Spin the bottle

Bottles are wonderful containers. My favorite ones are made of glass. They are a true representation of the glassmakers art, their only limit is the skill and the imagination of the artist. Whether hand blown or molded by machine, they protect whatever is inside. The inaugeration of a new perfume requires almost as much thought to the bottle as to the precision blending of ingredients to create that signature scent.

I especially like the building of boats in bottles. The detail work in these miniature works of art is amazing. You could almost picture yourself standing on the deck, the action of the waves rocking the boat, the salt air invigorating in it's breezes and scent. What if someone really was on that ship?

The Auction Ship

Gerald was very excited to finally make it to the auction. This one specialized in miniatures and his favorite, ships in a bottle, were well represented. He'd been saving up over the past few months, wanting to add something really unique to his collection. Gerald roamed the auction floor, trying to decide on which ones to bid on. He felt strangely drawn to one in particular, a pirate ship in full sail, the Jolly Roger seeming to flap in the breeze, the pirates with rum in one hand, a fistful of coins in the other. They even had a captive, sitting on the deck, knees drawn up,huddled in fear.

Taking his place with the other bidders, Gerald waited impatiently for the ship to come up for bid. Finally!! There was a lot of interest in the ship, the bidding going higher and higher, but Gerald knew this one had to be his. It took every last cent of his savings, but his persistance paid off.

Home at last! Gerald had the perfect place in his bedroom for his ship, the nightstand near his bed. He placed it carefully, noting with relief that it made the journey unharmed. Fixing himself a quick snack, he got into bed to read a little before he went to sleep. Soon, he had fallen sleep with the book in his lap, a book about pirates.

"Help me, help me please!!". Gerald sat up quickly, looking for the owner of the voice, but he saw no one. He settled back onto his pillow, thinking he must have dreamed it. But there it was again. "Help me please!!" As Gerald searched the room, he happened to glance at the pirate ship. The figures had changed position!!! All the pirates had fallen asleep on deck, drunk into oblivion. The captive was standing up, waving frantically at him. He crouched down for a closer look. Her ragged dress and dirty features took nothing from the beauty of her face and form. How was this possible?

Using a nail file, Gerald made a bridge of sorts, reaching through the neck of the bottle to the ship inside. The woman looked quickly around, but all the pirates continued to snore, unaware that their captive was about to escape. Quietly, watching every footfall, she slowly moved to the nail file, shaking badly but managing to keep her balance across the narrow footpath. She reached the lip of the bottle just as the pirates began to wake up. She jumped onto Gerald's waiting hand as the pirates swarmed onto the nail file. One quick push and the nail file fell, taking the pirates with it. They vanished into a vortex that suddenly opened and just as suddenly closed. She was safe.

Gerald put her gently on his bed. He turned away for a second to check the ship and on turning back to her, saw a swirling mist begin to surround her, a pulsating glow emmiting from her skin.
She vanished and reappeared as a full sized woman.
" Who are you?" gasped Gerald, "And how did you get in that bottle?"
"My name is Allura. I was captured by those pirates when I was traveling to England by ship. I lost everything to those horrors. They thought they could get a ransome from my father, who was a very wealthy businessman and was waiting in England for us to arrive. As the ship pulled away from the wreck, a vortex opened up and sucked the entire ship into it. I think they somehow blamed me but was afraid if they killed me, they would die themselves."

"Well, you're safe now." said Gerald. "Tell me a little more about yourself. Maybe we can find your family."
Allura thought for a bit, trying to gather her thoughts. " I was born in Bristol, England in 1955. That would make me 25 on my next birthday. My mother and I traveled to the States shortly after she and my father got a divorce. I was 12 at the time. We were heading back to England to celebrate my cousin's wedding. I was going to be her maid of honor. I'm so upset to have missed the wedding, my mother made my gown and she......" Allura began to cry, remembering that her mother had been killed during the fight. "How I miss her."

Gaining some control over her emotions, Allura began looking around the room, not recognizing several of the items in it. "What is that?" she said, pointing to the cd player. Gerald realized that she had no idea how long she had been trapped in the bottle.
"I think you better sit down, Allura. What I have to tell you may come as a severe shock. This is February 25th and the year is 2010. "

"That's not possible, you must be mistaken!!! I was only captured a week ago. If you're right, everything I treasured has changed. I've lost so much more than just what went down on that ship. How could this be?" Allura threw herself across the bed, weeping wildly, her heart breaking. Gerald gathered her into his arms. "The ship must have been in some sort of stasis," he said," so no one moved or aged until I brought the ship home with me. " She felt so good in his arms, as if she belonged there. He suddenly realized what had drawn him to that ship. She was his soul mate and that fact had broken the stasis when he bought the ship and brought it home.

"Allura, listen to me.
You're here because
We were meant to be.
Two halves of a whole,
A hand in it's glove .
Nothing is more certain
Than the strength of our love.
I'll always protect you
Of that be assured.
And help you find your way
In this strange new world.
A new life together
Till death do us part.
You can always be sure
Of the love in my heart.
So reach out your hand
Take mine, be my wife.
Today is the first day
Of the rest of our life."

Allura looked at Gerald, slowly realizing that he was right. Today was truly the first day of the rest of their life.

