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Creative Works Of Gary W. Halsey Sr.Gary W. Halsey Sr. (4,456) ![]() ![]() Gary W. Halsey Sr. ![]() All Season Karaoke and D.J. Life After Death, The True Meaning, and What Is It?Posted Thursday, August 20, 2009 (92 days 11 hours ago.) Viewed 267 times. I had a dream last night about losing my dog. I know it sounds strange, but nevertheless, I still had the dream. It made me think about death and dying, and how great it will be one day to join my dear friend Shilo, up in that heavenly place, and frolic with him once more, how great will that be? Perhaps to be reunited with my mother, my father, and my entire relatives of the past decades that I have lost and missed. What about my aunt JoEllen, boy I sure miss her, she was my favorite of all my aunts. Now it isn't my intention to make everybody upset or put you on a bummer, and after all, this isn't probably the best of topics, and also keep in mind that I am a Christian man, coupled with Christian beliefs, but I really started thinking about the significance of death. This is nothing new, and I am sure that folks have pondered this for generations, and perhaps I can get some input from our knowledgeable leaders of the cloth, but I would like to get this clear once and for all about death. We all know sooner or later that it will come our turn to go to that heavenly place that we all know and love so well, but until recently, I have looked at this from a whole new perspective, a different angle if you will. In a sense, I have thought about this in depth, now keep in mind, I am not a scholar of the bible like some of you fine folk are out there, but I did take 3 years of Seminary when in High School, and I did learn a little about "Life after Death", and I am not all to certain that I understand it's perplexities. I really started thinking about this when my mother passed away. As most positive minded Christians would do, I would think about being able to see her again when we were reunited once more in that heavenly place, but how would I know her? I have to keep in mind that according to the Southern Baptist belief, that we of course all go to that eternal place "IN SPIRIT", We are rid of our physical bodies once we are dead. Are we assuming that our spirits look the same? I think not. I have see in several movies like for instance "Ghost" where Patrick Swayze is still here in spirit, and he looks the same, he is just surrounded in light. How about Casper, the Dr.s wife comes back in spirit the way she looked in life, is this accurate? There are several depictions in movies that insinuate that we will look in spirit like we do in the flesh, and I doubt that. I honestly think that we will look nothing like we do in the physical body. Are we this endless sea of spirits that float around for eternity with see-through bodies or forms? How will we know our loved one's if they are in spirit? What will we look like? I really don't think anyone knows. As I thought about this, I was a little unsettled by the prospects of not being able to identify my loved ones. I have actually faced and experienced death in the flesh when I had a heart attack, and was "brought back to life" by my cardiac surgeon whom saved my life. I actually died on the operating table. I tried to recall what I experienced, and all I can tell you is that I experienced blackness. No sound, no light at the end of the tunnel, no one was seen in spirit or the flesh.humm..I wonder why? Was I in a "halfway world" when I experienced this? Why was no once seen? Why can't I remember? I really don't know, it is not what I thought it would be like. The only good thing that I got out of that experience is that I am NOT afraid of dying anymore. It didn't hurt at all. Strange? I thought it was. I think that as a human spirit, both in the physical sense, and the spiritual sense, we NEED to think the way we do about death to get us through life. Death is like being born, no one really remembers how they were born. I don't remember how I died? Weird I know. But I do like the thought that I will meet my loved ones again, and I will see them as I saw them here on earth, at least I would know who they are but I seriously doubt that I will see them as I remembered them, not without their physical bodies. For all I know, my dog could be a cat by now. My mom might be right here on earth, giving birth to another child, or whatever the good Lord has planned for her. Reincarnation? Perhaps. Who will greet us at the "Pearly Gates of Heaven"? Who will welcome us? I have no idea. Is there really a Saint Peter? Well all know what the bible says. I know that you have to have faith. All I need to know is, what do I have to have faith in other than my savior? Will you meet your loved ones in the "after-life" if so how? I know that all of you with doctrine degrees in religion will have the scripture definition, but who really knows? I guess I am not asking what you have read, because I have read it all also, I am just asking what your take is on the subject? Does anyone really know? Who has lived through it to explain it first hand? No one I suspect. It is really unsettling for me not to actually know. Why? Because I as a human being not a spirit, would like to have some sort of guarantee that I will be with the ones that I love. We have to have hope in order to live, I am a firm believer of that, but who can actually tell me? I'm not sure what the answer is, but you have to admit, it is thought provoking? Hope to hear from you with your ideas. Permalink Comments (5) My Medical Healthcare Rip-Off, Is Socialized Medicine the Answer?Posted Thursday, August 06, 2009 (106 days 10 hours ago.) Viewed 309 times. Is my medical healthcare working? The question really is, "Compared