8001 photos...

How do you measure a year in  life?

A wonderful song boasts love is how you measure the 525,600 minutes of one year. This is a sentiment that I could get on board with and were I to measure my last year in love, I would feel most rich! This has been a doozy of a year!

I started my year out with four people whom I love greatly; Jose, Katrina, Isabella and Sara Jane Bacallao. I accompanied them to the 121st Rose Bowl Parade! It was amazing to be so close to the floral creations! It brought back many happy memories of visiting the floats the day after the parade,as a young girl. The remainder of the day was spent in Hermosa beach telling stories, beading, walking stick hunting and appetizers at the beach during an unbelievable sunset. It was an auspicious start to what would prove to be a challenging year!

The ensuing months were filled with twists and turns, highs and lows and many surprises. I was gifted with countless blessings this year. I am grateful for each lesson I received and not one of them went unnoticed. I reconnected with old friends, met new friends, was able to travel, worked on some writings, painted, read numerous books, saw some brilliant films, had gorgeous tattoo work, did loads of baking, held onto my job, managed to not strangle my husband, reduced, reused and recycled, attended gatherings, had an art show, maintained my health (mental and physical), saw Mars with my naked eye, watched dolphins playing in the Pacific, went apple pickin', finally visited Graceland (breathtaking), started adult literacy tutoring, exercised my right to philanthropy and got to see friends and family throughout the year.

On the downside, this year held much heartache. I lost several people in my life including friends and family members. I tried to remember that the folks who passed had each lived their lives as they were intended. My sweet, boisterous, fiery friend Kelly left behind a precious daughter and her legacy will live on in her. My mother-in-law, Barbara is no longer in pain and her two children, my husband and his sister, found comfort in each other, after years of no communication. My friend Clark was ready to leave this physical world but that did not make it any easier to say goodbye. I do feel blessed, however, that I did have that chance. I will never forget his kind ways and will always think of his courage in my conversations about Cancer. Lucy, Hannah, Jack and Bailey were all dogs who had touched my life and will be sorely missed and fondly remembered. A few dear friends lost beloved family members this year. I was thankful to be able to be a support for them and appreciate them carrying me in my pain, as well.

The thing that all of the events that took place in my life this year, had in common, were photographs. It was what most defined my year. I photographed people, places, artwork, animals, rocks, shells, smiles, tears, bears, giraffes, children, Elvis, glass, shoes, musicians, flowers, houses, trees, clouds, sunsets, sunrises, tattoos, holidays, cars and whatever else caught my eye. I shot 8001 good photos this year!

So no matter the way you measure your year, make it count. If you measure your time gone by in a way that means something to you, then the year you are measuring will also hold great significance. By photographing my year, I am able to look back on it with pride and say that though it had its trials and tribulations, heartache and worry, I have a little piece of memory frozen in time and the pictures remind me that sometimes you see the light in the strangest of places, if you look at it right!

I plan on ending this year in the quiet solitude of my home. I will reflect upon all that 2010 has taught me and I will try not to cheer as it slips out with a fade to black!

I welcome 2011 as two thousand wonderful and greet it with open heart and arms! Bring it on!

The Gift of the Magi

Tonight I had the honor of procuring Christmas treasures, disguised as toys, for a toy drive that my place of employment is involved in. I had cash in hand, a budget and a game plan.

My first stop was the Disney store where I picked out four plush animals; Dumbo, Donald Duck, Pooh (of course) and an Alligator guy from the Frog Princess. I also was able to get two die cast metal characters from the Cars movie. The last of the goodies was a bucket of good old fashioned American Army Guys.

After that, I went to Wal-Mart. I found the mother lode for sure. I got enough toys to deplete the budget and fill Santa's pack!

Lego's and Star Wars, Webkins and dollys, Hot Wheels and puzzles, Playdoh and Barbie. An orange recorder, Candyland too...It was entirely too much fun!

So I am in the checkout line and I am watching the tab rise, higher and higher, like the Christmas Star and I had to interrupt my checker, as I drew nearer to zero dollars.

There were about six toys left on the conveyor and Peg, the cashier, asked me if I would like to trade any of the ones left, for any of the ones she  had already scanned (very thoughtful question).

