LOOKING BACK ON OUR POLITICS

If I sometimes come across as too political - or too liberal, my older son Craig will probably sound pretty radical to some of my readers. This is the letter he wrote to his sister about the 2008 election when she asked for his opinion on the candidates. He missed the mark on a couple of things... John McCain is still with us and loudly voicing his opinion. I believe McCain would have had us in at least two wars by now if he had been elected. Craig's belief that Obama could end "the hateful partisanship" plaguing our country was a pipe dream many of us shared that has not come to pass. 

As for "the most divisive, negative and deceitful campaign in American history" run by McCain, I think the 2012 campaign run by supporters of Mitt Romney won that title. I truly hate to hear what the 2016 campaign will subject us to now that the Supreme Court has let loose all the big money for financing. 

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October 29, 2008 

Carajean,

First things first. Yes, Democrats did gain control of Congress in 2006. By the slimmest of margins. In the Senate, there are 49 Democrats, 49 Republicans and two Independents that caucus with the Democrats.
  
There are two major obstacles that have prevented this Congress from being able to pass much meaningful legislation. First, the rules of the Senate effectively require 60 votes to bring up a bill. It takes 60 to stop a filibuster. Therefore, the Republicans have been able to obstruct anything that they didn't want considered and have done so. Even on some legislation that garnered enough Republican support to pass Congress, it still has to be signed by the president. Bush has vetoed several pieces of good legislation. To override a presidential veto requires a 2/3 majority, which we just haven't had.

So, trying to blame the Democratic Congress for our current troubles is a bit disingenuous.  We're in the mess we're in because of Bush's and the Republicans' disastrous policies on every front. Tax cuts for the wealthiest among us during a time of war. A war that is costing our nation $10 billion per month. A war about which we were lied to again and again. A war that John McCain says we may need to remain in for many years to come. A war that was a fait accompli once Bush/Cheney took office. The profiteering from this war has made Halliburton, Bechtel, KBR, Blackwater, etc. billions and billions of dollars, mostly through no-bid contracts. All of these companies are heavy Republican contributors. In fact, Dick Cheney was the CEO of Halliburton just prior to naming himself the most qualified V-P candidate for Bush.  People should go to jail over what has happened. If you have Netflix, I highly recommend viewing "Iraq for Sale". It will enrage you.

I know the Republicans always fall back on the same refrain of how all the Democrats do is "tax and spend". Well, when Clinton left office, we had a budget surplus and had actually started paying down the national debt, which at the time was around $5 trillion. Since that time, Bush and the Republicans have run up enormous deficits and our national debt has more than doubled. They call us "tax and spend" but should call themselves "borrow and spend". They've essentially looted the treasury and nearly bankrupted our country. 

Undecided. I can't believe MY sister is undecided. Look at the choices.

On the one hand you have a 72-year-old man that has battled melanoma several times and hasn’t come completely clean about the stage or severity of the illnesses. Even without his cancer history, actuarial tables say he has about a 1 in 3 chance of dying over the next 8 years. He made two very important decisions during the course of this long campaign that I believe should disqualify his candidacy on its face.

1) He sucked up to the religious right in order to gain the Republican nomination and has run the most divisive, negative and deceitful campaign in American history. He has avowed that he would nominate more conservatives to the Supreme Court in the same mold as Scalia, Alito and Roberts. The next president will likely have two nominations to the court. One more conservative and Roe v Wade will be overturned. Period. A woman will no longer have the right to an abortion. 

2) His pick of Sarah Palin. This woman was chosen to fire up the aforementioned religious base of the party. Besides being an absolute idiot (George Bush in a skirt) obviously way out of her depth on the national stage, she's just plain dangerous. She is a Pentecostal who believes we are in the "end times" and that Jesus will return in her lifetime. (These people are nutjobs, little sister.) They've interpreted the Book of Revelations to mean we will see an Armageddon and the believers will be snatched up in the Rapture. I can provide you with several articles and videos where she affirms this belief. If McCain were to croak in office, do you really want her to have access to the nuclear launch codes? I ******* sure don't. This woman is so fundamental in her religious beliefs that she believes abortion should be outlawed even in cases of rape, incest and where the health of the mother is in jeopardy. While mayor of Wasilla (a town of about 9,000 people which is famous as the methamphetamine capital of Alaska), she instituted a policy at the local hospital that required rape victims to pay for their own rape tests! W**? (You know I could go on and on and on about these two, but I'll stop. Lunch hour is almost over.)

