Shadow Rider

Photography          ©Maleko 2012         (Edited using PicMonkey)

Love in Black and White

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another." 

John 13:34 

 

 (A picture of my girl and her dog, edited using PicMonkey  Maleko ©2012)

Always the Hero!

From the sky it was horseshoe shaped from one end to other where it met the main street where the cars traveled quickly carrying people on their way to somewhere.  The street was simple asphalt with no sidewalks. You only encountered the main road if you turned right out of the driveway, but if you turned left you saw the bend of the road forming the bottom corner of the horseshoe, but we so often deviated from the bend in the asphalt.  We would quickly duck under the electric fence marking the edge of the neighbors field that kept the horses and cows from roaming free.    Crossing the field on the banks of the irrigation ditches we walked carrying our BB guns like some might hunters looking for wild game.

                                                      

On the other side of the field we took turns holding the barbed wire apart as we each crawled through the small opening emerging into the larger agricultural fields that were planted with corn, potatoes, alfalfa and others crops depending on the year.  This is the street that I grew up on. The fields and beyond yielded a world where young boys pretended to be men by exploring, discovering and imagining the world in our own special way.  There were irrigation ditches to wade and swim in, trees to climb, brambles of branches to explore, silos to climb, old barns to explore and horses to dare each other to climb up on.  A world where the expectations of daily duties of chores, school work and being a good boy were left far behind.  

Hunting for our dinner as if our very lives depended on it, perfecting our aim with our BB guns we shot at many small birds, snakes, frogs and even each other on occasion. Although, we very rarely hit anything we believed we could survive in the wilds on our own.  Then as the sun would sink low into the western horizon the realization sunk in that we must return to that other world in which we lived.   The street that I grew up on lead to a world where imagination ruled and boys could be men, dream of adventure and always be the hero!        ©Maleko 2012

(The above was written for Free Write Friday using what is called stream of consciousness writing, no editing, no proofing just write!  The story was prompted by the text "The street you grew up on…" and image above, please check out Kellie Elmore's blog  for more information on Free Write Friday's, twitter hashtag #FWF and join the fun!  Just write!)

You Do Make a Difference!

"Big House" cover (Audio Adrenaline)

A unique cover version (?) of the song 'Big House' by 

Audio Adrenaline.  Turn up the sound & enjoy!

Tell Me Your Name

I wrote these words in December of 2004 one month after my daughter was born.  It is based on the scene from the movie 'Gladiator' in which Maximus is in the Roman coliseum and is forced to turn and address the emperor Commodus when he is asked to tell him his name.  

Years earlier Commodus had murdered his father Marcus Aurelius and ordered the execution of Maximus and his family, thereby claiming rule of the Roman Empire.  Maximus escaped being killed but later was captured and was forced into becoming a gladiator in the ring fighting for his life for the amusement of the crowds.  

However, when his defining moment arrived he turned faced the murderer of his family boldly proclaiming who he was.  Through the journey and struggles Maximus never forgot who he was, he knew his name, he knew it with all his heart.  I pray that we alI do the same.  ~M

Eternal Magic - Part 3

Eternal Magic - Part 1 
Eternal Magic - Part 2 

He discovereth deep things out of darkness, and bringeth out to light the shadow of death.

Job 12:22 KJV

The creatures continued to advance; Sadee Jayne’s barks became filled with aggression and fear.  Within the mind of each family member at the same time the word ‘surrender’ was heard as clear as if it had been spoken by someone standing next to them.  They each looked at each other in turn, with a dawning recognition in their eyes.  A freezing chill settled deeper in the air and began to penetrate their hearts as the fires light began to wane.  They knew they could not save themselves and the realization drove them to their knees still holding tightly to one another. 

Words of belief, of devotion, of love and worship quickly passed across their lips into the cold frigid night in an effort to accept what seemed an inevitable fate.  A long forgotten magic and wisdom began to dance in the air as the small family huddled together still clasping hands.  Silent prayers were fervently whispered and offered up to the throne of heaven as stars swayed in the sky as if hanging from invisible string.

Suddenly, the last rays of the setting sun emerged from behind low lying clouds on the western horizon, blazing light across the landscape.  The owl had disappeared quietly into the night as the air became filled with a power so tangible you could almost hold it in your arms.  A brilliant gold illuminated the darkness and the shadows.  The creatures were filled from the center with a pure white light that pierced them from within as the suns light reached them before they could retreat. 

Each creature recoiled and writhed in pain, erupting in low screams just barely audible for the human ear to hear.  Slowly each creature began to melt inward, as ice on the sidewalk on a hot summer’s day, back into the earth from where they had come.  The image of the apparitions completely disappeared as the kingdom advanced heralding a power that calmed their hearts.

