

Remembrance day affects people. Some have family connections with loss. Some not connected with a direct action, and yet all are part of a larger body which has endured loss. Endurance suggests continuity, and there is the rub. For we who stand, now is the time to reflect on those who cannot. Australians who participated in the First World War were volunteers. And yet not all so, for civilians got caught in the battles too. Some of the great poets of the age arose from the war. Some lost to it. All sacrificed much. Ginger Mick was a fictional character who asked for nothing from me. Yet I would give him his life if I could. He didn't want to be called a hero. Yet he died one.
What can be said in such a sacred day of former PM Paul Keating branding ALP with a speech writer's words to associate with Remembrance Day? He did not write those words "He is one of them. He is all of us" for the unknown soldier. ALP don't have a proud history of governance with serving troops. Sacrificing many in Singapore, abandoning POWs, Union strikes organised to hinder troops, shaming soldiers who chose to fight. In recent years, Australia has been involved in her longest armed conflict in Afghanistan. Six years under the conservatives, and six years under the ALP. Forty deaths under the ALP, none under the conservatives. It is a compelling soccer score for people like Keating who view lives as a game through which ALP must triumph in memory. Probably it best to view Keating in paraphrased terms "He is one of them, against all of us"
Australian troops achieved much in WW1, but were quite humble. They didn't treasure awards, possibly disgusted at the reality and the cost which such things entailed. And what award compensates for the loss? I thank those who were awarded. They definitely earned it. As did many who never were given one. Some complain of the atrocities committed. Such things happen in war, but overwhelmingly, Australians fought with honour. I write 'Australians' and many might point out so many weren't, being from NZ, England, South Africa, PNG, India .. I know not the full allegiance, but I give them this gift. For the war ended at 11am on the 11th day of the 11th month on 1918. Today, Australia has wounds from her local petty battles. We don't really know who is ridgy didge. Our future is clouded. And yet in freedom and liberty, we rule. People come to our land from places thousands of years rich in history. Risking all. Because of the sacrifice of those soldiers. They might not have had Australia in mind, and yet they gave her this rich gift. A bowl, drenched in their blood, giving us a drink of hope for tomorrow.
Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock
Jingle bells swing and jingle bells ring
Snowin' and blowin' up bushels of fun
Now the jingle hop has begun
Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock
Jingle bells chime in jingle bell time
Dancin' and prancin' in Jingle Bell Square
In the frosty air
What a bright time, it's the right time
To rock the night away
Jingle bell time is a swell time
To go glidin' in a one-horse sleigh
Giddy-up jingle horse, pick up your feet
Jingle around the clock
Mix and a-mingle in the jinglin' feet
That's the jingle bell rock
Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock
Jingle bell chime in jingle bell time
Dancin' and prancin' in Jingle Bell Square
In the frosty air
What a bright time, it's the right time
To rock the night away
Jingle bell time is a swell time
To go glidin' in a one-horse sleigh
Giddy-up jingle horse, pick up your feet
Jingle around the clock
Mix and a-mingle in the jinglin' feet
That's the jingle bell
That's the jingle bell
That's the jingle...
David Daniel Ball calls himself the Conservative Voice.
I'm a teacher with three decades experience teaching math to high school kids.I also work with first graders and kids in between first grade and high school. I know the legends of why Hypatia's dad is remembered through his contribution to Math theory. And I know the legend of why followers of Godel had thought he had disproved God's existence.
I'm not a preacher, but I am a Christian who has written over 28 books all of which include some reference to my faith. Twelve blog books on world history and current affairs, detailing world events , births and marriages on each day of the year, organised by month. Twelve books on the background to and history of Bible Quotes. One Bible quote per day for a year. An intro to a science fiction series I'm planning, post apocalyptic cyber punk. An autobiography with short story collections.
I'm known in Australia for my failure as a whistleblower over the negligence death of a school boy. ...
A worship song spreading the good news for illegal citizens too. Illegal citizens should go home. Their places assured for when they go home to Him. The best way forward is to face your troubles. Do you agree? Write your comments on this song. I read them all.
Citizen of Heaven [Verse 1] I am illegal, but my citizenship’s in heaven, Paid twenty thousand to be smuggled, chasing freedom. Many died on the journey, no refund for the pain, Smugglers threaten me and my family, trapped in chains. [Pre-Chorus] I wanted freedom but paid for chains, I was wrong to come illegally, my heart in shame. [Chorus] But now I go home, a citizen of heaven, Jesus made me a child of God, forgiven. My Savior’s calling, His love has set me free, I’m bound for glory, my home’s eternity. [Verse 2] I paid awful people, they lied to me with greed, Promised hope but left me broken, with nothing I need. In the dark, I cried out, thought I’d lost...
Part of my series of worship songs from daily bible quotes. Has the Father healed you your relationship with your parents? You are free to comment, I read them.
Below is a worship song inspired by Luke 11:13 ("If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" ) in the style of Bethel Music or Hillsong, incorporating the themes and phrases you provided. The song is structured with verses, a chorus, and a bridge, aiming for an emotive, heartfelt, and worshipful tone with a focus on God’s love, redemption, and the Father’s heart.
Song Title: Father, You Found Me
[Verse 1] My dad never liked me, I carried the shame, I had to prove myself, but I lost the game. I failed, he died, left wounds in my soul, I still talk to my father, but I’m never whole.
[Pre-Chorus] I never knew him, how could I see? How can I know God, when ...
How do you feel about the surgical strike? Was it wrong for Israel to protect her people from nuclear annihilation? I read all comments on my work.
• Recent tensions escalated after Iran launched a missile attack on Israel on October 1, 2024, prompting Israel's retaliatory Operation Rising Lion.
• The ballad follows the Israeli folk tradition of the Horah, a circle dance with roots in Eastern European Jewish culture, adapted since 1924 in Israel.
• Lyrics begin with "Oh, Rising Lion, from the desert's heart you roar," honoring the operation's code name and Israel's resolve.
• Next verse sings, "Mossad spies danced through shadows, with drones in silent flight," reflecting the covert agents and embedded technology.
• Chorus rises, "Hand in hand we turn, under moonlit skies of might, Rising Lion guards our land tonight," echoing the communal spirit of the Horah.
• Third verse adds, "Natanz fell to precision strikes, a ...