We are in a frightening time in the history of the world. Virtually no continent is untouched by the ugly specter of war. Everyday seems to bring news of some other conflict renewing or starting. Peace is becoming a difficult commodity to come by. War seems to be the currency of our time. As a currency or measure of our society, war is an expensive proposition. Yet, unfortunately, there are a few countries that seem to only respond to force, thereby occupying our military in an effort to bring peace about.
The men and women, who serve in all branches of our military, should be venerated for their sacrifices. They have chosen a path that carries a terrible risk. Whether they are frontline or support personnel, each moment they serve they bring a measure of peace to our world. Without these brave and courageous men and women, we would not be the country we are today. Our freedoms and privileges have been granted by the sacrifice of these citizens. They do their job, whether they support the reasons they are in conflict or not. In prior years, their sacrifice has been diminished and discounted. They have been spat upon, ridiculed, called reprehensible names, and abandoned by people who can not appreciate the fact that their liberty to speak their minds has been bought with a precious currency. That currency is the blood of our military personnel.
Each man and woman serving in the numerous conflicts abroad have left behind husbands, wives, children, fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers. They have left behind people who pray for their safety everyday with fervor. They pray for their loved ones to come home, for the conflicts to be over, for peace to reign. Alas, peace is often fleeting because of the moral frailties of mankind. As long as people are abused, oppressed and slaughtered for the people they were born to, peace will not be welcomed. Our military personnel will be needed to help protect our liberties.
These men and women should be present in our prayers and in our thoughts. We need to pray for their strength, compassion and mercy. That they may execute their duties with honor and courage. When we see them coming home from their assignments, we should look them in the eyes and say ‘Thank You’. Whether we agree with the politics of the conflicts, the men and women of our armed services deserve our gratitude and our respect. They are out there up holding our standards so that we can enjoy the lifestyle and privileges that we have.
Thank you to every man and woman who have served in all the branches of the military, present and past. Thank you for your sacrifice, your courage, and your tenacity. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your courage. I pray every night for the blessing of safety to be placed upon you. Thank you for your service. May God bless and protect each one of you.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Anniversarries
We humans mark our time here on earth by anniversaries. The news has been filled with the activities and retrospectives regarding the first anniversary of the 2005 hurricane Katrina. The next anniversary is the fifth anniversary of September 11, 2001. Aside from security being tighter at the airports and people more aware of the devastation of Mother Nature, nothing has really changed. Those who choose to serve their fellow man will always be there in midst of the crisis at hand, while those who armchair quarterback will always be able to tell others how to do things they have no clue about. Such is the beast of man.
I know that I sound cynical, but I’m just trying to make my little corner of the world better. Like everyone else I mark my life by dates that have affected me. Each time a niece or nephew is born in my family; I celebrate the sanctity of life and give thanks for the growth of my family. So far I’ve got nine birthdays’ to celebrate and counting. I remember the sorrow I felt with the passing of my father after a long and debilitating illness, which robbed him of his quality of life but not of his spirit. He fought to the end and at the end he made sure to tell each one of his children how much he loved them. I remember each event in my life that has shaped me and made me the person I am. My life road may have been filled with peril and strife and joy and comfort, but I came through wiser and stronger.
As I remember my own anniversaries, I hope that I can honor the anniversaries of others. Each event adds to the tapestry of life. Because, our lives are interwoven and connected, I try to live a life that will help those around me. So that when tragedy or joy touches me I can help those in need and celebrate the small and big victories. For as lonely as life can feel, we are never alone. We are surrounded by our family and community. We are surrounded by God’s love. God knows our every moment. I have learned that He waits for us to ask for His help. As we approach our various anniversaries, we need to ask for help from God that we may remember the lessons learned, soften the harsh edges of pain, sharpen the memories of the loved ones lost, and share the joyful moments with those around us. We are not alone.
I know that I sound cynical, but I’m just trying to make my little corner of the world better. Like everyone else I mark my life by dates that have affected me. Each time a niece or nephew is born in my family; I celebrate the sanctity of life and give thanks for the growth of my family. So far I’ve got nine birthdays’ to celebrate and counting. I remember the sorrow I felt with the passing of my father after a long and debilitating illness, which robbed him of his quality of life but not of his spirit. He fought to the end and at the end he made sure to tell each one of his children how much he loved them. I remember each event in my life that has shaped me and made me the person I am. My life road may have been filled with peril and strife and joy and comfort, but I came through wiser and stronger.
