Silent Sermon Sunday

"Sleep in heavenly peace..."

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly

Silent Sermon Sunday

The Best Gifts To Give ~

To your friend: Loyalty
To your enemy: Forgiveness
To your boss: Service
To a child: A good example
To your parents: Gratitude & Devotion
To your mate: Love & Faithfulness
To all men and women: Charity

~ Oren Arnold

Don't fret, you still have time!

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly

The Season of Remembering

He showed it to me a bit shyly and, uncharacteristically, sheepish hidden in his usual bravado. It sat on the dining room table. He said, "It's for you. I know you like your Aunt Katherine's so I made one for you. It's not the same as hers; I couldn't figure a way to put the snow on it like hers." That was all. He and his crutches walked away.

Back in the 70's, the first wave of interest in painting and fabricating green-ware had become vogue. Aunt Fran was interested for awhile, but really, it was Dad who needed her to drive him to the shop. Long after she quit participating, she drove The King and waited while he created. She was like that- she could be so angry and cutting but when it came to her Little Brother, she'd suck it up and accommodate him.

I was busy with college and my budding social life, so I can't say I really know how often he went to paint his odd treasures. I remember there were others, a bit tacky as far as I was concerned, but this is the only piece that has survived.

It is like the grandfather clock he built because he decided I'd want one. A herculean effort for a man who couldn't bend or move. Though I never asked for one, the clock stands regally in my entrance hall all these years later and each week when I wind it, I think of Daddy. Maybe these creations were Jimmy's way of guaranteeing he'd always continue in some way; I'm not sure what went on in his mind when he decided I 'needed' something.

The garish little tree sat there winking at me with its plastic 'lights' glowing merrily and, at 19, I remember puzzling, "Wonder why he thought I'd want one of these? I never thought anything about Kat's tree!" I was gracious enough to say, "King, thanks a lot! It's really cool. I don't care that it isn't like Katherine's. "

We sat it in the bay window every Christmas. Every year at the end of the holidays, it would be my job to pack it up safely and make sure it didn't get broken. He had paid extra for this one; it has a music box that used to play Silent Night. That's long since stopped working.

As the years have rolled along, I note that the little tree has taken on deep significance. It's one of the things I can't forgo during the decorating. Even now that my desire to decorate the house from stem to stern has ebbed, some years not wanting to really decorate at all, this wee tree still makes the cut.

I wait for the miracle of Dad letting me know he still remembers me, for each year out of the blue, even though the music box is defunct, a few notes will warble out and stop just as suddenly. It always makes me smile, tear up, and I whisper, "I love you too, King."

Often, when I look at the tree, my focus goes soft and the lights become fuzzy as the images of my father grow more acute and clear. It's one of the sacred parts of the Season, this ability to easily conjure the faces of those we have loved and who have moved on. To see them so clearly and richly in a small tacky treasure that has made its way with you over the years.

May you have many moments of remembering and recalling. May they leave you with a smile and the realization that, while it is sad to be without them, you are so richly happy to have had them in your life.

May you have a hushed few moments of grace in this frenzied holiday season. A few minutes when your focus grows soft and distant as you behold the loved festive bit and trinket. Watch the lights and visit with a treasure from your past.

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly aka Jimmy Dietor's Daughter

Crystal thin winter air,
Swirls in the ink of long nights.
The house sleeps, sounds slipping to slumber.
Soft snores, sheets ruffle, someone stirs, now still.

I wait for this time of solitude in the waning year.
Sitting in ashen anticipation.
Hoping to hear, in the frigid air that amplifies everything,
A sound that thrills and awes me.

Beginning to nod, the hour grows late.
No reason, it seems, to continue the vigil.
Not tonight does the air articulate.
I clip the lamp and sit a moment more.

Crystal thin the winter night deepens.
The dark is so complete, It wraps me in its arms,
My patience rewarded.
Off in the distance, the eerie symphony unfolds.

Hooo, hoo, hooo, hoo.
The owls have returned.
Singing their courting songs.
One to another, whispering, "I am here."