I told her that they were for a toy drive and that I really just wanted to make sure I had a nice assortment of boys and girls toys. She said to me,  "All of these are for kids who have no toys?". When I said yes, she told me she had money of her own, in her pocket, that she wanted to donate. Before I could protest, she started scanning the remaining six toys. The total of the almost forgotten toys, $12.37. The value of that sweet gift ... priceless! 

So yes Virginia, the spirit of Christmas is alive and well in a woman named Peg, who's generosity on this particular December night, made my heart grow two sizes larger!  I hugged her as I left, thanked her.

I knew that Peg's heart had also swelled.  I am certain of it because I heard her exclaim as I left from her sight, that she tries to do things that HE might. I am pretty sure she was talking about 8 lb 6 oz baby Jesus and not Santa Claus. Happy Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Notes on Love

I do not have any special qualifications that make me an expert on the subject of love except that I have loved.  What I have learned about love is that we all want to be understood and validated. We want our partners to be accountable for their actions and lastly, we want to feel needed. There is no great secret to love. Within the following pages, I hope you will discover something you never knew, remember something you once knew, and realize that you have the tools you need to be a successful partner in a relationship.

Know that love is not perfect. When you open yourselves up to the possibility of loving someone, there is a chance you will get hurt.  There is a chance you will do the hurting. There is a chance you will feel amazing. There is a chance you will amaze! You need to believe in yourself and open your heart!

Honesty is an important part of a relationship. If you cannot be honest with yourself, how can you expect to be honest with anyone else? It starts with you.  If you are playing with all of your cards showing, there can be no surprises.  Truth can often be elusive and tricky and over time, your personal truth might change.  

Being honest is a difficult discipline as it requires you to be truthful with yourself as well. Sometimes, we find it hardest to be honest with ourselves and will often forgo honesty to spare the feelings of someone we care about. There has to be a middle ground somewhere.  There is a way to honestly express your feelings, without hurting someone else.

Listening is something I think that we all take for granted. We are asked to listen to things from a very young age.  We are made to listen to things as children and this may be one reason why we fight it as adults. We listen to things for enjoyment, like music, television and our friends in conversations, without hesitation. We rarely listen to each other, when it matters. We get so caught up in the day to day stuff that litters our lives that we let it muffle important messages and signals coming from those who are closest to us. Open your ears.

If someone tells you they love you, listen. It takes a lot of courage to admit to someone how you feel. If you are hearing I love you, know that the person baring their soul is very vulnerable at that moment. They are expressing to you, their truth: raw emotion, from the heart.  They are saying, I am here before you, naked.

Naked and bare I stand before you

Raw and pink and new

Open my heart and

Offer myself to you

I am a canvas, carved and shaped in different ways

Lined and dented, rough on edges, from years of play

Underlying art beneath, hidden away and kept

From babe at birth to lovely woman revealed,

A breath escapes and heaves my breast

Trembling at the touch

Never have I feared any feeling this much.

Heart races as it pounds your name

Embracing this, our clever game

Hormones raging, eyes engaging

Always new, constantly safe and ever, ever changing

Suffering on Purpose?

Even though it is our heart's wish to be free of suffering, sometimes we are most comfortable in our pain.

A friend of mine recently relayed a story to me from the Old Testament, where a prophet marries a prostitute and though he offers her freedom from her duties as a prostitute, where she is degraded and treated poorly, she chooses time and again to return to the degradation because it is where she is most comfortable.

You will have to forgive me for my rudimentary take on this tale. What I gathered, is that often we will do things we know will make others unhappy, and puts our own selves in a precarious predicament, purely for the fact that it is familiar; we know the most likely of outcomes and we know we can handle whatever curve balls come our way, as we have danced this number before.

Our spirits are not extinguishable. They are the life light that burns in our core and gives us our fire and breath that allows us to live. We can find ourselves lost, at times, and unable to distinguish a good choice from a bad one. We may realize, eventually that we have made certain life choices out of habit.