As I remember my own anniversaries, I hope that I can honor the anniversaries of others. Each event adds to the tapestry of life. Because, our lives are interwoven and connected, I try to live a life that will help those around me. So that when tragedy or joy touches me I can help those in need and celebrate the small and big victories. For as lonely as life can feel, we are never alone. We are surrounded by our family and community. We are surrounded by God’s love. God knows our every moment. I have learned that He waits for us to ask for His help. As we approach our various anniversaries, we need to ask for help from God that we may remember the lessons learned, soften the harsh edges of pain, sharpen the memories of the loved ones lost, and share the joyful moments with those around us. We are not alone.
Wednesday, July 5, 2006
Life, Liberty & Missile Misfires
The Fourth of July holiday has come and gone. Watermelon has been consumed, bottle rockets set off, sparklers lit, and food consumed. The outward appearance can tend to be frivolous, but with each sparkler lit and every bottle rocket set off, we celebrate all those who have sacrifice for this country. The men and women who have served and serve us are honored for the sacrifice of their time and lives for our personal liberties.
We are so blessed to live in country were we can express our opinions openly and with out fear of a door being kicked-in in the middle of the night and disappearing without a trace. It is each of our personal responsibilities to know of our freedoms and defend them. Our liberties and freedoms are what separate us from the rest of the world and we have to live up to that responsibility. However we chose to defend these rights, our whole hearts must be engaged.
On July 4, 2006, Kim Jong-Il thought it would be a good idea to test fire seven missiles into the Sea of Japan. After pouring millions of dollars into the program while his people suffer economic poverty and famine, little Kim Jong-Il has decided that the world was not paying enough attention to him. So, like any other toddler bully, he decides to test his failure of missiles on a day guaranteed to garner press and world attention.
Now the world must decide how to punish a supposed leader who would continue to beggar his people while he utilizes the ill-gotten wealth he has accumulated off of the broken backs of his people. I believe that the world has no desire to reek more havoc on the average North Korean. They’ve done nothing to deserve the hardships that they are suffering. But something must be done with the little monster that has been created.
China and Russia, the two ‘super’ powers that brought him into power and fed his manic neurosis, are now seeking a way to control and subdue the monster they helped created. Because they have done nothing to date to curtail their monster, Kim Jong-Il now feels that he can do anything he wants. What is the world going to do? Talk him to death?
The way I see it, is that China, the closest neighbor, needs to show their little monster that their behavior is unacceptable. China needs to take responsibility and get their hands dirty. The North Korean people would at least have regular food shipments. Japan and the US really need to let China and Russia take care of the problem and keep the economic aid coming for the people. It is better to be viewed as a savior than a subjugator.
The world is a mess. Instead of pointing fingers, we need to build it up and work at creating a better place where you don’t have to worry about children starving or disease spreading. We are all responsible for making this world a better place.
We are so blessed to live in country were we can express our opinions openly and with out fear of a door being kicked-in in the middle of the night and disappearing without a trace. It is each of our personal responsibilities to know of our freedoms and defend them. Our liberties and freedoms are what separate us from the rest of the world and we have to live up to that responsibility. However we chose to defend these rights, our whole hearts must be engaged.
On July 4, 2006, Kim Jong-Il thought it would be a good idea to test fire seven missiles into the Sea of Japan. After pouring millions of dollars into the program while his people suffer economic poverty and famine, little Kim Jong-Il has decided that the world was not paying enough attention to him. So, like any other toddler bully, he decides to test his failure of missiles on a day guaranteed to garner press and world attention.
Now the world must decide how to punish a supposed leader who would continue to beggar his people while he utilizes the ill-gotten wealth he has accumulated off of the broken backs of his people. I believe that the world has no desire to reek more havoc on the average North Korean. They’ve done nothing to deserve the hardships that they are suffering. But something must be done with the little monster that has been created.
