PEACE ON EARTH

At 6:00 am (CST) on New Year's Eve morning people from around the world gather to meditate and pray for world peace. Please join in -- even if it means setting your alarm. If we can reach a critical mass in consciousness, it could change the world forever. Imagine everyone waking up some morning soon believing that nothing is more important than creating peace in their own lives, the lives of their community, country, and the whole world! If everyone thought this way, miraculous changes could create a "heaven on earth". This meditation practice on New Year's Eve morning has been going on for many years. It is quite possible we are on the verge of reaching critical mass in consciousness, wherein "peace" will be a permanent thought in the race consciousness of the planet.

More later. I wanted to make sure some of you are aware of this event tomorrow morning. The meditation will take place for an hour, but even a small thought during this time, "peace on earth", will join with others to make a powerful statement in consciousness.

Happy New Year!

Love and Peace,
Marilyn

CHRISTMAS BLESSINGS

It has been a long time since I last posted here. I was sick for the greater part of November with a respiratory virus that made the rounds. Since my lungs are not in the greatest shape, it put me down longer than most folks. Besides the virus, I had laryngitis for over two weeks (a horror for me who loves to talk!), and a couple of teeth giving me a lot of pain. Oh, woe is me! I'm happy to say I have recovered fairly well. New meds are helping me breathe easier, and the antibiotics the doctor gave me for the respiratory thing stopped the pain in my teeth. Two trips to the dentist later, with more work planned, I'm on my way to being back to normal! The downside was the shock I had when the dentist quoted some of the current fees for dental work! It's a wonder it didn't give me a heart attack.

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I hope this finds all of you at your Christmas destinations, and starting your celebrations. I am happy to be resting at home this year. I've had a busy couple of weeks at the Community Kitchen and Hope's Closet. I think I have now had a total of three Christmas dinners -- not counting what Joann sent home with us at the Kitchen dinners -- and two Christmas parties. Matthew and three of my grandchildren stopped by on their way to Amarillo to daughter Carajean's for the holydays. They dropped off my granddog Jasmine, the cute little Corgi that stayed with me and the kids this past fall. She has been one step behind me since she got here.. only going out to do her business, and willingly lets me put her in her kennel at night. Such a sweet, loving companion, and a great Christmas guest who makes no demands on me!

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Matthew 25:

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35 "For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me." 37 "Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 38 And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 39 When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' 40 "The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.' (New American Standard Bible)


This time of year it is difficult to ignore the needy, the hungry, the sick, the homeless. Increasingly, we see communities come together and care for those people on the fringes or in trouble of some kind. As small as the town of Burnet is, I am amazed at the number of programs and volunteers available to serve these needs. It is particularly important for the children to see that no matter their family's circumstances, God has willing hands reaching out in the forms of volunteers who cook, bake, buy, and give comfort and nourishment not only to the bodies, but to the souls who may otherwise be lost in our community.


No Christmas present can equal the joy one feels in seeing the excitement of the little children receiving presents, knowing they might not have received any at all if loving people had not donated their time, money, and talents in bringing these gifts to them at a warm and wonderful Christmas party. The pleasure one feels in watching hungry folks come back for seconds of a Christmas dinner served with love and genuine, big smiles up and down the serving line. (We served 250 at one Christmas dinner.) And nothing can match what I felt in finding just the right, warm, donated coat at Hope's Closet that fit the man I had seen at the Community Dinners, his old coat thin and worn. He stayed late last week and vacuumed the floors in appreciation for the meal. He said he is staying with a friend, waiting on a home provided by the government, but I think he may be living on the street.


Our town now has free dinners three times a week at different churches, served by volunteers from all denominations. There is a food bank, LACare, that not only has emergency food available to families three days a week, but it also has many services such as assistance applying for Food Stamps, emergency antibiotic prescription vouchers, gasoline vouchers for newly employed, and referrals to other services and resources available in the community. It is a nonprofit, ecumenical organization with as many as 50 volunteers, who make spiritual assistance available to all as well.


Hope's Closet, with free used or low cost new clothing, is sponsored by the Church of the Epicenter, which also has a prison ministry as well as being a partner in the local Job Corps Training Center for women. Again, people from all denominations volunteer their time in these programs.

