G.F. Smith's Blog

By
G. F. Smith

11-11-16

Have
you ever wondered what life would be like without motion?

Ahhhhh, you’re getting it. There is no life…without motion. Everything is
in some state of flux, or motion: sub-atomic particles, molecules…people,
planets… galaxies, even the universe. Life is defined by motion, as is time.
When something moves, it changes, and when something changes…it moves.
Simple as that.

But the question is, is the motion—or change—toward something better, or
something worse? Matter of opinion, I know. Just think of the most recent
Presidential campaigns and the resulting election!  (Whew!
Yeah, I’m glad it’s over, too.) As they say, “nothing stays the same.”

As many of you can tell, I’m back in the blogger/communication
mode again. No, I don’t just drift along and then all of the sudden arbitrarily
decide to change something, and then offer up an announcement of it. No, on the
contrary, what I’m doing—have been doing—is,
and has been, calculated, planned, weighed out, and then strategically and
incrementally set in motion. (There’s that word again!)

But why
Change what I’ve already done?

Let me say a few things first. I do not
consider myself a religious person. I’m on the edge regarding all that, as a
lot of us are; still full of confusion, doubt, admitted ignorance. Yet, I still
offer up prayers and hopes that all this craziness down here on this little
planet exists for some reason, and that I
exist...for some reason, and that things are ultimately going to change for
the better. As a result, I choose, everyday, to voice a simple prayer for my
family, for myself and for you, actually.
For:

A measure
of Faith, an allotment of Wisdom, and a sense of Purpose!

(That goes
for you too, Mr. Trump! Sincerely!)

This is the best I can do, because somehow
along the way we have to convince ourselves that this life—this motion—we’re subjected to has some
meaning. Even if we haven’t figured out just what all that means yet.

I’ve looked at things this way most of my life.
I truly wish I had the answers. But, I don’t. What I can do, is keep moving, keep
changing, keep questioning, and keep humble. So, that’s why I write, and why I
keep trying to improve what I write,
and how it is presented.

I’ve made some changes to my most recent book,
Smartbrain, as well as to some of the
older ones as you might have noticed. Let me explain why. As a self-published author,
I have to compete with literally millions of other authors for attention, from you…the consumer. No different than with restaurants, smartphone makers, or
anyone else that offers some thing,
or some service.

We all
behave this way. You do!

You do it when you dress up and prepare for a
Job Interview; you do it when you try to persuade your employer that this way
is better than that way; you do it when you go out on a date; you do it when
you show up at 6:00am and vote! We all seem to have this inherent penchant to
try to improve.

I’ve realized this from the start. That is why
I have done what I’ve done. Let me lay it out: I seek to give back to life; I’ve
written a number of books; I’ve created a platform; I’ve presented them to
people to test the markets, get opinions and reviews; I’ve listened to these comments
and critiques; I’ve humbly taken them to heart, and have made improvements so
that forthcoming Readers can enjoy these works to an even greater degree than others
before them.

What you’ll find when you—the Reader—experiences
my books, are characters in varying circumstances that in relative ways mimic and
acknowledge the drives, penchants, hopes and feelings, places and potentials,
that we all find ourselves in—in reality or imagination—asking the questions,
enduring the frustrations, and hoping, as we keep trying our best to step up to
the challenges this life subjects us to.

G. F. Smith

By G. F. Smith

Gist
/ jist /

noun: gist; plural noun: gists

1. the substance or
essence of a speech or text:

"…she noted the gist
of each message"

Synonyms: essence, substance, central theme, heart of the matter, nub, kernel,
marrow, meat, burden, crux 

2. from Law:

…the real point of an action

When a potential Reader curiously glances at a
book, they are wondering about the gist: the general idea, theme, or essence.
They may immediately learn the “genre” of the work from a cursory scan of the
cover, but in truth, they really wish to know the heart of it, whether it holds
any significance for them, at all.

Through my characters and story lines, I seek
to emulate the substance of what I believe are the deep-seated curiosities and
concerns of everyday people. We found ourselves here, bent and shaped by our
history. We live in the indefinable NOW,
increasingly under pressure to balance our history with our hopes and dreams,
while apparently facing our own certainly inexorable and inescapable future
demise. Wondering—often with much fear and frustration—do I hold any significance, at all?