In Barack Obama, we have what I believe is a once in a generation, perhaps once in a lifetime candidate at a time when our country is in dire crisis. He has the intellect (President of the Harvard Law Review), compassion and understanding of the issues that's rarely seen in public life. He has been fiercely attacked by the Republican smear machine. And has demonstrated a calm and run a campaign that I've not seen in my lifetime. I truly believe he will be able to inspire our citizens to go beyond the hateful partisanship that we've been plagued with for so long. The list of conservatives and Republicans who have endorsed him is, I believe a testament to that. 

Watch him tonight. I believe he'll be able to close the sale for you.

Love,
Big Brudder

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Brother and sister have changed a little since 2008. I've used their photos from around that time. I don't know who Carajean ended up voting for, but I'm sure she's careful what questions she asks her big "brudder" since then.

Craig is not  new to politics. I can remember when he was a young teenager how I got upset when he put up a huge poster in his room in support of McGovern for President. At the time I was still thinking I was a die-hard Republican. For many years, Craig would mail things to "My right-wing, conservative Mother"! (I cannot believe anyone ever really thought that of me.) In his early twenties he went with a group to D.C. to march on the South African embassy condemning apartheid. During these years he was also a member of the 7-member Nuclear Freeze Board in the State of Texas. His political activism continued after his marriage. He was a Democratic Party Precinct Chairman in the Dallas/Fort Worth area for a time. I asked him about this recently, wondering why he is not more active now. His response was:

"Cameron wasn't quite 2 years old when I dragged him to our precinct caucus in Carrollton (the northern part - in Denton County), where we lived. It was a well attended one - it was '92 and Clinton won our precinct primary in voting that day and the caucus that night. I was elected Precinct Chair. Served again a few years later when we moved to Denton itself.

My involvement hasn't been nearly as intense for many years. Working campaigns in Texas requires the idealism of youth. I do some online grassroots activism on occasion.  Raised quite a bit of money (relatively speaking) for Obama in 08.

Wendy Davis may get me active this time around. Forgive her for the open carry support. This IS still Texas and her campaign was hoping to somewhat neutralize guns as a wedge issue. And you can see that Abbot's campaign badly misjudged the public reaction to having the lunatic gun-nut and pedophile Ted Nugent (Ted Nugent's Jailbait Problem) campaign with him. I've enjoyed the schadenfreude."

I think the highlight of Craig's political activity was a trip to Washington for the inauguration of Bill Clinton, for whom he campaigned. Other than a few Letters to the Editor of the (now defunct) Dallas Times Herald, he hasn't done much since then. Currently a Fleet and Internet Sales Manager for a huge Dallas Honda dealership, Craig has passed on his passion for politics to his son Cameron, who was a vigorous supporter of and campaigned for Barack Obama. 

I recently have been researching the problem of inequality in the U.S., and have asked Craig's feedback in writing something on the subject. (There is an excellent documentary on Netflix by Robert Reich that Craig recommended to me called "Inequality For All".) Craig's response to this request was: "I'll get some inspiration (or anger) before long and write something. The inequality thing has been simmering for awhile. Reich has been writing some short columns pretty much every day on his Facebook page.  I'll copy and paste some for you. He's wonderful." I look forward to Craig's inspiration - or anger!

Ahhh, some things haven't changed at all since he wrote that letter to his sister. The Republicans, now bolstered by the Tea Party members, have again been the obstacles to Congress passing much in the way of meaningful legislation other than the Affordable Care Act. God save us from more like them being elected in the coming mid-terms!

Peace, love, and wise choices,
Marilyn

P.S.

From ABC News:

"The NBA announced today that it has banned Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling for life and fined $2.5 million, the maximum amount, after he was recorded making racist comments."