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Many of us love the story of the birth of Jesus and how He was born in a lowly stable. "No room in the Inn". It points out the one area our small town has not been able to provide -- yet! The couple who started the Community Kitchen here two years ago in February, Joann and Ben Thomas (at left), work very hard in keeping the dinners going twice a week. Joann (below) does a lot of the cooking herself, and Ben is a great assistant cook and bottle washer. They experienced the blessing of helping others when they lived in Florida by working with the Salvation Army feeding the hungry. It was natural to them when they retired here to continue with their good works. They first tried to get the city to help them obtain an old unused "inn", and use it to sponsor a homeless shelter. So far, they have not accomplished that. Maybe as the economy continues to recover, this project will still come about. But then, maybe with an improved economy we will not have the homeless. Although, it is also said in the Bible that the poor will always be with us. Perhaps the poor are needed so that our better selves will emerge as we love them and share with them.

As I truly believe in the connectedness of all living things, it is also my belief that if one of us is hungry, hurting, or in need of any kind, we all share in that pain. By helping others in any small way we can, we are helping ourselves as well. As the Course in Miracles says, when one of us is healed, we are all healed in some fashion. It is also said that "to give is to receive". I believe that as well. In giving, we receive so much more in return.

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I intended to follow up on my last blog post about the number "7". As it has been so long delayed, I will cover that on another post. In the meantime..

May you all count your blessings this Christmas. Among my greatest blessings is the healing of loved ones. Friends old and new are treasures beyond worth. I want to close with my favorite Christmas photo of all times. Three reasons that make my life worth living. Carajean, Craig, and Matthew. Taken Christmas 1969.



Peace on earth, good will to men,
Marilyn

THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH (to be continued)

Have you ever had the "seven year itch"? Or have you noticed the significance of the number seven in your life? I have. And I have just finished a seven-year life cycle, according to ancient Rosacrucian teachings.

I have my two youngest grandchildren arriving at noon to spend this weekend with Grandmommy. I have lots of neat things planned like chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwiches, banana pudding, and a surprise anniversary edition of Julie Andrews in "Mary Poppins". My two older children, their Uncle Craig and Aunt Carajean, were the ages of Travis and Kelly when this movie came out. I hope that Dick Van Dyke and the song and dance to Supercalifragilisticexpealidocious (whew!) still works the same magic on children as it did in the 1960s.

So.. stay tuned. I may not get back to this while we are having so much fun! Maybe after they go to bed at night -- or perhaps on Monday.

See ya soon!

Peace,
Marilyn

HALLOWEEN MEMORIES & KIDS WITH THE "RIGHT STUFF"

Ahhh.. Halloween! The time for spooks and goblins, and the little "kids" who love to dress up and beg for treats. I remember so many fun Halloweens when I was growing up. Parents control their children much better today than when I was a kid. I don't think mine ever knew some of the things we were up to.

In high school, flour bombs were the thing to do. Days before the big Halloween Carnival at the Carnegie Library's upstairs ballroom, we began to buy penny paper sacks that we filled with flour, and wrapped with rubber bands. We then bought every cheap bottle of perfume at the local 5 and 10 Cent store, and every water pistol we could find as well. To this day, I remember how Evening in Paris smelled! We filled the water pistols and any pump spray bottles we could gather from home with the cheap perfume. The night of the Carnival, all the guys with pickups loaded the backs of their trucks with flour bombs and teenagers armed with perfume-filled water pistols. Everyone "made the drag" through town and back, waging war with our weapons! First, you threw a flour bomb on someone, hoping it would burst, then quickly squirted them with the cheap perfume! Talk about a smelly, sticky mess! The town itself was floured white for the night, and most teenagers looked like ghosts, covered in flour, with only eyes peering out. As most of us girls would stay up nearly all night at slumber parties, it would be the next day before we could wash all that goop out of our hair! I wish I had pictures from those nights... we were unbelievable. But, I don't remember anyone vandalizing or doing any serious damage. Unless you call putting a pig on top of one of the buildings downtown vandalism. The owner of the pig probably thought so! Senior boys were the perpetrators of that stunt! (My late, first husband was among them!)

Come to think of it, my parents must have known what we had done when I came home covered in flour and smelling like a French.... oops! Family blog!

