultural Center at Ground Zero.  What started as a tiny seed of thought took root and today came full circle during my jog.  It's time to stop blogging and start my book.
 
Rambings of a 138 has been my baby.  It's also been my refuge; my hiding place, if you will, from bigger and better things.  Those who know me well, know that the entire concept for this blog came from a personal journal I began over two years ago.  That journal was raw and uncensored.  It was full of anger and opinion and politics and religion.  I began that writing as a means to vent.  I had a million thoughts a minute running through my mind about a thousand different topics.  This little laptop helped me make sense of it all.  Then somewhere in the venting, I had the idea that it would be fun to make my opinions and thoughts more public.   Ramblings of a 138 was born.
 
A title for the blog was my first challenge.  I had plenty of material.  By mere chance (or so I thought) I got my first glance at the number 138 by taking an online IQ test.  You and I both know my IQ isn't anywhere close to that, but that number has come to mean things to me you can't imagine.  I see it everywhere, stamped on everything.  That number has become a guide that leads me in the right direction and on occasion has even been a warning that thwarted harm.  I can't explain it.  You'd have to live it.  Recognition of that number has even caught the attention of an illustrator that is working with me on a children's book project.  It just simply shows up everywhere.
 
Some of the topics I've covered have served as a mirror for my own spiritual journey.  The venting I did initially, has given way to a sense of peace and understanding.  As much as I value my own opinion about things and have always wanted you to value them as well, I suddenly don't feel the need to share them publicly.  As much as some of my topics have been thought-provoking, there have been times when I fear my writing has also stirred some dissention.  There was a time when I thrived on that kind of attention, but times have changed.  Now I'm realizing that discussing the same things over and over again, be they religious or political in nature, simply get me nowhere.  There always have been, are now, and always will be people of varying opinions and I no longer feel the fire within me to tilt the scale in my favor.  
 
So what happens next?  (You MUST be on pins and needles by now).  Well first of all, the blog site will remain open for you to come back and visit any time and I hope you will.  Revisit old posts and see if they stir your soul.  For the forseeable future, any posts you see from me will be in the form of excerpts from my book project.  I'm going to keep the title close to the vest for now, but the subject will be about my own personal spiritual journey from childhood to present.  Look for the finished product at your neighborhood bookstore sometime this decade. 
 
I already have a children's book in the illustration phase and hope to submit that sometime this year or early next for consideration.  Self-publishing isn't out of the question.  I have at least one other book idea on the table and like all people who love to write, I want to write the great American novel.  Look for THAT at your bookstore in about, uh...........well, it's gonna be awhile.
 
I want to thank each and every person who ever read an entry, visited the site, checked out my profile, became a follower, left a comment or even just checked a box.  This blog has been a labor of love for me and seeing a new follower or comment always made me smile.  It just wouldn't have been as much fun without my few faithful fans.  There is one person I'd like to single out.  This blog was an instrument in leading her to me and she has been my biggest fan, bar none.
 
Linda, you have inspired more of my writing than you could possibly know, even before I knew you were reading it.  You gave me courage.  The very best thing that came from this blog or any of my writing was that it led me back to you.   That little 138 led me to my true love at long last.  Together we'll embark on a whole new adventure and that includes your writing as well.  I love you.
 
So my dear friends, I sign off filled with joy of the expectation of new challenges to come.  Please come back to visit, and I'd love a comment of "so long".  (I don't care much for good-byes).  It's been a blast.  For our next virtual party, let's celebrate a book signing!
 
Love and Light,
Matt

There Is A Place

There is a place in my soul:


     Where the grass is green and soft and lush,

     Where the smell of freshly cut lawns and hay sing inside your senses,

     And the fireflies dance an amber dance across the openness.

There is a place in my soul:

     Where the snow is pure and white,

     Where the wintry air cleanses your heart and mind,

     And your eyes are engulfed by the essence of light.

There is a place in my soul:

     Where a brilliant palate of a thousand hues brings heaven near,

     Where you can taste the air and its hope of Fall,

     And your ears are delighted by the crisp sounds ‘neathe your feet of those who lived.

There is a place in my soul:

     Where vast fields of waving grain invite your touch,

     Where brooks invite your toes,

     And shapely clouds await your gaze.

There is a place in my soul:

     Where My Love lives,

     Where every memory, every taste, every sound, every smell, remind me of home,

     And there is my peace.

There is a place on this earth:

     Where my soul belongs and my true love lives,

     Where I’ll be returning,

     And the odyssey complete.



- Matt Leatherwood and Linda Faris -

Poetry In Motion - A Repost

Authors Note:  This is a repost from earlier in the year.  In typical Team Matlin fashion, Linda had a feeling today it should be reposted.  We don't know why, we're just following her/our instinct.  Hope you enjoy.  -Matt-


A little over a year ago, I had the opportunity to go to Nebraska and spend a little time at the orchard. That place is amazing and always gives me some level of peace. One morning, very early, I walked outside to take a stroll along the trees and just take in some cold Nebraska air. As I walked out the door, I was met with a beautiful “dusting” of new snow. During my short walk I met a wandering raccoon who came near enough to almost touch. When I returned from my myopic adventure, I walked inside and what follows is what came out. Don’t ask me when I turned from Philosophy to Poetry. Don’t worry. I’ll be back.

I awaken to a dusting of fresh snow and stand on the walk, pondering my first step, unretraceable.

The snow unmarked, untrodden like the life of a newborn baby having not made his first step.

How shall I leave my mark on the glistening snow? Which direction shall I take? What mark will I leave? Will someone be able to follow my trail or will wind and time erase the prints so that each may leave their own?

The raccoon ponders not his path, which step or direction. Minding only which way leads to peril, becoming prey, not predator. Each step by instinct, not thought.

And as I ponder which step, I start in any direction, following only my heart, leaving my trail, my path, my mark. And looking back see that wind has already covered my footsteps. Having no clear retrace by which to return, my choices remain open in any direction.

Every step a new path, a new adventure. Walk on. Leave a trail. Make a NEW trail. Walk on.


-Matt Leatherwood-