Here we share the thoughts and actions by other Seekers at our fine Paladin School.
A True Paladin Way...
To walk with a heart of Justice
To know what is right
To never lose sight
And not only to help the Righteous...
His Eyes seek Truth
His mind seeks Knowledge
and His Hands seek to do
A True Paladin Way
He seeks no Perfection
He seeks no Man
He seeks no Limitation
He learns to Understand
He learns
from the choices he takes
He Learns
from the mistakes he makes
He Learns
That his Truth he must earn
To always do
What his heart will learn
To do
Not for a Throne
To do
Not for Show
No, To do
Shall always be For You
But not for his Selfish Own
His heart is Just
His heart is True
A True Paladin Way
...To seek
...To learn
...To do
I live here for other people's sake;
The world a better place to make;
To help them stand and their right take;
Thus, for them I have to fake.
I know that your way adversity leads;
My support is now what you need;
We'll get through this soon indeed;
To the world's coment you neede'nt pay heed.
My lips smile and a spark in my eyes;
People now and then ask me why;
Upon my own life I sigh;
And help others live;I try.
Give me your hand, let me help you;
"
WORRY" that you needen't to;
I'll stand all your storms through;
"
TRUST ME" yes ofcourse you can too.
I am not a snake in your sleeve;
Against you plots I'll never weave;
Like others, I will never leave;
Unless a sigh of relief you heave.
I expect nothing from you at all;
Don't think it to be your duty's call;
To pick me when I stumble and fall;
I know to face troubles Big and Small.
"Knight". A title bestowed - and yet more than a title. A list of
achievements - and yet more than the sum of them.
It is not enough to struggle, to serve, to work and to achieve.
There are many who go through the motions of life who never understand it. There are those who win great battles who never learn what true victory is. There are some who do not look past the armor or the sword, and see only the strength of the metal there. Just as that metal was forged by intense heat before it became the edge or the shield, a Knight is the result of a purification process as well - one that involves growth, tenacity and courage.
A knight knows his own power, and has the ability and wisdom to use it. It is used unselfishly for the betterment of those who look to him for help, guidance and example. A knight knows he is a part of his fellow man, and yet set apart. They are not set apart because they are more important, but because they embrace the ideal.
Each person has this within them, like a diamond in the rough. It is that rare person who submits themselves to the polish that begins the path to Knighthood. Unlike most, they find the determination to look within to find that gem, that brilliance that most will never see without self-examination.
Within each knight is the 'dream'. It is not a dream that is founded on fantasy, but grounded in truth. It is more than they are. A knight knows this. Each knight is a shining beacon and example of that 'dream', and it becomes their duty to live each day with that awareness. It displays the integrity that lies beneath the surface of the name, and bleeds its eternal message into and throughout our lives.
Each person is more than what others see. It is the Knight that shows us his soul, and his tenet, in everything he does - through his valor, his virtue and his might.
Knighthood is an awakening within the dream - the knowledge that every person has a value and purpose, and the rare soul who learns this - is a Knight.
This is for potential not yet achieved.
No earthly reward will be received.
Unbroken dreams cannot be grieved.
a word is only true if it is believed.
I loan strength to weakened lives,
cry when it isn't one that survives.
My energy plunges and dives,
My hardened heart is not impervious to knives.
What can be said
For a man who is dead
Who, on the battlefield lays slain,
Only defending a selfish name.
To the name is narry a good deed
The name itself is greed
Didn't plant a Good seed
by dying he lets hate breed.
So aim yourself high,
be prepared to die,
and that's where you'll fly.
You have been made to surpass the sky,
But don't let the wonders of earth pass you by.
I loan my own strength to weakened lives,
cry my tears when it isn't one that survives.
My own energy plunges and dives,
My hardened heart is not impervious to your knives.
For I am human, just like you.
Pure flesh and blood too.
I also need someone whose heart is true,
to love me and care for me, make me new.
Each of us needs that heart, and they are few.
Thus is the epic of a Paladin:
to create utopia --world without sin.
By finding the light of truth within,
to follow the true path we begin
the journey of the word, and eternity we win.
A man stands looking from upon high
A mountain cliff, the evening nigh
Down below, a village where his people sleep
Honour binds him, love compels him
To fight their battles, and end their wars
Day by day, he fights exhaustion
Faces hunger, cold, and danger
And below the rocky peaks, they wait
Unware, the heroes' fate
And then one day, the end arrives
A massive winged Wyrm, twenty times his size
The sword is drawn, and flames erupt
And the massive beast rears back to fight
Shield is raised, again flames erupt
The hero is saved, only by pure luck
And then deep within him something stirs
Inherent powers, previously undisturbed
He spreads his arms, a blinding flash!