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It's time for first report cards for most of my grandchildren. I checked in with the parents, and got the following about her three from my daughter Carajean. I cannot believe how much Ashlyn has grown up since last winter! She is now 5'3" tall - taller than her mom and grandmother as well. The braces have come off, and as you can see from her photo, she is quite beautiful! She has always been athletically inclined, and now appears to be an extremely fast runner. I have to mention here that her mother won the Field Day race when she was in the first grade at Bandera, Texas. Her photo was in the paper, listed as "fastest kid in first grade" -- she beat all the boys as well as the girls!

"Ashlyn made all As and one high B. At her last cross country meet she placed 12th out of 150 girls. She also ran 2.5 miles in 15-min. 30-sec., and ran a 6-minute mile. She is very happy at Amarillo High. She has a solo violin performance Tuesday and another cross country meet on Thursday."

(Grandson, Age 12) "Tanner is doing very well too. His lowest grade was a 97. He continues to excel in tennis, and plans to start participating in tournaments this spring. We bought him a tennis ball machine. It has improved his technique a great deal. He continues to tolerate cello. He plays well but doesn't like to 'waste his time' practicing! He and his dad are very close and like to do a lot of the same things together. They biked this morning to Barnes and Noble, spent a couple of hours there reading, and then biked to lunch. It was the perfect weather today for a bike ride."

"Audrey started a vegetarian club at SMU. Within two days she enrolled 30 members. She has applied for grant funding. Doesn't surprise me. She has always been good at leadership. We flew to Dallas last weekend to watch her perform a hip hop dance, go to a vegan fair, and last but not least, go to a haunted house."

Audrey is my activist granddaughter, in her third year at SMU. She has recently written all of the Japanese embassies in the U.S. in regards to their slaughtering of dolphins. She was very disturbed about this after watching the documentary, "The Cove". She emailed me a video of the hip hop performance her parents went to see. The "crew" she dances with won a cash prize last year.. and they are really, really good!

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My oldest, son Craig, sent the following news of granddaughter Hannah, age 10: "On her latest report card, she got her second B ever. (She was) really disappointed. Both times they were in Math. Told me she 'sucks' in Math. I told her a B, especially at a TAG (talented and gifted) magnet, wasn't 'sucking'."

"For the last two years she has been once or twice a month attending a program at SMU called W.I.S.E. - Women in Science and Engineering. They are mentored by female students there that are majoring in those fields. She really, really enjoys it, especially when they study the environment."

Another budding beauty in our family! Beauty and brains! I am very proud of Hannah's being in the W.I.S.E. program at SMU. Who knows? She might end up being mentored by her cousin Audrey, who is an Environmental Science major at SMU! Audrey could help with her math, as she went to State in Calculus when she was still in high school.

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I haven't received a report yet on the youngest of my grandchildren, Travis and Kelly. However, they will be spending the weekend with me in a couple of weeks and I can catch up then. The last time they were here, I was cooking dinner, when Kelly came into the kitchen and asked me for a baggie. I told her I would get her one in "just a minute". I got busy and turned around to see Kelly pulling out the bottom kitchen drawer and extracting a plastic baggie. I apologized for forgetting, and asked her how she knew where to find them. She looked up at me and said, "Grandmommy, I know where everything is in your house!" I tried not to laugh, as she was very serious. Such a little busy body. I find things like feathers in a little silver jewelry box on my dresser, and little drawings tucked into other little boxes here and there. I'll bet she does know where everything is in my house! I can't wait for her and big brother Travis to come again in two weeks!

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By the time I do my next post I should have a report on how Cameron's first professional opera performance (in the chorus) went in The Barber of Seville. His dad and Anat will be there to cheer him on.

I hope everyone who hasn't voted already is sure to do so this next Tuesday! I voted early so I wouldn't have to stand in line too long.

I was disappointed that I wasn't home today to see the "Sanity" rally held by Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. I was at Hope's Closet, but as soon as I got home I checked online to see a few reviews. From the looks of the photos, they had a terrific turnout. And from the lineup I read about, seems there was fantastic entertainment as well. I was glad to see that.




Until next time..