China and Russia, the two ‘super’ powers that brought him into power and fed his manic neurosis, are now seeking a way to control and subdue the monster they helped created. Because they have done nothing to date to curtail their monster, Kim Jong-Il now feels that he can do anything he wants. What is the world going to do? Talk him to death?
The way I see it, is that China, the closest neighbor, needs to show their little monster that their behavior is unacceptable. China needs to take responsibility and get their hands dirty. The North Korean people would at least have regular food shipments. Japan and the US really need to let China and Russia take care of the problem and keep the economic aid coming for the people. It is better to be viewed as a savior than a subjugator.
The world is a mess. Instead of pointing fingers, we need to build it up and work at creating a better place where you don’t have to worry about children starving or disease spreading. We are all responsible for making this world a better place.
Friday, June 23, 2006
Weeding our Global Garden
Isn’t bad enough that we are dealing with individuals from outside our country who feel justified in causing terrible harm and destruction on our turf but we have our own home-grown individuals who feel that they have the right to harm others while making their point? THIS TRULY AND UTTERLY PISSES ME OFF! To think that the veneer of civilization is so thin that we will resort to violence to make our point is a mark of decay on our society. Just recently a group of individuals were arrested by the FBI for plotting to bomb the Miami FBI headquarters, the Sears Tower and other well know US land marks. They were US citizens who sought to wage a ‘holy war’. They were our own. Yet a supposed spokesperson for the group claimed that they were truly a ‘peaceful’ religious group. Are they peaceful in the way of the late Timothy McVeigh and his accomplice Terry Nichols? I do not believe that the victims or their families of the Oklahoma City Bombing of the Murrow Building felt that it was a peaceful act. Are they peaceful in the way a victim of domestic abuse? No, they were actively planning on “killing all the devils”. Of course they were holy enough to judge who was worthy and who was not.
Our society has glorified violence and it has become a blot on our civilization. With games that encourage theft, the objectification of women, the glorification of murder and rape, and the accumulation of all things material. We have lost two generations, and generations to come, that do not value civility. Crimes are on the rise that mirrors the violent video and computer games. The message is that it is okay to take without asking and deprive those in need. Got to have it, I will take it.
Culturally, a fantasy has been made the social norm, being able to have the best and the most expensive immediately with out working for it. It’s all about the bling. People who have all of this are venerated and made example of what we should have. If we don’t meet this standard we have failed. The message sent is that we can not have too much money, be too skinny, or have too many things.
We have religious leaders encouraging war in the name of God. That the ‘radical Muslim’s are ‘Satanic’’. Look how successful the Crusades were, in the name of God England’s coffers were beggared and a generation lost. Doesn’t al-Qaeda feel they are fighting in the name of God and that they deserve to rule the world? I am a religious person, but I truly feel that every individual on the face of the earth is my spiritual brother or sister, they are all children of God. That is how I choose to view the world, it makes my view less caustic and more willing to find a solution. Whatever happened to love, compassion and forgiveness? All I can think of is that God is very disheartened with the violence that has engulfed His children. Some would say that if God is all powerful that He would stop all wars and create a peaceful society. The only problem with that is that it would strip us, His children, of the fundamental precept that makes us unique. Free Will. Every time a person kills another, takes something that is not theirs, fails to lend a helping hand, they make a choice. In the end, that choice will weigh in our judgment.
Civility is what allows us to make peace with the world around us and deal with the threats as needed. The veneer of civilization might be thin, but it is what filters our reactions and our views. Civility gives us a framework by which we can create a structure of laws that govern us and help us get along in a world that is often chaotic and difficult. We benefit from learning about the world around us and seeing things through their viewpoint. Changing our view point enriches and educates us. The United States of the America is no longer isolated by the oceans; the World Wide Web makes us all neighbors. Building a community with our neighbors makes us all better people. As Americans, we need to be educated about our neighbors. We will find that they are more like us than we ever knew. They experience the same trials and tribulations that we do, they just do it in a different language and in different part of the world.
