How I Feel Affects Other People...

GIVING

There’s only one true originating point

That place is called your Heart

There dwells a Kindred Spirit

And a child who won’t Age,

but ever grows Smart.

That child’s neighbors are Angels,

full of Hope and opportunity…

Their golden roads lead Happily to the King.

Your Ability to give must come from within,

And the Sweet return of your Kindness will make you Sing

For as we give, we catch up to what we’ve received

We Share our life, love, our laughter,

and trust in who we believe

We Keep our Smile Aglow with Sincerity

Our Touch, ever gentle and reassuring.

In fact we become so Humble and Silent

That some might consider us boring.

Yet it is because we are calm that we prosper.

What we give most Absolutely is our Thanks

Our wisdom has Helped us pass the test of Time,

time more precious than the money in the bank.

There’s only one True originating point

It’s the Nucleus of our dreams,

Saving us to See Another day.

Open your Hands in praise to Heaven’s glory

For what you give can never be taken Away

© Sporty King
Excerpted from Your Name Came to Mind
Available at www.sportyking.com

How I Feel Affects Other People...

I embrace my memory lapses, not stress.


When I used to speak at Senior Centers in Chicago I always reminded them to not feel embarrassed when people said they were going senile. Instead, they should let people know that they are exercising their right to forget! We do learn so much in our lives that there's no way we can remember it all. Stuff has to get pushed out as new information comes in. Computers lose memory... why shouldn't we??? (wink)


So, believe me, it is just as precious to share the thought with you as it is to read or hear you. That's also why I call my inspirational acronyms "Passing Thoughts." For what we share are mental moments... thus my 2011 theme "Happy New Moments."


I am totally loving my life in the South. It has not been the adjustment people think I'd have to go through. Mostly because moving here was my choice, and a choice I made 1/4 century ago. What joy to hear, embrace and follow God's word. When we make the decision to do or be, our commitment lasts longer. Truth be told, that's why there are so many flakey relationships. People don't want to admit to society that they chose the wrong mate. Of course the good side is that many of those trials and tribulations become testimonies... yes, I think they should stay in there and work it out. "Enough" is an individual experience.


Keep making choices. You're very good at it, and you've made more good ones than bad. Keep enjoying the growth of your faith. There is nothing like the smile that takes over your spirit when you know you've just won another scuffle. Remember, the battle belongs to the Lord... and the war is always won with the winners rarely being who they were when it started.

~ http://www.sportyking.com/

How I Feel Affects Other People...

TOUGH LOVE

Doesn’t mean you have to be

Tough.

And you sure don’t need to be

Rough.

Instead it means you have to Time

your communication/interaction

To most effectively transfer the message you want to send

And realize your message just may not get across

Until it’s delivered again and again

It certainly means you have to Genuinely care

Yes, that’s the “G”… you see

emotions are not sequential or by the book

So patiently add your Understanding

Most love requires another look

That look easily translates to being insightful

(an empathetic, not pathetic glance)

Taking the time to wear the other shoe

To consider why you deserve another chance

Let the “O” be for Obvious -

All the things you’ll pretend were clear

Regardless of the outcome you’ll justify your actions

Reminding all concerned there was nothing to fear

So my “H” stands for Hugs

Because what’s tough about love is acting nonchalant

We must maintain our will to nurture and respect

the actions that force each of us to grow

We must pledge to fight to overcome the urge

to motivate others based on our preferences

that negate how they feel or what they know

However you define love

It doesn’t mean we have to be

Tough

© 1988
"Do You Have Any Idea... How Fine You Are?"
Available at
www.sportyking.com

How I Feel Affects Other People...

I ALMOST LOST YOU

A reschedule... a missed date...

A cancellation.. an aloof encounter...

But first, let me thank you

For the moment of unsureness

For as my heart was allowed to merge,

(Once again) with my brain,

I doubted my immortality

A state of mind I've chosen to share with you)

And I celebrated the step we had taken

Toward this meeting.

Yet the moment extended an eternity

A hollowness that echoed no sound

of reciprocity blackened my world.

Gone, was the laughter

Missing, the smile

Exiled, the warmth

... I almost lost you.

Instead I found that we were never together.

© 1988
"Do You Have Any Idea... How Fine You Are?"
Available at
www.sportyking.com

How I Feel Affects Other People...

I MISS ME

I thought about switching lives with you.

But I miss me already.