Raspberries and Kudos

I wish I'd kept the source of this baby's image. It so expresses the way I feel about some things in the news recently. Here are a few:

RASPBERRIES:

• Gun carry rights law passed in Georgia. I cannot fathom people now openly carrying weapons in churches, bars, schools, and even airports. What on earth are they thinking about in Georgia? How many legislators were paid off by the NRA?
• FDA approves new painkiller Zohydro. It's 5-10 times stronger than Vicodin. They state that "if used correctly" it's safe and effective. How many addicts care if they use a drug correctly.. and this one is so strong one tablet can kill a child. Do we really need another drug for pain? Of course, I know this is a subjective view. If I suffered severe pain, I might think differently. All I can think of is how many young people are now getting addicted to prescription drugs they get from their parents' medicine chests.
• Palcohol The federal government recently granted label approval to powdered alcohol, which turns water into vodka and rum. They subsequently rescinded that approval, however, it could be approved at a later date with different labels. Imagine how easy this will make it for anyone to conceal and drink alcohol without detection. Again, what a nightmare for parents. And the fact that it is possible that many will try to "snort" the powder like cocaine makes it even more dangerous. Teenagers are notorious risk-takers. 
• The U.S. Supreme Court ruling upholding Michigan's law banning racial preferences in university admissions. They have opened the door for other states' approving such a ban. Another case of the loosening of state laws banning racial discrimination. It is an unfortunate trend, along with the voters' rights discrimination rampant in many red states today.

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KUDOS:

- The UN's decision to ban Japan's annual whaling drive off the coast of Antarctica.

- Pope Francis's statement regarding gays.. "Who am I to judge?" (I love this man!)

- Johnson and Johnson has pledged to remove all harmful chemicals from its consumer products by the year 2015. It has already removed them from their line of baby products. I will definitely use their products.. except for the baby products, of course!

- Billionaire Tudor Jones and his Robin Hood Foundation. Mr. Jones recently raised $57 million in donations to help fund about 500 projects for the poor, many in education. He was featured on 60 Minutes last Sunday. To read a fascinating study of how he came to be interested in eradicating poverty, here is a good site to read his profile done by the 60 Minutes team: Recapo His is a story of the extremely wealthy in this country "paying it forward".

- The "mother nature network" has listed Austin, TX as one of the ten "greenest" cities in the United States. If it were not for the horrendous traffic, that would make Austin the best place in the U.S. to live! We have a plethora of green space -- parks, preserves, greenbelts, and trails throughout the city. Drive around when you can miss the rush hour traffic and just notice how green everything looks, even in the winter time! Austin has implemented many good programs one of which is curbside recycling, and even a ban on retail plastic bag use. I keep a good supply of  reusable bags in my car at all times.

I missed writing about Earth Day this week. However, I was torn between two loves - writing on this blog or getting out in nature. Guess which won? I've been prettying up my front porch and yard with new and old plants now that the last of the 30 degree temperatures are behind us. And I'm not finished yet.

Happy Spring!

Love and peace,
Marilyn

DO UNTO OTHERS..

I received the following from a dear friend, Carin Horn, PhD:

Good morning, Marilyn,

"I just finished reading your latest blog and wanted to share some of my most challenging opportunities to not be judgmental and still serve the greater good.  I have been a volunteer board member and food buyer at the Denton Community Food Center for 4 years.  We serve about 200 families a week by providing emergency food 4-5 times a year and no more than twice in a calendar month.  Some of the folks that know where I volunteer have commented about the people that "take advantage of the system. You know. The ones that work it."

We really never know one another's story:

- A woman pulls up in a high dollar Mercedes needing food; she was living in her car.

- A disabled veteran is living on the streets and has no refrigeration or way to heat/cook food.

- The young widow of a veteran killed in Iraq needs food for her very young children.

- A multigenerational family can't feed everyone because the grandparents are living on social security but their adult child and family moved in after a job-related injury and subsequent loss of employment.  This happens frequently.

- A single mother with four children is pregnant and unemployed.  I think that she had been raped.

- A young man has no transportation, is living in a tent in some woods around Denton and cooking on an open fire -- not enough money to buy ice for the cooler he has.

- A man smelling like death had just been released from the hospital and has nothing to eat.  He was still wearing his hospital ID band.

I could go on and on....  The opportunity to accept and help others as they are may be our greatest challenge as brothers and sisters of the human race."