Terrorism is not the answer to the problems of the world. Whether they are domestic or international terrorist, they are simply bullies who have threatened their way to power. Without their bombs, volunteers or the media, they are nothing. We can not live in an eye for and eye mentality, it has made the world blind. We have greater needs in the world. Poverty and disease run rampant through the world. These two blights ravage all countries, no matter their economic standing. The have’s are starving and enslaving the have not’s. Gandhi changed the sub-continent of India in his vision of peaceful demonstration. Here in the US we must tend to our communities the way a gardener tends a garden. Tending each plant and removing the weeds. Terrorism is a prolific weed in the garden of the world. Let us uproot and remove this weed from our presence and be better gardeners in our community. A community that is tended well affects the world in ways that can not be imagined for the betterment of humankind and the world.
Our society has glorified violence and it has become a blot on our civilization. With games that encourage theft, the objectification of women, the glorification of murder and rape, and the accumulation of all things material. We have lost two generations, and generations to come, that do not value civility. Crimes are on the rise that mirrors the violent video and computer games. The message is that it is okay to take without asking and deprive those in need. Got to have it, I will take it.
Culturally, a fantasy has been made the social norm, being able to have the best and the most expensive immediately with out working for it. It’s all about the bling. People who have all of this are venerated and made example of what we should have. If we don’t meet this standard we have failed. The message sent is that we can not have too much money, be too skinny, or have too many things.
We have religious leaders encouraging war in the name of God. That the ‘radical Muslim’s are ‘Satanic’’. Look how successful the Crusades were, in the name of God England’s coffers were beggared and a generation lost. Doesn’t al-Qaeda feel they are fighting in the name of God and that they deserve to rule the world? I am a religious person, but I truly feel that every individual on the face of the earth is my spiritual brother or sister, they are all children of God. That is how I choose to view the world, it makes my view less caustic and more willing to find a solution. Whatever happened to love, compassion and forgiveness? All I can think of is that God is very disheartened with the violence that has engulfed His children. Some would say that if God is all powerful that He would stop all wars and create a peaceful society. The only problem with that is that it would strip us, His children, of the fundamental precept that makes us unique. Free Will. Every time a person kills another, takes something that is not theirs, fails to lend a helping hand, they make a choice. In the end, that choice will weigh in our judgment.
Civility is what allows us to make peace with the world around us and deal with the threats as needed. The veneer of civilization might be thin, but it is what filters our reactions and our views. Civility gives us a framework by which we can create a structure of laws that govern us and help us get along in a world that is often chaotic and difficult. We benefit from learning about the world around us and seeing things through their viewpoint. Changing our view point enriches and educates us. The United States of the America is no longer isolated by the oceans; the World Wide Web makes us all neighbors. Building a community with our neighbors makes us all better people. As Americans, we need to be educated about our neighbors. We will find that they are more like us than we ever knew. They experience the same trials and tribulations that we do, they just do it in a different language and in different part of the world.
Terrorism is not the answer to the problems of the world. Whether they are domestic or international terrorist, they are simply bullies who have threatened their way to power. Without their bombs, volunteers or the media, they are nothing. We can not live in an eye for and eye mentality, it has made the world blind. We have greater needs in the world. Poverty and disease run rampant through the world. These two blights ravage all countries, no matter their economic standing. The have’s are starving and enslaving the have not’s. Gandhi changed the sub-continent of India in his vision of peaceful demonstration. Here in the US we must tend to our communities the way a gardener tends a garden. Tending each plant and removing the weeds. Terrorism is a prolific weed in the garden of the world. Let us uproot and remove this weed from our presence and be better gardeners in our community. A community that is tended well affects the world in ways that can not be imagined for the betterment of humankind and the world.
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Summer
You know that its bad when you feel stressed out for not having blogged. But I do! Arrrrrgh! Okay, now that that is out of my system, I can get down to the blog. I must say that summer is not the seemingly idyllic times of my youth. Of course, I look back an realize that my summers were highly structured work fests. There were animals to care for and feed, gardens to plant, weed and pick, educational trips inspire our brains and family to visit. Honestly, summer vacation was more of a "hands-on" home school system.
