30 September 2019

the Twelve Tales of Christmas - Preview Part IV


Greetings Dear Reader,

In part four of the preview of The Twelve Tales of Christmas I give you the titles of the next three short stories.  The promotion below lasts until midnight October 15, 2019.  Please share this if you can.


The Pewter in the Corner – Perhaps it is the unseen Christmas miracles that do the most for us.
The Flute Spirit – There is a spirit to music that reaches us all.  I have often imagined that there are many and that they each have their own song to share.
Diner Days – A man shares Christmas with those around him and grasps the opportunity to work a little magic,

My first Christmas book premiers this fall in time for the Christmas season.  I am offering a special promotion for those who PREORDER the book directly from me.  Keep in mind that the orders will be processed in late November or early December.  The promotion will include the following:

A personalized copy of the book The Twelve Tales of Christmas.
A Christmas ornament designed to go with the book (the first in a series that will be issued with each of my Christmas books {Magi, The Christmas Wish, The Man Who Hated Christmas}).
A high-quality pen.
Another surprise Christmas Gift.
Inclusion in my advanced promotions for upcoming books in 2020 (there will be at least 2).

Here is what you need to do to claim your promotional copy of The Twelve Tales of Christmas and all the swag.  Copy this table into an email and send it completed to the following: aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com .



You will receive an invoice acknowledging your order.  Payment forms may be check, money order, or pay-pal.  Once your invoice is paid your book(s) will be personalized and sent out during late November/Early December.  You may submit requests for multiple books in a single email.  All books will be mailed via USPS and in packaging that does not reveal the contents. 

These ornaments will only be available with this first pre-sale of the books.  The total for each package is $19.99 plus shipping (determined based on your zip code.).  Anyone who orders 5 or more books sent to the same address will get free shipping.

This offer is only good through 10/15/2019 to allow for ordering the right quantity of items to meet your requests.  The first 10 paid orders will receive an additional item from my collection of book promotional supplies. I look forward to hearing from you Dear Reader.  These stories are years in the crafting and I long to share them with you.
 
Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”
(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:
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Fat Souls ~ Opening Thoughts


Greetings Dear Reader,

When my eldest Son was eight, he told me the specific Transformer he wanted for Christmas.  We discussed that it had to be the large Optimus Prime truck that really transformed.  He even asked if it was all right to pray for it.

That evening we were reading the Bible together in our elbow to elbow time.  We were reading the Psalms and that evening’s reading was Psalm 106.  What must have caught his attention was this: “They soon forgot his works; they waited not for his counsel:
But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert.  And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.”

That night, as I tucked him into bed, he prayed as was our practice.  His prayer, as best I can remember it was this: “Dear Jesus, thank you for another good day.  Please let me get Optimus Prime for Christmas, but I still want a fat soul.”

His understanding of what mattered at that age impressed me greatly.  His faith was strong and his desire to be in the right mindset was beautiful.  He did get the Transformer he wanted and a few others.  I also made sure that he knew how I was impressed that he had the right attitude about what he wanted.

Recalling that recently had me pondering what we ask for from the Father.  What we request reflects our values and priority.  It reveals to us what we desire and the order in which we desire it.  We never wish to be in the position that what we desire is outside of what the Father desires for us. 

As I travel over the next few days, I will be pondering this and sharing my thoughts with you.  Please journey with me as we discuss how we approach what we want and filter it through the character the Father wishes us to possess.  As always, your thoughts and questions enrich my journey Dear Reader.  Let us figure out together how to have fat souls.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”
(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:
Support Page on Patreon: www.patreon.com/aramisthorn
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29 September 2019

Not Cut Out for This

Greetings Dear Reader,

I have a friend who owns a lifting and fitness gym.   His balanced approach to what is often seen as a vain practice offers a perspective that I find encouraging and good.  He and his spouse approach the craft with an emphasis of faith, family, and fitness.  Even their approach to posing is a discipline and not an exercise in vanity.