Love,

Carin

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2013 statistics show that one out of five children or 16 million children in America struggle with hunger on a daily basis. Your generous donations to your local food banks are needed to ensure these children and their parents get enough to eat. Contact organizations such as No Kid Hungry or a food bank in your area - Feeding America (for a list of food banks across the nation) to see how you can help. 

Sadly, many of our vets and their families also need food. One organization you can contact is Food for Veterans.

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After posting Carin's original email, I had a few questions, which she answered:

"“...the Food Center has been an all-volunteer community charity for 38 years.  No one has ever been paid to work there!  Our oldest volunteer is 94; the youngest without adult supervision are 16.  That being said, most of the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of our volunteers have helped from time to time, including Chloe, Kaitlyn, and Coleson! (These are Carin’s own grandchildren.)

We have wonderful community support with funding and/or food coming from private individuals, co-op gardens/farms, group donations of purchased food, the Denton Benefit League, CoServ utilities, both universities, local grocery stores, academic intern programs, Empty Bowls of Denton, memorial funds, numerous churches, neighborhoods, and school food drives among many others.  We do not receive any direct government funding but we are able to purchase USDA commodities at substantial savings through the Tarrant Area Food Bank (TAFB) in Ft. Worth. Because of that association, we are required to participate in civil rights training annually.

Some of our volunteers are accumulating community service hours at the recommendation of the courts -- essentially a fine-of-time for everything from running a stop sign to being caught having more fun than the law allows!  It is surprising how many community service workers become long-term volunteers after they have met their mandated obligations.  Helping others is very addictive behavior....

This morning I placed an order with TAFB for 5,115 pounds of food (frozen, fresh, and dry or canned) that will be gone before the end of next week.  We typically give out at least a ton of food a day, five days a week from 1:00 to 3:00 throughout the year.  BTW we do not require proof of citizenship -- a hungry child is a hungry child.

Love back to you and, Marilyn, keep speaking your mind.  You give us opportunities to reflect upon what really matters."  C

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Pointing out the sometimes miserable and negative aspects of our society may seem contrary to what I have described as my "Pollyanna" personality. Really, though, it's not. There is a positive angle to what I write about. I do not present these things as a condemnation (although it sounds like it when I talk politics!), but rather a beautiful opportunity for each of us to contribute lovingly to those less fortunate. A Christian, "golden-rule" type response to needs of so many. Unless we shine a light on those needs, how can we know what to fix? And much in our world today needs fixing. In doing so, I wish to pay tribute to those known and unknown angels who go about doing this work so unselfishly. Not only are they feeding the hungry of body, but they give much love to the soul.

I think Gandhi would approve of them.

Peace, love, and food for your soul,

Marilyn

"Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."

Am I the only one who finds it ironical that so many of our representatives in Congress seem to ignore The Golden Rule in all its many forms? Especially those who claim to be Christian? At the swearing in of Congress in January, 2013, the overwhelming majority of members of both the House and the Senate professed to be Christian of one denomination or another. 33 members were Jewish, and the balance answered as "no affiliation, other, or refuse to answer". 

The Golden Rule - or "do unto others" - is present in every world religion as well as ethical philosophies. One version or another has been around for centuries before the birth of Christ. The Christian version is present in different forms throughout the Bible, most notably when Jesus the Christ admonished, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, for this is the law and the prophets." (Matthew 7:12 and Luke 6:31)

In Judaism, from the Talmud, "What is hurtful to yourself do not to your fellow man. That is the whole of The Torah and the remainder is but commentary."

It may surprise many to know that (Sunni) Islam teaches the same, "Do unto all men as you would they should unto you, and reject for others what you would reject for yourself." (Mishkat-el-Masabih)

There is also one described as "Commonsenseism" - put in modern, secular terms as "Treat people the way you'd like to be treated."

How do our Representatives reconcile their religious faith with some - not all - of the actions they take in Congress? It is tiresome to hear so many of our politicians (not only in Congress, but also in the Texas political arena) lump together the scores of unemployed, homeless, the hungry, the sick, and the poor with the few in our country who take advantage of assistance programs, by labeling them "dependents" (as if it is a dirty word) in an effort which cuts the assistance to those who are really in need. Paul Ryan's budget proposal is a shameful example of this trend. Congress's refusal to extend unemployment benefits; Ryan's proposal to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and cut Food Stamps, Medicaid and Medicare, even privatize Social Security, would have devastating effects on our country.