Let's see, what were the lessons that I learned. If you don't feed the cows on their schedule, they will escape and eat the vegetarian neighbors corn and beans. The hotter the weather the more the chicken coop stinks and becomes a greater bio-hazard site. There is absolutely NOTHING cute about raccoons and possums (for the record, they are mean and generally gross). Peaches are the absolute best at the top of the tree were they have been sun ripened, you just have to beat the bees to them. Black snakes love to live in apple trees, I guess the birds were closer then. Yes, turtles really can tell what are the best tomatoes and strawberries. They take one bite out of the best to let us know that they were there. The best place to hide from family was the back of the property, sitting in a tree with a book or two. But even then you couldn't hide from the Call of the Mom. Well water only gets colder the longer it runs in the hose; of course, ninety degree weather made that a treat. Broccoli is green and so are the broccoli worms (just a little extra protein). Green beans magically regenerate the moment that you pick them, so that when the mom goes and inspects the rows of green beans she find enough to have to go back and pick AGAIN! Catching fire-flys should be an Olympic sport, it really is hard to see the low-hanging branches in the orchard. Flash-light tag is best on warm summer nights. The swing-set really could travel to Mars and bring back a martian or two, even if they do resemble your siblings. Popcicles are sweeter when shared with you neighborhood posse. Gardening, canning and any general labor is best performed before 8am, otherwise it gets too hot. You really do need sunscreen on overcast days. The snapping turtle in the pool in the creek at the back of the property is really more afraid of you than you are of it. Yellow-jackets can actually have underground hives and they DO NOT like to be disturbed. Skunk funk really does go away with enough tomatoe juice, the dog really learned that lesson. Never let the cows see the feed bucket until you are ready, otherwise you get knocked down. Lawn mowing really is a great escape for a few hours. Walking bare-foot through the grass is cool and soothing, except for the stickers. Milk snakes have a round head and copper-heads have a more triangular head. On a family trip, if your baby brother gets a bottle going up a mountain, you'll see the contents again on the way down. The bookmobile really does have a limit to the number of books it can carry, and too many voracious readers can really stress the bookmobile lady out. Electric fences will really knock you on your can if you don't pay attention and grab the wrong part. Mom's fried chicken was best eaten cold on a picnic. Dad could always be counted on to hose you down, whether you felt you needed it or not.
Now that I'm grown-up, I work the 9 to 5 grind in an air-conditioned office. Not a cow, chicken, green bean, turtle or bee to be seen. I only get the sun on days that it's not too hot outside and I eat my lunch outside. I go home as the sun is making its journey home for the night. Walking the dog lets me at least say good night. I'm not sure that growing up is really a fair trade for having the summer off. The innocence and wonder that I viewed the world was unique to the time. I miss that .
Let's see, what were the lessons that I learned. If you don't feed the cows on their schedule, they will escape and eat the vegetarian neighbors corn and beans. The hotter the weather the more the chicken coop stinks and becomes a greater bio-hazard site. There is absolutely NOTHING cute about raccoons and possums (for the record, they are mean and generally gross). Peaches are the absolute best at the top of the tree were they have been sun ripened, you just have to beat the bees to them. Black snakes love to live in apple trees, I guess the birds were closer then. Yes, turtles really can tell what are the best tomatoes and strawberries. They take one bite out of the best to let us know that they were there. The best place to hide from family was the back of the property, sitting in a tree with a book or two. But even then you couldn't hide from the Call of the Mom. Well water only gets colder the longer it runs in the hose; of course, ninety degree weather made that a treat. Broccoli is green and so are the broccoli worms (just a little extra protein). Green beans magically regenerate the moment that you pick them, so that when the mom goes and inspects the rows of green beans she find enough to have to go back and pick AGAIN! Catching fire-flys should be an Olympic sport, it really is hard to see the low-hanging branches in the orchard. Flash-light tag is best on warm summer nights. The swing-set really could travel to Mars and bring back a martian or two, even if they do resemble your siblings. Popcicles are sweeter when shared with you neighborhood posse. Gardening, canning and any general labor is best performed before 8am, otherwise it gets too hot. You really do need sunscreen on overcast days. The snapping turtle in the pool in the creek at the back of the property is really more afraid of you than you are of it. Yellow-jackets can actually have underground hives and they DO NOT like to be disturbed. Skunk funk really does go away with enough tomatoe juice, the dog really learned that lesson. Never let the cows see the feed bucket until you are ready, otherwise you get knocked down. Lawn mowing really is a great escape for a few hours. Walking bare-foot through the grass is cool and soothing, except for the stickers. Milk snakes have a round head and copper-heads have a more triangular head. On a family trip, if your baby brother gets a bottle going up a mountain, you'll see the contents again on the way down. The bookmobile really does have a limit to the number of books it can carry, and too many voracious readers can really stress the bookmobile lady out. Electric fences will really knock you on your can if you don't pay attention and grab the wrong part. Mom's fried chicken was best eaten cold on a picnic. Dad could always be counted on to hose you down, whether you felt you needed it or not.