Fiction—be it books,
films, or plays—if written well, not only tells a good story with good
characters and fascinating settings, but will leave the Reader with something
to think about later on. Moreover, if that something turns out to be enduring,
it might just change the Reader’s entire perspective.

Perspective Determines our Perception…

I watched a film recently—the Walk. Based on the true story of Philippe Petit, the talented wire-walker who schemed for six years to illegally place a cable between the
north and south towers of the World Trade Center buildings and make his historic August
7, 1974
walk while thousands of flabbergasted onlookers anxiously watched from below. The
latter part of the film was unnerving.

Most of us common people could not imagine doing such a
thing. I have personally dangled under numerous parachutes in my life, at twice
that height, but I could not bring myself to do something like that even if my
life depended on it. From my perspective, I initially perceived Mr. Petit’s
stunt to be borderline insanity. Then after remembering a particular scene’s lines,
reflecting Mr. Petit’s own reasoning, my perception changed, and I took away
from the movie the true gist of his
actions.

It was Something I
Could Relate to…

Mr. Petit (through the voice of actor, Joseph Gordon-Levit) explained
that people are always thinking—regarding something like this—about death,
about dying. He said, he does not think about it that way at all, he simply chooses
to think…about life. In fact, he said
that this was the very purpose of his life.

Many have their opinions about Mr. Petit and his stunt. Some
say he was monomaniacal, highly obsessed, and many criticized him severely
because he did not concern himself with the possibility of dropping something
from the top of the towers, including himself perhaps, and killing someone down
below. However, it did not work out that way, and Mr. Petit ended up inspiring
literally millions of people, metaphorically speaking, to step out onto the proverbial
wire of their lives and simply…live.

What Wire do I Walk?

The original title for this blog entry was The Gist of Smartbrain, since it is a high focus on my part to facilitate the
marketing of the new book. However, as I wrote this blog entry I came to
question, yet again, just what is my
gist? What is my essence? What wire do I walk?

It then settled in my heart that in my life my wire is my
writing. It is my purpose, or perhaps better stated, the gist of my writing is my purpose. In my writing there appears the
recurring theme of encouraging others to examine this experience we call life,
in all of its apparent complexity and diversity, and brevity, and to look
deeply in order to find—or in most cases, choose—our
purpose, our own wire, and then…walk it!

However, this does not always happen on a given moment, and
from then on, you just know—as it apparently happened one day to Mr. Petit. It
is something that grows and changes and improves, and becomes a reality over a
lifetime.

All of my Books,
including Smartbrain, Reflect this Same
Gist. Here, see if You can Find it in
this Excerpt…

“…so what is the definition of a ‘smart brain,’ then?”
Jonathan Raker asked, going with the flow of the conversation. “How about you
this time, Ms. Whiting? You’ve been the quiet one throughout the afternoon.
What are your observations regarding the subject?”

Sarah looked intently at Furley.

Furley gestured back encouragingly with her eyes telling
Sarah to go ahead; it was her opportunity to answer the question this time.

Sarah smiled back and then turned to the crowd.

“Well, I think everyone here, in one way or another, has
touched on the definition of ‘smart brain.’ Condi said it when she mentioned
that reality and value are subjective things. Furley just stated it when she
said that it’s as simple as just doing the math. I think having a smart brain
requires us to critically review and assess our present circumstances based
upon the past conditions that brought us here, and then find the courage and
resourcefulness—the bigger purpose—in order to alter our thinking and behavior
so we can undergo the needed change, whatever that may be.

“The hard part is human nature.
We seem to have the tendency to want to remain in our ‘familiar’ zones at all costs,
until the last minute, selfishly, oftentimes to our detriment, as well as that
of others. But, if we’d just do the math, we’d see that we have to change, we
have to find the faith to do so, but first, we have to believe in ourselves,
that we all have a purpose in life.
And once you realize that—what your purpose is—that’s when life truly starts
for us. And that’s what makes all the difference. My father taught me that
since I was a little girl; at first I didn’t get it either, but he was right
all along. This Smartbrain technology may not have all the potential we think
it’s going to have, but we do, and
it’s only going to be as a ‘smart’…as we are!”

It may not be considered smart
to do what Mr. Petit did. However, if it were not for all the millions of
people who found their purpose, and the courage to step up to the edge and in
due course walk-the-walk, as they say, none of us would even be here. That is
the true gist of Smartbrain, by the way.