to what"? I have hated medical healthcare for years because they, the medical industry, has been ripping off the American people for decades. It is the only profession or entity that can bankrupt you, and still leave you owing money. After all the deductibles are met, it is the end of your healthcare insurance year, and then you get to start it all over again the next year. I'm not sure that socialized medicine is the answer or the cure, or the so-called public insurance plan that president Obama is proposing. Oh sure, it sounds great that prices will be lower, and that the "quality" of healthcare will supposedly be better if not the same as what it is today but my question is, if they cannot "fix" the present healthcare services that exist today, how do they (the government) expect to "handle" a public insurance? We can't even control these money hungry industries today, let alone the up and coming public healthcare of tomorrow. I proposed to the United States government, that they investigate the healthcare systems that we currently have, and find out WHY cost are so high. Here are some of the things they need to investigate, and I am sure that they will find the results very surprising. See below: 1. Why does it cost so much to stay in a hospital, hell, I can go to a five star hotel and pay less than what our hospitals now charge us per day. 2. Why does medication cost us so much? Once the medicine is researched, and proven, why should the American public keep on being gouged for the research cost over and over again? 3. Why are the deductibles so high? 4. Why do we have to pay for a 1500.00 deductible before the insurance will kick in, and then have to pay office deductibles, or even specialist office deductibles, or the outrageous deductibles that we have to pay for emergency care, only to have to wait all night to be seen? What is up with that? 5. Why doesn't the government look into these problems, and investigate them, and coming up with a valid fix cover these concerns mentioned above? 6. Why aren't these items mentioned above being regulated? Who is watching to make sure that the American people aren't being gouged like what happen on Wall Street with the retirement funds? All I am saying is, who's minding the store? Why do we need yet another plan to take the place of the broken one, why not fix and repair what we do have, and bring the prices of healthcare back down to where the American people can afford healthcare for themselves and their families. We really don't need a another system that will complicate things although I applaud president Obama for at least trying to come up with a solution in regards to healthcare. He has been the only one in decades that have tried to "fix" it. Get these criminals out of control, and put honest hard working executives that care about the people, to run these organizations. We don't need the white collared criminals that they have running our healthcare systems that are driving up the prices so fast and furious that the American people and families can no longer afford healthcare!!! This is an area where regulation is REQUIRED AND MANDATED by the people. Lets not create another monster, instead, lets fix the one we have, and rid ourselves of the white collared criminals that run them. They should all be in jail for what they are doing to the American people and money corrupts. Am I the only one who sees this?? Permalink Comments (17) Independence Day, And What it Means To MePosted Thursday, July 02, 2009 (141 days 10 hours ago.) Viewed 1,594 times. Every year when Independence Day rolls around, I am reminded of several things, how lucky I am to be an American, and the freedoms that come with this privilege, the women and men who over the decades that have fought and died to maintain those freedoms, and the Declaration Of Independence. Phrases like, "We hold these truths to be self evident, THAT ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL". Yes indeed, to me it rolls up to allot of things that I remember as a child, and to this day, as an adult. It's not about fireworks, and bottle rockets, those are just symbolic of those times of years past where songs were created by song writers that had phrases like, "The bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the night, that our flag was still there". "When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again", you name it, every political song that was ever written, was inspired by our Declaration Of Independence. God bless our troops that still maintain those freedoms. God bless those who protect our borders, and our seas. Yes, to me, the Declaration Of Independence means that I live in a country where freedom of speech is still protected, my right for assembly is protected, as well as my right to vote for a free democracy, and to bare arms. Oh yes, The Declaration Of Independence is so much more than fireworks, it is our way of life, and to those overseas, the are representative of that cause, my prayers will be with them always. God Bless America!!! Permalink Comments (7) A Bird In The Garden, Is Worth Two In A CasketPosted Tuesday, June 30, 2009 (143 days 20 hours ago.) Viewed 365 times. It all started when we started our little project the "Veggie Garden". We had the bright idea of planting a veggie garden this year, and so I went down to the local rental place, and rented a rototiller. Well, we bought bags and bags of soil to mix in with the sand that is here in the desert, and quite honestly, we didn't think anything was going to survive with 109 degree temperature, really, c'mon. But alas, I am proud to say that my wife and I were very successful in planting this garden, the soil mixture must be just right, because the veggie plants just love it. That is the good part.