This does not make those around us feel better with the minute exception of the distinction that they are not crazy when they feel like they have been here before. Love is a funny thing and can burst forth like a shield, to form a protective barrier around us when we are in need. If you are facing diversity, within or around your own life, remember that things are not always what they seem.

If any of this sounds like exactly the nastiness that has plucked up in your life, at the moment, it very well may help you to know, you are not in this alone. I am by your side, armed to the teeth, fighting the proverbial good fight.

Have You Ever...had one of those lives????

Do you ever wish for an end in sight?

For every made-wrong thing to be set right?

And do you remember the next day

The things which kept you up at night?

Have you felt the fear of saying goodbye?

In your head, hoping it’s all a lie

Feeling so spent, like you could not try

Simply      ONE      MORE      TIME?

Your heart fragmented, shaken deep

Gaining weight and losing sleep

Eyes cried out raw and red

Never wanting to get out of bed

When you think of the future

Is the picture clear?

Can you see it the same as my view from here?

Have you ever felt the cold wind blow

And known its bone-splitting chill?

Have you had your ears assaulted

With promises fashioned of swill?

 And realize your former strapping will

Is       ALL      USED       UP?

Anticipation of failure close at hand

Free falling, not knowing where you’ll   land

Have you ever felt like you’re running through sand?

Then you are     JUST     LIKE        ME.

The Empty Chair

If we have experienced loss, we carry that with us daily. It becomes part of our breath and as each day passes, the strain is a little less and our heavy hearts grow a bit lighter. During the holidays, however, our lost loved ones occupy the space at the forefront of our beings. They pop up there, with their warm smiles and memories of contagious laughter. They sit there, as a reminder of the love they had for us and the unique connection we shared.

People maintain different theories and beliefs about what happens to us, once we leave this earthly body. Some say we become part of the earth and creation; while others are sure we will return, to complete our unfinished work. Whatever your understanding is, I think that we can all agree that the energy of a person who has passed, a person who we spent a lifetime loving, still remains with us, long after the physical body is gone.

Love's energy is enormous and has no end. It can fill many spaces and is always with us. As we prepare for holiday festivities and find our hearts heavy anew, processing loss once more, wishing for one more embrace, one more glimpse of our dearly departed...

Breathe and remember that the empty chair at your table,  is not at all empty, rather it contains a vast energy that will never be gone. That kind of love is too grand to dissipate. Our hearts are capable of so much and hold close the memories of times before, cherish family and friends, and intrinsically know, we are never alone.

A Season for Miracles

This is the time to dig deep into ourselves and give from the very space that giving was created; our hearts.

A season of thanks is upon us. We all can have something to be thankful for. Some are thankful for food on their tables so that their family and loved ones do not have to go to sleep hungry. Some are happy to have jobs in these uncertain economic times. Others are grateful to have a solid, stable roof over their heads and warm beds to support sweet dreams while they slumber. Thanks are felt towards family members who are there when needed and on standby always. Thanks are offered up to pets who love unconditionally; who sleep on our feet at night and wait by the door, excited for us to come home whether we have been gone five minutes or a week!

We are thankful for troops everywhere, who give us protection without second thought. We thank teachers and mentors and gurus and yogis for unwavering support in our endeavors of self development and growth. We thank our bosses and colleagues, with whom we spend many hours a day, days on end, each year. We give thanks to our children, nieces and nephews, who keep us young at heart. We appreciate kind words when we hear them and try our best to remember to speak them daily. We learn from experience and gain knowledge by watching the goodness that goes on in the world around us.

The miracle that happens each day, is that despite the dark times that plague our society...evil doers, meanness, and acts of hate, despite all of these harsh things, we still feel love and see goodness in people. We still reach a helping hand out when our hands are already full. We dig deep in our coin purse to give our last nickel  to one we know whose need is greater than our own. We allow negative talk to be muffled and let in only sweet words that compliment and raise us higher. We open our ears and hearts and embrace others into our lives. In doing such things, we create community and friendships where before we were separate and strangers.

Miracles are often not as rare as we think, we only have to start recognizing that miracles often masquerade as small kindnesses and they are all around us! I give thanks to you all for the miracles in my life, which you are responsible.