All the best,

G. F. Smith

By G. F. Smith 

*A “Two
Part” Novel in One Volume

*Near
Future, on Earth Technology Sci-fi

*Available
in Print and eBook Formats

*Printed
Pages: 495

Tags and
Themes:

Science, Science Fiction, Smartphone, Technology,
Brain Computer Interface, Alzheimer’s Disease, Mind Control, Identity Loss,
Artificial Telepathy, Neural Streaming, Auxiliary Senses, Romance, Ruse, Human
Trafficking, Avatars, Moon, Space, Planets, Streamplaces, Dreams, Purpose,
Adventure…

Beta-reader
Comments:

“Well plotted, written, and edited…”

“Excellent novel…highly entertaining…”

“A pleasure…an accomplished author, of which you are one...”

“I really enjoyed reading Smartbrain! It was a really
fascinating story...”

On the Cover:

   This is one
story that seems to be going to everyone’s head, literally! Apparently,
Smartphones can now be interfaced—connected—directly
with the Human Brain. The news streams are a-stir with this breaking buzz and
legitimate sources are confirming it’s true!

   They’re
calling it Smartbrain: your Field of Vision is the Monitor; Images, Motion, and
Sound feed directly into your neural pathways; Activation, Operation, and
Navigation accomplished by your thoughts; a plethora of Apps and Cloud Sources,
under development. Many are already saying that this will be the technological
game-changer of the century. But ask yourself, who in their right mind would
want it?

   This is
Jonathan Raker of Raker’s Slant; stay tuned for more breaching news and
inclined commentary!   

Blurb:

   Sarah
Whiting, young, attractive, techno-savvy home-body, researcher by trade,
accepts a potentially lucrative offer to join a product/market analysis team
that is performing the final evaluation of the believed technological
breakthrough of the century before its release to the public.

   New “Smartbrain
Technology” interfaces advanced smartphone capabilities directly with the human
brain. But revelations about the technology’s true origins, its potential
consequence for the human brain, for society, and for this lonely backward
planet, have Sarah second-guessing herself, and her sanity, when she falls for
one of the engineers of the tech and is suddenly swept into a dangerous ruse of
deception that may just be her imagination, or may threaten the entire world.

From the
Author: 

I am
extremely excited about this new Book Release. Smartbrain looks objectively at
the seemingly inexorable integration of technology into virtually all aspects
of our lives; observing while doing so, the benefits and enjoyment that are an
understandable consequence of the discoveries and innovations, yet at the same
time intuitively acknowledging the continually shifting gray areas that seem to
keep our human nature on the edge of apprehension.

I sincerely
look forward to your comments and reviews.

Stay
Curious everyone!

G. F. Smith 

By G. F. Smith

“Figured it out yet? Figured what out?” you’re probably asking. You know…the theory of
everything, or whatever it is you want to call it. You see I’ve been out of the
Blogging loop as it were for quite some time—about two years, actually. And I
wondered if I missed anything big while I was gone. Sometimes I don’t get the
memos, you know. 

Anyway, the reason for the absence was actually two-fold: 1)
I’ve been involved with a new position at my day job, and 2) I’ve been writing
a new book. Of which both, I am very proud to say, have gone exceedingly well. 

The job is for a great company, working with awesome people,
and it has turned into a successful enterprise, not only for myself and the
people who are in my charge, but for the owners and partners who initiated the
endeavor in the first place—of which, by the way, are located on two different
sides of the world. And, I must say I am also exceedingly proud to work with
both my American as well as Japanese associates. Did I mention it’s been great? 

Okay, now, a little more regarding the book details: I’ve
been writing this novel, see—my fourth—and I have recently finished it and it
is nearing the final stages before the final launch, which, by the way, is
going to happen very soon, in the matter of a couple weeks after the
publication of this Blog Post, actually. 

The book’s themes and related details will be highlighted
soon when the updated Website is published, and the proofs are proofed. All the
editing and design phases are complete, with just a few cover details left to
finish up. After that, it’s “to infinity and beyond!” (Wait a minute, that’s
probably copyrighted, so…) “to the opposite of finiteness, and afar!” 

Anyway, I just wanted to take a few minutes and start to get
back in the “shh-wing” of things
(oops, that’s copyrighted too, I think)…the “communication” of things. So, I look forward to it—the communication
thing—and I just wanted to pass out a little teaser and let everyone know how
excited I am about this new book’s release.