In thinking about and praying for their business and their lives, it occurred to me that they make accessible a practice that not everyone is cut out to enjoy.  Then again, their discipline is one that requires time, effort, and patience to master.  It is not being cut out that matters.  It is being willing to work to have the definition cut into you.

Whether it is lifting or training in some other area, we must allow the discipline to cut into who we are if we hope to succeed.  The practice and time whittle away at what we are to carve into us what we are meant to become.  It is the daily effort that makes the difference over time.

Following Christ is the same journey.  We must shed the habits that hinder us and take on the disciplines that make us closer followers.  I must shed anything that does not lead to strength and consistency in faith and following.  This does not mean that I do not enjoy life or deny my enjoyments.  It does mean that I align them with what is going to cut into me the image and likeness of Jesus.  I must lift and carry that which identifies me with him.

I am thankful for my friends and the way in which they provide this service to our community.  I am also thankful that though none of us are cut out for following Christ, they use their work to teach others how to gain the discipline to do so.  I may not lift weights with you Dear Reader, but together we can carry the burden of disciplining our hearts and minds to follow Christ more closely through this example.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”
(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:
Support Page on Patreon: www.patreon.com/aramisthorn
Novels on Amazon           
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28 September 2019

The Death of Leaves ~ Closing Thoughts


Greetings Dear Reader,

I will journey north over the coming week.  The colours there are already bright and the air is much cooler than here.  As I drive through the Midwest, I will take in the various stages of the Autumn change.

What I must take with me is a deeper understanding and appreciation of how temporal everything around me is.  The life I am gifted is mine to live but it will reach and pass its Autumn.  I am in control of my choices about living but not about how long I am allowed to live.  My journey to Winter and then to that undiscovered Spring is measured by the one who created them both.

It is up to me to use each moment to follow Christ more closely and revel in the changes when they come.  I must see all that is created as deserving of my love and kindness.  Even the dry crisp leaf still has purpose and usefulness to the world.  It will become the soil that nourishes future leaves in a Spring yet to come.  Whether I see that which I deem success or not whilst I live, every moment that I spend loving others and being good to them assures that in that undiscovered Spring there will be things that remain.

That crispness in the air is a reminder that “every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.”  We must see that we are reflected in the seasons Dear Reader.  We must journey together and allow our lives to exhale the love that Christ has given us so that others may breathe it in and live.  When you travel with me, the journey is always richer.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”
(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:
Support Page on Patreon: www.patreon.com/aramisthorn
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27 September 2019

The Death of Leaves ~ Control the Weather


Greetings Dear Reader,

I want you to try something.  Make a single leaf stay on the tree.  Keep one from turning brown.  Use all your power and will to make it so.  Autumn is an annual lesson in the lack of control we have over things.  

The seasons remind us that we are part of a cycle not in control of one.  The years flow through the glass and time reveals the seasons as they unfold with us in them.  One can chase a season or two if one wishes.  I have a friend who lives in constant Spring and Summer by changing which side of the equator he lives on every six months. 

We can chase the seasons but we cannot change the fate of a single leaf.  They, like us, flow through time in a cyclical spiral that will spin down to the time when there is no more time.  Their lesson is to remind us that this is all out of our control.  All that we can do is live in the cycles with love for the maker of those cycles and for each other.

You will hear people complain in some way about every season.  There seems to be more of it when the air is cold and the sunshine elusive.  We enjoy the blazing colours but reject the winter they herald.  We can only control our response to the Creator.  We can only follow and see the splendor when it is there. 

I must not think that I am in control of anything.  I must remember that God never gets the weather wrong.  Autumn is a gift to remind me of things that end and how to navigate them.  Let us walk through the crisp leaves together Dear Reader, following the one who made the seasons and asked us to learn of him through them.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”
(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:
Support Page on Patreon: www.patreon.com/aramisthorn
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26 September 2019

The Death of Leaves ~ Cycles


Greetings Dear Reader,

Autumn is part of the annual cycle that we all understand and see as natural.   The Oak tree with its broad, bright fall leaves was once an acorn.  That acorn fell from an Oak or was gathered, buried, and forgotten by a squirrel.   That acorn died.  In the process of planting and growing, there can be no life without death.