The prayers of the three had became bolder with power and expectation as they turned from pleas of rescue to voices raised in worship to an eternal hope offered freely from heaven.  The owls’ ability and vision to see in the dark had supplied a warning and revealed a truth that darkness can be overcome by a deeper magic that shines a light into all dark places.  After the creatures had completely vanished a silent calm had returned to the night.           

The sun dropped beyond the horizon as night settled over the land once again and the campfires’ light blazed brightly.  The realization of the power they had just witnessed combined with feelings of whether the experience had all only been a dream.  The family vowed to remember and share with others, that there is an eternal magic that reveals mysteries from the darkness and brings the deep darkness into the light.

    THE END  ©Maleko 2011

Eternal Magic - Part 2

He discovereth deep things out of darkness, and bringeth out to light the shadow of death.

Job 12:22 KJV

Civilizations have both revered and feared the owl as a symbol of the underworld.  The ability to navigate easily through the night has tied the owl to the secrets we all hold in the dark places in our hearts.  Often thought throughout the ages to be a shape-shifter that heralds the coming of evil or dark wisdom, a link to spiritual things the material world has long forgotten.  But some see the owl as a warning for those who would heed its presence, sent as a guide to discover hidden timeless truths which hold forgotten wisdom.

Civilizations have both revered and feared the owl as a symbol of the underworld.  The ability to navigate easily through the night has tied the owl through history to the secrets we all hold in the dark places in our hearts.  Often thought throughout the ages to be a shape-shifter that heralds the coming of evil or dark wisdom, a link to spiritual things the material world has long forgotten.  But some see the owl as a warning for those who would heed its presence, sent as a guide to discover hidden timeless truths which hold forgotten wisdom.

The owl’s hoots became more frequent and intense as Sadee Jayne voiced low growls in the dark while standing stiff, poised for attack, strained against the full length of her chain.  The air suddenly was charged with an unseen energy.  Flames suddenly shoot upward out of the campfire into the sky, but no heat could be felt from the raging inferno.  At the edge of the glow cast by the fires light dark shadows began to emerge from the tree line filling the night with an oppressive terror released from the depths of the earth.  Shadows, numbering in the hundreds, were slowly moving forward and appeared at once human in shape but with no distinguishable features save for glowing metallic eyes.  The silhouettes showed familiar human like appendages; legs, arms, hands but the edges remained hazy as if advancing from out of a foggy mist.

In fear the family of three quickly clasped hands forming an unbroken circle as the shadows continued to advance slowly out of the darkness drawing nearer and nearer.  It was possible now to discern that the shadows appeared as creatures from the spirit world that had taken on physical form.  The little girl shrieked in fear as the apparitions continued their slow march forward.  As the three began to pray their prayers slowed the forward movement of the dark figures for a moment when voiced with no hesitation or doubt.  But with any break in the prayers and the cadence of their voices, then the slow plodding march forward of the figures would begin again.  The creatures appeared to gather strength and resolve that as they came closer.

No sound could be heard as the creatures crossed the ground seeming to float just above it.  Did they lack a mass to their form?  Visions of demons danced through the head of each member of the family from stories they had heard; grotesque and cruel, things most people only seemed to believe in their nightmares.  But this was real and only a greater power, which had existed long before these creatures could stop the attack.  It was a deeper kind of magic that echoed across eternity, one in which these creatures long ago turned from and chose not to believe.  Prayers become more fervent as the terror inside rose and they clung tightly to one another.  The parents frantically shielding their beloved daughter’s eyes from the gruesome figures that now hunted them.   (END PART 2)

Eternal Magic - Part 1

He discovereth deep things out of darkness, and bringeth out to light the shadow of death.   

Job 12:22 KJV

The flames from the campfire eagerly licked the dry wood as they climbed higher into the night, casting dancing shadows into the nearby forest.  Three silent figures sat close to the flames to feel the heat and cut the chill as the temperature dropped quickly with the setting of the autumn sun. The quiet and stillness of the early evening was welcomed by the small family after the day of adventure.

As late evening began to settle over the land like a thick blanket, a feeling of expectation and stillness hung heavy in the night air.  The only sound came from the crackling and popping of the campfire, flames sending prophetic visions dancing into the night. Anticipation arose within the hearts of this family of three.  Stars twinkled in the sky as distant galaxies were being born and dying as eternity journeyed ever onward.  Far from the light pollution of the cities and towns the heavens began to unveil a cosmic light show that was sure to be beyond compare.

The family consisting of father, mother and daughter spoke in hushed tones so as not to disturb the majesty of creation that they were witnessing on this night.  The only movement occurred when the fire needed tended and this was done quickly and with little wasted effort.  Occasionally their trusted companion, a dog named Sadee Jayne would move as she lay dozing just outside the fires light keeping a silent vigil against the night.