Peace, love, and pumpkins!
Marilyn

"I DON'T WANT TO SET THE WORLD ON FIRE

..I just want to start a flame in your heart." A few of you reading this may recognize the lyrics as those from the old Ink Spots recording. The younger generation probably won't know who the Ink Spots were. You may not find this song on GrooveShark! However, these two lines express the way I feel today. I want to start a flame in your heart.

The upcoming elections are important as always. Early voting in most states started this past Monday. Try to ignore the negative ad campaigns, and vote your conscience on the best candidates who will favor the issues that you feel passionate about. Education, health care, energy and the environment need our help now more than ever.

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Grandson Cameron (music major at LSU) sent the above photo of a "jazz funeral" for higher education, and had this to say about proposed cuts:

"I've been trying to stay politically active. LSU is looking at up to a 32% budget cut from Bobby Jindal and the (Louisiana) state legislature, and unfortunately, the music and theater departments here are looking to receive a big chunk of that despite their prestige. It could be absolutely devastating. I've currently been trying to fight this. I spoke at a forum held by the school chancellor a couple of weeks ago on behalf of the arts, and also participated in a jazz funeral for higher education."

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So many folks say they are opposed to the present administration's policies, and the state of the economy. They seem to forget that the previous administration's eight-year reign created the mess we are now in. And those who were "left over" from that eight-year reign have done nothing to help the current administration's efforts to pull us out of it by voting "no" on nearly every issue presented that might help Americans out of the mire.. Although, they were as quick as anyone to vote to bail out the banks and automakers. That led people (like my dad) to say "Obama bailed out the rich!", and to blame the current economic woes on his administration.

They (we might as well say it -- the Republicans) fought tooth and nail against the President's health care reform bill, even though 32 of the 33 developed nations in the world have some form of Universal Health Care for their citizens. (The U.S. was the only exception until the recent bill.) 48 countries have longer life expectancies than we do in the U.S. So much for the excuse that our medical care will suffer if we have national health insurance! Or for the belief that we have the best medical care in the world. In a 2010 update by the Commonwealth Fund, the U.S. health care system rated seventh (7th) in overall performance, based on "quality care, access, efficiency, equity, and long, healthy, productive lives"; falling behind Australia, Canada, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. The U.S. spent more than twice as much on health care per capita than any of the countries studied. All of this information can be verified by many, many sources. The World Health Organization, as well as the 2010 U.S. Census, and even the CIA World Fact Book and Wikipedia have lots of statistics that confirm these I am quoting.

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The following chart shows that between the years 2002 and 2007 - that's when Republicans were running the country - the gains in wealth in this country went to the top 1% of the population, while the bottom 90% of folks had the lowest share of income growth since the Great Depression. The rich got richer and the poor got poorer.

And then the bubble burst! According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the number of people living in poverty in the United States in 2009 was 43.6 million, or 14.3% of the population. The largest number in 51 years. Sadly, an estimated 20.7% of this number are children under the age of 18. That's 16.7 million children living in poverty - some in extreme poverty - which means living on half the amount of income considered "poverty level"! According to Bread for the World, 51.4% of Americans will live in poverty before the age of 65.

I suppose I can be my optimistic self and say, "Well, these figures show that nearly 85% of the population does not live in poverty! And millions of children don't live in poverty or go to bed hungry at night!" This is supposed to be the richest country in the world! How can we justify over 43 million people living in poverty -- or nearly 51 million people uninsured?

I find these figures staggering - and shameful in this country, known as a leader throughout the world. Just "voting them all out" is not the solution. Inexperienced women running for office and getting nominations just because they are women is not the answer either. If our country cannot come together in unity of purpose, cease the wicked partisanship in Washington, and admit that no one person or party has all the solutions, then we are destined to see similar statistics for years to come. We cannot continue down the path we've been on.

Great things have been done "for the people" in years past.. not just the wealthiest few at the top or the giant financial institutions or corporations as we saw in more recent times. "Liberal" wasn't a dirty word then.

The following was published on oldamericancentury.org, sometime during the last presidential election, and forwarded to me. I think we would be wise to go over this again:

Don't like liberals?
Fine, then give us back...