See, I don't know if you enjoy waking up every morning

And that happens to be one of my favorite moments

Because it starts me off having reached my primary goal of the day

For my goal everyday is to wake up tomorrow...

And I don't know if you really appreciate

how your fingers and toes move.

While I know I really get a kick out of feeling

solid, soft or sandy soil supporting my successful stride.

I happen to enjoy touching, squeezing, holding

and pointing myself in the right direction

That direction is up, (by the way) are you headed that way?

I know I am,

And I'd sure like to be in my shoes when I get there...

Because I pretty much know how I'd deal with the crowds.

Got my acceptance speech ready, and been practicing my smile

Come to think of it,

I've been working on it since I was a child.

My favorite outfit will be pressed brand new

Family, friends, teachers, heroes, TV shows,

clients, habits and hobbies

They'll all be there too.

Can't say I'd know how to handle them all,

if I woke up and found out I was you.

My mentors would take credit, while giving me praise

They'd help me relive memories and cherish new days

Oh, how I would laugh at the tough times

and the material things that were lost

And rejoice in the character they helped build

See, my life and spirit are beyond monetary cost.

Every enemy would stand in their place

and receive equal time to express the beauty they inspired

through their negativity.

Let's face it,

so many of the lessons we actually learn come from disharmony.

A selfish person made me want to share...

A jealous person helped me recognize insecurity...

A lie reminded me to tell the truth...

I remember joy & pain... I like sunshine & rain...

And it was a man who taught me how to be a man.

I've been vigilant, patient, spontaneous, loving, mean, mischievous.

Ignorant, irresponsible, (irresistible), innocent, intelligent, intuitive, intimate, interesting, introspective/indecisive, insightful/insatiable, insensitive/incredible, indispensable, independent, incoherent/incognito, indescribable, inexperienced, infallible, indestructible, inspirational, inquisitive, instinctive, instrumental, IN...

and OUT...

Outstanding/outrageous, outside/outsmarted, outspoken/outdone, outlandish/outclassed, outwitted/outcast, outnumbered, outraged, outright, outreached, outranked, outvoted, outgoing, out of sight, out of this world...

oh, yes, even out of breath…

(and almost) out of my mind,

Because, I thought about switching lives with you.

But I miss me already.

See, I don't know if you enjoy waking up every morning,

And that happens to be one of my favorite moments.

”Your Name Came To Mind”
© 2000
Available at
http://www.sportyking.com/

How I Feel Affects Other People...

WHAT HAPPENS

WHEN WE LEAVE GOD OUT OF LOVE?

What happens when we leave God out of love?

What happens to those around us...

What can we really do...

What will we really have to share...

What happens to me and you?

What happens when we leave God out of love?

How can we share or be happy...

How does that make us feel...

How can our relationships remain true...

How will we know love is real?

What happens when we leave God out of love?

Where do we find ourselves...

Where is our light...

Where is that feeling of satisfaction...

Where is that knowledge that says this is right?

What happens when we leave God out of love?

Why does our heart become covered with hate...

Why don't we care...

Why are we so cold...

Why do we let love's freshness become stale,

and then let it become old?

What happens when we leave God out of love?

Who are we really cheating...

Who has the most at stake...

Who

Whose heart really breaks?

When we leave God out of love

there are no answers... only questions.

Questions that lead to doubt

So before you call it "love"

make sure you know what He's all about.

”Your Name Came To Mind”
© 1986
Available at
www.sportyking.com

How I Feel Affects Other People...

From My Limited Scope

Shall I call the Psychic NOT-Line?

Or have my palm blue?

Or would it be better if I do all I can

To find out about myself, based on what I hear from you?

You're the man who understands menstrual cramps...

The winner who says you've never lost...

The woman who forgot to wear an athletic support cup...

The fresh-out-of-college boss....

The black who’s never been white,

The left that's never been right.

You've always lived in the same place

Never traveled or visited afar

Never flown or taken the train

And you never have driven a car.

Didn't marry, no kids, not a drink or drug have you taken.

The son who's never been a daughter,

Yet you freely give your opinion with authority

And act as if it's you who walked on water.

Now, from where I sit I cannot answer every question,

In fact, there are times where I'll add to what is asked.

For as similar as my experiences are, they're different

So understanding, rather than answering, becomes my task.

© 1999

How I Feel Affects Other People...

Feeling overloaded and distracted? Consider it a gear switch rather than a distraction… maybe even a detour. That happens once you get into a groove. Sometimes you’ve got the auto pilot going so smoothly that God throws a little extra in the pot to see you handle it.