Dia De Los Muertos

A poem about dem bones...

Henry and Lotte haven't their bodies

Simply bare boned are they.

Brittle and White, a frightening sight

With no beating heart, Til Death do us part

Together forever in bliss

Chantilly lace veil, mothers' before her have worn

With hauntingly sweet, deep set sockets

His top hat is dusty , he shuffles his feet

Nervous, hands shoved in  his pockets
In their fanciest dress clothes set to party with zest
Arm linked with arm, they walked the aisle
That would forever seal their fate
How exactly they died, this groom and his bride

Is a mystery we may never know

What, though, is clear and what we see here

Is the bond that secures their union

Eternally joined in true love they've sworn

Echoing faint and gentle sounds of laughter

A hollow eyed gent walks next to his lady

Mischievous and not short of shady

But kind and giving, though just a bit living

These bones, dem old rattly bones

Have found they have Vida, in spite of being muerto

And do not have to fly solo here-after...

Approximately 1,829 miles to Graceland

Graceland. Utopia. Land of Milk and Honey...what is your perfect place?

For so many, it is a place that is steeped in luxury; dripping with gaudy jewels and solid gold everything! For others, it is quiet and calm which they relate luxury to. Me? I am on the fence about what perfection is. Part of me rebels against perfect anything. I love a flaw. I love imperfection and character. I gravitate toward the odd and unusual. Part of me understands the need for standards to measure against, only if to appreciate something.

I listen to the ideals of perfection and cannot help but wonder if our faults are in our need to outdo, be better than, and be greater at stuff than our fellow Earth mates. Why do we strive for perfection? Straight A's in school, 100% on tests, Top of the class, Head of the job, Top executive...all of these things are no better than their counterparts of B's, below 100%, average student or employee.

It is the emphasis WE put on things that give them their value. What if one day we said that blue wasn't blue, instead it was yellow! What chaos it would create! What turmoil to say that marred and scratched is the new beautiful and  that pristine was wretched to look at! Do you see the point?

Graceland was a home to Elvis. It was his palace because it was full of things which he loved, where his heart was and where he hung his proverbial hat. All the things he cared about were there. It is the value he gave Graceland that made it important. Our lives are no less important than the person's you deem most important in your eyes! 

If we start believing our own worth we will understand our value and know that we are no better than anyone at all. We are all equally lucky in life. We all have something that is perfect in our eyes. We are all worthy of love from someone! To that someone, we in turn, are perfection!

Every person has to believe he or she is valuable, in order for others' to see it too! Open your eyes and look around and you will behold perfect beauty in the flaws of being uniquely you!

On my way to Graceland! See you there!

my favorite time of the year!

I love the fall. I am enamored by the smells of fires burning and thrilled by the crisp edge to the air! Fall kicks off the holiday season,,,Halloween , Day of the Dead,  my birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas and of course, the New Year!
Most folks who know me say this is the perfect time of the year for me as I cannot ever get enough of a good Horror flick! So this becomes my time! Blood and gore, bring it on! Ghosts and goblins become my chums and my sweet tooth get satiated frequently, as well! October is a magic time full of spooky whimsy and it is a time to try out your alter egos!

November beholds the "F's"...football, friends, food, family, fuzzy blankets, free time and frost! I HEART November! This is also my birth month! I usually am able to sneak in a vacation during this part of the year...this year is no different and I cannot wait to get away to a place where I can visually partake in the beauty of the fall season!

Christmastime to me means cookies and carols! I can out-wit even Cookie Monster in a cookie eating fest! Each year, I am determined to discover a  new, never- before- heard version of some old favorite yuletide carol ! Last year was a success!

All in all, this is the time of year I am the happiest. It means apple picking and cider pressing, snuggling up and cocoa with marshmallows, peppermint ice cream and stockings! These are a few of my favorite things!  

Hello fall! Hello wind! Hello rain! Hello leaves changing! Goodbye Porpoise Spit! xom

starry starry night...

I had the strangest dream last night. It was one of those dreams where nothing makes sense and everything is all jumbled together. This is what I remember, in this order and with no correlation at all! 