Now that I'm grown-up, I work the 9 to 5 grind in an air-conditioned office. Not a cow, chicken, green bean, turtle or bee to be seen. I only get the sun on days that it's not too hot outside and I eat my lunch outside. I go home as the sun is making its journey home for the night. Walking the dog lets me at least say good night. I'm not sure that growing up is really a fair trade for having the summer off. The innocence and wonder that I viewed the world was unique to the time. I miss that .
Monday, June 5, 2006
Monday Thoughts
I've decided that Monday's are a cruel joke perpetrated on the working individuals. Monday's should be banned. Even Quizz is not fond of Mondays. You KNOW that it's bad when your dog is anti-Monday.
The brain is not up to functioning yet this Monday morning. But Monday's force me to make it functional. I'm ready to go home already.
This week would have been my dad's sixty seventh birthday. I still turn around and want to comment on something that might ignite the twinkle in his eye or evoke a laugh and am disappointed to remember that he is not with us physically anymore. I miss silly things like his singing voice. His scout humor. His absolute love of his family. He would have been so tickled by the arrival of Elijah Charles. But I know that he loved all his grandkids, and love cuddling his granddaughters. The family does feel his loss. But family moves on and while the hole is truly never completely filled, we just work around it. I'm really grateful that I know that Dad is still around keeping tabs on us. I know that he would be truly proud of his children and their accomplishments. I miss him.
Welcome Elijah Charles Gaskin. Nathaniel and Jenny finally made baby boy Gaskin's name official. I think that little Elijah Charles just took awhile to let his parents what he wanted to be named. I can't wait to meet him. Mom is really looking forward to the trip out in July.
The brain is not up to functioning yet this Monday morning. But Monday's force me to make it functional. I'm ready to go home already.
This week would have been my dad's sixty seventh birthday. I still turn around and want to comment on something that might ignite the twinkle in his eye or evoke a laugh and am disappointed to remember that he is not with us physically anymore. I miss silly things like his singing voice. His scout humor. His absolute love of his family. He would have been so tickled by the arrival of Elijah Charles. But I know that he loved all his grandkids, and love cuddling his granddaughters. The family does feel his loss. But family moves on and while the hole is truly never completely filled, we just work around it. I'm really grateful that I know that Dad is still around keeping tabs on us. I know that he would be truly proud of his children and their accomplishments. I miss him.
Welcome Elijah Charles Gaskin. Nathaniel and Jenny finally made baby boy Gaskin's name official. I think that little Elijah Charles just took awhile to let his parents what he wanted to be named. I can't wait to meet him. Mom is really looking forward to the trip out in July.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Events
This has been a really tramatic and marvelous month. Two dear friends lost their fathers due to illness. And the first baby Gaskin boy was born on May 30, 2006 at 9:16pm. That brings the niece/nephew count to nine. Boy are my siblings multiplying.
The death of my friends fathers brought back memories of my own father's passing. The blessing is that while physically, they may no longer be in this world, they are not far away from us in spirit. I have faith that the universe does not end at mortality. It is merely a step to something greater.
Little Miss Evelyn is a big sister. Little baby boy is still waiting on his moniker but I know that Jenni and Nathaniel will choose one that will suit my new adorable nephew. WooHoo! I get to by little boy toys!!!
I got myself signed up for the www.jamesriverwriters.com conference and will hopefully score a spot with an agent. I working like mad on my manuscript. I WILL HAVE A MANUSCRIPT READY FOR SUBMISSION BY THE CONFERENCE. Nothing like a little self imposed pressure. I'm almost finished the first draft and expect to start the second draft by the middle of June. I still have a bit of topic research to do but I feel that the story is going in the direction it should. I'll have a better feel once I get draft one done.