 

I think you’re going to love this one!

Its call Smartbrain!

Until the next time,

G. F. Smith

By
G. F. Smith

  

“I…I’m not sure why I’m here…”

He was immediately choked for words.

“I…suppose most of us are not sure why we are here.

“Why we found ourselves here…here on this planet, here in
our lives, here in this…in this body we call…us, you…me?”

Daniel squinted at the thoughts coming to his mind; he felt
an odd compulsion. He remembered what the Professor had said, ‘they need to
know the questions…’ He struggled in his mind, but then the words started
pouring out.

“I…I wish I had some answers for you…for me…but I don’t.”

He paused again, considering where he was going with this,
more words came.

“I…I’ve thought about these things all my life. Suddenly, we
were just here…born…alive.

“I don’t remember where I was before I was born.

“Do any of you?

“Do any of you know where you were, before you were
born…before you came to be?

“I don’t!

“So…where did we come from?

“How did our consciousness come into being?

“It’s easy to say—on the surface—that we’re just a product
of DNA, of the traits inherited from our ancestors, or from the experiences
we’ve been through since we were first…subjected to this life.

“But…where were we before that?

“I haven’t been here forever.

“Humanity hasn’t been here forever.

“If we could empirically trace our lineage back to the
beginning, to the first mother and father, the first spark of life—wherever it
came from, however it happened—what would that tell us?

“There was a beginning…wasn’t there?

“Or…was there?

“For some reason I can’t even imagine…a beginning. Wasn’t…wasn’t
there always something there first, before the beginning?

“Something that…made the beginning?

“Or, was there nothing?

“But how could there be nothing?

“And if so, how could something come from…nothing?

“It doesn’t make sense.

“Why would we not know?

“Why would we not know where we came from?” 

He paused for a moment
and held his balled-up right hand to his lips, as if in desperate thought. He
continued. 

“It’s as if we live in a huge box, shrouded on all sides by
a seemingly impenetrable unknown.

“All we seem to know…is a little bit about the past—our
recent history—and perhaps, a few assumptions about the future. Yet, the
farther back we peer into history, or into the distant future, the deeper and
more mysterious the unknown becomes.

“Most of us don’t even understand very much about the
history we do claim to know. How it formed and molded us into the nature we’re
accustomed to. We’re just accustomed to it. We just found ourselves here one
day, born at a certain point in time, from a certain set of parents, in a
certain town, country, culture…a way of life, and we’ve been here ever since.

“And yet, we still don’t really know why?

“Why?” 

He paused again,
turned, and began speaking in the other direction. 

“Most people don’t question this box, its purpose, its
mysterious history, much less the origin or reason for its contents…for us.

“We just exist within it. Deal with it the best we can,
according to our own personal perspectives and preferences, and are rarely
curious about why it is.

“We find ourselves just ignoring those deeper aspects of the
box, because history has, to a high degree, shown, that seeking to understand
it all…is nothing more than an exercise in utter futility and frustration.

“So, for many—for most, perhaps—it just is…because it is…why
do we need to know more?”

It was then that he started seeing individual faces…

 “I…I have seen the
future…as if it were the past!

“I know it is to be one of…dread, one of sorrowful, pitiful
dread for multitudes…,” he added, staring with penetrating eyes…

With a sense of heightened purpose, he trudged on.

“I have seen billions suffering…billions dying…billions
being buried in mass graves because of our ignorance…because of the blind,
self-serving, ignorance that we allow to remain in our hearts and our minds.

“Why do we do this?

“Why…?” 

He paused again…

Daniel turned back to the people.

“Could, perhaps, this lack of knowing the origin of this
box, or what lies beyond its seemingly impenetrable walls…have something to do
with it?

“Could it be that since it was all going on long before we
got here…that we just accepted it, once we found ourselves here…without even
questioning it?

“Do we feel that this lack of understanding somehow
exonerates us from responsibility, from participating…from attempting to change
what we’ve found?

“Is that why many don’t…question?

“Is it because…once we do, we become accountable to the
answer?”

He paused yet again,
feeling an overwhelming lethargic sadness suddenly envelope him. He strained to
continue. 

“Is it so wrong...to question the origin and destiny of the
box…its contents?

“Is it challenging the very Creator…by doing so?

“Are we challenging…God?