Act I: I was riding in a convertible car, an uber small car at that. I was in the back seat and someone else, whose face I did not see, was driving. It was night. The sky felt super close, like I could literally touch the stars and the stars appeared to be painted onto a black and navy swirled, domed backdrop. They were painted yellow and they were five pointed stars, not the illuminated orbs that are actually pin holed in our real night sky. Insane right...it gets better

Act II:  A couple are having a discussion about objects which are magical. One of the objects is a hair. Yes, I did say a hair! It is a hair that is coarse (not a short and curly) and long, somewhat reminding me of a horse's tail hair. They realize that this hair will allow them to bring physical feeling back into their lovemaking???And I was watching this why? I was hovering I suppose, I never did see myself in this part of the dream but my friend Toni's dream doctor once told her that...ahem, in my deepest Doctor sounding voice... "all parts of our dreams are aspects of ourselves." So am I the hair , the couple, or am I the animal, possibly a cat, that sat precariously perched above their heads on a bookshelf as they made sweet, sweet love and then sang a song of gratitude to the hair in hand, while swaddled within a nest of blankets on the floor! Oh did I mention that the cat-animal thing was the woman's mother???At least she called it Mom and said, Oh my God! Have you been there the whole time???? EEEWWWWW!

Act III: Again, in a car...pulled up to a high rise apartment building. There were several children standing out front and on the ground was what looked to be a bowl of rice pudding with maraschino cherries and some other brightly colored fruit in it! The children were all talking about a boy who had perished, presumably from eating from that very dish. A few of the kids were pulling bits of fruit out, with their fingers, and eating it while simultaneously discussing this child's demise from said dessert! One of the older children who had gathered, turned to me and said, "you live here (I guess I lived there), why are you always hanging with such trick people?"My reply..."I guess I am just cool like that!"

hahahah that is exactly how I remember it! Too funny! I guess if the good doctor is right about dreams then I am a fast driving, star-gazing, romantic, wishful thinking, magic believing, rice pudding loving woman who would totally FREAK OUT if her mother was present for an impromptu, living room floor lovemaking session! Ahhhh dreams!

What would Joan Jett do????

 Have you had your flu shot today? I have not. I missed work today because I was achy, sneezy and all stuffy-headed. I am not complaining about missing work...just to be clear here. I am pretty sure it is the flu that has me feeling poorly!

I spent a snuggly day back and forth from bed to sofa but my head is heavy! I cannot really focus on a complete thought so I will sum up by letting you in on some random thoughts that are whipping through my mind at the moment.

They are as follows:

Glee...pretty kitsch, hula hoops that light up rock, politics...so frustrating, why didn't I think of that?, need new job, want new job, cats ears cleaned, sleepy, you are.

My apologies for the criptic post...blame it on the illness! More readable items later...
Ps. Happy birthday to two of my favorite celebs...Stephen King 63 (9/21) and Joan Jett 52 (9/22)!

Glasses

Too bad money, like beauty, is not in the eye of the beholder... or the non-holder! It always amazes me that some things, those which we especially need in order to live our lives healthily, cost so much money.

I had my yearly eye exam today and a couple of hundred dollars later, I have new specs to pick up tomorrow. I have had many pairs of glasses and when  I saw these from across the store...they just spoke to me. They were unlike any I have ever had and I loved them the moment I spied them! The clerk who assisted in removing most of what was left in my checking account, save a couple of dollars literally...said "It is a bold choice!"

I hope they can help me see better, a plan for myself, my future. I hope they will help me see clear to a brighter tomorrow. I hope they will allow me to envision creative outlets and styling for my art! I would be happy if they let me see deeply into things and situations that I need to pay attention to while escorting my eyes past things they do not need to see, that will clutter my mind!

grounded

My muscles are achy from my ears to my tippy toes. I spent yesterday morning performing tasks at my mother's house. Generally I do yard work, watering...that sort of thing. Yesterday, however, I felt very much like I had been whisked back in time to a naughty teenage me who had been grounded, probably for sneaking out of my bedroom window. The chores she asked me to do  reminded me of the type of chore you give your ungrateful child so you can actually live up to the bitch they think you already are...to teach a lesson.