I have written before about the idea that we live in a death-based ecosystem.  There is no life without death.  It was not always meant to be that way.  Life was meant to flow from life without death as a waypoint.   Man’s failure and the resultant curse introduced death as a part of the cycle of our lives and by extension, all life in our world.

It is in this cycle that we find our need.  The fall of leaves in Autumn reminds us of our own fallen state.  It is there to bring into focus that we are part of a finite cycle in which we need to use our brief lives to see and accept the love of our Creator.  We are to accept that he loves us and all that he created.   We pile too many layers of our own ideas and rules on it.  It becomes a cycle of service and earning instead of a process of faith and grace.

It does not matter what we layer on top of the fallen state of our world.  What it always comes down to is that we each owe a death as part of the cycle.  The question, then, is what comes next.  For leaves, it is the damp decay of winter wherein they begin their journey back to the soil that gave them life.  We too are on our way back to the one who gave us life. 

What matters is that we find faith and use it to guide us on that journey.  What works is seeing just how deeply the Father loves us as he calls us back to himself.  I deal with death and its purpose in Chronicles of Thanatos the Reaper.  What I would have us see here, Dear Reader is that the fiery colours of Autumn are there to remind us that though death surrounds us, we are called to life in Christ.  He wishes for us to see and move in the love of the Father until we too return to the dust and find life again in that undiscovered country.  The journey is richer with you as part of those colours that are visible when we remind each other of the Father’s love for us no matter what state we are in currently.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”
(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:

Support Page on Patreon: www.patreon.com/aramisthorn
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25 September 2019

The Death of Leaves ~ Purpose


Greetings Dear Reader,

I think that we do not ponder often enough what leaves do for us.  Trees bud new leaves every spring and they spend their lives turning carbon dioxide into oxygen.  It is their created purpose and part of the cycle on which we depend for the air we breathe. 

If we ponder the deciduous cycle, leaves only have six or seven months of life to serve their purpose.  Still, beyond the beauty of their task, the Father gives them physical beauty as well.  It is not lost on me that “in every wood in every spring
there is a different green.”  I am sometimes overwhelmed by the majesty of spring in full bloom.

I also ponder the relationship between our breathing and the production of oxygen.  The bronchia in our lungs that process the oxygen and carbon dioxide look very similar to the roots of a tree or the veins in some leaves.  This vital system not only has beauty but is recreated to mirror purposes.  It is yet another layer of practical wonder built into our amazing universe.

The leaves that will die and fall around us over the next few weeks have given their lives to sustain ours.  Remembering this is vital to our understanding of just how intricate the Father has made things for our lives to be viable.  It is a good thing to spend some time in gratitude whilst we enjoy the colors and wonder of Autumn.  The dying leaves are the final act of leaves as they return to the soil from which they sprang. 

The death of leaves is and end and a promise Dear Reader.  The very air we breathe is a gift and we must not take it for granted.  As the air crisps and the leaves drift on the wind, catch the smell of them and whisper a prayer of gratitude with me.  Spring will return but for now, we have Autumn to remind us that in death there is also hope.

I Sit Beside the Fire and Think – J.R.R. Tolkien – Performed by CamillasChoice

I sit beside the fire and think of all that I have seen,
Of meadow-flowers and butterflies in summers that have been
Of yellow leaves and gossamer in autumns that there were,
With morning mist and silver sun and wind upon my hair

I sit beside the fire and think of how the world will be
When winter comes without a spring that I shall ever see
For still there are so many things that I have never seen,
In every wood in every spring there is a different green

I sit beside the fire and think of people long ago,
Of people who will see a world that I shall never know
But all the while I sit and think of times there were before
I listen for returning feet and voices at the door

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”
(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:
Support Page on Patreon: www.patreon.com/aramisthorn
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24 September 2019

The Death of Leaves ~ Opening Thoughts


Greetings Dear Reader,

I have seen the Maple trees begin to show their crimson signal that summer is gone and the other trees will shortly join the symphony of color and wind that makes autumn so lovely.  Soon Octoberfest and wood fires will be the products of chilling air and the celebration of transition. 