He is such a wonderful ‘tester’ and trainer. What He’s really doing is helping you stretch a little thinnner so as not to overload your focus in an area that needs a little more time to develop. Enjoy the stretch… switch the gears.


~Morning… Noon… & Night… available @ www.sportyking.com

How I Feel Affects Other People...

GOD’S LOVE

God's love never fails,

Though we sometimes expect it to. . .

We may sometimes feel incomplete.

And in that cavernous place of fantasy,

we lose sight of the true light that keeps us afloat.

A fantasy that should, instead,

invite us to a rainbow of joy

where the pot of gold at the end, is at the beginning.

Or have you forgotten that in the beginning,

there was the Word. . .

And just as the word was good,

so (too) must we believe in our wholeness:

Are you Willing to sacrifice...

happy to look success in the eye, and proclaim the victory?

Can you clear out yesterday and tomorrow...

to enjoy the Here and now of this present?

Are you On top of your game...

where you win because you compete only against yourself?

Do you Love yourself?

And will the by-product of your love (Self Esteem)

bring you closer to the Everlasting passion and promise

of God's love...?

...for it never fails,

though we sometimes expect it to. . .

because we cannot understand his power.

”Your Name Came To Mind”
© 2006
Available at
www.sportyking.com

How I Feel Affects Other People...

WOMEN

... Can’t live without them (period)

And I wouldn’t want to have to be the one to prove it...

Thus, as I sat beside the fireplace last night,

my thoughts drifted to you.

Not the words we exchanged during our last time together,

but to you

And as I listened to the crackle of the wood

I was reminded of the crispness and effervescence of your smile...

A glow of encouragement, inspiring me to breathe

and enjoy this walk of faith.

Starring into the dancing flames

I saw the many faces of your beauty, and sensed your moods...

As you stare into the mirror we now share.

Funny, how it seems I have a message...

When I am merely the messenger.

Clever, how I mouth your words...

With no sight of your hand running up my back.

Lasting, your affect on the lives you touch...

Neither beginning nor ending with mine.

Oh, I could go on...

BUT, I CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT YOU

(PERIOD)

”Your Name Came To Mind”
© 2006
Available at
www.sportyking.com

How I Feel Affects Other People...

Do you realize that negative people don't want to be around positive people?



Sometimes we look at it from the other end of the deal, but think about how your smile just gets on a negative person's nerves... like their frown can get on yours.


Stay positive to keep the negative people away.

This poem is about Rosa Parks, who knew not to listen to negative people.

Holy Rosa

Didn't we mention that the bus was only the beginning?

For this movement meant much more than a ride.

The strength in this woman was her obedience...

Yet her spirit was motivated by her pride.

Pride made a comment to Wisdom

Asked it how necessary it was to lay low?

Wisdom was no fool, it said I'll go with you...

Just promise me that you'll take it slow.

So they worked their way to the front of the bus

(these two… Pride & Wisdom)

They made no pause, as others watched and warned.

And as they sank into that seat

that moment became everlasting

For never had authority been so scorned.

Fitting that her name was Rosa

For she rose above the pain that held so many back.

The pain that says slavery is mental

And it's favorite color never has been black.

Slavery's favorite color has always been ignorance...

Ignorance (somehow) continues to erase love.

As you take your ride in this lifetime (be smart)

Make sure the driver of your bus is up above.

© 1984 Sporty King
”Your Name Came To Mind”
© 2006
Available at
www.sportyking.com

How I Feel Affects Other People...

YOU KEPT ME UP

LATE LAST NIGHT

I could almost make out your figure

Through the darkness in which we sat.

And so I sat and I listened,

And I felt your every word

as they lingered in the black.

I closed my eyes.

But I opened them shortly

(for I missed you in that span)

Your fragrance enticed my nostrils

Your voice welcomed me back

Your actions called for my attention

Your wisdom rang in my ear.

You kept me up late last night

And you weren't even here.

© 1994 Sporty King
"Do You Have Any Idea... How Fine You Are?"
Available at
www.sportyking.com

The truth is we all keep someone up late each night... worrying about our safety... how we handled a situation... what we last spoke about....


Though I obviously wrote this poem to express my feelings to my girlfriend, who was studying abroad, years later a friend of mine honored my writing as she used it to eulogize her friend.

See the power of words, and resolve to define them to express your feelings with no boundaries on how you use them. And be sure to tell someone you love them today.