 “Yet, isn’t that what
children do…when they approach the age of reason?

“Isn’t this the way it is when children grow up, and it
becomes time to leave the nest…the cave…the box? 

“Is it not within our destiny…to find these things out?

“To learn these things…?

“Is it wrong of us to ask the question…

“Why does God…keep his children…in a box?”

 

A humble excerpt from Subjected: Parallax

G.
F. Smith

By G. F. Smith

04/13/13  

The other day I read that the new Pope’s primary focus—at least for
now, apparently—will be in support of the poor
and the down-trodden. I’m not
catholic, but I congratulate this man’s efforts. And, on the side, I am sincerely
impressed and moved by this man’s modesty: his belief in simple, ascetic
lifestyles, and his humility—he reportedly opens his own doors, and carries his
own luggage. Way to go, Sir!

Now a question:  Poor,
we understand, but…what exactly does “Downtrodden”
mean again?

Most dictionary definitions read
like this: Downtrodden: “…to be browbeaten,
subjugated, oppressed, demoralized, exploited…broken.”

“Downtrodden” means that we become
so exhausted from trying to deal with some sort of oppression—internally, or externally—that
we just can’t take it anymore, and as a result, we often break. We’ve all been
to that edge on occasion I suppose, to one degree or another. Yet, some live on that edge.

And that’s where the Spirit
can become…Broken.

Life is full of FIGHT! We fight, and
then we fight some more. Then we do it again the next day. We fight gravity,
hunger, fear, fatigue; we fight anger, stupidity, decay…disease; we fight to breathe, to mate, to stay mobile, to climb the
latter of success in a multitude of areas; we fight to try to be right…and not
be wrong. We literally fight everyday.

Ever wonder why? Why the constant fight? Why is life so inundated with
struggle, and resistance, and opposition?

I know what you’re thinking…”what
doesn’t kill you makes you stronger!” (Was I right?)

Well, that’s okay, when thinking of
yourself, but what about when it means enduring having to watch your children
fight? That’s an all together different perspective, isn’t it?

Recently, I’ve met some great people
who struggle in their family with a harrowing disease call Osteogenisis
Imperfecta (OI, for short). It’s also known as “brittle bone” disease. You’re
born with it, and there’s no cure. Imagine a miscalculated twist, or an
occasional bump, or even just a cough or a sneeze, and crack—a bone breaks.

Now, imagine watching your children… breaking,
before your very eyes!

Following is a quote from someone who
knows what it’s like:

“In addition to fractures people with OI often have muscle
weakness, hearing loss, fatigue, joint laxity, curved bones, scoliosis, blue
sclera (white of the eyes), brittle teeth and short stature. OI is caused by an
error called a mutation on a gene that affects the body's production of the
collagen found in bones and other tissues. It is not caused by too little
calcium or poor nutrition.  

I have had somewhere around two hundred fractures during my
lifetime so far, and I am still fracturing. I've also had approximately 20
surgeries to correct fractures, straighten the curved bones, and procedures
they call rodding. This is where they place rods in the long bones to help
strengthen the bone and prevent displacement from a break. I was blessed with
my son, Jayden, in June of 2011, who has also been diagnosed with OI, he has
currently had three known fractures including a tibia fracture, spine fracture
and a spiral fracture to his femur.

I am not coordinating this walk because of my sufferings, I
am raising awareness for my son, he is my motivation to make a change in this
world for those with OI. I want a better life for my son, just as any parent
would, and that change can start with your help. Please give as much as you
can! Will you also spread the word and help us generate a turnout for this
walk-n-wheel event that will make a difference?  

I truly appreciate your time, consideration and generosity!”

                            ~
Jennifer Roberts, 2013 Columbus , IN - OI
Event Coordinator

“A Change in This World…for my son…”

I was really touched by this. Most of
my kids have had broken bones on occasion, playground stuff, sports injuries,
etc. My son Josh was hit by a car in a terrible accident around the age of seven.
Fortunately, he only ended up with a broken wrist, a concussion, and some
lacerations. It took every ounce of faith my wife and I had to get through
those times. I can’t imagine living with the daily fears and consequences of
having something like OI…especially when it comes to young children.

I’m inspired by Jennifer Roberts. I
see in her an “unbroken spirit”. One who, through knowledge and understanding,
along with a healthy measure of faith, has chosen to take control over her
situation—difficult and frightful as it may be—staring it in the face with
sheer defiance, certitude, and conviction, to not only survive it all, but to
help others with it along the way.