"Our clean air and water standards, worker safety protections, the 40-hour work week, the Social Security program, the civil rights movement, the equal rights movement, the free speech movement, discrimination protections, the school lunch program, birth control, rural electrification, organized labor, child-labor laws, the minimum wage, employee health care benefits, public assistance, Americans with Disabilities Act, fair housing legislation, the Freedom of Information Act, the Voting Rights Act, food and drug safety regulations, federally subsidized student loans, collective bargaining...

and everything else we have done to put power back in the hand of the individual, and out of the hands of the ruling and corporate elite."

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There is so much work we need to do before our grandchildren rise to the task of living in and governing the world we are leaving them. They deserve much better than the mess this country is in now. Study your candidates and vote thoughtfully and carefully - not out of a sense of anger or retaliation. Too much is at stake to make rash decisions in the heat of your passion. Tell our politicians to break the gridlock in Washington and get back to doing what Americans do best - lead. Create more jobs, improve health care reform, tackle the environmental and energy issues we face, and help our children and grandchildren receive the best of educations this nation can provide - without graduating with the burden of debt most of them leave school with today -- as much as $100,000. Work together! As the old saying goes, "United we stand, divided we fall."

With love for my country, and peace in my heart,
Marilyn

MINERS FREED!

"I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.

He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.

And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord." Psalm 40:1-3

WE ARE ONE

Why oh why does it take a tragedy for all of us on Planet Earth to join together, to realize we are one human family, and to rejoice in seeing good happen to our fellow men? As a world, we watch the rescue mission of the trapped Chilean miners, and the love, prayers, good wishes, and joy are palpable as each man is brought to the surface.

I remember how the Chilean rescue teams joined in the efforts to save victims of the Haitian earthquake last January. I felt they did not get the recognition they deserved, although, I'm certain none expected it. Then, Chile suffered its own earthquake. What strong, dedicated, and courageous people come from that South American country. They are certainly getting well-deserved recognition now.I was proud to hear that at least three American companies provided technical assistance/equipment for the miners' rescue. I embarrassed myself by thinking that the huge flag in all of the live video I am watching is a Texas flag -- perhaps honoring the Houston company that provided technical drilling expertise. Of course, it's the official flag of Chile! (Was that typical Texas arrogance -- or just a case of Texas pride?) NASA designed the rescue capsule. I am moved as well at the response of people from all over the world who are shown on TV, watching and praying for the successful completion of the rescue operation.

Due to my news "fast", I almost forgot that the rescue was taking place last night. My friend from Oklahoma, June reminded me this morning while she was watching the TV coverage. As I write this, 21 of the miners have been rescued so far. I am overcome with emotion each time I witness one of them coming out of that capsule. And those who drop to their knees to thank their God bring on more tears. None of us can imagine the 69 days of confinement nearly a quarter mile below ground, and all the rigors this imposed upon these brave men of all ages. Even the trip to the surface would probably be more than I alone could bear.
I want to share with you what June wrote to me this morning:

"As I sit here watching the Chile rescue of these miners one by one, I am once again in awe of what God can do (as they also are aware and some have verbalized that awe of God). One of the miners told his loved ones that there had not just been 33 of them in that mine for over two months--there had been 34, because God was there with them all that time.

One of the miners who came up during the night told the press that he was thankful that this experience had happened to him to bring him to God. He said he had been unwilling to acknowledge God's place in his life before the cave in and wouldn't join his wife in her prayers. But he said the cave-in experience had completely changed his awareness, and he had never had a doubt that God would get them out of that dark place.

Wow!! I have found throughout my own life that every experience, including the absolutely painful ones, has been life changing in some way. My very faithful God has been there in every one and worked for good throughout. This is not to say that I believe He/She causes the painful things, but that my God is always present with me through them and brings joy afterward. That's a really priceless heritage to have. My heavenly parent always is there and always available.

I'm thankful that these miners and their families are experiencing the same thing."

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It's not hard to believe that the lives of these men will be changed forever. To paraphrase a quote from one of my favorite books, Illusions, if you are alive, your mission is not complete. The fact that at least one of the men has survived three mining accidents is also amazing! As one newscaster stated, these are ordinary men (with ordinary lives and problems, i.e., one asked for his mistress to join with his wife to be there when he came to the surface) who have been going through extraordinary experiences. He also pointed out that not one of the miners requested anti-anxiety drugs, sleeping pills, or anything of that nature. Doesn't it make one feel guilty when we think how much we complain every day over our aches and pains and problems?