How I Feel Affects Other People...

DATE YOUR MATE

May I suggest that if her name was once Sweetheart,

and his Honey

That you continue to say them with no bite?

And that one of you has to wonder

what surprise YOU have, to make this a special night?

Look, I don’t care if you’ve gotten older

or put on a little weight

It takes some work to stay in love

You’ve got to date your mate.

Flowers are supposed to bloom and wither

So they can be renewed.

And, fellas, if you start then stop sending them

She’ll get them from some other dude.

Now hold on ladies,

don’t accept those replacement flowers so fast

How much are you doing of what you did

To get them in the past?

If you were a gentleman who opened every door

Don’t suddenly wake up one day

and act like it’s such a chore.

Don’t switch to unscented soap

if you once wore cologne.

And if you do, don’t wonder why

she spends so much time on the phone.

Remember, if it was a whiff of your perfume

That made him stick out his chest and spread his plume

No matter how many children or situations

It’s not too late

To relive those precious moments

You’ve got to date your mate.

If he was once your knight in shining armor

Or she, your damsel in distress

Admire the way he looks in a suit

Compliment her on that new dress.

It’s never too early in the morning to show your love

Any time of night is not too late

If you’ve done it before, do it again

You’ve got to date your mate.

You were blessed to have met one another

Do you doubt that destiny?

And after you’ve erased all the unpleasant memories

Would your faults be strengths with someone else?

Are you guaranteed to wake up tomorrow

to share or see a smile?

Will you find a little less rhyme or reason

Even see all you have at stake?

Have you forgotten so much about the good times

That in hindsight they were all fake?

Don’t let the thin line disappear

And turn your love into your hate

It’s a chance not everyone gets

So don’t take it for granted

You’ve got to date your mate.

© 1994 Sporty King
"Do You Have Any Idea... How Fine You Are?"
Available at
www.sportyking.com

How I Feel Affects Other People...

THE IMPLEMENTATION CREW

So often we complain about

the Week From Hell,

where we go nothing done

because of problems, trials and tribulations.

How about the Week From Heaven,

where so many blessings showered down

that we didn’t get to do all we planned?

I wish you a Week From Heaven,

where nothing goes according to your plans…

but everything according to His master plan.

© 2001 Sporty King
“Starting Today… Weekly Affirmations for Daily Living”
Available at
www.sportyking.com

How I Feel Affects Other People...

In 1995 I wrote I Found Out I'm Dying: A Celebration of Life in Spoetry. It's amazing how many people missed the subtitle, ultimately missing the message. After writing that book I began a wonderful journey and test of my faith. The challenge of marketing a speaking career based on the use of poetry took me on a roller coaster ride of fear and joy. It was during that ride that I grew and came to the realization of my deep belief in God and myself. That ride took me through Chapter 13 & 7 bankruptcies, foreclosure on my house, automobile repossession, used-car flashbacks, real estate and income tax troubles....

You see, these twists, turns and drops on the ride reminded me just how wonderful this gift of life is. They reminded me of just how alive I am. And that we must all recognize and remember that what we most enjoy about the roller coaster is the drop.

I FOUND OUT I’M LIVING

Actually, I've known it for quite some time now

Yet only at a surface level.

And, again, I thank you (God) for yesterday,

as much as I do for today.

And I ask that you (my friends) join me

in recognizing that the challenge

of this roller coaster ride called "life"

is even greater when you take responsibility

for your actions and self.

For as I am able to look at where I was, and what I did

It becomes more evident to me who I am.

And through that realization I extend my hand to touch you

Actually to feel you

Because in my position as Conduit of Good Spirits

The physicality of our sharing pales in comparison

To how and why we must love one another.

I found out I'm living.

And when I woke up this morning I praised that vision

That I might be allowed to ride His coat tails

And see Him in my every decision.

I sat by the window and took in another breath

For somewhere... somehow... someone else... didn't.

So I checked my five, for their alignment with my sixth sense

Thus my ability to experience... experience... experience... experience... experience...

While my smile sent a flush of joy to every tip

Of this temporary body I occupy

And came back in an unspoken word of comfort.

I read the Word to exorcise my soul of fear.

I recognized what other called miracles

As the blessings that were always there

I found out I'm living

And that I have been since Day Number One.

Yet it was not until I released my physical self

That I was really able to give God the glory

And thanks for all that I've done.

© 2006 Sporty King
”Your Name Came To Mind”
Available at
www.sportyking.com