We all should be so bold!

Way to go, Jennifer Roberts!

We all see and experience tragedy.
We all have to endure our own particular fights—some
worse than others, no doubt. The key—and this is where Jennifer and the OI Foundation
truly inspires me—is retaining that “unbroken spirit” which, again, not only
helps us live with our particular tragedies, but gives us the courage and conviction
to stand up together, and…keep
fighting.

You can get more information about OI, as well as contact information
about the 2013 “Unbreakable
Spirit” Walk for OI: Hope, IN at the
following link:

http://www.oif.org/site/TR?fr_id=1641&pg=entry

 

By G. F.
Smith

This
particular Blog Post was going to be a two-fold entry: One, thanking everyone
for a successful Book Give-away Drawing, and two, commenting on, and wishing
everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. But then it happened: 

The
senseless massacre of children at the Newtown, Conn. School… 

I wish I
understood! I wish—pray—for a deeper understanding of why things like
this happen; I always have. Tears are welling in my eyes as I write, and the
life-long anger that has haunted me all my days—because of things like
this—is exponential at this moment, I must say. My wife and I raised our own
four children; my little grandchild, Liam, is crawling around my chair as I
write this. I look at him, pick him up, and hold him tight, and all I can do is cry. I know what the parents are
feeling…at least to a degree. (We’re praying for you all…) 

You know, I
check out the news on a daily basis, in the morning, with a cup of coffee.
Today was like the last few, after the announcement—a little more information,
a little more anger to add to the bitterness of my umpteenth cup of coffee. 

Again, I
wish I understood; I long to understand… 

However, I
must admit that I don’t. It’s an irony, really, when one considers that I’m in
the process of trying to launch my book series, which, as some of you know, culminates
with a story about a terrorist group in the future called the QUALM, which
overtakes and holds hostage a huge orphanage and begins taking the children’s
lives because the world doesn’t go along with their demands.

I feel so
bad, now. I knew this would happen with the formation of the concept over two
years ago; people would think ill of me for writing it. I just didn’t think it
would happen like this. Coincidence and timing in life is sometimes beyond
bizarre. 

Humbly
speaking my friends and Readers, the series is about trying to understand this
life, and doing so from the inner perspectives of our questioning child—a child
who on the one hand feels anger and resentment for life, and on the other, one
who still longs for understanding and forgiveness and purpose. Subjected: the
Series is—in its essence—about the apparent duality of our human and spiritual natures.

However, it
is the end of the story that pulls it all together, and hence, I
believe, affords us the understanding.  As
an Author, and as a person, I must acknowledge this most basic of premises. As
we all must, in the wake of this horrific tragedy.

Personally,
I believe in God. And I believe he well knows the anger that I have because of
things like what happened in Newtown, Connecticut. Yet, the victims of this tragedy,
along with the rest of those who are completely incensed by it, are but a literal
few in the billions that have endured things like this throughout humanity’s history.

Tragedies
of this sort have been going on for thousands upon thousands of years, in one
form or another. In fact the very poisonous anger that I feel now, towards that
young man—as well as God, because of it—is undoubtedly the same ubiquitous anger
that most likely drove Adam Lanza to strike out in the first place, against
life, against the very innocence of childhood, and against God.

So, where
was God? 

Why didn't He stop it? God? Why hasn't He stopped it all, all the bad? Why has He…allowed
it to continue for so long? Why hasn't He fixed it all yet? Why did it all fall
apart in the first place? I don’t know. Questions? Questions? 

I can’t
give any of you any solace with whatever answers I might be able to usher up.
All I can do is boldly share with you—in my writing, and my books—my various
perspectives and positions of observation…along with my measure of faith.

Again, I wish
to emphasize that I believe we must all recognize that the same anger and
disillusionment that we feel because of this tragedy is, again, probably the
same anger that fueled it in the first place, and has done so throughout
history.

However, I
have made a personal choice in my life…a choice to forgive God. I’ve gotten a
lot of flack from others for that statement: “Who do I think I am?” “Where do I
get off?” Sorry, no disrespect, but that’s how I feel.