And, I am here.
Truly blessed.
To be alive one more year,
To hear them.

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly aka She Who Loves Owls
photo courtesy of T. Beth Kinsey from the Internet

Silent Sermon Sunday

Now I lay me down to sleep.
I pray thee, Lord, my soul to keep.
Should I die before I wake,
I pray thee, Lord, my soul to take.
Should I live to future days,
I pray thee, Lord, to guide my ways.
~ Evening Prayer

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly

And They Lived Happily

Four years ago, I married my very best friend. And, my life has never been more complete. I love you, Michael Richard. Will you marry me again for another year?

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly aka Mrs. Michael Frock

Silent Sermon Sunday

Bless the one who is the wings beneath your feet.

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly

Insult To Injury

By now you all know that I'm built for comfort, not speed. You'll know how much I struggle with weight and being OVER weight. Being round and zaftig, when really, I would prefer being mean and lean.

You'll know that I attempt to follow Weight Watchers, but I've stopped paying the monthly fee for following on line. I tell myself that it's my effort toward fiscal responsibility. Michael's always happy when I can trim another something off the list of monthly expenses. Ironic I can trim the budget but not my size...go figure.

You'll know that my thyroid has joined the party to conspire against me and now my 'sluggish' metabolism is now more like a door-stop than a working system.

You'll know that I have been, most likely, a sloth in many life times....and speed and movement, to me, seem anathema to life.

You'll know that I've decided to continue to fight the good fight each day despite the form my body would have you believe.

You'll know that I cherish my body and continually thank it for doing most of what I ask of it.

You'll know that I'm continually shocked by the changes it goes through thanks to age...like my eyebrows turning into bristles, etc...

So, why am I so surprised, that when I'm sent for an ultra-sound of my liver to determine why I have elevated liver enzymes...

...that the report comes back, "fatty liver,"????

Don't you think that I'd figure that everything on me has decided to use "fatty" as the first descriptor? Come on!

Do I really need to add that insult to injury?! For crap sake. Thanks for nothing, liver. You fatty traitor.

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly aka She Who Is Round

Silent Sermon Sunday

Infinite possibility resides in the spaces between the words.
Spend more time in the spaces.
Notice how your world changes.

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly

Halloween Treats

Livy, Laura and Eric were here with us last weekend. And, it was then that I learned that within a few short months since I saw her last, our baby, has turned into a real girly-girl! She loves bracelets and ribbons, and things that are sparkly. Colors are the best ever! Clothes with frills and flounces attract her eye.

Proof yet again, that we come to this Earth with our personalities already engaged. Because if it was a case of learning to like what we see, we'd all be different. Laura, for example, is quite the fashionesta...but she's never been a cute girly-girl. Certainly she's always been very fashionable and stylish, but not all girl.

So, it was a natural that for Halloween this year, Livy is a pink ballerina. Please note her sparkling pink shoes...they make the ensemble for sure!

I love those two girls. So here's to another All Hallows Eve with...

...my Baby Girl and my Littlest Girl.

Hope your Halloween brought you moments of pure delight!

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly aka Aunt/Great Aunt Holly

Silent Sermon Sunday

The Wheel turns.
The old year gives way to new,
The light fades, enhancing shades.
The Queen sighs, as the King dies.
We sit with her as she cries.
We remember love survives.
Changes come.
Old is undone.
We welcome the blessings of the New Year.
Samhain is here.
Blessed be.

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly

On Any Given Day

On any given day, any Human Being is engaged in a silent conflict, a battle, a struggle, a tipping point, a hurt, a scare, a concern, a worry, a fear that we can not see.

I hope to remember that with each person I encounter so that I do not add weight to the conflict, but instead, offer a moment of peace and Grace so that they can continue to fight the good fight.

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly aka She Who Is A Warrior

Silent Sermon Sunday

God is great. God is good. Thank you for our daily food. By His hand we all are fed. Give us now our daily bread. (Or Primanti Brothers sandwich...)
~ Amen

Livy experiences her first Pittsburgh sandwich at the original Primanti Brothers.