First, I did the chore which I most enjoy. I brought sustenance to the avian community! I filled my mother's two seed bird feeders with a fresh mix of sunflower seeds and bird food. I washed out and refilled the bird bath, in her orchard. I watered all of the newly growing grasses and plants in certain patches of the lower yard and climbed back up the hill to get directions on my next activity.This is the moment it got weird.

Next, I washed the front door screen, inside and out. The screen is made of wood and mesh. Using a wash cloth and water, I made sure the door was squeaky clean. There have been a rash of caterpillars in my mom's neighborhood which in turn means a million cocoons attached everywhere, including the screen door.

The butterflies are long gone but their crepe paper birth sacks are littering nooks and crannies. Unbeknownst to me, butterfly birthing is nasty business. Underneath every torn open butterfly casing, were stains of deep red...blood, afterbirth...I know not, but it was gross!

Then, I used a broom to wipe away all of the cobwebs from the exterior of the eaves, along the whole house. After that, I took the same broom and swept under the ledge the runs along the front of the house. Careful not to disturb the bird's nest that happens to be there precariously perched in one of the corners.

Same broom, back deck. I have never noticed how many cobwebs are around the house!

OK...at this point I was sure I had done something to piss her off. I said, like a true smart ass..."Is there any other menial task I can handle for you today, or is my punishment complete?"  Smugly, my mother, who up to this point I thought always had a good sense of humor...there was the whole eating mushrooms not doing mushrooms bit...said to me, with a total straight face...

" As a matter of fact, there is...you can take the basket/tray things from the dishwasher, out back. There is a bucket of soapy water and two scrub brushes, under the deck. Scrub the gunk off of the baskets and then rinse them and leave them out back to dry."

Really? When I looked, I noticed she had at least put a rubbery kneeling pad out there. So she has still got a heart, I thought to myself. When I had finished scrubbing what looked to be like years' worth of gunk from the rubber coated dishwasher baskets, I snuck into my mom's record box just to check something. As I suspected, my name is not Cinderella...it says so on my birth certificate! I wrung out my soaked knees and left for home to get ready for a party...Maybe I am....noooooooooooo. 

Imprisoned Heart: Mother Barbara, Remembering 9-11 and my friend Clark...a week ending in grief

that is a mouthful! My mother in law Barbara passed away unexpectedly, on April 12, 2010. My husband and his sister were crushed. It has been a difficult time of healing but measured strides have been made toward a whole heart.

This Saturday, September 11th, would have been her birthday. This year will be more of a somber occasion than a celebration. My husband plans to paddle her ashes out to sea and release her body to catch up with her soaring spirit. I will look on, in support, from nearby.

More than 3000 souls perished September 11th, 2001 when a group of terrorists used passenger planes as weapons to commit murder. This day always feels heavy and loaded with sadness. When I sit in reflection about the meaning and anger behind the act of violence perpetrated against our country and its people, on that day...I want to scream out and rewind time to the moment before flames engulfed two great tombs, before bodies were hurling themselves to the ground choosing instant death from impact rather than burning alive.  I would wish back a moment before a wife left her husband without saying goodbye, in a rush and not realizing it would be the last time they saw each other. I would turn back the hands of time to the child hugging his parent, to the lovers lingering in their bed, to the long kiss goodbye at the airport. So many things not said, not done because they were put off to a tomorrow that never came.

My heart hurts to think of all of the "lasts" that happened on that day nine years before. I always hope that with each year the pain will get less for  families and friends who lost a precious dear one that awful day...with time and faith maybe healing will stick.

Clark's memorial service is on Sunday.Clark lost his life too. His battle was not with airplane missiles, his was cancer. The last time I saw Clark was over a gorgeous grilled cheese and Tuscan soup, surrounded by friends. His gait was shaky and his smile was strong. His heart was always so full and if I added up every flower that Clark ever gave to me, to cheer up the office, I would feel like I was in a field of wildflowers!