The Reproductive Rights issues in many states have already hurt the poor, especially in Texas. Using Christianity as a reason to limit accessibility to family planning and yes, even abortion, has already deprived many of the poor of necessary healthcare in Texas. By making stringent

demands on Planned Parenthood centers, Texas has effectively shut down several of these centers in the most-needed parts of the state. Who will care for the unplanned (and often unwanted) children, born into poverty or even abuse and neglect? Who is going to provide their healthcare, nutrition, education? (Texas ranks 46th in the country in per student spending on education, and ranks 34th in overall quality of education.)

What will happen to the explosion of the elderly as the baby boomers reach their "golden years", and they find their Social Security payments and Medicare reduced or eliminated? Texas Governor Perry refused the additional federal Medicaid funds, which may mean many hospitals and nursing homes will not be able to remain open in the future. One nursing home administrator told me if their Medicare funding is cut they will have to close their doors.

The Congressional Christians speak out most about repealing the Healthcare Act, reproductive rights, abortion, and homosexuality. The one area that they seem to be losing ground on is same-sex marriage, as more and more states are passing laws to allow these marriages, or to at least recognize those from states which do. Pope Francis speaking out against judgement of homosexuals may have played a part in this by shaming the anti-gay establishment. 

Which reminds me that I, too, am becoming too judgmental in my appraisals of the conservatives and the wealthy who are running the country. I don't believe they will burn in Hell!  However, I may be creating a "hell" of my own with my words. When I start in on these subjects I have been quickly brought to task by my younger son. My own judgmentalism is seen as hypocrisy, and he's right. There's an old Indian saying that goes like this:

I can only hope that if I were in the shoes of the politicians and the wealthy 1% of this country that I would care more for the poor and disenfranchised than is shown by them. For now, I can only pray that enough feel the way I do that we can vote for positive change in America. In the meantime,  I ask them, what would you do in my shoes?

Peace and love,

Marilyn

~My thanks to the Christian Left website for wonderful images that inspire me.

"FULL-ON PLUTOCRACY"

"It seems to me that the rulers of the 

Cherokees have sufficient intelligence

to see the utter imbecility of placing

any further reliance upon the

Supreme Court..."

Governor Wilson Lumpkin

Georgia, 1831

The above statement made in 1831 can also be said of today's reliance upon the rulings of the United States Supreme Court. "Utter imbecility..." I like that phrase. After its 2010 Citizens United vs FEC decision, it was hard to believe the Supreme Court could do more damage to the American people's right to decide by vote, the representatives to Congress that they personally wished to represent them. Now with the McCutcheon vs FEC they have effectively guaranteed that Corporations and the extremely wealthy of our country will rule our nation. A PLUTOCRACY.

"plutocracy" as defined by the World English Dictionary:

1. the rule or control of a society by the wealthy
2. a state or government characterized by the rule of the wealthy
3. a class that exercises power by virtue of its wealth

Of course, one might say that this has been true for many years. However, for the first time in history, more than half of the members of Congress are millionaires. And eight of the nine Supreme Court justices were reportedly millionaires as of 2012.

Now, add the corporations and wealthy (read Koch brothers) who are funding Super PACs and their lobbyists who work the Congress behind the scenes to ensure that their particular interests are met. Who can honestly say that the American people are in charge of governing our country?

The straw that will "break the camel's back" will be the decision in favor of Hobby Lobby in the case now pending before the Court: i.e., the religious views of the owner of a corporation being a First Amendment right to deny portions of the new Affordable Healthcare Act (ACA) to its employees. In effect this would give the corporation "people status"! Give me a break! One can only imagine the nightmare of discrimination this would reinstate in our country. Not to mention, what about the religions whose followers do not believe in blood transfusions - or any medical care at all? Any corporation could use the religious beliefs of its owner(s) as reason to refuse compliance with the ACA or any of our anti-discriminatory, civil rights statutes as well. 