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly aka Great Aunt Holly

NPR!!!!! Shame on you!

Okay, get ready for a rant! I am just as angry about this one as I was when I posted A Fox In The White House! Some of you may already know this story; if you do and you're not upset, well I'm going to ask if you have a pulse.

As a Centrist, (I do not consider myself a Conservative,) I make it a point to get my information from a wide variety of sources. NPR was one of those. I like the stories they cover, I like the in-depth time they give to their pieces. I'm sort of in love with the hypnotic quality of the voices they use there. Sometimes it's not a good idea to listen to NPR while driving; it can cause you to become so relaxed that it could be dangerous.

However, as of yesterday when I hit 'send' on the scathing email I sent them, I am done with them. End of story. Shame on you NPR! SHAME!!!

This man is Juan Williams. He has been a commentator on NPR for quite awhile. He had a ten year contract with them. He is a Liberal. He is very intelligent and well considered when he delivers an opinion.

Do you know where I first saw him? On Fox News. Yep. Imagine...Fox news has liberal commentators on their programs. That's one of the things I like about Fox...they don't mind covering topics from opposing viewpoints.

So Juan is on there most every day and representing quite well, liberal points of view for us to consider. But, you won't hear him on NPR anymore because, while he was driving in his car...
Let me say it again...

While he was driving in his car, he gets a call on his cell phone from his boss telling him he was being terminated because of an opinion he voiced on Fox news. Are you kidding me?! You fired a man while he's driving in his car? You fired him for expressing an opinion on Fox News? SHAME on YOU!

What Mr. Williams said, in a conversation about radical Muslims is that we must be very careful, in the current situation, to not fearfully view all Muslims as extremists. We must not think of every Muslim that we see as those radicalize Muslims who have sworn to KILL us simply for being Americans.

He went on to say, that he admits that even believing this, it is hard to do. He's no different than the rest of us; it is hard not to be a little nervous when he sees someone specifically dressed in ultra Muslim garb ,which to him, suggests that they are announcing their desire to be noted first as a Muslim before they wish to be thought of in any other regard.

And, NPR said that was unacceptable. So he was fired. Did I mention he was driving in his car when he was fired??????

Let's be clear about something. News people, those who profess to be news journalists, are not allowed to give their personal opinions on the stories they cover. ARE NOT! But commentators and pundits, are paid to give their opinions. Juan Williams is a commentator!

The CEO of NPR is on video saying some very crappy remarks about the situation just the other day at a speaking engagement. She was made to apologize for them. But, that's not enough. Shame on her, too.

Here's the thing; and I'm going to remind you of this one more time: This political correctness that we are plagued with, is the most INSIDIOUS form of censorship this country has ever faced. It even trumps McCarthyism.

When we cannot say how we feel about things, when we cannot express professional opinions or opposing view points, when we can't keep our jobs because we say something that goes against an agenda? We are screwed. This country will be ruined!

We must have freedom of expression and speech in this country. Must have it. And, this Political Correctness is SHIT! NPR, your public funding should be stopped immediately. I don't want my tax dollars spent on your agenda after how you've just conducted yourself. If you don't wish to act as a news source any longer, then you're on your own.

SHAME on NPR. Mr. Williams, I'm sorry this happened to you, but believe me, you'll come out on the right side of this.

Political correctness be damned! Now, come and get me!

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly aka A Professional Communicator

Ain't That The Truth!!

Here was my reading for the day:

"When the issues of someone else's life has you tied in knots, it usually means it's time to start focusing on your own life."

Man, those continual lessons about how it's always about me and never about them...
They never get old do they?! And, certainly no less startling when you're reminded!

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly aka She Who Is Knot

Look Up!!!

"Sometimes we get so caught up in our small daily duties and irritations that they become the only things that we focus on. What we forget is that God's love and beauty are all around us, every day, if only we would take the time to look up and see them."

~ Matthias

I hope you remember to look up this week! In fact, I hope you remember to do it often.

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly aka She Who Looks Up Often

Image courtesy of The Internet

Silent Sermon Sunday

For where you go, I will go;
and where you lodge, I will lodge;
your people shall be my people,
and your God my God...