During transition, there is always loss.  Some people see the passing of summer as a loss.  For others, Autumn is their favorite season.  There is, however, a cost to the beauty of the Maples in their fiery fall.  For all of its beauty, Autumn is a time of death and dying.  It is a season of decay.  

How we handle death is at least as important as how we handle life.  As we face this transition together, I ponder how we prepare for the Autumn of our lives.  Do we understand it is part of the bargain?  Do I consider that with more years behind me than ahead of me that I must honestly ponder what I expect and what I wish?

Perhaps we can walk together for a space before the air turns to brisk and map out where it is we are going and celebrate the death of leaves with hope and faith.  I know that the seasons have much still to teach me.  I must learn what it is if I am to journey well through Autumn.  Your companionship is truly a treasure along the way.  Walk with me if you will.  If nothing else, we can see some beautiful colors.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”
(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:
Support Page on Patreon: www.patreon.com/aramisthorn
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23 September 2019

Pitching Against Time ~ Closing


Greetings Dear Reader,

My Braves have won the National League East.  The regular season is winding down and the October classic is in the wings.  The season will end with a victor and many who wish they had won.  Baseball will sleep until the warm air of Spring draws the players out of hiding and new gloves are broken in, oiled, and prepared.

Some will not see Spring training.  Some will throw their last pitch some time over the next few weeks.  The battle against time catches up with us all and we have to stop playing the timeless game.  The sun sets on our journey and the only thing left is our memories and the love of the game.

We are all pitching against time Dear Reader.  At some point, the game will end and our season will be over.  Our career will finish.  What we have put into the record books is all that will remain.  Like baseball, every pitch is counted.  Every moment is noted and recorded.  All that will matter is if we pitched well.  Did we throw with love, grace, mercy, and kindness?

Every moment is one where we choose what to throw.  One can feel the weariness in the world as we hurl insults, hatred, and evil with little love for the things that matter.  What we must serve up with every pitch is the love of the Father, channeled through our thoughts, words, and actions.  What must be ours is the certainty that we do so in hope of others seeing the love of the Father in us and through us.

My arm is tired and I can no longer bring the heat.  I can, however, still deal out love with every pitch.  I can read the signs and hurl kindness, slenderness, and compassion in every moment.  I can choose to pitch well until my final inning no matter what the opposition does.  The Father will give us the love and grace to do so if we allow it.  Perhaps I can use these aching old words to push the sun back up into the sky and give us one more day of summer.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”
(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:
Support Page on Patreon: www.patreon.com/aramisthorn
Novels on Amazon           
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22 September 2019

Pitching Against Time ~ Bottom of the Ninth


Greetings Dear Reader,

If we are being completely forthcoming, we never pitch against a clock in the game.  Baseball is not governed by time.  We do, however, reach the final inning.  It is usually the bottom of the ninth.  The game is always linear.  It always moves forward in time.   I once went to bed at 11:00 PM and awakened at 4:00 AM to care for my infant Son.  The same game was still on.

There is never a tie in baseball.  There is always an end; a final opportunity.  There is always the last bit of time to play out the final pitches.  Any story that begins with “It was the bottom of the ninth,” creates instant drama.  Whatever flows from this has already signified that there is something more to come.  Usually, the idea is hope.

When it comes to life, it is the idea that even at the bottom of the ninth, it is not too late to make a difference.  There is always still time to change the outcome.  No one else may believe it or believe in you.  It is never too late to make a difference.  When pitchers reach this point, they must reach deep within themselves to hold off the other team for one last inning.  In life, it is dealing with whatever keeps us from love, kindness, and grace.