If the world can come together as one during disasters, helping our fellow man, and cheering them on.. why can't we do this during ordinary times as well? I would like to hear your feelings about the rescue operation and what it means to you as a citizen of the world.

I'm going to close with a prayer on my lips that each and every one of the miners, as well as the rescue workers who went down into that dark dungeon make it to the surface without incident.

Love and prayers,
Marilyn

ADDENDUM:

Hallelujah! All 33 miners have been rescued. Now the five rescuers who went into the mine to assist their ascent will be brought up. 8 PM CST

A CALL FOR PEACE AND CIVILITY

By now we have all heard that Liu Xiaobo, who is a leading Chinese dissident since the 1989 Tienanmen Square student uprising, and is now serving 11 years in a Chinese prison for "incitement to subvert state power" for co-authoring Charter 08 (which calls for democratic reforms), has won the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize. Charter 08 was originally signed by over 300 Chinese scholars, lawyers and officials, has since been signed by 12,000 people online. Of course, the petition has now been closed by the Chinese government.

I watched a segment about Nelson Mandela, winner of the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize, on 60 Minutes last night, and feel that the bravery of these men - and men and women like them - who have risked their lives and freedom for the sake of democracy and human rights is something unimaginable in our everyday, middle American lives.

Where is the courage in our present day elected officials to stand up for human rights in the face of opposition? So many appear to be more eager to please big corporations or organizations who will back their elections or re-elections with big money. Their main objectives often seem to be to promote their own well-being or that of their political party rather than that of their constituents or the country as a whole.

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In light of my feelings on current politics, and with the upcoming elections creating more and more negative political campaign ads (sometimes I cannot hit the TV remote mute button fast enough!), I was particularly happy to receive the following from my good friend June:

"For the duration of the election season, I hereby pledge to uphold the highest standards of truth and civility in word, thought, and deed. On my honor, I will:

*Just say no to crazy email forwards, and to any other noxious electronic communication that comes my way. Everyone in your address book will thank us. We promise.

*Communicate in a spirit of truth, humility, love, and patience with all people I come in contact with, despite our political disagreements or family relationship. That goes for Uncle Frank. Especially Uncle Frank.

*Question any and all statements that sound mean, vindictive, or absurd; that provide no source of context; or that are politically motivated. So pretty much everything you hear on cable TV news.

*Share and enjoy stories of folks who are living out an attitude of truth and civility. Make sure each story meets both requirements: Nice people telling lies don't count.

*As a witness for God, encourage and spread a message of hope and reconciliation to a world that is deeply divided by political and cultural differences. Like Jesus taught."

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The above is titled "Truth and Civility Election Watch Pledge". I hope that Sojourners doesn't mind my copying it, but I felt it would be easier to share with more people this way, rather than by email. For those of you who are interested, Sojourners has its own blog. And its own magazine.

"Sojourners is a progressive Christian commentary on faith, politics and culture. It seeks to build a movement of spirituality and social change."

As a movement to bring civility and honesty back into our society, it appeals to all faiths -- or those with no faith. Check it out: www.sojo.net. The key word here is "progressive".

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Again, I cannot urge you strongly enough to check out the news sites online that will fill you with hope and inspiration. You won't have to wade through all the negative, depressing headlines. My favorite is AOL Good News Now. You may click on the sites in a box at the right of the blog post. Gird yourself with optimism, and envision the kind of society we wish to experience.

Peace and love,
Marilyn

DREAMS DO COME TRUE

I've been doing some more thinking along the lines of the scripts of our lives. Most of the time without even realizing it, we all have been imaging and writing our personal scripts since we were born. Making pictures in our minds, holding images of things we may have seen and desired, dreaming into being a Life. The grownups present in children's formative years help to place those images and desires that shape a child's life, and ultimately, the life of the adult. What an awesome responsibility! Parents today are much better informed and more aware of the rewards of filling a child's mind with images and experiences that result in an enriched life. Education is so much more than the three "Rs". Art, music, dance, travel, sports, and good food. All of these things can be introduced to children even on small family budgets. Trips to museums, zoos, a local community theater, Little League sports, family camping trips... These all enhance the pictures in a child's mind, and expand their world.