~ The Book of Ruth

Mr & Mrs Zach Schmitt, our daughter and son-in-law

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly aka Wicca'd Step/Mother-in law as of 10/15/10

Silent Sermon Sunday

"May your comings and goings always be blessed."

Evan arrived home today, on leave for a brief while.
How blessed we are; how happy!
May you find the same blessings in your day.

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly aka Wicca'd Step Mother

Having Its Own Way

Yes, it is Fall here. Yes, it is Autumn in Western PA which means that the days are already more gray than clear. Yes, it's been raining for years here, well, okay I made that up but it has been raining for days. Not that I truly mind; we had a very hot, dry summer. You get my drift though- it's one of those days when you want to stay in your jammies and in bed.

Despite the fact that it is Fall, my orchid has re-bloomed. Some say they buy them and then can never get them to bloom again. I don't have that problem. Oh sure, the plants are never as pretty as when I first bring them home, but they still show me what high fashion is about when they send out their flowers.

Some things simply insist on having their own way....flaunting their attributes...commanding attention...announcing their presence...sharing their gifts.

Despite what their surroundings might try to shackle them with or suggesting that the timing is not right...

Some bright spirits can still feel their own worth and merit. Some things insist, for the positive, on having their own way.

I think I should be an orchid.


Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly

What Took Me So Long?

I spend way too much time thinking...
And not enough time feeling.
Now that I've finally figured that out...
My life is about to change. Again.

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly aka She Who Is Slow...

Silent Sermon Sunday

Mend the parts of the world that are within your reach.

~ Clarrisa Pinkola Estes

Namaste' Until Next Time,
Holly

Then And Now

You may remember this photo. I captured it last Thanksgiving. When I posted it, I said it was now one of my new favorite images. I still love looking at it.

It's been awhile since I've posted anything about Livy. I suppose the days race by and I live so far removed from her day to day adventures. And, as she becomes more and more mobile, Laura has her hands full keeping on top of her and working and trying to do all the multi-tasks that crash into each day.

But, late last night, Laura had a free moment and sent me one of her new favorite images of Livy, and when I saw it...I knew I had to share it with you. So, here she is:

In less than a year...oh my goodness, look at the difference! Look how she's changed from infant to toddler. It takes my breath away.

It leaves me with the feeling, whispered deep inside, "Holly, don't sleep; don't blink; don't waste a moment. Life races by and treasures mature and the world changes. Don't waste even a scant 60 seconds. Like Livy, each moment is too precious to miss."

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly aka Great Aunt Hol

With Corrected Vision

Sometimes, it takes a new way of looking at things in order to adjust your way of thinking. That's what I received this morning in one of my daily readings. I liked it so much, that I thought I should share it with you:

What if, loneliness was simply a feeling of impatience, telepathically sent to you by friends you've yet to meet, urging you to go out more, do more, and get involved, so that life's serendipities could bring you together... Would you still feel alone?

What if illness was just the signal a healthy body sent to urge clarification of your thoughts, feelings, and dreams... Would you still, at times, think of yours as diseased?

What if feelings of uncertainty and confusion were only reminders that you have options, that there's no hurry, and that everything is as it should be... Would you still feel disadvantaged?

What if mistakes and failures only ever happened when your life was about to get better than it's ever been before... Would you still call them mistakes and failures?

And what if poverty and lack were simply demonstrations of your manifesting prowess, as "difficult" to acquire as wealth and abundance... Would they still cause you to feel powerless?

Well, whatever you feel, I still consider you my only begotten, my champion, and my equal.

Lessons from The Universe... hope it speaks to you as much as it did to me today.

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly aka She Who Hopes To Have Spiritual 20/20 Vision

I May Have To Rethink That...

As I was dashing around like a mad woman this morning, I decided to 'straighten' up the bathroom before jetting out the door.

I grabbed the box of Breathe Right strips that had been loitering for days on the counter and flipped them onto a shelf just next to the toilet.

I think I may want to rethink that decision.