Hark,how the bells

Bells are music to the ears of so many. From the tiniest bell on the jester's cap to the huge bells in the highest steeple, they ring out their message for all to hear. They can warn you, call you to supper or services, ring out in joy or in the pain of a nation's grief. They can help you find livestock or sing out their music on a breeze. My sister and I were in a bell group in the church we went to as children. What a unique and wonderful way to bring a sense of wonder to the music of the spheres. So once again, I present a poem for your enjoyment.

Bells

I heard a bell ringing today.
A message of joy,
Wanting to say
Rejoice,
A baby has been born.
A child of a king
The succession secured.

I heard a bell ringing today.
A message of love,
Ringing to say
These two have been
Joined
For life this day.

I heard a bell ringing today.
A message of warning,
Of danger that comes
From land,sea or air.
We shall not succumb
To the terror
But turn to fight
They shall not succeed
In winning this night.
Victory is ours.

I heard a bell ringing today.
In sorrow and pain,
Our President has left
This life behind.
And once again
Our nation has lost
It's guiding light
To an assassin's
Bullet.

I heard a bell ringing today.
Telling me it's time
To start my day,
Whether it's for work
Or play.
I needs must get up
The piper to pay.

Mirror, Mirror

Mirrors. They can be your best friend or your worst enemy. A mirror can show you that piece of lettuce stuck between your teeth before you go to the conference room to make an important presentation. It can become an obsession, so that you can't walk by one without checking yourself out, seeing just how perfect you Think you are.

A child can be a mirror,where you can see your looks and mannerisms reflected in so many ways. Children can also be a tape recorder so you better watch what you say and how you say things in front of them.

There are all types of mirrors. Flat,concave,convex,wavy (think fun house),even magnifying (now that can be really scary). Those imperfections you see are a part of who you are, they don't have to diminish you. For your consideration I present:

Imperfections

You don't have to wait until you are perfect
To send His message forward.
He can use your imperfections
To reflect His precious light.
People need to see
That you can be
Perfect in Him
And in sharing your
Burdens,
Bless others.

For they will see
That He can see
Past your outward roughness
To the needs in your soul.

Even a diamond needs to be faceted
By cuts and blows
To bring out it's true beauty.
So shall your soul be polished
In the cuts and blows
Of your trials and tribulations.
He polishes the mirror of your soul
With his love,
Allowing others to see His reflection
In you.

Courage

Red. What a wonderful color. It can symbolize so many things. You can see red if you're angry. It frequently means danger of some kind, often deadly. Red can stand for strength or courage, an incredible sunrise or sunset or simply a color, warm and inviting. Today, it makes me think of our servicemen and women, who frequently shed their blood in the service of our country, protecting the freedom and life we hold dear. So I dedicate this effort to them and to my Dad. My father was a member of the Army/Air force (before the Air force was a separate entity). He worked hard with both the American Legion and the VFW,getting as far as SR Vice Commander with the VFW, as well as being "Seam Squirrel" for the Cooties, who were responsible for bringing a little good to those of the Armed Forces in the hospital. He also was a proud member of the Oxford Color Guard, who stood for our nation at the funerals of those who have been a part of the military. Our family worked together to put out the VFW Post newsletter for many years. If any man's blood ran red, white and blue, it was surely his.


All For One

They stand at the front lines, holding back
The enemy who would take
From us what they lack.
To keep our lives and freedom,
They risk theirs every day.
For God and country,
Those at work and at play.
I therefore state,
And you know that it's true,
Our servicemen's blood
Runs red, white and blue.

The enemy dares to attack us here
With planes and death.
They should shake in fear., for we immediately send
Our finest and best women and men.
When put to the test, they'll show
What we already knew.
Our servicemen's blood
Runs red, white and blue.

Marines hit the beaches or land where they may.
Landing in secret or with guns blazing away.
Each yard of ground gained makes it easier for
The ones coming behind them.
Though vision be poor or sharp as a knife.
Under hot blazing sun or the dark of night.
It is true that they are a relentless crew.
Our marine's blood
Runs red, white and blue.

The army has long been the backbone of
The troops that we send far from the ones that they love.
They take incredible risks to advance our cause,
Even though bombs and guns may make them pause..
They fight ever onward, a valiant crew.
Our soldier's blood
Runs red, white and blue.

The navy does fight both above and below
The oceans and seas.
Captains know where to go to find the enemy,
Their courses to slow.
They fight ship to ship and from sea to land
From the ocean to sky missiles leave blazing brands.
According to all that we hold true,
Our sailor's blood
Run red, white and blue.

Now to the air force we surely must fly.
It is their job to protect from the sky.
With dogfights and bombing runs
They work hard to defend the American dream
From beginning to end of their flight it is sure
They'll fight their hardest to keep all secure
The pilots and ground crews, we know through and through.
Our air force's blood
Runs red, white and blue.

We must also not forget our medical crews.
The doctors and nurses and corpsmen too.
They work hard to repair the damage done to our troops.
Often under fire themselves, jumping through hoops,
To maintain a balance between life and death.
And that is positive proof that in their veins too,
Blood runs with the colors of red, white and blue.