There is nothing that assails us that is beyond the love of Christ.  Nothing that we battle is lonely and solitary when we invite Jesus to stand with us.  Every moment, every pitch is a new opportunity to deal in love and grace with others.  We cannot control how our opposition will respond.  We are in complete control of our choices to love and hope. 

Eventually, Dear Reader, the final out will be called and the game will end.  For some of us that will be extra innings.  Some will end on account of rain with the game already official.  What will matter is how we loved.  How we dealt out kindness and grace from the mound is what matters.  We must work together to do so in every pitch; in every moment. 

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”
(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:
Support Page on Patreon: www.patreon.com/aramisthorn
Novels on Amazon           
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21 September 2019

Pitching Against Time ~ Bang the Drum Slowly


Greetings Dear Reader,

Every inning, game, and season ends.  A player never really knows when he is done or when baseball will be done with him.   In perspective, adults get to play a game and get paid to do it as professionals.  The minimum salary for a professional baseball player in 2019 is $550,000.  That, however, is not the point.  People who love playing baseball will tell you that it is the game. 

The very best players that have ever played have faced the winter of their careers.  The body ages, pitching arms ache, legs grow tired of running.  The season will end for every player eventually.  The same is true for our journey.  Baseball and life are linear in time.  Everything moves forward and everyone knows there will be an end.

We get a limited amount of time to be what we are meant to be.  Love is the ground rule in every venue.  Kindness and grace are there to help us show our stuff.  It is in the idea of love as the eternal unending force that we are to take the field, play the game, and live out our time in the game.

I may never see a professional salary in my endeavors.  I might never be in the place where I can master my profession.  What I can do is love everyone in my path with all the skill that I possess.  I can write, speak, and work with love.  I can play and enjoy my leisure time loving others. 

We can agree to do this together Dear Reader.  We can help each other along.  We can love each other no matter what the circumstances and let others see that as our prime mover.  Eventually, we will play our final inning and the only thing that will matter in the record books was how much love we delivered with each inning.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”
(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:
Support Page on Patreon: www.patreon.com/aramisthorn
Novels on Amazon           
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20 September 2019

Pitching Against Time ~ Our Limited Knowledge


Greetings Dear Reader,

Part of the intrigue of baseball is the mystery of what pitch is coming.  Those who understand this limitation of knowledge realize that gaining more knowledge will yield an advantage.  Studying a pitcher can reveal small tells that telegraph what pitch is coming.  A different angle of the elbow can reveal that the pitcher is setting up for a curveball.  Babe Ruth was a pitcher who telegraphed his fastball because he stuck out his tongue.

Knowledge of these tells yields understanding of what is coming giving the batter an advantage.  A great pitcher learns his own tells and uses them to fool the batter.  As with so many things, the battle is waged in the mind first.  In the movie, Trouble with the Curve, we learn that a curveball makes a distinct sound.  We also see how important knowledge of the pitcher is as it yields an advantage.

The interpersonal play between a father and his daughter is also vital to this film.  At one point, when she is passing judgment on her father for his absence in her life, he says, “You don’t know half of what you think you know.”  Later he reveals the depth of her lack of knowledge of the true situation in their lives.  His actions that she judges as abandonment were to protect her.

We think that we understand why people do what they do.  We do not.  We may have a modicum of knowledge, but rarely do we know as much as we assume we know.  Rarely do we know enough to really understand why someone is where he or she is.  We never know enough to transcend our obligation to be loving and kind.  We never have enough on the other person to forego mercy and grace.

No matter how well I read the tells of another person, they do not tell me enough for me to fail to show love, grace, kindness, and mercy.  Every human needs for me to hurl kindness rather than judgment.  My pitch should always be love.  As I pitch against time my opportunities to love others diminish.  Sooner or later I will reach the last inning and all that will matter was how I served up opportunities for others to see the love of Christ shown through grace, mercy, and kindness.  Those, Dear Reader, are the pitches that will be remembered long after we retire.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”
(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:
Support Page on Patreon: www.patreon.com/aramisthorn
Novels on Amazon           
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