Too many families in my parents' generation believed in the old adage that "children should be seen and not heard". Children's basic needs were met, but forget about it if something a child would like to do cost money or took up their time! Thank goodness, movies were very, very cheap when I was growing up. They made a good baby sitter as well. Between movies and the books from the library that I loved to read, my mind was filled with dreams and images of many fun and beautiful things in the world I would love to see or do. Unfortunately, the movies also implanted many unrealistic or unobtainable desires as well.

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Dreams really do come true! It wasn't until my children and grandchildren started doing the things that I always dreamed of doing, but was unsuccessful at accomplishing, that I recognized this. I think the first time I realized it, I was watching a video my daughter had sent me of one of Audrey's dance recitals. She was very young...maybe six years old. She danced on a big, professionally lighted stage, in gorgeous costumes. At the end, she was presented with a bouquet of roses, and an award as "Miss Tap" -- one of many awards she would receive through the years. Oh, how I would have loved to do that as a young girl! I told my mother that watching Audrey was like living my own dream of being a dancer. I accepted those roses with her! In my mind.

My daughter, Carajean, as a child wished to play the cello (I played the cello for one semester in junior high school, then my parents divorced and I moved to California to live with my grandparents for a while). Carrie was such a tiny child for her age I thought she would be better suited for the viola. I couldn't see her carrying a large cello! She was amazingly talented at the viola, and when she was twelve and thirteen years of age -- after only a couple of years of playing, she played with the Dallas Junior Symphony as well as performing with two professional orchestras. She gave up her music ("Mom, there's no money in music!") when she attended college (a B.S. in biology), and then she went to medical school where she obtained her P.A. degree. (Another dream of mine - a college degree!)

When her children were old enough (Ashlyn started violin at 4), each was enrolled in the Suzuki method. The youngest, Tanner, took up -- you guessed it! The cello! And best of all, Carajean started playing again. I think she and Branch had been married about six or more years before he ever heard her play. She now plays the violin, and plays with an orchestra in Amarillo.

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I mentioned in an earlier blog post that I took guitar lessons at one time. Too bad that our abilities don't always match our aspirations! I learned a few bars of "Alley Cat", but I definitely was not a musician! Older son Craig took up my dream, learned the guitar, had his own "rock band" when he was still in his teens, and eventually became serious and studied classical guitar. I realized another of my dreams when he played his guitar with a violinist at his sister's wedding. They did a beautiful rendition of "Evergreen". When he attends family gatherings, it is understood that he and his son Cameron will bring their guitars and sing and play for us. I'll never forget how Craig brought tears to my eyes when he dedicated a song to me at one of our 4th of July celebrations.. "I Was Raised on Love".

That brings me to another childhood dream. I wanted to be a SINGER! I always sang at every opportunity. I memorized the words to all the popular songs. I sang in a quartet (believe it or not, I sang alto) in grade school. One of the members of that quartet went on into musical theater. I was jealous when I saw her in a lead role in the musical "Oklahoma" in Dallas. By then I was a stay-at-home mother of two. I often wondered if she ever married and had children. (Cast of Anything Goes at Booker T.):Obviously, I do not have a very good singing voice or I would be singing now! This is where I get excited.. My very first grandchild, Cameron, was born with a voice of an angel. As I have told everyone ad infinitum, he is in his third year of a musical scholarship at LSU, studying opera. I have a video of one of his performances at the performing arts high school he attended in Dallas. Guess what? He not only sang in that role, he also DANCED! Talk about dreams coming true. Of course, dancing is not his best talent. Sorry, Cameron. But I have a feeling that if someday he needs to dance in a professional production, he will take lessons and master that art as well! And he also will get that college degree I always dreamed of. (Photo from Seussical the Musical @ Booker T.)

Granddaughter Hannah doesn't show a lot of interest yet in the arts. Her dad tells me she has a really good singing voice. I'm hoping she will follow her big brother and become interested in singing seriously. He was a little older than she when his voice commanded attention at the Unity church I attended. I was as surprised as everyone, and asked his dad why he hadn't told any of the family. His answer was that he felt like everyone thinks their child is somehow "special". So what's wrong with that??