I choose to
forgive God—whatever he truly may be: Father, aloof friend, Brother, Higher-dimensional
Being, old man with a beard, whatever… I choose to forgive God for all the
oddly incongruous events and experiences that I (that we) have suffered,
endured, and continue to humbly question as our lives progress toward our own
dubious demises. But, that’s my choice.

And
that’s the point; it all comes down to our Choices…

Forgiveness
of others—of God—again in my opinion, and as hard as it might be to
understand, much less apply, is the only remedy that I can see that will continue
to turn the tide of humanity. I believe that God—whether literal, figurative,
or however you want to think about it—along with us, must also endure the
tragic suffering and loss of his children—as he did with his own begotten Son.

Jesus
Christ was a historical figure; that is undeniable. He suffered and died, at
the ignorant and angry hands of humankind, and it was with that strength and
courage of forgiveness that he carried his own cross to his death. This is a
fact of history. Because of his life—his sacrifice—I believe that He—that
God—knows what we are feeling. 

However you
choose to believe, it is the rudiments of forgiveness that has changed the
world and brought us up out of the animalistic nature that wars against us in
our hearts and minds.

If Adam
Lanza could have found forgiveness in his heart for whatever life had doled out
to him, then, he may have never lashed out in such a dreadful and deadly
manner. Likewise, if we don’t help others in the future know and understand the
virtues of forgiveness, then what is to prevent other tragedies like this one
from happening. 

Forgiveness
is the Essence and Spirit of Christmas; I tend to think that a lot of people have forgotten that...and we mustn't! 

G. F. Smith

Announcing!

G. F. Smith’s

Subjected: the Book
Series

the

amazing

Give-away

 

In promotion of the thought-provoking three-book
novel series, SUBJECTED, and its printed-version debut, twelve(12) complete signed
paperback sets of the books will be given away to twelve(12) fortunate winners
whose names will be drawn in early December. 

How to enter: go to www.gfsmithbooks.com and click on the email
icon on any page and simply fill out the form. Be sure to input your full
name, and don’t forget to include a mailing address in the message
box of where you’d like the books to be sent, if indeed you are a winner.

All entries will be assigned a number. A random
number generator will be used to pick the twelve winners. Names of the winners
will be posted on G. F. Smith’s Facebook page, as well as the Website. 

Feel free to enter even if the “genre’ of the works
isn’t of your liking; they would most certainly make a wonderful Christmas gift
to someone you may know and love, and/or who appreciate well written stories
about TIME, PURPOSE, and…HOPE for a future.

Entry cut-off date:

Sunday December 9th
5:00pm 

Drawing date and announcement of
Winners:

Tuesday December 11th

 

Book sets will be mailed
out USPS the following day after the drawing.

All the best to you and
yours,

G. F.
Smith

By G. F. Smith

09-08-12

 

This is going to be a short Blog Post; it’s tough to write when I’m frustrated. But somehow, by some means…someone blew up my Blog! Grrrrrrrr….Snarrrrrrrrl….Hissssssss! :( … Good, I’m glad you let me get that out of the way! Thanks!

 

Actually, I suppose I was the primary instigator of the abovementioned Blog Murder. It happened like this: I was in the process of setting up my Website with some accoutrements, specifically a webstore to sell the newly published, Printed Books of my series SUBJECTED. As I discussed this prospect with the Website Provider/Techno-dude (actually it was a dude-ette) I was informed that I had an “older site” that would not accommodate the newer technology—whatever—that was needed to generate the store. I was additionally told it was just a simple matter of “copying” the pages of the old site to a new-and-improved one.

 

“Sure,” I said…“go for it!”

 

Well, it was all done in a couple hours and I went to work on the new site to set up the store, and low-and-behold…my BlOG laid there…dark…unmoving…lifeless! I was…stunned, incredulous! I quickly called up the Website Provider and inquired… "wHat’s uP?! Well, long story short. The Blog did not copy over, and it was dead!

 

“wHat! iT…iT…caN’t be! Noooooo! But…it was.

Again, long story short, I was told I could start another Blog, which I have. And I—because I always back up my writing—was able to reload all the posts from the prior year or so. However, all the wonderful, insightful, and much-appreciated comments from all my respected (did I say appreciated) Readership…were gOne! LoSt in the cold, crUel world of cyber-sPirits…never to be read again!

So…that’s what happened.

And so, to all you wonderful, insightful—much, MUCH appreciated—Readership. I say thank you, again! I hope you will return and bless all of us with your future presence.