This is the year for me to get my dreams on line. Only I can write my stories. I just have to get of my butt and do it. Slowly I'm eeking out more and more time. Fortunately, Quizz is becoming more and more patient. Sometimes I can get an entire page in before he drops something at me feet for attention. What is the saying? Life is what happens when you are making other plans? Yeah that describes my life. My inner artist and my inner pragmatist usually have fisticuffs over who wins. I'm negotiating detente so that I can embrace both sides and for a successful outcome. Does this mean that I have a split personality? :) It only adds to the kaos and mayhem of my life and I love it!!
That's it for now!
The death of my friends fathers brought back memories of my own father's passing. The blessing is that while physically, they may no longer be in this world, they are not far away from us in spirit. I have faith that the universe does not end at mortality. It is merely a step to something greater.
Little Miss Evelyn is a big sister. Little baby boy is still waiting on his moniker but I know that Jenni and Nathaniel will choose one that will suit my new adorable nephew. WooHoo! I get to by little boy toys!!!
I got myself signed up for the www.jamesriverwriters.com conference and will hopefully score a spot with an agent. I working like mad on my manuscript. I WILL HAVE A MANUSCRIPT READY FOR SUBMISSION BY THE CONFERENCE. Nothing like a little self imposed pressure. I'm almost finished the first draft and expect to start the second draft by the middle of June. I still have a bit of topic research to do but I feel that the story is going in the direction it should. I'll have a better feel once I get draft one done.
This is the year for me to get my dreams on line. Only I can write my stories. I just have to get of my butt and do it. Slowly I'm eeking out more and more time. Fortunately, Quizz is becoming more and more patient. Sometimes I can get an entire page in before he drops something at me feet for attention. What is the saying? Life is what happens when you are making other plans? Yeah that describes my life. My inner artist and my inner pragmatist usually have fisticuffs over who wins. I'm negotiating detente so that I can embrace both sides and for a successful outcome. Does this mean that I have a split personality? :) It only adds to the kaos and mayhem of my life and I love it!!
That's it for now!
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Thoughts....
I was inspired the other day by the series on NPR called "This I believe...". Of course I'm driving in my car and can't write anything down, so I had to rely on my leaky memory. Here is my shot:
This I believe
I believe in the power of now. Not yesterday or tomorrow but the power of now. Without the now, there can be no future and all the past is based on the previously experienced now. Too often it is easy and preferable to dwell in the past or the future instead of participating in the now. Each moment we live in the now, we create our future. Each moment that we live is the brick that lays the foundation of the future. Living in the now does not preclude us from our responsibility to the future, instead it allows us to build a better future.
Every experience we participates in shapes our character and our soul. Each action, each decision, each tear, each belly laugh, each kiss, each hug, each failure, each success should be lived to the fullest. Living to the fullest gives the experience we need to make the decisions that guide our lives and to build our perspective. Each life event that we embrace and internalize makes us far wealthier than gold and wealth can bring us.
This I believe
I believe in the power of now. Not yesterday or tomorrow but the power of now. Without the now, there can be no future and all the past is based on the previously experienced now. Too often it is easy and preferable to dwell in the past or the future instead of participating in the now. Each moment we live in the now, we create our future. Each moment that we live is the brick that lays the foundation of the future. Living in the now does not preclude us from our responsibility to the future, instead it allows us to build a better future.
Every experience we participates in shapes our character and our soul. Each action, each decision, each tear, each belly laugh, each kiss, each hug, each failure, each success should be lived to the fullest. Living to the fullest gives the experience we need to make the decisions that guide our lives and to build our perspective. Each life event that we embrace and internalize makes us far wealthier than gold and wealth can bring us.
Monday, May 15, 2006
Life, Kaos & Stuff
Well, I've decided to blog. This is a grand experiment for me. My life tends to be chaotic and full of humor. Life without humor is definitely Hell. I believe that inorder for a person to truly live up to their potential in life, that they need to be a full participant. I have to admit that I've not been doing that. My fortieth birthday is coming up in October. A new decade, a new opportunity to seize life.
Stay tuned and I'll share my view on Life, Kaos and all the stuff that comes with it.
Stay tuned and I'll share my view on Life, Kaos and all the stuff that comes with it.
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