Moments later, the dragon? Ash!
His soul has saved him once again
The Paladin's powers which come from deep within
That morning he arrives in his tiny town
Were gratitude is seldom found
He steps through the massive oak gates
To find himself the target of a hero's welcome.
The evil of this hateful world has grown,
And far too long, it's festered on man's part.
Where can uprightness flourish in this dark?
How can the seeds of honor here be sown?
But lo, there are the few that have been shown
The brilliant light of valor, truth, and heart
And now where faithfulness has made it's mark
A selfless knight of all good has been born.
With a mission to save the earth from wrong,
Paladin, take up this task and stand strong
Battle the baneful, wicked and vile,
Know few will join in this earthly trial.
Bring all the hurting and hopeless to light
Be a lamp in the dark, shine always bright.
The one issue that really comes to mind for me is the children waiting to be adopted. Raising a child is hard; raising a child with a hard past can be harder. But these are our children! It should be everyone’s problem that they do not have someone to call Mom and Dad. It is something so many of us take for granted- that we have family for Christmas and someone to call when we have a bad day. But for many of these children, they do not have that. They have a group foster home, or (if they are lucky) a foster family that cares. But it is not adoption, and they know it. How many of us could adopt if we chose to make that commitment? How many of us have love and time to give a child who just wants love and time? Many couples adopt from other countries in an effort to have a baby. This is admirable. Adopting a child of any age and giving them a wonderful home is an amazing thing to do. But what about the boys and girls in our city? In our county? Living down the street? Many of them are not babies, but they are special little people. They are every skin color, every ethnic background. But the feel pain, and loss, and sadness. They feel love and they like ice cream. And all they want is a mom or dad to love them, to give them a home.
The thing that really cuts through to my heart is that while the government had subsidies and reimbursement for adoption that covers just about the entire cost of the adoption, resources and counseling and help with the adjustment and automatic college tuition grants, few even think of it as a viable option.
One woman told me, “If you adopt a kid over the age of three, it’s probably been sexually abused. Then it’s just a matter of time until they commit those acts on other children.” I almost fell over, it was so categorically untrue!! She went on to tell me, “And all those children are black, anyway. It would be obvious it was not your child.” The worst part was- this woman truly thought she was helping me. Instead she is perpetuating the very bigoted ideas that harm these innocent children and cause them to turn 18 and still have no one to call family.
All they need is love. Some may be introverted, some extroverted. Some may color on the walls, some may be afraid to go in the water. But they have names and faces- and they are just children. Children who want to be loved.
Like the beauty of a golden sunset
Like the weeping of a maiden fair
Like the dawning of a new era
Like the fading of a fiddle's flee
Like a thrill, like a shiver
Like a taste never to forget
Like me
I was driving through my neighborhood on trash day when I noticed a
new-looking pair of crutches in the trash. Some of my neighbors throw
out almost new things routinely, so I stopped and tossed them in the
back of my truck. I didn't know what I was going to do with them, but
I felt sure that I could find someone who could use them.
I asked people that I knew, but no one knew of anyone. I posted an ad
online, and I was contacted by a woman who wanted them. Her aunt had
recently fallen and needed crutches badly. I arranged to meet her down
by her work since she lives on the other side of town from me.
This act impacted me deeply as I wrote this and pondered it. At the time
it seemed quite effortless and natural. When I began to look at it deeper
though, my heart felt like it was growing. If I hadn't picked them up,
they'd have gone to the landfill. Her aunt most likely wouldn't have
gotten crutches. If I had asked her to come up to me to get them, it
would have cost her probably $7 in gas to get here and back again. That
is substantial when you don't have the $7. As it turns out, I was headed
into her part of town anyway.
I feel like I have made the world a better place, and it amazes me. Today,
with this act, I feel like I really made a difference. I feel so proud
of myself, but not in a loud way.Just... quietly. Happy. Maybe a bit
longwinded now. 
I want to learn all there is to know.
I am a warrior, strong and pure.
I love everything around me,
I am at peace in times of strife.
I am a healer,
A mender of broken hearts.
A Champion of Love,
A guardian of Right.
I am a child,
My soul naive, and young.
I am also a man,
With a wife of my own.
I am a husband,
A partner in times of need.
I am a warrior,
The guardian of her heart.
I am a Paladin,
A guardian of Love and Peace.
I am a knight,
Upholder of all things just.
I am also a human.
Imperfect in many ways.
I am normal,
A regular person on the street.
I am many things.
Warrior, Lover, Paladin, Human.
But I am also me.
And that is all I need to be.