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It's all about the money. Since the majority of those in Washington who are making the rules, passing the laws, and deciding which should be changed or repealed are now in the ranks of the 1% of Americans - the wealthiest, it comes as no surprise when we see the likes of the proposed budget recently presented by Paul Ryan - who is one of the millionaire Congressmen - and worth over $4 million. It's hard to picture him sympathetic in regards to any of the proposed cuts in his budget. He certainly won't need his Social Security or Medicare benefits in his old age. Nor will he suffer as the cost of living continues to rise. He probably never had to live on a $10 an hour salary, much less a lower minimum wage. If his budget passes, the results to Americans would resemble the "Menu" below. Many of the items on this menu are already in place. Republicans are dead set against any Tax Reform that might raise the taxes of the very wealthy 1% (but the Dems aren't completely free of blame on this - they, too, number among the Millionaire Club in Congress), the GOP is still set on repealing the Affordable Health Care Act; they vote for big business - particularly the oil and gas industry, when it comes to regulating or cleaning up the environment of the toxicities these businesses impose upon it; they are against raising the minimum wage; and if Ryan gets his way, this budget proposes to cut $732 million to Medicaid and other health care programs, as well as $1 trillion in cuts to Food Stamps, Pell grants, and farm subsidies. (All of these cuts, while adding $500 billion to the defense budget.) The proposed changes to Medicare and cuts to refundable income and child care tax credits for the working poor, as well as cuts to Supplemental Security Income for the elderly, disabled, and very poor, would leave millions of Americans at the mercy of the individual states.

In a state like Texas, many items on this "menu" are already in place, as like most Red States, we are ruled by a Republican majority, and women, immigrants, and the poor are low priority here. As of September 2013, Texas continued to have the highest rate in the country of people without any health insurance (I hope most of these were able to sign up for the ACA), and ranked among the Top 10 highest in poverty. Last year the Texas Legislature, despite having the 3rd highest teen age pregnancy rate in the nation, passed one of the most restrictive anti-abortion laws in the country, thus denying many of the state's poor women, men, and teenagers access to Planned Parenthood which provides much more in the way of health care and pregnancy prevention for the poor than they do abortions. Texas Governor Rick Perry also refused the additional Medicaid funding that the Affordable Care Act would have provided to aid many of these disenfranchised folks.

The wealthy in Texas tend to rule Texas politics as well. Recently, the Democratic U.S. Senate candidate, David Alameel beat my favorite to win the nomination in the primary, Maxey Scherr. Alameel is a millionaire dentist from the Dallas/Ft Worth area, who will be in a run-off election with Keesha Rogers on May 27th. Alameel has run for office four times in the past as a Republican! Another case of big money winning at least a nomination? Of course, the Republican candidate up for reelection, John Cornyn, is pretty entrenched, and no pauper himself. He was nearly a millionaire in 2012, so he may very well be one now.

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I like the sign I saw online being held in front of the Supreme Court that said:
"DEMOCRACY CANNOT BE BOUGHT". A "Plutocracy" arises on its own.

Peace and love,
Marilyn

A LITTLE MYSTICISM, PLEASE..

A long time ago I started a piece about the number seven (7). I didn't get very far into it before becoming busy with my two youngest grandchildren. I said it was "to be continued". I decided I'd make another attempt at this. Upon observation, if you are like most people, you might find that seven has a way of turning up in your own life. I know it has in mine. In doing a little research, as well as looking back over my life, I've come up with a few interesting facts. If you have anything to add to these, I would welcome your additions. Particularly, your own life experiences with what some call "lucky seven". I'm not so certain that "lucky" is always the case. At least it doesn't always appear to be lucky -- at first.

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SEVEN: THE SACRED NUMBER

From: The Most Amazing Prophecies by Doug Batchelor

"Seven (7) – represents perfection, and is the sign of God, divine worship, completions, obedience, and rest. The 'prince' of Bible numbers, it is used 562 times, including its derivatives (e.g., seventh, sevens). (See Genesis 2:1–4, Psalm 119:164, and Exodus 20:8–11 for just a few of the examples.)

The number seven is also the most common in biblical prophecy, occurring 42 times in Daniel and Revelation alone. In Revelation there are seven churches, seven spirits, seven golden candlesticks, seven stars, seven lamps, seven seals, seven horns, seven eyes, seven angels, seven trumpets, seven thunders, seven thousand slain in a great earthquake, seven heads, seven crowns, seven last plagues, seven golden vials, seven mountains, and seven kings."