I knew that the last time I saw Clark would be the last. I cried all the way back from lunch and at home all night. I have shed many a tear for lost friends but the tears for Clark felt different. Just two days before our luncheon, Clark had discussed with me that he had given up his treatments because they had stopped working and his cancer had taken over his body. He was well ready as he could be and had made amends with folks and was happy to meet his maker. Folks when they are dying are usually less sad than those of us they leave behind...Our tears fill oceans, drop by drop, our hearts when breaking are audible...The last words Clark said, as he hugged me tight with bruised arms that were frail for 60...the last words were I love you...grand words to hear from a beloved friend.

so here starts a sobering weekend and my heart is strong and ready...bring it on!

open letter to who might listen...

Why are we so full of anger?What is it that drives a man, who claims to be a Christian, to want to do such an unspeakable act? An act so hateful that if someone were to exact the same act of terrorism, on his own religion- all HELL would break loose...

Why attack Muslims? Why attack Islam? We have forgotten the roots of our humble beginnings-many religions and peoples coming together, melding as one cohesive group. We were brother and sister, helper and neighbor-friend to each other. Political Wars, Religious Wars- wars fought by our forefathers and Countrymen- wars that are not our wars, are part of what fuels the animosity we feel toward one another.

Where is the love in all of this?Where have our hearts gone? If we were to put even a quarter of the passion we exhibit when we fight strongly, into setting things right-our world might be a healthier and happier place. It is through love that things happen. When we take someone else's feelings into consideration and take time to listen, only then will we truly understand the motivation behind beliefs.

Radicals have always existed, as well as the ideals they subscribe to. It takes but one person to ignite the wildfire of fear based radical thinking. With hope, the same pandemic effect can undulate the power of positive thinking among the people and keep us in a forward momentum instead of hurling us back to the Stone Age.

We are lucky to have the opportunity to live in a country where freedom of speech is revered. However, having freedom of expression is not a license  to be irresponsible.  In my opinion, Pastor terry Jones is doing just that. He is taking this liberty too far. In following through, he will hurt innumerable people, not just those he feels he is attacking.

Media definitely drives panic. Publicity can often make manageable monsters into ogres. Media is also an ally. Hopefully good will come of this.  Mr. Jones is doing exactly the opposite of what the fundamentals of his own religion teach. What will it take for him to see that "HONORING" the dead by torturing the living has no honor. The greatest gift he can offer his 50 member congregation is to embrace the characteristics of his loving and forgiving God and not meet an historic act of hate, by a select few radicals, with a like act of hate against an entire peoples faith. Instead, he can maintain his own personal belief, privately, and put forward a face of compassion the the world can celebrate.

It greatly saddens me to think we have forgotten how to treat each other with respect. Our differences and our ability to live side by side despite them, is one of the reasons America is a great country. It is an America that is fast becoming unrecognizable as my home.

dusty bunnies..meep meep

Seems like it has been ages since I have heard from him but, an old friend called me today. It got me  thinking about dust bunnies, even though you cannot always see them; eventually they surface and have to be brought out!

I am looking so foward to catching up with my good friend again. This is someone who I have known for nearly 22 years. Time goes by in such a blink of an eye that it takes my breath away to think of all of the moments that have occured in those 22 years.

We have moved, grown up, lost friends, gained friends, started and ended relationships, vacationed, buried pets, disappeared and reappeared and so on and so on. We have aged a bit, frankly, more than I would care to admit! In all the time though, not a speck of distance has pushed up between our two hearts! It is that way with true friends. I am certain, with him, it will always be that way!

In the beginning there was fire...

"What will you write about? " This is the first thing my husband asked me after he told me that blogging will raise my blood pressure. It is the last thing he said about it after I replied that I would be sharing about life, love, our relationship, the need for therapy and whatever I felt like talking about!

It is my intention to have fun here. A necessary creative outlet that will occupy its place in the vastness of cyber space. There will be laughter and tears, photos and musings. There will be commentary and stream of consciousness. I will talk about my cats like some people talk about their children. I will make suggestions on whatever I wish, however, please remember they are only suggestions and should be carried out under strict adult supervision! I will post about family and friends though real names will only be used intermittently and people may turn out to be fictional.

Enjoy the journey into the crosshairs! Stay no more than you like...go on your way when you are ready!