The last small glow from the sun was disappearing beyond the horizon when a high pitched screech that split open the silence of the night elicited a low growl from Sadee Jayne.  The shriek reverberated through the dark air as if carried on the wind through the trees and across the land, the sound chilling their hearts.  As the silence settled once again, the flickering flames reflected in their eyes as they looked at one another across the campfire as the moments slowly ticked past, their hearts beating fast with breathless anticipation.

The youngest of the group spotted the feathered creature first perched high up at the top of the trunk of a long dead tree with no limbs some twenty yards outside their camp.  The owl was a snowy white color with grey markings against the blue of the twilight sky, accustomed to the darkness, familiar with and unafraid of the shadows that dwell there.  Its head slowly swiveled from right to left surveying their camp for reasons unknown.  The owl voiced low hooting cries of mourning that echoed into the night.      (END PART 1)

Blood Stains

After swallowing the last gulps, he set down the empty can on the corner of the coffee table.  The hoped for solace that drink normally brought seemed to evade him on this night and exhaustion remained, yet sleep seemed to reside only on some far distant shore.  The silent darkness of the house that used to be a home only served to allow the persistent voices in his head to scream louder, eventually driving him out the front door and into the night.  How long he stood next to the tree, barefoot in the grass, he had no idea. The other houses that lined both sides of the street were dark and all the world seemed to be asleep in peace.  All was quiet except the low hum of electricity as it traveled through the wires to feed the glowing street lights.

His right hand was leaning on the knob end of a baseball bat as if an old man in need of a cane.  The thought of why had he carried this outside flashed through his mind and was just as quickly gone.  It was the very bat she had placed beside the front door in case she should ever have a need of a weapon close at hand.  He grabbed the handle with both hands, he had always enjoyed the feel of a wooden bat in his hands and the weight just felt right.  His grip fit perfectly as his fingers curled around the handle.  Holding the bat filled him with a dangerous sense of strength and power.

He could feel his heart beating louder and louder in his ears, his blood coursing through his veins as surges of energy careened through his body as his muscles began to tense.  The world around him slowly faded away from view and before him stood only the tree.  The round trunk stretched upwards anchored by firm roots hidden deeply within the ground.  Branches grew outwards in what appeared to be many haphazard directions, most branches alive with leaves, a few dead and dry.  The tree was life, a voluminous text telling a story and detailing each experience and dream along the way, each branch a turning point in his life.  The leaves held tight the emotions that accompanied the events of each memory that was remembered.  The lifeless branches revealed little as the memories of these experiences had faded from his mind over the years.  As he stared up into the tree's canopy each branch morphed into distinct memories of a life built on hope for the future and then wholly lost as fate seemed to conspire against the desires of his heart.

The frozen silence of the night was shattered by a loud crack as the wooden bat struck the tree trunk.  He did not even realize that he had swung the bat, but as each memory blazed before his eyes he swung the bat over and over. The tree quivered only slightly with each blow, standing strong and resilient against the vicious onslaught.  Each swing was fueled by grief and rage over what was lost, never to return.  Memories flashed hot, the bat hurtled through the air against wood again and again, until his shoulders began to ache.  The quiet was shattered by the crack of wood on wood as the bat slowly began to splinter from the force of the repeated blows against the tree.  He continued unrelenting as the fury rose inside him like a volcanic eruption long held in check within the depths of the earth, driving him past the limits of exhaustion.

The cascade of blows finally began to slow as his strength waned, at last he stood gasping for breath, head down, the bat lying motionless in the grass at the bottom of the trunk.  The tree was silent before him almost mocking his unsuccessful and feeble efforts at destruction.  He eventually fell to his knees and finally came to a sitting position with his back against the very trunk that had noiselessly absorbed blow after blow of his merciless rage and anguish driven attack.  He sat soundlessly through the remainder of the night, his body physically shattered; the fatigue blunted the pain and allowed his mind a small respite from the chorus of voices in his head.   

The sun began to rise, and light crawled out of the dark of the night revealing the dawn of a new day.  He sighed and moved every so slightly as his shoulders throbbed, his hands and fingers stiff and aching, but his mind and heart laid bare to the nonsense questions to which there were no answers.  As the mornings light grew ever brighter unhindered by his sorrow, he looked down at his hands which were stained in a murky crimson of his own dried blood.  As he stared at the sight, angels whispered about innocent blood that was shed once, in the ultimate sacrifice long ago, so the crushed hopes of this world may be redeemed and reborn in eternity and a small smile crossed his lips as he raised his face to the warm glory of the rising sun.

