This is a compilation of stories and poems I’ve written over the past ten or more years. It will, in all probability, be my final publishing endeavor ... or maybe not? I’ve written these stories and poems all over the world, in Chiang Mai, Thailand, Ciudad Colon, Costa Rica, Sri Lanka, Mount Kisco, NY, Manhattanville College, Purchase, NY. Most of the stories are fiction with some reflections on life and spirituality. As we grow older our outlook and beliefs evolve, and we wrestle again with our spiritual connections with God and the Universe. Oddly enough, few if any have been written in Ireland, though many about Ireland, and especially Abbeyside, the village where I was formed and had such an influence on who and what I would become. Though times were hard and money scarce, I wouldn’t swap my upbringing there with the most affluent denizens anywhere on the planet. There were times I was dissatisfied, growing up, for I had a great desire to travel the world and experience other cultures, but as I grow older, I appreciate more and more, the lessons learned, lifelong friendships made, and the optimism and will to forge better times that always existed there. To be clear, this existed, not just where I grew up but throughout Ireland. But, it seemed, Saint Augustine, our patron saint was keeping a particular eye out for the village and its people. A special thanks to my daughter, Triona, my son-in law, JP, and my good friend, Eddie Cantwell, who each helped at various stages in bringing this book to fruition.
The seventh of eight children, James G. Cullinane was born in 1941 in the small sea village of Abbeyside on the southeast coast of Ireland. Although opportunities for a better life were scarce, he and his family created a home full of love and laughter. Cullinane recalls this treasured time in his boyhood with his honest and affectionate memoir, Arses and Elbows. With fields, rivers, and nearby mountains as his playground, Cullinane, his brothers and sisters, and his friends explored abandoned castles, watched the "thrashing" machine at work in the grain field, and picked blackberries. As they grew older, the adventures became more daring. Whether it was sneaking a cigarette or spying on amorous couples in the bushes, Cullinane reveled in his youth and learned some of life's most valuable lessons. Filled with the vivid sights, smells, and sounds of rural Ireland, Arses and Elbows takes you to a simpler time and place, and intimately reveals one boy's journey to maturity.
Finally, Ive arrived at a place where Im comfortable with the concept of God, not as something or someone in human form but a force, a source that touches all lifemaybe not unlike a gentle breeze that sweeps across the planet touching all in its pathand, if we allow, in good and empowering ways. I believe also that this is an ongoing process and that this physical life is but a tiny, teeny part of our journey. Our soul is immortal; the physical body will deteriorate and die, but the soul journeys on. My life has been a slow, slow process of understanding and accepting the uniqueness of each and every life, the potential that each and every one carries within us, the importance of being positive especially in our thoughts, which translate into reality and the life we live, the importance of love and forgiveness to ourselves and others, and the absolute importance of connecting with God. This God force is always ready, willing, and more than able to answer our prayers.
Finally, Ive arrived at a place where Im comfortable with the concept of God, not as something or someone in human form but a force, a source that touches all lifemaybe not unlike a gentle breeze that sweeps across the planet touching all in its pathand, if we allow, in good and empowering ways. I believe also that this is an ongoing process and that this physical life is but a tiny, teeny part of our journey. Our soul is immortal; the physical body will deteriorate and die, but the soul journeys on. My life has been a slow, slow process of understanding and accepting the uniqueness of each and every life, the potential that each and every one carries within us, the importance of being positive especially in our thoughts, which translate into reality and the life we live, the importance of love and forgiveness to ourselves and others, and the absolute importance of connecting with God. This God force is always ready, willing, and more than able to answer our prayers.
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