Life has its Reasons…         

(though hard to understand sometimes!)

G. F. Smith

By G. F. Smith

09-08-12

 

Commitment perpetuates inspiration—and inspiration, reciprocally, perpetuates commitment. I must admit, that’s what I’ve been lately—committed, inspired…and extremely busy—hence this explains the lag in the Blog.

 

Sadly, my mother got sick and passed away. She passed on my birthday, ironically—that was hard—and I had a lot to think about, and a lot to do, seeing how she lived in a different state. I wrote about her not too long ago in the Blog entry entitled, Alzheimer’s: Losing Our Minds’, or Just the Connections? Thanks for everyone’s thoughts and prayers over the past many months. I really appreciate it. It’s a tough part of life, for all of us, no matter how you look at it. But…

 

Life…has its reasons!

 

On the other side of the spectrum, let’s see: I have a new grandchild—my daughter and son-in-law’s second. Yeah! In addition, my son, and daughter-in-law (along with my beautiful little grand daughter) were on a five-month missionary trip—half of which was in South Africa. Worrying and praying takes a lot of time, believe me. And let’s see, I started a new job. It’s a great job, for an awesome company, and I get to work with awesome people. It, too, has deserved my attention, all the training and overtime hours involved, and my unswerving dedication and commitment.

 

On top of these, I have also been working ardently toward getting my three-book novel series, SUBJECTED, in print. And, I am excited to say that…THE TASK HATH BEEN DONEth! Yeah, Baby!

 

Please excuse the shouting (and the stolen line from Mike Meyers)!

Anyway, if you hadn’t noticed while navigating here, the website tells all—about my new PRINTED books, I mean. However, they are not the only reason for the topic of this Blog entry. Somewhat esoteric in nature, and intended to be so, like the rest of my Blog topics, the reason is: the value beyond the value.

 I’ll quickly get to the point. We humans often get a thought in our heads—where we want to go, what we want to do, how we want to be, where we want to end up. You know: desires, goals, drives and ambitions.  When we set out on these journeys—and depending on the level of difficulty, or involvedness—we find ourselves having to “commit” our time and devotion to them, frequently, and concurrently at the sacrifice of something else.

 We only have so much time in life!

 You know what I mean! Don’t you? You’re undoubtedly experiencing this right at this very moment. In fact, you’re probably surprised that you’re even taking time to read this Blog. (Thank you, by the way.) However, there is a reason you’re reading it, isn’t there?

 The deciding factor is value…simple as that. Right?

 Well, yes! But, we all know that what is valuable to one person may not be considered as valuable to another. This happens at home, at school, at work, at play…at (is there another place? Humm!) Anyway, it happens everywhere. You value something, so you commit to it. You give your time, your thoughts, your creativity, and…if it is really valuable to you…your heart and soul. All the while pushing other things off to the side: other commitments, enjoyments, hobbies, sleep, even friends, spouses, children, etc., just to name a few.

 So, what’s this value beyond the value?

 I know you’re short on time, so here it is. The value beyond the value is, in essence, YOU! Or, in other words, it’s what you add to the value of something. You can start a business, however, it’s the integrity you add to it that, for instance, incites employees to want to work there, and customers to want to frequent it. It’s how you run it, which makes the difference, which adds, or creates, the future value—the value beyond the value.

 You can build a house, and raise a family, but, it’s how you make it a home filled with love and memories—the examples—your children will have for their entire lives, and, hopefully, thereby pass on to their children. (I didn’t really understand this one very well, until later on. But you learn along the way, that…it’s never too late!)

 Soooo, you can create art, or books, or beautiful things, or whatever, but, it’s the love and passion, the sweat and blood in which, and through which, you create them that can, and will shine through as inspiration, encouragement and, perhaps, insight to others.

 The value beyond the value is summoning a measure of belief—of faith even—that, the confluence of all your efforts will one day be greater than the frustrations and the sacrifices that were required to make it all happen in the first place. In a lot of ways though, faith is a solitary thing. We’re all different. We all have our callings and/or our purposes, and from these, what we personally designate as valuable. However, once we grasp just what those may be, it’s up to us to give it all we’ve got, and strive to believe, every step along the way, that what we set out to do will make a difference in the world, far beyond ourselves…far beyond tomorrow.

 G. F. Smith