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly aka Martha Stewartnot

Silent Sermon Sunday

"Knock and it shall be opened to you."

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly
Image from my trip to the San Antonio Missions

Let's Try This...

I do have my very own attitude. That's not necessarily a bad thing. You just can't let it run willy nilly with scissors. It needs close supervision. Or, maybe better said, Super Vision.

In fact, I am told repeatedly that effort AND attitude is the entire trick to winning the game. So, even though I'd like stay and chat longer, I can't. I'm off to work on adjusting mine.

As it relates to yesterday's blog, forgive me for letting my attitude show. I'm working on making today a better day. Yep...it's looking brighter already.

Still achy and creaky, but brighter.

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly

Feeling My Age

This is not a good day for me. Everything aches. Even my hair. So not a good day.

I wish I still had some of my mentors around; maybe they'd tell me the truth. But, then again, maybe not as I need answers to a topic that no one likes to talk about. The whole aging thing is a major downer on so many levels. Here's what I think...

What I think is that there isn't anything fabulous about the 50s. In fact, I'm fairly positive that if your mind and body can survive the challenge? You should probably live then, to be 100. It's the reward for endurance.

I just need to get over this hump. Five more years till 60.

Wish me luck.

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly aka She Who Is Not Having A Good Day

Silent Sermon Sunday

Even more important than 9-11, is the date 9-12.
For that is the date we reconfirmed our spirit.
Reconfirmed our heart.
Reconfirmed our resolve.
Stood up against fear.
And, started to define love in a forever changed world.
Said, "Amen," to a catastrophic challenge
With faith and daring asked, "What's next? Bring it!"
Live 9-12 bravely with me today.

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly aka She Who Hopes To Be Fearless

A Nod To Home

See that? Isn't it a beauty?! I'm so excited to see it, right here in Western PA...you just don't see them that often! The memories that brings back...

What? You don't know what that is? Yes, the Renaissance Festival is back in the area, but no, that's not a medieval standard, that's the Maryland State flag.

And, on his journeys this week to the Eastern Shore of said state, My Beloved thought it would make me happy to have my home state flag flying on my home.

Oh, I think this is one of the most beautiful of all the State flags, and I know that Michael is the most wonderful of husbands ever.

What a nice surprise. But as nice as it is, and it's a doozey, it's nicer to have him home again.

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly aka A Marylander

No One EVER Told Me This!

I was told a few things about the changes my body would face as I aged. Things like less hair on my legs but more on my face. I'm Italian after all.

And, I was told about the aches and pains my joints would take on as habit...you know all the regular stuff. About how my brain might age: I no longer find searching for car keys that are 'hiding' right in front of me amusing.

But, in an effort of full disclosure, no one EVER told me this one...



...about how my eyebrows would just start growing bristles one day!

Wild hairs that are tough as boar bristles and poke out and actually stick my finger when I'm trying to tweeze my eyebrows while wearing high-powered binoculars standing at the x 17 magnifying mirror! Do not mess with me or I'll gore you with my eyebrows!

If you're wondering why I would even post such an ugly thing, go back and re-read the title of my blog...I have an obligation to report this stuff.

Or, am I the only one who is afflicted with this 'boarish' change to my eyebrows?

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly aka Oinkalicious

I Spoke Too Soon

Clearly, I was mistaken. It's back in the wilting 90's again. Will stay that way for the entire week. Red sky at morning? Ask a sailor what that means...

Summer roars back again. After all, it is only the end of August. So, Summer, listen because I'm only going to say this once, "You were right; I was wrong. You win." For now.

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly
view from my coffee cup

Silent Sermon Sunday

Every time I despair about our Human Race, because we can be so cruel, so mean, so brutal...
I stop and remember that while that is true, these are the same creatures who...
Just the same as Angels,
Can sing and make music.
And, that brings me hope and peace.

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly
Images courtesy of The Internet

The Crow Knows

~ The Demise of Summer ~

In the quiet of the morning
I hear the sound
The one for me that tells
The season is about to turn.