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Son Matthew. As a cute little kid of 4 and 5, he would get his toy guitar and stand on the only part of the floor of my apartment that wasn't carpeted. He would sing to the top of his lungs, plunking on that piece of plastic, and end with a fast shuffle of his little feet. He had watched a TV presentation of Sammy Davis, Jr. tap dancing as a child. When he viewed it, he jumped up and said, "I can do that!" and proceeded to do his version of a tap dance. In the car he would sing the pop songs along with the car radio. "Delta Dawn" was one of his favorites! He did play a trombone for a short period of time in school, but it seems he lost the desire for singing, dancing, or playing an instrument.. probably about the time he got his first dirt bike! He's been saying, "I can do that!" ever since he was that little boy. And he keeps on doing things that this mom never dreamed of!

But, you know what? He has two little ones yet to share in Grandmommy's dreams. Who knows what they will end up dreaming and doing? Travis is already showing all the signs of following in the footsteps of his dad's dreams... dirt bikes and baseball, and oh, how they both love the water! But every now and then, Grandmommy sees a little something else going on. Picture Kelly in her ballet costume!

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None of my children or grandchildren knew that these were my childhood dreams. I believe that the passion and desire I felt growing up for a career in one of the arts.. music, song, dance.. maybe even acting, was so strong that the energy of my thoughts was carried forward into the generations following me.

When I look at the advantages my grandchildren have in achieving anything they can dream, I think of so many other children in the world. What about the precious children in Haiti.. or Pakistan.. or the Sudan? What images are being imprinted on their young minds? What chance do they have of fulfilling dreams of beauty, art, music, dance? Can we all dream for them? Pray for them? Can we spare a little money for the relief agencies who continue to help them? Can we spare a lot?

May all our dreams be beautiful, and may the best of them come true.

Peace and Love,
Marilyn

IS YOUR WORLD A STAGE?

As I sat in front of the TV last night, the mute button silencing the commercials, I had the strangest feeling come over me. For a few brief moments I thought to myself that I was only pretending to be living. Has that ever happened to you? I was looking out of this body, but knew I was only inhabiting it -- that it wasn't me! This wasn't a spiritual experience. It was more like I was waking to something that until now had been a secret. The feeling returned this morning as I sat at my dining table and looked into the living room. It had been especially designed for this "pretend" life I was living. The stage was set. Now what? Shades of Shakespeare! What was going on in my mind?

I turned and looked out the window at the back yard, and realized it needed lots of work if it was going to be a "stage" for more fun life experiences... for me, my grandchildren, and the various "wildlife" that visit. I made a mental note to work on the corner flower bed today. I'll plant wildflower seeds, then spread the mulch I got at Marble Falls yesterday. Also, I must plant the unknown flowers that my friend Jane gave me that butterflies were swarming around. (Note to myself: look up that plant on the Internet.) Hopefully, the mulch will keep the birds from eating all my seeds. I'll need to empty my little red wagon of its load of potted plants, then use it to transport the bags of mulch from my car to the back yard. Gone are the days when I can just jump up and get busy. Now it takes more planning!

The sweetest thing happened yesterday at Home Depot as we were purchasing the mulch. A young woman checked us out and called for a man to load it in the car. When she saw us beginning to try to load it ourselves, she came out and insisted on doing it for us. As she put the first bag in, she caught it on something and it tore, spilling mulch in the back of Jane's Lincoln. She was mortified and went to get tape to repair the bag for us. When she finished taping, then loading, she insisted that I pick out a potted plant "on her". I thanked her, and put a small chrysanthemum in the car. (Here comes the "sweet" part.) As we closed the trunk and started to get into the car, she reached out to me and gave me a big hug, and told us to enjoy the rest of our day!

Life is good. And full of sweet surprises if we are open to them. Who knows, maybe I will be visited by a garden deva while I'm working in the flower beds today? After all, granddaughter Kelly told me twice while she was visiting me last weekend that she saw a fairy!

That's all for now. I had better get busy. I have birds to feed, seeds to plant, and mulch to spread.

Love and happy autumn,
Marilyn