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IN NATURE:

-the eggs of the potato bug hatch in 7 days;

-those of the canary in 14 days;

-those of the barnyard hen in 21 days;

-The eggs of ducks and geese hatch in 28 days;

-those of the mallard in 35 days;

-The eggs of the parrot and the ostrich hatch in 42 days.

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"THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH"

Nothing "sacred" about this! The movie of the same name came out in 1955. Even though the theme was supposedly about marital infidelity, the movie was a comedy in which the only infidelity was in the Tom Ewell character's imagination. As I was a young teenager at the time, the message of the movie went over my head. I did, however, remember the saying in later years. A brief synopsis of the movie goes like this:

"After sending his wife and son to Maine to escape the sweltering summer heat of New York City, 38-year old Richard Sherman meets a 22-year-old blonde television commercial spokesmodel, who is renting the apartment directly above him. Despite recent paranoia about becoming unfaithful (he is reading a book his company is going to publish about a '7-Year Itch'; which claims a significant proportion of men have extra-marital affairs after seven years of marriage) Richard invites the girl for a drink after she accidentally knocks over a tomato plant from the balcony above and almost hits him." 

A little trivia: the famous subway scene frock worn by Marilyn (seen above) sold at a Profiles in History auction for a record $4.6 million, around $5.5 million with fees!

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PASSAGES

In 1974, after having gone through another divorce, I began to seek counseling and perusing the self-help books for answers as to why I kept failing at relationships. That year Gail Sheehy published the book "PASSAGES" Predictable  Crises of Adult Life. The word "predictable" is what grabbed my attention! Is there a way to understand, indeed, predict a crisis? 

One exercise that will surprise you is to write down every seventh year of your life, and note any significant changes -- or crises that occur during that seventh year. A move, a death of a loved one, a marriage, a birth, a divorce, or the loss of a job.. any of these can upset the balance of your life. (Medically speaking, they can also be precursors to a heart attack or mental breakdown!) Recognizing the events that occurred in each seventh year period of my own life was eye-opening, but I cannot say that reading the book stopped me from having other seventh year crises! Breaking or predicting patterns of behavior is not simple or found in books. However, seeing that you are not the only one subjected to a 7-year crisis helps. You can then be on guard for what can possibly take place in your seventh or seventieth year, and make changes to avoid what you might not wish to happen. Of course, there are some things one cannot predict or change, but many you will be able to steer clear of.

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Rosy Cross

I think the most interesting thing I discovered about seven-year-cycles is in a little book I picked up years ago at a garage sale titled "Wisdom of the Mystic Masters". It contains a brief explanation of the cycles we experience in our daily lives as taught by the ancient order of Rosicrucians. Rosicrucianism is a movement which incorporates the ancient Hermetic philosophy.. another interesting topic of mysticism.

"The title of the Brotherhood is derived from "Rosa-Crux", a red rose affixed to a cross, presumably of gold.  To the Rosicrucians of the age of Elizabeth, it hardly seems questionable that the rose was the symbol of silence, as among the ancients it was originally derived from the pagan tradition that the God of Love made the first rose, which he presented to the God of Silence. ... under it, whatever was spoken or done was not to be divulged; hence our term sub rosa used to indicate secrecy. The Cross, of course, signified salvation, to which the Society of the Rose-Cross devoted itself by teaching mankind the love of God and the beauty of brotherhood, with all that they implied." ..from Quest of the Ages - Sir Francis Bacon

The three main cycles covered by this book relate to Life Cycles, Business Cycles, and Health Cycles. Starting on one's birthdate, each cycle consists of 52 days - seven cycles in a year. Not surprisingly, the last cycle before your birthday is one of de-volution.. an ending, a completion. Strangely enough, I had two divorces finalized during this cycle - both on the same day - seven years apart. Those who follow the Rosicrucian philosophy plan their activities according to the descriptions of each cycle. In fact, there are many more cycles not covered in this book.. cycles of the week, day, and I presume even the hour. Pretty complicated if you ask me. I must admit though, as my birthday approaches each year, I do a thorough examination of what's going on in my life that might be coming to an end! Hmmm.. I wonder if my life itself might end on a seven-year cycle? Just kidding.

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Love, peace, and new beginnings,

Marilyn