Here is the bad part, along with fresh veggies come the birds, yes birds, not to mention the other little critters that are as pesky as the birds. Well, you have to imagine in your mind that I had been watching my garden like a hawk, (pardon the pun), and everyday, an attempt was made to rob my garden by these pesky little varmits called "Doves, and Blackbirds". So in my wifes attempt to make our garden less attractive to the these birds, she brought home 5, count them, 5 scarecrows. So we set them up in the garden, all 5 of them, with their skinny arms and legs stuffed with straw, and do you think that kept out the birds? NOOOOOOOO!!!! Do you know whyyyyy they didn't stay out? Because the scarecrows faces are smiling that's why. I told my wife, "Scarecrows are supposed to be scary, they are not supposed to look like a cabbage patch doll"!! They don't scare the birds away. But they are still up, and smiling. We may as well give each scarecrow a sign to hold saying "Come and get it"!!
Well, I came up with this brilliant idea, how about a pellet gun, or even better, a B-B Gun? So I bought a B-B rifle, made by Daisy, (I spared no expense). Well the plan was to shoot AT the birds just missing them, keep in mind, I love animals, and yes, even birds, but I thought if I would just miss them, the noise of the B-B hitting the ground would scare them away. So this last Saturday, I am sitting on the back porch, fascinated by our beautiful garden, actually I cultivated the garden, and my wife planted it. I was having my morning cup of coffee when suddenly the phone rang, and my sister in law was on the other end, and her and my wife began chatting over the phone, while my wife was having her morning coffee. Suddenly, there it was....a dove in my garden, eye-balling my strawberries. Carefully, I leaned over, not making a sound, and picked up my Daisy B-B rifle, that I spared no expense for, and I cocked it and didn't even aim, and "POOF", a cluster of down feathers filled the air!!! Oh my God, I killed the poor beast! I was beside myself, and my wife is watching me as if I was a Dove Murderer.
Guilt poured through my body, I felt so much remorse, I looked at him after the feathers floated down, (I didn't know that they could float that high), and I looked at the poor birdie victim. He was still standing!!! He looked a little dazed, but he was still standing....I opened up the gate to the garden like I was on a quest to save this little beast, when he flew over by the palm tree right by the garden. Was he okay I thought? Will he live? So I proceeded to advance towards him so that I could examine him to make sure he was all right, when all of a sudden, he flew close to my face, and landed on my fence. I looked at him on the fence, and he was fine, I had just hit his down feathers, not him, and then he just took off. Well, I'm not sure if the gun idea was such a good one, but he didn't get my strawberries. I'm sure he will be back. And of course it will be when I'm not there, and probably bring all of his friends to poop all over my lawn furniture, eat all my strawberries and tomatoes, not to mention the green beans and eggplant, and if he does that.........I hope at least he will eat 1 hot pepper, if the B-B didn't get him, maybe Montezuma's Revenge will!!!!! I hate that bird.
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