In the open hayed field beyond
The crow sits perched and yawns
And caws and caws to say
Summer is going.

I wait each year for this sound
To tell me another summer is bound
To fade away with its heat and fierce beauty
It bows out as Autumn sweeps in, colors flowing after her.

Cawing, Cawing, the crow announces
The fields are ripe for picking
Left overs are there for the taking
Summer is leaving and fall is coming
Most welcomed by me.

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly
Images courtesy of the Internet; Round Table art by Marion Rose

Silent Sermon Sunday

"My prayers are becoming more deliberate and specific. It has occurred to me that it's not much good to send prayers out to the universe that are lazy."
~ Liz Gilbert

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly
Image courtesy of The Internet

So Now What?

...yeah, Summer is like that. That's just from one time picking. Ideas? Anyone? I'm open to your suggestions.

And, since we all face this embarrassment of riches this time of year, I'll share one of Nanny's best recipes for summer eating. This salad is best made a day or so in advance...if you can restrain yourself.

~ Neapolitan Salad ~

(This is all done to your taste, so don't get upset that there are no measurements.)

- green peppers sliced thin
- ripe tomatoes of your choice
- extra virgin olive oil
- basil fresh if you have it, and also dry.
- salt
- cracked black pepper
- garlic minced fine. A lot of garlic is needed to flavor this salad.
- hint of sugar.

Slice the green peppers thinly and put them in the bowl with the olive oil, and the other ingredients. Make sure they are coated nicely. Dice your tomatoes and add it. Mix. If you have the fresh basil, dice fine and add in. You can add fresh mozzarella to this but mix it in just before serving. Some people like to add slice onion to this, but we prefer it without.

Mangia Bene!


Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly

Silent Sermon Sunday

"Proceed with a joyful heart and know that all will be well."

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly
Image from my garden '09

I Don't Even Know What To Title This

"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." ~FDR

The fact that someone already made these words famous means that our countries, our world has seen frightening, nerve-wracking times before. And, lived to tell about it. But, the fact that these words could apply just as equally to our time as to the one that spurred those words does not make me feel any better.

In fact, I am truly resentful and actually confused by how I feel about everything. I only know that I think it is absolutely unnecessary and wonder how we can continue to allow things to spiral so out of control.

You know I'm not an alarmist by nature. I pretty much face a day with the notion of "Sufficient unto a day it's own troubles..." I don't go borrowing angst and worry. As much as I'm pretty calm in the face of crazy, my brother Glenn, is even more calm. There are times when you want to check to make sure he has a pulse!

Last night we're on the telephone catching up and he asks, "Did you see the news story on CBS Evening News about the new community of tunnel/under bridge dwellers that has formed in Las Vegas of all places?" When I said I hadn't, he started to tell me some of the details.

It seems that so many have lost their homes, their jobs, their stuff, that they've formed communities under bridges and in tunnels for shelter. They showed a guy taking a shower by standing under the run off that comes from above when it rains. How disgusting is that? He says to me with incredulity, "What the hell is wrong with the people who are supposed to be in charge of the United States that they would let this country come to this!?"

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! I was shocked by that story. Not because I'm clueless about the homeless people in our country. I did, after all, grow up in a major metropolitan city. Yes, homeless people are part of the background of life and an ongoing problem. But, in Las Vegas? Really?! "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas," now takes on a completely new and disturbing aspect!

I countered with the Atlanta story that has me concerned, where so many people waited in a parking lot just to get the APPLICATIONS for Section 8 Housing, that the crowd turned violent. There were people waiting in that parking lot who had traveled from Alabama, Kentucky, and Tennessee! REALLY? Just for the application, just to get the paper work, to HOPE that they might end up with a place to live. Getting into fights over the hopes of living in shit-box Section 8 Housing!!!

This is another one of my open ended blogs. Because, first of all, I can't get my head around the desperate measures and times we are finding ourselves. It's not just the U.S.; it's almost a global epidemic! And, secondly, because I have absolutely no idea how this is going to turn out or what can be done to course correct. I want to do something about this but I don't have a clue as to what that might be...