~Maleko (October 2011)

5 Ideas About the 'Job Box'!

Not to long ago while attending a meeting at work and doodling as I normally do I sketched the picture above of a horse and then drew a box around and added the words.  Later, I realized that was the first time I had ever put a box around my horse as part of the picture.  The horse represents freedom, strength and power to me and I placed him without thinking inside a box. 

I work in a box both figuratively and literally, I am boxed in by rules, polices, procedures, responsibilities, expectations and four solid walls.

"Think outside the box," they say, but what they really mean is nearly impossible at times, come up with a new idea, a new way to be more efficient but stay inside the box. It would make them uncomfortable it they could not keep us contained.

I strive to always make decisions based on certain values while my heart wants to soar, to create, to play, to be free, to live!

I struggle with intertwining the 'work' that I must do to pay the bills and the 'play' I long to pursue as an artist. The journey of staring at a blank piece of paper and following where the artistic path may lead calls to me. The ideas that so often come so fast and disappear just as quickly like snowflakes in July.  Searching for the freedom that I crave even if it is the freedom of thought and ideas inside my own head.

I have learned to live within the contradiction by following a few simple ideas - 

1. Always put faith & family first, that is the cornerstone!
2. Still yourself to hear your inner voice & that of God!
3. Enjoy the little things, like dark chocolate & coffee!
4. Listen to music that motivates & inspires you!
5. Never take yourself to seriously, life is too short not to laugh!

I pray this helps you to find that peace along the journey when the chaos and the tension seem overwhelming.   Remember you are not alone and my belief is the struggle seems common to all. ~M

More Father's Day Gift Ideas!!!

More Father's Day gifts available at the online store MalekoArts/Cafepress!  Many designs, all from original art by Maleko and a variety of merchandise to choose from, sure to please that special dad!  Order by Tuesday, June 14th for arrival by Father's Day!  

A small sample of what is available - greeting cards, water bottles, thermos, travel mugs, coffee cups, mugs, steins, aprons, t-shirts, golf shirts, baseball caps, gym bags, mouse pads, clocks, calenders, posters, framed prints, tiles and so much more!

Value T-Shirt - $9.99

Baseball Jersey - $17.99

Sigg Water Bottle 0.6L - $24.99

Large Mug - $12.99

Beach Tote - $20.99

Long Sleeve T-Shirt - $19.99

2 Different Stories of Scars

"In Memory"  ©Maleko 2011

There are stories we tell ourselves & others about the scars inflicted by this world, both physical and emotional.  I believe we must consciously create a positive message from these experiences so as not to allow the suffering to overwhelm the possibilities. 

My scars are invisible to most as they reside within my heart and head.  Here are two stories I tell myself about the early death of a loved one and my pain, loss and grief.  Both stories are equally true.

My loss and pain means that I am different from others.	Others have and suffer pain also, even if our circumstances and stories are different.
I feel alone as no one feels the way that I do nor understands.	Understanding and connection comes from sharing our different experiences and helping  others that is where relationships are built and fellowship exists.
I should keep my story to myself as others may pity me.	Others may find strength in my story of hope and perseverance in spite of the loss.
I have nothing to offer as I am broken and hurt.	My brokenness can be a source of power to help me heal and become whole again and to offer help to comfort others who suffer.
This is my pain to bear and carry alone.	I can choose not be alone to reach out and serve others to shine a light, this is my choice.
Nobody wants to hear about death!	Death is part of life and that's the reality we all face and can share!

Same scars. Same person. Very different stories.  What is the story you tell?

"A Friend Always"      ©Maleko 2011

"A View of Remembrance"      ©Maleko 2011

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The idea for this blog post comes from Micheal Bungay Stanier at Box of Crayons   Thanks Michael!

Michael Bungay Stanier is the founder and Senior Partner of Box of Crayons, a company that helps organizations do less Good Work and more Great Work. He is the author of Do More Great Work and Get Unstuck & Get Going, and the creator of The Alchemy of Great Work, The Great Work Movie, The 5.75 Questions You've Been Avoiding and The Eight Irresistible Principles of Fun. Michael was a Rhodes Scholar and the 2006 Canadian Coach of the Year. He is Australian and now lives in Canada.

3 Things I am Thankful For in 2010

Family & Friends, 

who support and love me, even in my struggles.

 America, 

the freedom to pursue my God-given dreams and faith.

 Dark Times, 

for in the dark I am able to truly see His Light that shines.

"The Sun Came Down"      Copyright 2010 ~Maleko

Seize the Moment! (Carpe Diem)

There are times in life when you must lead the 
pack and other times when you must sit on the 
wheel and wait for that moment to move in faith.

Waiting is hard but wisdom is knowing the difference! 


(The above is a photo of my daughter and I riding our bikes together.  The thought occurred to me that this is a good representation of the times in our lives when we need to know when is it the right time to make our move and seize the moment and the other times when we must wait on God.)