For me, what has my mind chasing in circles is the extremes of the spectrum I keep reading about. The increasingly clear differences between the haves and the 'sucks to be yous'. It's not the facts of any of these stories per se, it's more about what I'm afraid they're illustrating.

For instance, as far as I'm concerned, it's not about the First Lady recently taking a plane to SPAIN that we payed for as tax payers...a plane holding all the Secret Service etc, that must go with her when she travels. She has a right to vacation and take her daughter there. She has the right to have her friends all stay in the suites she reserved in the luxury hotel of her choosing.

She and her husband are millionaires. Did you know that? Yeah. They are. They don't breathe the same air as the majority of us. She doesn't have to. And, because she has that sort of money and life style, she has the privilege to spend her vacation as she wants. Where she wants. With whom she wishes to share it. But, can she really be that insensitive and uncaring? Or, am I expecting too much of her?

Someone in an OpEd compared her behavior to that of Marie Antoinette. And, I say shame on them! Because Marie Antoinette never said, "Let them eat cake," when the French peasants were starving. No, that was the Queen two queens before her, the wife of Louis the XIV who said such a inflammatory thing. Marie was actually a pretty caring Queen and did a great deal of good works...her major flaw was she didn't have me as her PR person.

Even though Marie didn't say that line, it's pretty clear what the writer meant by that comparison. I can't say that I can argue against it. Sure, she paid for the vacation, but the very steep transportation to SPAIN, (did I tell you she spent her money in SPAIN?) Well, that we didn't need to take on right now...

I point that story out because it's almost like something from Dickens...isn't it? It was the best of times; it was the worst of times... A 21st century version of a Tale of Two Cities.

The divide between all of us as individuals seems to be turning into a chasm that is likely to swallow up the world as we know it. I'm not sure that it can survive if it keeps on this path. Actually, with each day that passes, I'm becoming more certain that it won't survive.

The First Lady of the United States, aka Michelle Obama, went to Spain with friends on her vacation, while a man in Las Vegas stands in the run off from the road above to keep clean. And, my head can't make those two extremes come into focus as being acceptable.

I am generally hopeful and trust in the rightness of things as they are in the moment that they are...but I swear to you...I feel trouble, cataclysmic trouble heading our way. And, I don't know what we can do to stop it before it slams into us. Indeed it is the best of times and the worst of times. Only to get worse and worse before it can ever get better.

That's all I got for now.

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly aka She Who Is Afraid

Silent Sermon Sunday

What we see is not nearly as important as how we see it.

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly aka She Who Is Learning How To See
Image from December '09

Five And Fabulous!

Rory and Fiona were born ten days apart. She's older and bossier. They are half brother and sister; same sire, different dams. He was a busy Scottie five years ago! Sadly he came to a very tragic end when he escaped shortly after and was struck by a car. That makes these two the last of the line. Sadly.

But, today's story is about birthdays and many happy returns of the day! In the mail came a package addressed to me but was really for the two of them. Sarah Sullivan made them tie-dye bandannas! And she even popped in a wee Halloween treat for me.

I am continually struck by how the blog world has grown so many friendships for all of us that would not have happened otherwise. We all live so far from each other, but here in the blog-o-sphere, we're able to be friends and care for and about each other. Able to celebrate our fun times and support each other in the sad ones. And, even though many of us will never have the opportunity to meet in person, the friendships are no less real.

Thanks, Sarah, for such cute scarves and making a 5th birthday so special. I know these two wild highlanders of mine really think they are, as Rory might say, "Grrrrrand!" Happy birthday to my wonderful Scotties!

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly aka Mommer

Wishcasting Creatively

Jamie asks what do I wish for my creativity? I wish...I wish...I wish I respected my individual ability to create as much as I admire the creativity of others.

I wish that I could see it as readily as I'm able to see it in others.

I wish I were more kind with my own attempts as I am with the attempts that others make and miss. Yeah, I wish that I cheered for myself as much as I'm always cheering for those around me.

I wish that I did all that and opened my abilities even more.

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly
Photo one of my water color attempts